This story contains minor SPOILERS for the series finale of Star Trek: Picard.The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard was a real treat for fans of The Next Generation, as nearly everyone from the original cast had returned to reprise their roles. One person who was notably absent was Wil Wheaton, known for playing the son of Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Season 3 of Picard had introduced Ed Speelers as Jack Crusher, Wesley's half-brother who was fathered by Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Some fans may have anticipated a family reunion with Wheaton returning as Wesley before the end of the series, but such an appearance never came.

Wheaton previously appeared as Wesley in a season 2 episode of Picard, explaining that he had since rejoined the Travelers following the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Some fans are now left wondering if Wesley has ever met Jack, or if he's gone to visit his mother at least once since becoming firmly entrenched in the group. It's a question that was explored in a Gizmodo article, and taking to Facebook, Wheaton responded to the article to give his explanation. He notes that it's not official, as he's not a Picard writer, but the story he has in mind is what he used for a comic book tie-in he wrote.

"I have as close to an official answer as you're going to get. It's not officially canon, but it's in my headcanon, and I used it when I wrote the Wesley Story for the 400th Star Trek comic," Wheaton explains. "One of the fundamental rules of being in the Travelers is that, once you've joined, you must NEVER interact directly with the people, places, planets, etc. that were part of your previous life, because it can affect your judgment and break reality."

He adds, "Wesley would like nothing more than to visit his mom, and meet his brother. But he knows that not seeing them is a sacrifice he has to make in service of something so much bigger than anything else in his reality."

Related: Star Trek Picard: How the Final Season Sets Up the Franchise's Future

What's Next for Star Trek?

Star Trek: Picard Poster
Paramount+

While Picard is ending, the Star Trek franchise lives on, and it's not impossible that we will see Wesley Crusher again some day. Whether that includes a reunion with the other Crushers remains to be seen. Showrunner Terry Matalas has even teased that Picard was intentionally ended in such a way to help set up for more spinoffs with some of the same characters from that era of Star Trek returning.

"Look, I love this time period in Star Trek, the 25th century," he said at GalaxyCon, via TrekMovie. "I always view it as the present day in Star Trek, for me. It’s where we all left off. And the way we leave this season is a passing of the torch from the last generation to the next… I would certainly love [the spin-off] to happen. We certainly leave it so that you can do that."

You can stream Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+.