The best opportunity we had of finding out why former "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star Wil Wheaton spells his name as he does was sadly cut off in favor of a somewhat mean-spirited joke.

Born Richard William Wheaton, the actor, best known for playing Wesley Crusher on the second TV version of the "Star Trek" franchise, appeared in a "Trek"-themed episode of the popular game show "The Weakest Link" in 2001. He was asked by the show's comically cantankerous host, Anne Robinson, why he chose such a "silly" spelling of his name. And he tried to answer.

"Leaving one L off the end of my name ..." he began, before she cut him off and replied, "... is pretentious." And so the mystery continues.

That was not the only time he's taken some ribbing for his spelling choice. In fact, it's become an in-joke among fans of a more recent series he's been featured on, "The Big Bang Theory."

On that show, he plays a scheming and cruel version of himself, and the nemesis of Sheldon, arguably the hit sitcom's most popular character. In one episode, Sheldon claims to be "the proud owner of WilWheatonStinks.com, .net and .org."

Warner Bros. supposedly bought them all and left them empty. However, entrepreneurial fans bought the misspellings -- putting two Ls in "WillWheatonStinks." The .org sells "Big Bang" merchandise, and says that it is aware of the misspelling, "but Wil Wheaton doesn't deserve to have his name spelled correctly."

With that role on "Big Bang" and his popularity as a blogger, Wheaton is experiencing a career resurgence lately, which is a rarity for child stars.

Before even joining "Star Trek: The Next Generation" at age 15, Wheaton was an established actor.

He first came to prominence in the Stephen King-penned coming-of-age film "Stand By Me" (1986). But prior to that, he had also done guest spots on the small screen in such hits as "St. Elsewhere" and "Highway to Heaven."

His first acting role was in the 1981 telefilm "A Long Way Home," when he was just nine years old.

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