Fans have only reclaimed the beloved Star Trek actor for his worst portrayal

The author Chris Snelgrove
| Published 12 seconds ago

third season of the year Star Trek: The Next Generation functionally, the series had a fresh start: under new showrunner Michael Piller, the series gained new uniforms, improved writing, and memorable new characters. However, what fans of the character cared about most was the return of Beverly Crusher, the ship's doctor who was previously replaced by the less popular Katherine Pulaski. Crusher returned to support her son, the universally hated character Wesley Crusher, and Piller later revealed that Wesley's annoying character arc in the Season 3 premiere, “Evolution,” is what led to Dr. Crusher in a “re-entry series”.

This one The next generation an episode in which the Enterprise accompanied an eccentric doctor to a cosmic phenomenon… a sort of interstellar Old Faithful that erupts every 196 years. Plans to investigate this historic event go sideways as more of the ship's systems begin to malfunction, and it turns out that Wesley Crusher had accidentally lost some nanites that replicated, evolved, and lodged in the Enterprise's computer core. Tensions rise when a visiting scientist kills some of the tiny creatures, but realizing that the nanites have become sentient beings, Captain Picard does what he does best: negotiate a peace without further bloodshed.

Where does Beverly Crusher fit into the story of “Evolution?” She's happy to be back at the Enterprise, and even happier to see her son again (she'd spent a year running Starfleet Medical), but she's starting to worry that Wesley Crusher is focusing too much on his studies and not enjoying himself enough. new. The two storylines intersect when her upbringing of the passionate Wesley finally makes him realize that he is accidentally releasing nanites on the ship.

According to “Evolution” writer and LPG showrunner Michael Piller, Wesley Crusher's arc in this episode requested the return of Beverly Crusher. Piller eventually realizes that the lonely and brooding scientist in this episode “is Wesley in forty years if he continues to be a smart kid who's devoted to his work and nothing else seems to be happening to him. life.” Piller made sure that the episodes needed to help our favorite characters evolve in some way, and he took his own advice in “Evolution,” realizing that this was an opportunity to “help Wesley grow” and bring back Beverly Crusher.

Part of Piller's genius was his innate understanding that TNG episodes needed to be equally appealing science fiction for nerds and general audiences. So while sci-fi fans were worried about an A-plot involving nanites, he had a “human-level” B-plot about Beverly Crusher struggling with a very real parenting fear: “My son is not having a normal childhood.” Piller said that “we know a lot of kids like that” and after seeing this plight so often in real life, he “had the feeling that Evolution needed it.”

“Evolution” turned out to be a great episode The next generationbut it's sickeningly amusing to note that fan-favorite Beverly Crusher might not have returned to the show if it weren't for Wesley Crusher, arguably the most hated character. Ironically, Wesley Crusher actor Wil Wheaton Left the show after season 3 (except for a few later episodes), but Beverly Crusher actor Gates McFadden stayed on for the rest of TNG and later became a main character Picard season 3

Her return later in the show was felt perfect because it is difficult to imagine a The next generation story without her, but just think: we never would have gotten more Beverly Crusher stories if Michael Piller hadn't realized that Wesley Crusher needed to “grow up” and “move on to a relationship with a girlfriend.” early LPG episodes were about Wesley inexplicably saving the day, but this time he did more: he saved Gates McFadden's career by simply being the weirdest and loneliest kid sidekick in science fiction history.