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Gates McFadden had a tumultuous relationship withStar Trek: The Next Generationshowrunners during her initial years as Dr. Beverly Crusher. It eventually led to her firing from the show after Season 1. She was brought back in Season 3 and her working conditions improved, but the show still failed to address one important aspect of her character.
In the series, Beverly Crusher was the mother to Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher, but McFadden felt that her single parenthood was not properly explored in the series. She complained that Wesley always went to male characters for advice despite having a mother, who was a fully certified bridge officer.
Gates McFadden FeltStar Trek: The Next GenerationUndermined Her Role As A Single Mother
During an interview withJake’s Takeschannel,Gates McFaddenopened up about the several issues she had to face inStar Trek: The Next Generation. McFadden was critical of the showrunnerGene Roddenberry‘s take on the female characters in his show. She revealed that she“struggled with some of the roles that women were in.”
McFadden’s biggest issue was that Dr. Beverly Crusher was sidelined when it came to her role as a mother. Beverly Crusher had a son with her late husband Jack Crusher before the pilot ofThe Next Generation. In the series, her son Wesley, played by Wil Wheaton, often went to the male characters for advice. However, he had fewer interactions with his mother.
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McFadden shared that Roddenberry could never understand the relationship between a mother and son. She shared,“That was part of where I had problems because Gene didn’t have that particular experience that I had being a mother.” She further added that she had philosophical discussions with her son and she was not a mom who ordered her son around. She shared with Jake’s Takes:
Any time Wesley Crusher needed some advice it was always from one of the male characters.[…] I thought, what about these single parents, be [they] male or female? As a mother, I have had huge philosophical discussions with my son about all kinds of things. It’s not just, ‘Honey, do what I’m saying and here’s your lunchbox.’
It was not justRoddenberry’s idealsthat irked McFadden, but she also had issues with the head writer and showrunner Maurice Hurley during the first season. Hurley was responsible for firing McFadden at the end of the first season. She told Michael Rosenbaum on his podcastInside of Youthatshe“definitely pissed off Hurley”.
Executive producer Rick Berman was supportive of McFadden and rehired her once Hurley left the show after the second season (TrekMovie.com).
Gates McFadden Also Had Issues With Her Romantic Arc With Jean-Luc Picard
Gates McFadden was disappointed with her character’s treatment inThe Next Generation. In particular, she did not like how her romantic arc withPatrick Stewart‘s Jean-Luc Picard went unexplored. She shared that the characters had so much history that fans didn’t get to see because Hollywood wanted a new female interest for the main character every now and then. She shared withVariety:
So much of the history of the character — you didn’t even see it. Jean-Luc Picard could have this brand new love interest every time, and it was as if he and Crusher had nothing between them, or ever did. That was a huge part of the character that was just put away.
While she was happy to reprise her character inStar Trek: Picard, she was also skeptical about the storyline in the third season. In the season, it is revealed that Beverly Crusher and Picard had a son together whom she did not tell the latter about. McFadden shared that it was out of character for Crusher, who was a“very ethical humanist”and“cared about doing the right thing.”
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However, the episodeAttachedofThe Next Generationconvinced her of Beverly’s intentions. In the episode, they were connected with each other’s deepest thoughts. While Beverly wanted a family, Picard’s deepest instincts showed that he did not want one.
Star Trek: The Next Generationis now available for streaming on Paramount+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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