Star Trek Lead Confirms A Long-Awaited Romance
It's about time!
One of the most interesting relationships to unfold over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation was between Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). There was blatant sexual tension in their very first scene together, and it continued throughout the series. Any plans to bring the two together or to even keep them circling one another were no doubt complicated by McFadden’s character being replaced for one season by Diana Muldaur’s Dr. Pulaski, but now it looks like the pair will finally be getting together in the upcoming third and final season of Star Trek: Picard. In fact, there are hints they may have already had a relationship that we never got to see on screen.
Stewart and McFadden both had the chance to talk about what fans can expect in the upcoming season 3 of Star Trek: Picard during San Diego Comic-Con. In particular, IGN asked the pair directly whether or not there would be a continuation of their “will they, won’t they” dynamic. Stewart pointedly answered, “there will be dynamic,” while at the same time offering that “it will not be the same as it was.” Through it all, while speaking to several different outlets, McFadden has referred to Crusher and Picard “getting together,” as she did while talking to TV Insider.
There were also some very interesting tidbits dropped by Stewart and McFadden which could feed speculation about the pair having a secret romance during the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation. While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Stewart said the new season will acknowledge “a secret history.” However, McFadden confirmed that when the pair reunite in Picard, it will be the first time they’ve seen each in “20 to 25 years.” That means if we assume this “secret history” involves a Crusher/Picard romance, it would almost have to have occurred either before or during the events of TNG or the spinoff films.
We already know this “secret history” is likely to be about a Crusher/Picard romance thanks to Picard showrunner Terry Matalas. Speaking on the Inglorious Treksperts podcast (via Collider) in June about how he approached the story of what Crusher had been doing since we last saw her in Star Trek: Nemesis, Matalas described her as, “a fascinating character who let her son go off into the universe, who had once had a romantic relationship with Captain Picard.” No such relationship was ever confirmed between the pair in TNG, except in the alternate future of the series finale.
There could be even more revelations on the way in the final season of Star Trek: Picard regarding Picard and Crusher. While talking about their dynamic in the new season, McFadden confirmed that the characters will still engage in some of their famous arguments. Stewart interjected that unlike in TNG, “the discussions are often of a personal nature, a family nature, which I can’t tell you about.” It is perhaps reading into things a bit much, but when you put all the pieces together — a “secret history” that is very likely a Crusher/Picard romance, and the pair have arguments of a “family nature” — could we possibly be about to learn that Wesley Crusher has a different bio-dad than he realized?
