Star Trek Picard: Beverly Crusher Should Revive TNG Romance With Jean-Luc
Star Trek: Picard's second season should bring back Beverly Crusher and revive her romance with Jean-Luc from The Next Generation. Premiering earlier this year on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Picard brought Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard back to the franchise for the first time since 2002 to make one (not so) final stand for justice in the galaxy. Having already retired from Starfleet in response to their treatment of the Romulans, Picard defied his former employers once again to investigate a conspiracy at the very top of the organization. Ultimately, Picard managed to rebuild the bridge between the Federation and synthetic life forms, and he met a host of familiar faces along the way - Will Riker, Deanna Troi, Hugh, Seven of Nine and, symbolically at least, Data.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowStar Trek fans are already speculating as to who might appear in the second season, with Worf and Geordi La Forge top of the wish list, but another potential returnee is Gates McFadden's Beverly Crusher. The chief medical officer aboard Jean-Luc's Enterprise, Beverly came as a package with her son Wesley (that's not her fault), and there was clearly history between her and Picard. The Next Generation would soon reveal that Wesley's father Jack served under Picard on the U.S.S. Stargazer, but died following a difficult call by the captain. Picard took care of Jack's widow and son on the Enterprise, but there was palpable romantic tension between the old friends - feelings that never culminated in anything serious.
Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard is the perfect time to not only reunite Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard, but to finish their story. The Next Generation teased a love angle between Crusher and Picard, but the former was hesitant to risk their close friendship and the captain still harbored feelings of guilt over Jack. Writers never fully pulled the trigger on the relationship, concerned that tying Picard up romantically would restrict future stories. Fast-forward to 2020, and the landscape of Star Trek is vastly different. The franchise as a whole more readily delves into personal drama, and Star Trek: Picard is by design a conclusion to Jean-Luc's story. It's a case of "now or never" for the Picard/Crusher pairing, both from a real-world perspective, and for the characters, who aren't getting any younger. In Star Trek: Picard 's debut season, Stewart's character was able to emotionally move on from a lot of personal demons - the loss of Data, his bitterness towards Starfleet, etc. Finally embracing his feelings for Crusher would be another step in that direction.
Picard and Crusher did get married (and divorced, but ignore that for now) in the future timeline of Star Trek: The Next Generation's final episode. Star Trek: Picard has already brought elements of this timeline into play, such as the medical defect in Jean-Luc's parietal lobe. Picard defied this seemingly unavoidable fate by being transferred into a synthetic golem by Dr. Altan Inigo Soong. Having already disproved one aspect of that alternate future, Picard might be more inclined to believe that pursuing a relationship with Beverly Crusher needn't end in disaster.
As Jean-Luc Picard enters the first phase of his android life, there'll inevitably be an adjustment period, perhaps even an identity crisis. More than any other name in his Starfleet phone book, Beverly Crusher has the best chance of helping Picard through his synthetic transition. And as the pair rekindle their spark over shared memories and unexplored feelings, Picard may be able to reaffirm his humanity through that most human of emotions. In his mission to the synth home world, Jean-Luc Picard rediscovered his purpose and sense of adventure, but for his next outing, it would be fitting for the Next Generation's captain to rediscover happiness. The first season of Star Trek: Picard ended with a heavy emphasis on pairing up - Agnes Jurati romanced Rios, Seven of Nine and Raffi started a thing, and Soji clearly still harbors feelings for the villainous Narek. It seems unfair that Jean-Luc Picard should be third-wheeling on his own show just because he's of a certain age.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 is currently without a release date.
Source: screenrant.com