Posted in: Paramount+, streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: paramount, Picard, star trek, wil wheaton

Star Trek: Wil Wheaton Would Return to On-Camera Acting for New Series

Though he chose to retire from on-camera acting, Wil Wheaton explained why he would return for a new "Star Trek" universe series.

Aside from guest-voicing during a flashback scene in the fourth season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the last time we saw Wil Wheaton in the "Star Trek" universe was the Season 2 finale of "Picard" – with Wesley offering Kore (Isa Briones) a chance to join the Travelers to help keep time flowing as it should. While that might have been the last time we saw Wesley, thankfully, we get to see Wheaton quite a bit more often via Paramount+'s The Ready Room –  a series that takes viewers behind the scenes of the latest episode for a chance to hear from the cast & creative team, see how the production team made the episode come to life, and preview what's to come with the next episode. But as much as he enjoys hosting the show and is no longer interested in "on-camera acting," Wheaton made it clear that he would be honored to have a chance at a scripted return.

"I love 'Star Trek.' It is one of my favorite things in the world. I have been a massive fan for my entire life. It is so weird for me to be 51 years old. I was the kid on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' and now I am a legacy 'Star Trek' cast member interviewing current 'Star Trek' cast members about the franchise that we are all part of. It is such a wonderful gift. For all of us who work in 'Star Trek,' we generally get to be part of one piece of it. And we get to carry this baton a little bit, and then we hand it off," Wheaton shared during a red-carpet interview with Screen Rant during the Saturn Awards.

Wheaton continued, "I'm one of the only people from my generation of 'Star Trek' contributors who get to touch all the different 'Star Trek' shows and still be active and part of this community. If that's all I ever get to do, then it's a gift and a blessing and something I'm endlessly grateful for. And having said all of that, as much as I have decided to just retire from on-camera acting and I feel so good about it and I'm happy about it, 'Star Trek' is something I would absolutely come back for."

As far as the "Star Trek" universe, the entertainment industry, and Life in general go, Wheaton's story is definitely a survivor's tale. The actor and podcast host has been open in the past about the abuse he suffered as a child actor and how he was left in financial hardship by his parents. He's also been very open & honest when it comes to addressing the important issues impacting the pop culture community. So when it came to last year's SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes, you can imagine that Wheaton had more than a few irons in the fire when it came to the main issues at play.

In an Instagram post from July 2023 where he posed with ST: TNG star Gates McFadden, Wheaton explained on a personal level just how important residuals are for actors. "My parents stole nearly all of my salary from my entire childhood. My 'Star Trek' residuals were all I had, and they kept me afloat for two decades while I rebuilt my life," Wheaton wrote at one point before offering readers a mini "history lesson" on how the studios have worked residuals in the past and what they're looking to do moving forward if SAG-AFTRA & the WGA didn't counter their efforts.

In 1960, SAG and WGA struck to force management to adapt to the new technology of television. Without that strike and the agreement it birthed, residual use payments would not exist.

My parents stole nearly all of my salary from my entire childhood. My Star Trek residuals were all I had, and they kept me afloat for two decades while I rebuilt my life. I have healthcare and a pension because of my union. The AMPTP billionaires want to take all that security away so they can give CEOs even more grotesque wealth at the expense of the people who make our industry run.

To give some sense of what is at stake: There are actors who star in massively successful, profitable, critically acclaimed shows that are all on streaming services. You see them all the time. They are famous, A-list celebrities. Nearly all of those actors don't earn enough to qualify for health insurance, because the studios forced them to accept a buyout for all their residuals (decade of reuse, at the least) that is less than I earned for one week on TNG. And I was the lowest paid cast member in 1988. They want to do this while studio profits and CEO compensation are at historic highs.

I mean, if not now, when? And I haven't even touched on AI and working conditions.

We must fight for the future of our industry in the face of changing technology, the same way our elders did in 1960. So today, my Spacemom and I went to the place where it started for us, way back when, to do just that.

I see all your support. It means so much. Thank you.

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