By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Undoubtedly, the most powerful female actor of all time Star Trek: The Next Generation was Dr. Beverly Crusher. He was not only Chief Medical Officer, but held the same rank as Commander Riker, the first officer of the Enterprise. Given the quality of the character, it would have been obvious for him to jump into the captain’s chair and take command on a regular basis. However, the actor of Dr. Crusher Gates McFadden recently revealed why this didn’t happen: The producers of Star Trek kept him out of the captain’s chair to arrive VoyagerCaptain Janeway feels very special.
This information comes to us courtesy of Fan Expo Portland, where McFadden opened up about his playing time. Star Trek: The Next Generation. She explained that the producers “knew they were going to have a female captain early on.” Concluding his thoughts, he noted that “while sometimes I was put in the captain’s chair, because I had a position similar to mine.” [Will Riker]they were careful how much they wanted to do that, because they were saving that for how long Voyager happened.”
The Doctor Is In (Chair)
The most notable example is that Dr. Crusher being given command takes place during the two-part episode, “Descent.” To help search for Commander Data, Picard mysteriously sends himself, his bridge crew, and part of the ship to abduct an unknown alien planet, leaving Dr. Crusher in charge of the Enterprise. His commanding skills are truly put to the test, however, when he must figure out how to defeat a new type of Borg ship, which (unlike the old ships) is far more powerful than his ship in every way.
Using a combination of scientific knowledge and military weapons, Dr. Crusher takes the Enterprise to the planet’s sun. Afterwards, he uses the ship’s phasers to cause a solar explosion that completely destroys the Borg ship. After seeing the good doctor kicking ass and taking names from the captain’s chair, it’s understandable that fans wanted to see the Crusher driving up.
No Future in Command
According to Gates McFadden, this didn’t happen much because the manufacturers were busy developing Voyager. The timeline of that show’s development generally parallels McFadden’s account; Dr. Crusher led the Enterprise in defeating the Borg early in the The Next Generation‘s seventh season, which is where the powers will come into play Voyager. Because the producers knew that the spinoff would have a female captain, they wanted to make Captain Janeway’s appearance unique, downplaying the abilities of Dr. Crusher in control star.
Why was it so important Voyager having a female captain, but? While Deep Space Nine proved to be a very successful TNG spinoff, Paramount wanted to create yet another Star Trek television show. Deciding that the new show will take place on the star (hey, you can only do the space station gimmick once!), the producers faced a unique problem: how to make a new Star Trek show with this familiar setting that didn’t just feel like a lazy copy. The Next Generation.
Star Trek Dependent (Courtesy of Dr. Crusher)
Part of what you will do in the end Voyager the exception was its setting: namely, in the largely unknown Delta Quadrant that the Borg call home. The team will be a mix of Starfleet and Maquis personnel, which will provide (on paper, anyway) more character conflict potential than we’ve ever seen. The Next Generation. Mainly, though, what is the set Voyager despite the fact that it was led by a female captain, the franchise’s first game made the mistake of saying that women would not be Starfleet officers.
Sadly, the production of Voyager he kept Dr. Crusher is set aside for tasks that can be a command. This is doubly sad because his character was often written so badly, and he went from drunkenly throwing himself off Picard in Season 1 to passing out with a ghost in Season 7. He was rewritten in Season 2 as a whole by Maurice Hurley, the worst runner ever. The Next Generation you ever had.
Gates McFadden finally got the last laugh, though: Picard brought back his character for its third and final season, and both Dr. Crusher and his son become important parts of the whole plot. This was arguably a more enjoyable revival of her old-timey character than Kate Mulgrew got voicing Captain Janeway The Prodigy. In addition, Picard he even made Crusher an admiral again the new Head of Starfleet Medical, finally giving the dancing doctor his turn after more than 35 years of writers holding it back!
