Dr. Beverly Crusher has moved on from Starfleet in Star Trek: Picard.
This piece of news, delivered by showrunner Terry Matalas [via Trekmovie], will probably come as a surprise to all fans as Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) was Starfleet all the way. She’d married a man in Starfleet, kept a child with her during all of her assignments (except for season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation when she allowed Wesley to stay aboard the Enterprise because Wil Wheaton wasn’t fired like Gates McFadden was), and seemed to be solely dedicated to service.
However, in the final official season three trailer for Star Trek: Picard as well as the poster revealed earlier, Dr. Crusher isn’t shown in a uniform. Instead, in the clip, she’s holding a phaser rifle and sends a message to Admiral Jean-Luc Picard saying they need his help. In the poster, she’s in a black turtleneck, but honestly, I didn’t pay any attention to what she was wearing when the poster first appeared because I assumed Dr. Crusher would still be in Starfleet.
What caused Dr. Beverly Crusher to leave Starfleet?
The characters from The Next Generation haven’t kept in touch, and Dr. Crusher hasn’t seen Picard in over twenty years. So it’s possible even they don’t know that she is no longer with Starfleet. With Wesley gone off on his own adventures, she may have wanted to spread her wings and see what else is out there, but I’m betting something drove her out, much like when Picard left Starfleet.
Either way, she’s still in the game as, according to Matalas, the ship seen in the early part of the trailer is a science medical vessel called the SS Eleos, which happens to be Dr. Crusher’s ship. It’s not a ship she was assigned to so probably more like what Captain Rios had on Picard. This makes the upcoming season of Picard even more intriguing. We have so many questions! What made Dr. Crusher leave Starfleet, and what is she involved in now that has her shooting rifles, fighting for her life, and seeking help from a friend she hasn’t seen in over two decades?