Danger, Wil Wheaton

Ok, I know that my title reference is for a different sci-fi series but I am not a Trekkie (which, by the way is a recognized word on my computer).

I know Wil Wheaton primarily from Big Bang Theory, where he plays a fictional version of himself, as well as his leading role in the 1986 film Stand By Me;the closest I’ve gotten to an episode of The Next Generation is this:

I wanted to read his memoir because I follow his wife, Anne, on Instagram and she posts a lot of pictures of their animals.

Wheaton’s memoir focuses mainly on his life in the early 2000s when he is suffering a crisis of faith in his career. He hasn’t been close with his TNG cast mates since leaving the show when he was eighteen (in the midst of the fifth season). Wil had plans to be a big movie star that unfortunately didn’t pan out.

She drew a nervous breath, bit down on the corner of her mouth, and asked, breathlessly, ‘Didn’t you used to be an actor?”

Wil begins writing a blog called wilwheaton.net that becomes a bit of a hit, he turns his depressing acting situation into a bit of comedy as well as rediscovers his place in the Star Trek fandom. He suffers a lot of ups and downs career wise; he mentions bill collectors and consistently being the “second choice” of casting  directors. Wil is the step-father to Anne’s sons from a previous relationship and he’s very open about feeling like he is failing his kids by not always being able to provide for them financially.

I couldn’t help but feel like this memoir was dated (this book was written over ten years ago) and I wonder if Wheaton has plans to write a follow up. He has written several collections of essays but not another straightforward memoir.  He has had a bit of a career resurgence and probably has a higher opinion of himself nowadays.