Beverly Crusher

Dr. Beverly Crusher was a character on The Next Generation and the films which followed. She was played by actress Gates McFadden.

Beverly was the Chief Medical Officer onboard the USS Enterprise-D and its successor, the USS Enterprise-E. She initially held the rank of Lieutenent Commander until promoted in 2362 to the rank of Commander. She was also head of Starfleet Medical from 2365 to 2366.

Overview

Beverly Howard was born in 2324 to Paul and Isabel Howard in Copernicus City, Luna. Her mother died while Beverly was young and she grew up with her grandmother on the Arvada III colony. She married Jack Crusher in 2348 and gave birth to their son Wesley Crusher the following year. Jack Crusher proposed to Beverly Howard by giving her a book called "How to Advance Your Career Through Marriage" as a gag gift. Beverly's husband died on an away mission in 2354, and it took her a long time to recover. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was the first to inform Beverly and her son about Jack's death.

In 2364, Dr. Beverly Crusher was assigned to the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D as the chief medical officer under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. She would reintroduce her son Wesley to Captain Picard, who angrily chased the boy off the bridge after Wesley acknowledged an alert. Later, Picard would name Wesley an acting ensign, beginning Wesley's Starfleet career.

During the first year, Dr. Crusher diagnosed and cured a polywater infection that was causing the crew to lose their inhibitions. She was seriously injured in the episode "The Arsenal of Freedom", and would reveal to Picard that her grandmother had taught her about the roots and herbs used by the colony where she grew up.

Dr. Crusher left the Enterprise for a year when she was offered the head position at Starfleet Medical. During this year, her son remained onboard the Enterprise. Crusher was replaced during this time by Dr. Katherine Pulaski.

In 2366, Crusher returned to the Enterprise and was reunited with her son and fellow officers. She would remain on the Enterprise-D for the remainder of the ship's service.

After the destruction of the Enterprise-D at Veridian III, Crusher was assigned, along with most of the Enterprise-D command crew, to the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-E. She remained onboard the ship for the next several years. While not explictly stated on screen, other sources indicated that Crusher left the Enterprise after the events of Nemesis to assume a posting as head of Starfleet Medical.

Crusher and Picard

There had always been a hint of some kind of attraction between Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard. It was first brought up in the episode "The Naked Now". The attraction was later shown in the episode "Allegiance". In it, Jean-Luc, replaced by an alien double, seduced Beverly. The two did not openly bring it up until it was forced into the open by a device implanted in the two by an alien species that allowed them to read each other's thoughts in the episode "Attached".

In one of Q's timelines in the final episode All Good Things..., she had married and divorced Picard and been promoted to Captain of the medical ship USS Pasteur. She kept his name, and on one occasion, both of them answered "yes" to someone asking for "Captain Picard".

Key episodes and milestones

Episodes in which Beverly's character is expanded or plays a key role.

Encounter at Farpoint - Introduction to her character.
Symbiosis - Argues to violate the Prime Directive to save a race from being exploited and manipulated.
Remember Me - Trapped in a collapsing alternate universe. People in her life begin to go missing, until finally she is left alone to run the Enterprise.
The Host - Falls in love with a Trill negotiator and must operate on him to save the negotiations.
The High Ground - Kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists during an Away Mission.
Cause and Effect - Helps save the ship and crew from an infinite time loop.
Suspicions - Becomes entangled in a murder-mystery and defies orders.
True Q - Befriends and mentors a young girl who is developing omnipotent powers. She is turned into a dog in this episode.
Descent - Assumes temporary command of the Enterprise. Destroys Borg ship.
Attached - Admits her true feelings to Jean-Luc Picard as they are both kidnapped.
Sub Rosa - Attends her grandmother's funeral and spends time in her haunted house, falling in love with a ghost.
All Good Things... - Potential future with Jean-Luc Picard.
Generations - Pushed into the sea by Data, who is attempting to be funny. Part of the away-team that finds Soren. Concludes that Guinan was on the same ship as Soren. The Klingon Duras sisters find her 'repulsive'. Evacuates her patients when the Enterprise is destroyed.
First Contact - Takes Lily back to the ship. Activates sickbay's EMH program as a decoy to allow her and her patients to escape attacking Borg. Acts as second in command while Riker is on the planet, giving her code to destroy the Enterprise.
Nemesis - Discovers Shinzon is a clone of Picard.

Trivia

Crusher's long hair was a wig, through several seasons of the series.

Gates McFadden has often commented on the lack of screen time her character was given, especially in the films.

Quotes

"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe." ("Remember Me")

Crusher: "Am I qualified to run this ship alone?" Computer: "Negative." Crusher: "Then why am I the only one on board?" Computer: "That information is not available." ("Remember Me")

Crusher: "My thoughts created this universe...can they get me out of it again?" Computer: "That information is not available." Crusher: "I wasn't talking to you." ("Remember Me")

"A lot of things can happen." ("All Good Things...")

External links

Official biography