Jar Jar was added in as a way to entertain children. A case of mismatch between market and script.
Wesley was a Gary Stu self-insert meant for the director to show all those people back in grade school that he really WAS the coolest and the best. Here is every Wesley episode in a nutshell: Wesley appears, is disrespected. Problem occurs. Wesley immediately knows solution to the problem, despite being a literal child. As he is a child of no ranking, the military ship ignores him. He whines. Problem gets worse. Wesley ignores orders/chains of command/whatever and easily solves the problem that a ship of hundreds of VERY competent scientists, engineers, and soldiers could not solve (despite those people being entirely competent in any episode Wesley isn't in). Everyone goes "oh Wesley, you're so smart, and amazing. We shouldn't have ever ignored someone as amazing as you!" Rinse. Repeat.
From a fandom side, the only good thing to come of his appearances is one Picard speech lambasting him, and a litany of "shut up, Wesley" sound bytes.
There was also that time he came back and had turned into an insufferable prick,
nobody cared about his opinion, and it looked like he had finally gotten his comeuppance. But then the pedophile Traveler appeared and told Wesley he's basically a God Among Men and they should go off on adventures together. So they got rid of him but had to remind us that he's still the bestest ever.
Hah! Having never watched all I knew was the appearance of him and to me he looked like the annoying hall monitor that would turn you in to the principal.
Jar Jar Binks is an unfair comparison.
Jar Jar was added in as a way to entertain children. A case of mismatch between market and script.
Wesley was a Gary Stu self-insert meant for the director to show all those people back in grade school that he really WAS the coolest and the best. Here is every Wesley episode in a nutshell: Wesley appears, is disrespected. Problem occurs. Wesley immediately knows solution to the problem, despite being a literal child. As he is a child of no ranking, the military ship ignores him. He whines. Problem gets worse. Wesley ignores orders/chains of command/whatever and easily solves the problem that a ship of hundreds of VERY competent scientists, engineers, and soldiers could not solve (despite those people being entirely competent in any episode Wesley isn't in). Everyone goes "oh Wesley, you're so smart, and amazing. We shouldn't have ever ignored someone as amazing as you!" Rinse. Repeat.
From a fandom side, the only good thing to come of his appearances is one Picard speech lambasting him, and a litany of "shut up, Wesley" sound bytes.
There was also that time he came back and had turned into an insufferable prick, nobody cared about his opinion, and it looked like he had finally gotten his comeuppance. But then the pedophile Traveler appeared and told Wesley he's basically a God Among Men and they should go off on adventures together. So they got rid of him but had to remind us that he's still the bestest ever.
Hah! Having never watched all I knew was the appearance of him and to me he looked like the annoying hall monitor that would turn you in to the principal.