Doctor Crusher has often been a background character or love interest, but the first trailer for Picard season 3 sees her as an action hero figure.
The return of Doctor Beverley Crusher (Gates McFadden) to Star Trek: Picard season 3 will redeem an insulting moment from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Showrunner Terry Matalas has teased that Beverley Crusher will have a key role in Picard season 3, and this is backed up by the first teaser trailer. The first footage screened at Star Trek Day showed that it's Doctor Crusher who reaches out to Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for help when her ship is seemingly hijacked, finally putting this underused character front and center.
Actor Gates McFadden famously left the role of Doctor Crusher in TNG season 2, but returned for season 3. McFadden has been vocal on the poor scripts she sometimes received as Crusher, and it's true that the character was often underused throughout TNG. From the footage released so far, it looks like Picard season 3 will finally put more focus on the character, giving Gates McFadden some material to truly sink her teeth into as an actor.
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It's certainly time that Doctor Crusher gets a strong storyline, especially as she was largely reduced to being a background character in the TNG movies. As it's billed as a proper farewell to the TNG crew, Picard season 3's reunion will give each of these iconic characters their big moments, beginning with Crusher. The trailer finds her aboard what appears to be a hijacked starship, armed with a phaser rifle, ready to defend herself. This action hero version of Doctor Crusher calls to mind TNG season 6, episodes 10 and 11, "Chain of Command I & II," while redeeming some insulting moments from that classic two-parter.
When she was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 1, "Encounter at Farpoint," it was revealed that Crusher and Picard had a complicated history together. Jean-Luc was captain of the Stargazer when Beverley's husband, and his close friend Jack was killed on an away mission. This connection informed the characters' relationship throughout TNG, notably in season 7, episode 8, "Attached," when it's revealed that the young Jean-Luc had fallen in love with Beverley. Fans hope that the Crusher and Picard romance will be rekindled in Picard's final season, but to bring her back purely as the great lost love of Jean-Luc's life would reduce the character.
Clearly, the Picard writing team has taken this on board and has opted for Beverley to be a much more active participant in season 3. She's fighting off hijackers and seems much more battle-ready than she was in "Chain of Command", in which she's selected for a black op's mission in Cardassian space. While it initially appears that this will be Doctor Crusher's moment to shine, the story regularly highlights how she's unfit for the job, possibly because she's a woman. She physically struggles with the training, and gets caught under a rockfall while traversing a tunnel that the men have already easily tackled. Worse still, in an earlier scene, Doctor Crusher is forced to sexually debase herself by flirting with a Ferengi villain to gain passage on a cargo ship.
Despite sending a distress signal to Jean-Luc Picard, it's clear that the Beverley Crusher audiences will see in Star Trek: Picard season 3 will be a much more independent hero with proper agency. Terry Matalas has also teased that Dr. Crusher is no longer working for Starfleet, so she'll no doubt have an intriguing medical or scientific reason for being on board the hijacked ship. The first glimpse of Dr. Crusher in action is a promising sign that Star Trek will finally redeem the character's often insulting treatment by Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Mark Donaldson is a film and TV features writer for Screen Rant. As an arts graduate and former movie theater employee, he is fascinated by the current streaming landscape and its impact on the box office. Mark also has a passionate love of TV, from prestige dramas like Better Call Saul to classic sci-fi like Doctor Who. He also loves comedy, and his SR highlight so far was when his comedy hero Tim Heidecker shared one of his articles. Another highlight from his time at SR so far is getting the chance to champion Seth MacFarlane's brilliant The Orville on a weekly basis. Mark is also a freelance film programmer, podcaster, and writer who never misses an opportunity to share their love of movies and tv shows via screenings, podcasts, and the written word. He's also currently working on a book about multiplex theaters and a documentary about Doctor Who fandom in the 1990s.