Gates McFadden would play a Klingon for Terry Matalas

Gates McFadden is happy with what Terry Matalas has done with her character.

And why shouldn’t she be? It’s no secret that Terry Matalas has given Gates McFadden more to work with on one season of Star Trek: Picard than she got most of her time on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Though her screen time, like the other actors, has to be limited due to the series only having ten episodes, the material she’s been given to work with has been tremendously good. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, when speaking with Variety, McFadden says she would love to be involved with a continuation of this series, perhaps in something along the lines of Star Trek: Legacy.

But only if Matalas was telling the story. As long as Dr. Beverly Crusher was a three-dimensional, fully realized character, McFadden would be interested in returning to the franchise yet again.

"“If she was as three dimensional as she was really becoming in this one? Absolutely. And, as I said, I trust Terry. I’ll play a Klingon for Terry. I mean, he’s really a wonderful, wonderful producer and writer, storyteller. And I love good storytellers. I built a theater in L.A., and we did only new work. I think people who can tell a story, I’ll be the first one to jump on board to help out. I hope it does. I think he would do a tremendous job. And I would love to be involved in some way.”"

Gates McFadden never thought she was ever going to get the chance Terry Matalas gave her.

McFadden said Star Trek: Picard was the first time she ever had such material to work with, and that it felt fabulous, something she says she owes to Matalas.

"“It was the first time ever for me in “Star Trek.” It felt fabulous. It was terrific. I owe that all to Terry. It was wonderful acting again with Patrick. We’ve always had a good chemistry on screen. I never dreamt it was ever going to happen, because I didn’t assume I was going to go back to do a just a one off where I’m, you know, opening a knitting shop or something. That I would not have been interested in.”"

It was only because McFadden saw what Matalas had in mind for her character that she was willing to come back. And now that Dr. Crusher has grown into a character that is so much more than a doctor who uses hyposprays and dispenses an occasional kernel of wisdom, we have hope that this will not be the last we see of her.