The Ladies of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Gates McFadden as Doctor (Commander) Beverly Crusher

Return to Star Trek: The Next Generation

Doctor (Commander) Beverly Howard Crusher, Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D and NCC 1701-E.  The first casting call described Doctor Crusher in part "... her intelligence, personality, beauty, and the fact that she has the natural walk of a striptease queen, ..."  Doctor Crusher was born Beverly Howard, the daughter of Paul and Isabel Howard,  on 13 October 2324, in Copernicus City, Luna (Earth's moon).  Details of Beverly's early life are unknown, other than the fact that she was at the Arvada III colony, where she helped her grandmother, Felicia Howard, care for the survivors of a terrible plague (Sub Rosa).  Her grandmother was skilled in the medicinal use of herbs and roots, and used the local herbs to save as many lives as possible (The Arsenal of Freedom).  Beverly learned as much as she could, and this experience is credited with her decision to become a physician.  She entered Starfleet Academy in 2342 and completed the normal program in 2346, but she went on to Starfleet Medical and graduated in 2350.  Doctor Crusher did her internship on Delos IV, where her mentor was Doctor Dalen Quaice (Remember Me).  Jean-Luc Picard and Walter Kiel soon became her friends at the Academy.  Walter Kiel introduced her to Jack Crusher, a friend of his and Picard's.  Jack and Beverly became an item and were married in 2348, and had a son, Wesley the following year.  Jean-Luc Picard assumed command of the USS Stargazer and Walter Kiel assumed command of his ship at that time.   Jack Crusher stayed at Starfleet Command and he and Beverly served together for about four years.  Jack accepted the position of science officer on the Stargazer when it opened up; glad to serve with his old friend, Captain Picard.  This was the last time Beverly would see her husband alive.  Jack Crusher was killed on an away mission two years later while attempting to free the Stargazer from a dangerous natural phenomenon, and Captain Picard brought his body home.  Wesley Crusher was six at the time.  Doctor Crusher served at Starfleet Medical until the position of Chief Medical Officer became available on the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D in 2364, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Encounter at Farpoint). She requested the assignment and, despite doubts of many members of the assignment review board, she received the assignment.   The only consistency in Beverly's life is her son and Captain Picard, in whom she has expressed a romantic interest.  Their positions on the ship keep them from pursuing any kind of romantic relationship. She left the Enterprise the following year to become head of Starfleet Medical, but returned in 2366.  The first thing you notice about Beverly Crusher is her brilliant red hair.   The light blue medical smock hides a fantastic figure. Beverly was an accomplished dancer, having won a dance content in St Louis.  This earned her the nickname, The Dancing Doctor, which she disliked.  Aboard the Enterprise, she avoided demonstrating those skills (Data's Day).  She also had a strong interest in amateur theatrics and started a successful theater company on the Enterprise.  The troupe performed extensively in 2367, presenting Cyrano de Bergerac (The Nth Degree) and The Pirates of Penzance (Disaster), among others.  Doctor Crusher also wrote Something for Breakfast (A Fistful of Datas) and Frame of Mind (Frame of Mind) for her troupe to perform.

See Some Photos of Beverly Crusher

Cheryl Gates McFadden, born 2 March 1953 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, won a dance contest at the age of seven at the local American Legion hall.  That moment launched her on a career in show business.  She graduated cum laude with a BA in Theater Arts from Brandeis University.  Cheryl developed her acting talents and acquired a love for writing and history while at Brandeis.  She then spent some time in France studying at Jacques LeCoq's Ecole Mime et Theatre, an experience that she says had a profound effect on her life.  Cheryl developed an interest in architecture after taking LeCoq's architecture course.  Returning to the United States and basing herself in New York, she was cast in numerous stage, film, mime, and improvisation roles before becoming Doctor Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.  She had lead roles in the stage productions To Alice on Her 37th Birthday, How to Say Goodbye, and Cloud Nine, and the film, The Muppets Take Manhattan.  The Muppet movie appearance led to a professional relationship with the Jim Henson studios, where she served as Director of Choreography and Puppet Movement for the film, Labyrinth.  She also had roles on television in Another World and The Edge of Night.  Cheryl also served on the Theater Arts faculties at Brandeis, the New York University Graduate School, and the University of Pittsburgh throughout the 1980s, where she specialized in improvisation, commedia dell'arte, clown, and movement.  She now came to the point where she had to choose between acting and teaching; she chose acting but hopes to return to teaching at some point in the future.  Cheryl McFadden became known as Gates McFadden, using her middle name of Gates, about the time she was cast as Doctor Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.  She did not seek the role and originally turned it down because of another professional commitment.  Paramount pursued her because Gene Roddenberry had decided from her audition that she was perfect for the role.  Gates was "removed" from the cast after the first season, for reasons that are not clear.  Some say she tried to renegotiate her contract and failed, others that Paramount decided they didn't like the way the character was developing.  Paramount's official announcement was that she left the show to "pursue other career opportunities", which Gates says was a surprise to her.  Although Paramount denies it, a massive letter-writing campaign by fans resulted in her return to the show after a one-year absence.  The official story was that the character of Doctor Pulaski "did not work".  The rest, as they say, is history.  Gates continued as Doctor Crusher for the remainder of the series, and appeared in the seventh, eighth, and ninth Star Trek feature films, Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection.

See Some Photos of Gates McFadden

Return to Top