Gates McFadden, Star Trek’s Beverly Crusher, Spotted on Rare LA Outing Amid Firing and Rehiring Story
The 76-year-old actress, iconic as Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, was seen in Los Angeles this week amid a history of firing, return, and a controversial episode that was banned in the UK and Ireland.
Gates McFadden, the 1990s television favorite who was fired and later rehired on Star Trek: The Next Generation, was spotted in Los Angeles this week, delighting longtime fans. The actress, now 76, rose to fame as Dr. Beverly Crusher, a central member of the Enterprise crew who shared memorable scenes with Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard. On a casual errand run, McFadden wore a black tee, faded jeans and a fedora, appearing worlds away from the starship's wardrobe but instantly recognizable to Trekkies.
Her departure from The Next Generation came after Season 1 following a clash with co-executive producer Maurice Hurley over perceived sexist stereotypes on the series. Hurley reportedly gave an ultimatum: either she goes, or I go, and the producers ultimately chose to keep Hurley. After Season 2, both Hurley and Diana Muldaur were let go, and McFadden received an invitation to return. Patrick Stewart personally asked her to come back, and she recalled that moment as a turning point. She has since said that the show was very male-dominated and that she pushed to push women into more meaningful roles. Fan letters she received while away helped her see how deeply audiences connected with Crusher.
Before Star Trek, McFadden built a career as a choreographer under the name Cheryl McFadden. Working with The Jim Henson Company, she directed choreography and puppet movement on Labyrinth and The Muppets Take Manhattan, and she was even approached by Frank Oz to choreograph Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. She chose to pursue acting, landing Crusher in 1987 and combining her training in physical theatre with the role. The path to Star Trek would anchor a career that would span decades and an enduring association with the franchise.
McFadden’s return placed her at the center of one of The Next Generation’s most controversial episodes, The High Ground. In the story, Data debates the history of armed rebellion and mentions the Irish unification of 2024 while discussing violence as a political tool. The episode aired in the United States but was banned by the BBC and RTÉ in the United Kingdom and Ireland at the time, reflecting sensitivities around the Northern Ireland conflict. An edited version aired on Sky in 1992, and it took until 2007 for the BBC to broadcast a version again. By 2024 Sinn Féin had emerged as a major party in Northern Ireland, underscoring how the episode’s historical references continue to resonate with audiences decades later.
McFadden has continued to contribute to Star Trek, reprising Dr. Crusher in Star Trek Prodigy and again in the third season of Star Trek Picard, keeping a line of continuity for fans who grew up with the character. The LA sighting this week offered a nostalgic reminder of a performer who has weathered on-screen turbulence and has remained a steady presence in a franchise that has endured for generations.