TNG’s Dr. Crusher falls in love with a ghost?

in one of Star Trek: The Next Generations most infamous episodes, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) is romanced by a ghostly alien. Crusher served as Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise-D, and her medical knowledge and deep sense of compassion made her an excellent doctor. She was close personal friends with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and although the two colleagues had feelings for one another, they never allowed themselves to really give in. Besides Jean-Luc, Beverley had only a few romantic partners tng, Including her ghostly lover.

Although Star Trek: The Next Generation was progressive in many ways, The show’s female characters often have fewer and weaker storylines Like their male counterparts. Many of the stories that featured Dr. Crusher or Counselor Diana Troy (Marina Sirtis) also involved romance storylines. While some of the romantic partners were perfectly fine, others were revealed to be aliens who were using Crusher or Troy for something. One of Star Trek Strange romance ensues TNG Season 7, Episode 14, “Sub Rosa,” When Beverly Falls for the Same Stranger”Ghost“What romanced her grandmother.

Dr. Crusher’s Star Trek: TNG Ghost Romance “Sab Rosa” Explained

That time Beverly slept with a ghost, who also happened to be her grandmother’s ex

When Dr. Beverly Crusher’s grandmother, Felisa Howard (Ellen Albertini Dow), passes away, the Enterprise-D travels to Kaldos IV so Beverly can attend the funeral. As Dr. Crusher watches through her grandmother’ s belongings, she finds a diary in which Felisa discusses her romance with a 34-year-old man named Ronin (Duncan Regehr). Ronin manipulates Beverly into falling in love with him And she asks to stay on Caldos IV. In the end, Dr. Crusher figures out that Ronin is actually an anaphasic alien that requires a corporeal host, and she destroys him when he tries to possess her.

Gates McFadden does the best she can with the material, but “Sub Rosa” is not one of Dr. Crusher’s finest moments. The plot does no favors for Crusher or the women in her family, implying that many of them have fallen victim to Ronin while “Sub Rosa” has some really creepy visuals, It ultimately fails as a ghost story and a romance. Even Gates McFadden expressed her disdain for the episode, acknowledging that it didn’t make much sense for Crusher as a character. Plus, the story never really has a point and it doesn’t significantly affect anything on the Enterprise.

Why Star Trek: TNG’s “Sab Rosa” still defines Dr. Beverly Crusher

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 helped redefine Dr. Crusher

Star Trek The funniest episodes are often the most memorable, both for good and ill. Even though “sub rosa” often makes it onto lists of Star Trek: The Next Generation worst episodes, It unfortunately became one of Dr. Krusher’s defining moments. With its weird storyline and surprisingly open exploration of sexuality, “Sab Rosa” left quite an impression. As one of the last TNG Episodes focused on Beverly Crusher, “Sub Rosa” is probably the episode that many fans remember when they think of her character. Fortunately, Gates McFadden returned in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 to redefine the way people thought about Dr. Crusher.

Not only does Dr. Crusher return to Admiral Picard’s life with a son in tow, but she has also learned some impressive new skills. Since her departure, Dr. Crusher and her son have been traveling the galaxy offering medical aid to the Necessary. Beverly remains a brilliant scientist and doctor, but she has also become considerably more skilled with a phaser and a ship’s weapons system. While the new version of Dr. Crusher may not erase all memories of her ghostly love affair, it goes a long way toward redefining Star Trek: The Next Generation Doctor.