Wil Wheaton says he's only ever felt parental love from Star Trek costars LeVar Burton and Jonathan Frakes

Wheaton previously wrote in his 2022 memoir that he sometimes wanted to call his parents but instead chose to text his "Star Trek" family.

Wil Wheaton is reflecting on his relationships with his former Star Trek costars.

The Stand By Me actor candidly discussed the difficulty of being estranged from his parents and his impulse to share his achievements with parental figures in an interview with Michael Rosenbaum on the Inside of You podcast.

"There were moments where I wanted to call them to tell them about things," Wheaton recalled, noting that he wanted to update his parents about his 2022 memoir Still Just a Geek and his new speculative fiction podcast Storytime With Wil Wheaton. 

"That is a supernatural impulse. Everyone has parents. Every child has a mom and a dad. And you want to share that with them. And I've just accepted that when I have that impulse, I text my Star Trek family."

Wheaton went on to explain that he texted a number of his Star Trek: The Next Generation costars on the eve of announcing Storytime, including Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker), LeVar Burton (Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf), Marina Sirtis (Commander Deanna Troi), and Brent Spiner (Lieutenant Commander Data).

Wheaton recalled being particularly moved by his interaction with Burton. "Before we announced, I texted LeVar, because this doesn't exist without him," he said of the podcast. "I texted him and I said, 'I just want you to know that we're announcing today, and I'm excited and kind of nervous. But this wouldn't exist without you. This wouldn't exist if you hadn't believed in me, if you hadn't said, "I want you to do this." This wouldn't exist if you hadn't said, "How can I help?"'"

After telling Burton, "Thank you for being there for me when you didn't know that you were," Wheaton said that the Reading Rainbow star called him "totally unexpectedly" upon receiving the text. 

"[He] told me how proud of me he was," Wheaton remembered. "He said, 'I couldn't just text you. I had to hear your voice.'"

While visibly holding back tears, the actor explained how his conversation with Burton was one of the first times he's felt genuine parental love. "Twice in my life, I have felt what I imagine it is like when your parents love you and approve of you," Wheaton said. "Once was when Frakes was on [my Star Trek aftershow] Ready Room and he told me how proud of me he was, and how much he loved the show, and and just, I don't know. He was curious about me and about what I did and how I did it. And then last night, I felt that way from LeVar."

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Wheaton said that he became emotional after the call. "I set the phone down and I just put my arms around myself and I just sat there and I was like, 'Remember what this feels like,'" he said. "'Sit in this, enjoy this, feel this in your body. Have these feelings in your heart and in your arms." 

He continued: "There's a feeling of joy and acceptance and I just was like, 'This is the closest you're ever gonna get, buddy. So love that feeling.'"