Cirroc Lofton and Wil Wheaton have admiration for each other
On his recent podcast “The 7th Rule”, Cirroc Lofton who portrayed Captain Sisko’s (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) son Jake Sisko – along with his co-host Ryan T. Husk, interviewed Wil Wheaton who portrayed Dr. Beverly Crusher's (Star Trek: The Nex Generation) son Wesley Crusher. It was exciting to see these two former child actors who portrayed children in space while going through puberty in the adult world of Starfleet regulations, space travel, aliens, and adolescent drama.
Lofton congratulated Wheaton for “pioneering the space of the young kids in space…you paved the way in space for young men.” Wesley followed up by reflecting when a fan questioned him about Jake Sisko at a ComiCon “I kind of feel like Wesley Crusher crawled so that Jake Sisko could walk, so that Adira Tal from Star Trek Discovery could fly…”
Young actors had common pressures
Adira Tal, portrayed by Blu del Barrio, is another example of a young actor playing a significant recurring supportive child role in Star Trek canon. Adira Tal is a young human non-binary character, who becomes the first non-Trill host of a Trill symbiont named Gray and is a skilled engineer with a great capacity for science and mathematics.
It was revealing to hear both Lofton and Wheaton when they expressed their mutual anxiety on their individual shows. They both felt the immense pressure of the weight of their iconic shows in Star Trek canon, and they didn't want to “mess up and disappoint the adults.” It is amazing these teens, at the time, were both able to deliver such acting skills amid that pressure and scrutiny and their perceived pressure of caring a beloved TV series. Additionally, Lofton exclaimed he did not want to be “the weakest link!”
Wheaton and Cirroc gushed on their time acting with their TV dad/father figures. On TNG Wheaton said he only had a few one-on-one scenes with Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), but he admired Stewart as an actor and a father figure who gave him advice that he uses today. Cirroc affirmed that he was very excited at the time to shoot a particular poignant scene in DS9 with Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko) as they just chatted while fishing and bonding as father and son.
Wesley Crusher was no Will Robinson
Wheaton went on to express that the creators of TNG did not want a Will Robinson (“Lost In Space”) boy-genius character, but rather they wanted an actor with depth and because of his performance in “Stand By Me”, they thought he would be the perfect fit. It was refreshing listening to these two men ponder on their childhood acting time about their individual Star Trek series. Given the vastness of Star Trek canon, I look forward to creators investing in more Star Trek storylines with Wesley Crusher and Jake Sisko.