Beverly Crusher

 ( The Next Generation Characters ) 

During her youth, Beverly was known as quiet, shy, and socially awkward. She was also very self-conscious about her bright red hair, and at the age of 13, attempted to dye it dark with disastrous results. She admits to Data later, in the episode "Offspring", that she was often ridiculed, unpopular in school, and it had been very painful for her. She also admits that it brought back painful memories of those years when she saw her son Wesley going through similar ridicule as a child.

It was her grandmother's career as a healer and Beverly's own caring, high intelligence, and sensitivity that largely sparked Beverly's lifelong interest in medicine and healing the sick and wounded. The Arvada III disaster solidified Beverly's decision to be a doctor.

After Arvada III was evacuated, Beverly and Felisa then settled on Caldos IV where Beverly lived until she entered Starfleet Academy.

As time goes by, both Crusher and Picard try to conceal their feelings from each other. Their relationship advances in "Attached", when the two are linked telepathically and their romantic feelings are revealed. At the end of this episode, Beverly tells Jean-Luc, "Perhaps we should be afraid", implying that she's not ready to take that step forward in their relationship.

However, only a handful of episodes later in "", it is revealed that neither Beverly nor Jean-Luc has been able to let go of those feelings and they are back to where they started, trying to pretend the feelings don't exist and that they have no problem being "just friends" with one another.

In the series finale "", it is revealed that in an alternate future, Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard had been married and then divorced—still evidently having feelings for each other after so many years. Little information is given about the circumstances of their marriage or separation. In the present the two share a kiss; however, that particular timeline is erased when Picard changes the past.

In the four Next Generation movies, the flirtation between Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard remains, though it is not as obvious as previous episodes and most certainly not part of the substantial movie plots. The most noteworthy moment between the two happens in one of the deleted scenes of the last Next Generation movie, .

Following the television series and films, the relationship between Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard continued throughout the non-canonical Star Trek: The Next Generation Pocket Books series. Beverly and Jean-Luc have married, but still serve together on the Enterprise-E. They have a son named René Jacques Robert Francois Picard, named after Picard's older brother (Robert) and nephew (René).

However, in the canonical sequel series , Beverly and Jean-Luc have not married. They have conceived a son, Jack II, but mounting assassination attempts on Picard have led Beverly to hide Jack away from him and raise Jack by herself. By 2401, Beverly is piloting her own charity hospital ship, the SS Eleos, and is assisting her son in his criminal exploits. She sends a message to Jean-Luc requesting help and gets severely injured when encountering an aggressive band of raiders. Picard commandeers a Starfleet ship, the USS Titan, and rescues her and Jack, right before the raiders' leader Vadic destroys the Eleos. After she is treated, Beverly helps the Titan medical staff throughout the third season, and her analysis of autopsies and interrogation of Vadic with Picard, prove crucial in helping uncover a conspiracy of rogue Changelings infiltrating Starfleet out of revenge for Starfleet's medical experimentation and actions during the Dominion War. She is reunited with the rest of the Enterprise crew as they race to prevent the conspirators and their collaborators the Borg from further attacking Starfleet. When they are too late, Picard decides to infiltrate the Borg's last cube and rescue a newly assimilated Jack. Beverly fires the torpedoes that destroy the cube while the rest of the crew beams Picard and Jack out. By 2402, after developing new transporter modifications and Gene therapy to prevent the conspirators and their partners the Borg from returning, her commission is reinstated. Beverly is promoted to the rank of Admiral, and Beverly and Picard see their son off as he joins Starfleet aboard the USS Enterprise-G. Beverly and Jean-Luc are last seen playing poker with the rest of the Enterprise-D crew in the Ten Forward bar in Los Angeles, finally content with their lives.

In , Kathryn Janeway contacts Beverly in 2384 after meeting Wesley. Beverly isn't able to offer much insight into her son's current activities as Wesley hasn't visited her in years. Beverly laments that "for a time traveler, I wish he had more time to spend with his mother." Wesley later finally visits his mother, and she introduces Wesley to his little brother for the first time, Jack having only been a small child at the time.

McFadden left the series at the end of the first season and was replaced by Diana Muldaur as Doctor Katherine Pulaski at the beginning of the second. An official announcement stated McFadden had left the series to pursue other career options. McFadden herself got a call from her agent who told her the producers had decided to go in another direction with the character. Like the other cast members, McFadden was surprised.("Gates McFadden - Dr. Beverly Crusher", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 12, p. 43) Thanks to a letter-writing campaign, support from Patrick Stewart, and a personal invitation from executive producer Rick Berman, McFadden was brought back to the TNG cast for the third and subsequent seasons, with her only three appearances for season two being stock footage.

In an interview in May 2006, Berman revealed the actress was fired at end of the first season of The Next Generation because head writer Maurice Hurley "had a real bone to pick"http://trekmovie.com/2009/08/26/rick-berman-talks-18-years-of-trek-in-extensive-oral-history/ Rick Berman Talks 18 Years of Trek In Extensive Oral History Written Summary quote and did not like her acting. After Hurley departed the show's writing staff, Berman brought the actress and character back.http://trekmovie.com/2009/08/26/rick-berman-talks-18-years-of-trek-in-extensive-oral-history/ Rick Berman Talks 18 Years of Trek In Extensive Oral History quoted and expanded from Written Summary

In 2016, Syfy ranked Beverly Crusher as the fourth best of the six main-cast space doctors of the Star Trek franchise.

In 2016, Beverly Crusher was ranked as the 20th most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trek science fiction universe by Wired magazine magazine.

In 2017, IndieWire ranked Beverly fifth in a list of important characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation, noting she was "pretty much flawless" and offered "valuable perspectives".

In 2017, IndieWire ranked Crusher as the sixth best character on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In 2018, CBR ranked Beverly Crusher the 21st best member of Starfleet.

In 2018, TheWrap placed Crusher as 14th out of 39 in a ranking of the franchise's best main characters prior to .

In 2019, ScreenRant suggested the character was ripe for a spin-off series, highlighting her relations with Picard and also the high potential of the character.

In 2019, SyFy Wire recommended include Beverly Crusher, pointing out her long-time friendship with the titular character. They were critical of the lack of screen time the pair had, lamenting "It was not explored, it was ignored... and Beverly Crusher had almost nothing to do in the TNG films."

• Official biography at StarTrek.com