Dr. Beverly Crusher, played by Gates McFadden, is one of the most iconic characters in the sixty-year history of Star Trek, and a key member of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew. Now, McFadden is returning to tell Beverly’s story herself, in a new limited comic book series from IDW called Star Trek: Crusher. We learned the news via a report in Variety. The series would fill in the time gap for her character between the end of Star Trek: Nemesis and season three of Picard, where she last appeared. Illustrating Star Trek: Crusher will be artist Megan Levens and colorist Charlie Kirchoff.
Here’s what Gates McFadden had to say about writing her character’s hidden history in a new comic book series:
It’s such an honor to return to Starfleet and expand Beverly Crusher’s storyline in a whole new way. I’ve spent years bringing the words of other great writers to life in Beverly’s shoes, so it’s inspiring and thrilling to now be the one scripting a new chapter in this fabulous character’s saga. I’m excited for Star Trek fans to read this comic and I’m so grateful for their continued support.
Played by McFadden since the TNG pilot, Dr. Crusher spent six of seven seasons as the Enterprise-D’s Chief Medical Officer. She last returned in the excellent final season of Picard, where we learned she’d gone off the grid for over 20 years. During that time, she raised her son, Jack Crusher, Jean-Luc Picard’s child, completely on her own. She also left Starfleet to run humanitarian medical missions across the galaxy, often in dangerous parts of space. She didn’t reunite with her Enterprise crewmates until season three of Picard, when we learned a little about what she did during those missing years.
Nerdist’s Take: A Star Trek: Crusher Series Could Give Us a Beverly/Wesley Reunion that Picard Didn’t Bother With
Of course, many questions still remain that Picard did not address. Did Beverly ever see her firstborn child, Wesley Crusher, ever again? Wil Wheaton left TNG, and his character became a time-traveling entity. But we never know if he saw his mom again, or met his brother. That’s surely a story this comic book can cover. The cover of the comic book suggests that Whoopi Goldberg’s character Guinan will play a part in the series. Not to mention, Admiral Picard himself. No one knows the ins and outs of Beverly Crusher better than Gates McFadden does. So we’re eager to see what stories she has to tell.
Star Trek: Crusher comes out in 2027, just in time for Star Trek: The Next Generation’s 40th anniversary.