Wesley Crusher

Wesley Eugene Crusher was a intelligent human who dropped out of Starfleet Academy to travel with the mysterious being known as The Traveler.

Early Life
Wesley Eugene Crusher, son of Beverly and Jack Crusher, was born in 2349. Wesley's father worshipped him, but Jack realised that his Starfleet career could mean that he wouldn't always be around as Wesley grew up, so when Wesley was 10 weeks old, Jack began recording messages for his son. (TNG episode: "Family").

In 2354, Wesley's father was killed following a dreadful accident aboard the USS Stargazer. Although the five-year-old boy didn't completely understand what was happening, he remembered that Jack's body was brought home by his command officer and friend, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. (TNG episode: "Encounter at Farpoint", and novel: Reunion).

From an early age, Wesley began to express an aptitude for advanced learning, when in 2358, 9-year-old Wesley studied every piece of text written by the escape artist Bophur the Unholdable, after he observed when of his final acts. (TNG novel: Balance of Power).

Aboard the Enterprise-D
In 2364, Wesley boarded the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) with his mother who was assigned as the ship's chief medical officer. He quickly became friends with several of the Enterprise 's senior staff, including Commander William T. Riker, Data, and Geordi La Forge. Intially Wesley's relationship with Captain Picard was very tense, and for some weeks Wesley was barred from the bridge. (TNG episode: "Encounter at Farpoint").

A few months into the mission, the Enterprise was visited by an unusual being, known as The Traveler from Tau Alpha C. The Traveler urged Captain Picard to encourage Wesley and make him realise his potential, as a result Picard promoted Wesley to acting ensign and granted him access to the bridge, as well as posting his application to Starfleet Academy. (TNG episode: "Where No One Has Gone Before").

A few months later, Wesley took his Academy entrance exam on Relva VII, but failed the gain entry. Wes considered dropping the idea, but Picard changed his mind when he told him about his own failure to enter the Academy on his first try. The following year, Wes took his exam on Starbase 515, and passed, and was offered a position at the Academy from 2366. His entry had to be moved to early 2367, when he remained aboard the Enterprise to help locate Commander Riker and Deanna Troi after they were captured by the Ferengi. Thanks to his actions, Riker and Troi were rescued, and Picard field-promoted Wesley to ensign. (TNG episodes: "Coming of Age", "Samaritan Snare", and "Menage a Troi").

Starfleet Academy
Despite entering the Academy a few months late, Wesley managed to catch-up with all assignment work, and managed to make many friends, including Cadet Joshua Albert. On the advice of Captain Picard, Wesley also saught at the Academy groundskeeper, Boothby, who helped him through his early days at the Academy. (TNG episode: "The Game", and "The First Duty").

At the start of his second year at the Academy, Wesley joined Nova Squadron, an Academy flight squad led by Nick Locarno. Wesley also flew along with Joshua Albert and Sito Jaxa. In early 2368, the squad attempted to perform a Kolvoord Starburst maneuver near Titan, which resulted in all test ships being destroyed, and the death of Cadet Albert. Wesley originally went along with the others, who attempted to bury the incident, but Captain Picard persuaded him to tell the truth, or he would. As a result, Wes was reprimanded but allowed to stay in the Academy. (TNG episode: "The First Duty").

In 2369, Wesley returned to the Enterprise while on vacation from the Academy. While Wesley was aboard, the Enterprise was sent to the planet Megara to investigate Ferengi dealings on the planet which has seen them become more advanced, a violation of the Prime Directive. (TNG novel: Debtor's Planet).