20 Star Trek Women You Should Know

American actress Gates McFadden (as Doctor Beverly Crusher) in a scene from an episode of the television series ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ entitled ‘Interface,’ California, October 4, 1993. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

17. Beverly Crusher (The Next Generation)

Nobody messed with Dr. Crusher. As the chief medical officer of the Enterprise, she certainly had a lot of power. However, in the hands of actor Gates McFadden, the character of Dr. Crusher became far more complex.

Beverly Crusher (then Beverly Howard) was orphaned early and lived with her resourceful grandmother for much of her young life. Despite her sometimes extreme shyness and self-consciousness, she eventually joined Starfleet Academy and attended medical school. She graduated at the top of her class and shortly thereafter married fellow cadet Jack Crusher. Jack would eventually die far from home, leaving Beverly with a young son, Wesley.

As a main character, Dr. Crusher would participate in many different adventures. She participated in a number of holodeck shenanigans, was trapped in a warp bubble that almost wiped her from existence, was transported to a fictional realm based on Robin Hood, and participated in a covert black-ops mission against the Cardassians. All throughout, she somehow survived and didn’t become a mentally wrecked shell of her former self.

McFadden has received praise for her portrayal of Dr. Crusher, though critics often worried that her character’s potential was never fully realized. Indeed, it was rare for Beverly or any female character to get a featured episode, at least compared to the male characters of The Next Generation. Still, she was an integral part of the show, even though she was temporarily replaced for the second season (more on that later). She returned for the third season, thanks in part to lobbying from co-star Patrick Stewart, and remained with the show until its end.