WARNING: This post contains spoilers from season two of Star Trek: Prodigy now streaming on Netflix.
Long before season two of Star Trek: Picard aired in 2022, one Star Trek: The Next Generation knew he was returning to the Star Trek franchise as more than a cameo. The final episode of Picard's season two brought The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher [Wil Wheaton] back for the briefest of moments. And it left fans wanting more, something which Star Trek: Prodigy delivered on in its second season. Surpisingly, though, Wheaton already knew about his return to Prodigy before filming began for season two of Picard, something which meant the actor had to keep a secret for a long time.
In an interview with Screenrant [via CBR], Wheaton shared that he had to keep the news about his Prodigy appearances a secret from more than just the fans. In fact, many of his castmates from The Next Generation weren't aware that he would be resuming the role of Wesley Crusher. The only two actors from TNG who knew were Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden.
The actor went on to say that for years people had been saying how they wanted to see Wesley again and asked Wheaton if he thought he would be in any of the Star Trek series like Strange New Worlds or Prodigy, a question which forced him to lie.
"For years - years! - people have been saying to me, 'Man, I want to see Wesley again. Do you think he'll be in Strange New Worlds? Do you think you'll be in Prodigy? Do you think he'll be in –?' And every time I was like, 'I'm going to tell you a big old lie right now because that's what I have to do. I don't know.' So sorry, everybody. SURPRISE!""Wil Wheaton
Prodigy didn't just bring Wesley back for a brief pop-in. He returned as a much stronger character than he'd ever been before, even on The Next Generation. He had a reason for being there, a purpose, and his return made sense, considering what was happening in the timeline. Prodigy did right by Wesley!