What Starfleet Rank Doctor Crusher Has In Star Trek: TNG

Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) served as the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise-D for six out of Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven seasons, but her Starfleet rank was rarely mentioned. Introduced in TNG's first episode, Gates McFadden was a Star Trek: The Next Generation series regular. Dr. Crusher was one of the original crew members of the Enterprise-D, serving under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Crusher and Picard had romantic feelings for one another, although they didn't officially embark on a romance on screen. Crusher lived on the Enterprise with her child-prodigy teenage son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton).

Throughout her six seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beverly Crusher treated the injuries and illnesses of the USS Enterprise-D's crew. Dr. Crusher was a skilled scientist who helped investigate strange phenomena and helped find cures for alien ailments that infected the Enterprise. On top of being an accomplished scientist and physician, Crusher was also a good mother, raising her son alone after the death of her husband, Lt. Commander Jack R. Crusher (Doug Wert). Beverly's profound sense of compassion made her one of Star Trek's best doctors, and like most Chief Medical Officers, Dr, Crusher was almost never referred to by her rank.

Dr. Beverly Crusher’s Starfleet Rank In Star Trek: The Next Generation Explained

Beverly Crusher Held The Rank Of Commander Throughout TNG

Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dr. Beverly Crusher held the rank of Commander, outranking at least two of her Star Trek doctor peers. During Star Trek: The Original Series, for example, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) was a Lt. Commander, and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) was a Lieutenant Junior Grade and then a full Lieutenant on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Not only was the USS Enterprise-D the flagship of the United Federation of Planets, but it was also home to numerous families and civilians. This could explain why Dr. Crusher has a higher rank than many of Trek's other doctors.

As a Commander, Dr. Crusher was a fully certified bridge officer who commanded the Enterprise-D on several occasions. In the TNG two-parter, "Descent," Crusher proves herself more than capable of acting as the ship's captain. When a Borg vessel attacks the Enterprise while most of the crew members are down on the nearby planet, Crusher employs a clever ruse to destroy the Borg ship, and refuses to abandon the crew members stranded on the planet. Like Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Dr. Crusher sometimes deserved better on TNG, but she nevertheless remains one of Trek's greatest doctors.

Gates McFadden Returned As Dr. Beverly Crusher In Star Trek: Picard Season 3.

Dr. Crusher came crashing back into Admiral Picard's life in Star Trek: Picard season 3, revealing that she had given birth to Jean-Luc's son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), over twenty years before. Dr. Crusher had gained some new skills since the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, but she remained an incredibly skilled and compassionate doctor. Now, in addition to being a doctor, scientist, and mother, Crusher also knew her way around a ship's weapons system and could handle a phaser effectively. Dr. Crusher left Starfleet sometime after Star Trek: Nemesis and began providing medical care across the galaxy to those in need.

By the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Dr. Crusher returned to Starfleet, accepting a position as the Head of Starfleet Medical and a promotion to Admiral. This seems like the least Starfleet could do, considering Crusher not only helped thwart the Borg/Changeling plot to destroy the Federation, but also developed a way to remove residual Borg DNA from those who had been assimilated. Crusher also spearheaded the technology that caught the rest of the Changeling infiltrators. Dr. Beverly Crusher has had quite the journey since her Star Trek: The Next Generation days, and she remains one of Star Trek's most impressive characters.

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  Release Date September 28, 1987

  Seasons 7

  Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

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  Release Date January 23, 2020

  Cast Santiago Cabrera , Alison Pill , Orla Brady , Michelle Hurd , Jeri Ryan , Brent Spiner , Harry Treadaway , Rebecca Wisocky , Evan Evagora , Isa Briones , Patrick Stewart

  Seasons 3

  Showrunner Michael Chabon