Beverly Crusher

Commander Beverly Crusher, M.D. (born Beverly Cheryl Howard), played by actress Gates McFadden, is a fictional character on the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent spin-off films. She was a regular character in the show for all but the second of its seven seasons.

She was the chief medical officer of both the Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E.

Casting

Gates McFadden was reluctant to accept the role of Dr. Crusher because of her commitment to appear in the play The Matchmaker at the La Jolla Playhouse. During the second season, the Crusher character was written out of the show, with the explanation that her character "was off heading up Starfleet Medical for the year.". She was replaced by the louder, more outgoing Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur). Patrick Stewart was upset by McFadden's departure from the show and played a large part in bringing about her return to the show for its third season, with her character being reassigned to the Enterprise. Upon her return, the character became more varied and more richly developed, and was not afraid to go head-to-head with Picard. Episodes featuring Beverly Crusher focused on her romantic life, often with unexpected alien lifeforms.