A small segment of the “Star Trek” fandom really loves to hate on young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), the admittedly sometimes annoying son of Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates MacFadden), but he’s an important stepping stone to other kid characters on later “Star Trek” shows who are truly compelling. Not only that, but Wheaton himself has become a sort of keeper of “Star Trek” lore and one of its biggest, famous fans, even if he left “Next Generation” after its fourth season to focus on his acting career. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the precocious preteen, but once upon a time, someone wildly different was originally considered for the role: ’90s kids’ game show star and reality show creator J.D. Roth.
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In a now-infamous internal memo that went out at Paramount in 1987 with a dream wishlist of actors for each role, the role of Wesley Crusher was supposed to go to Roth, who at the time hosted the kids’ game show “Fun House.” While Roth looks a lot more like MacFadden than Wheaton with his strawberry red hair, it would have been an interesting fit. So what happened?
J.D. Roth had a career in reality TV instead of starring in Star Trek
Roth was a child star who had guest appearances on a number of sitcoms throughout the 1980s, though hosting “Fun House” (a show similar to Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare”) seemed to be his real path to stardom. He auditioned for the role of Wesley, and it would have been a massive breakout role, but he didn’t get it for unknown reasons. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything, Roth confirmed that he had been up for the part, saying:
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“I got the document, I think from Paramount, I’m not sure – it had come down to me and Wil Wheaton. It came down between myself and Wil, and it was in the memo that it was my part.”
Instead of playing Wesley, Roth would have a career as a television host and producer, hosting a number of children’s shows before co-creating the weight-loss reality game show “The Biggest Loser” in 2004. He also voiced the titular character in the cartoon series “The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest.”
Meanwhile, Wheaton had some problems with his career due to some terrible advice, but eventually ended up making peace with his place in the “Star Trek” fan canon and even starred as a fictionalized version of himself in the geeky sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” It sounds to me like everything turned out perfectly, and hey, at least Roth will never have to hear anyone shout “Shut up, Wesley!” at him.
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