Picard Season 2, Disappointing Gates McFadden

Dr. Beverly Crusher won’t be in the second season of Star Trek: Picard, and perhaps nobody is more disappointed about that than Gates McFadden herself. Because the first season included many notable guest appearances, Star Trek: The Next Generation fans have been wondering who might show up next. Dr. Crusher seems like an obvious choice, given her history with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but as of yet, McFadden hasn’t gotten the call.

In a new chat with TrekMovie.com, Gates McFadden opened up on the lack of Dr. Crusher in Star Trek: Picard. Speaking candidly about the situation, the actress reveals officially that she isn’t a part of season 2. McFadden also says that she feels saddened over being left out, as explained in the interview.

RELATED: Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Teaser Trailer Heralds the Return of Q
“I’m not in the second season. I’m sad that I’m not. Things have changed a lot on different levels. So I have no idea at this point. I’m disappointed because it would have been so much fun to just work with those people. But we’ll see. I have no idea. I wish I could tell you.”

When asked if she had any ideas on how to bring Crusher back into the Picard timeline, McFadden admits she’s spent a lot of time thinking about it. Ultimately, she’s not a writer and the decision isn’t up to her, but she feels there’s any number of creative ways to reintroduce Dr. Beverly Crusher in the Star Trek universe.

“I think a lot about time and ponder on it. And what is time? Is it just this construct that we’ve put on something we don’t understand? And people in the Next Gen century, they lived a lot longer. And they could choose to change their appearances in ways that we can’t yet do. I don’t know, I think there’s a lot of possibilities. I wouldn’t want to limit something in a sort of soap opera way. But I think there’s a tremendous amount of possibilities that could happen. But that’s me. And I’m not not a writer on the show.”

McFadden is not the only TNG alum feeling disappointed about being left out of the Picard party. Worf actor Michael Dorn has been very vocal about his desire to reprise the role, whether that be for his own movie or spinoff series, or even with a cameo for an established Star Trek show like Picard. He recently teased his return to Starfleet with a cryptic tweet, leading some to believe he’d appear in Picard season 2, but it was actually to voice Worf in an ad for a Star Trek video game.

Wil Wheaton, who plays Beverly Crusher’s son Wesle in The Next Generation, has also said he’d be on board to appear in Picard if the Star Trek team gives him the call. In a previous interview with TrekMovie.com, Wheaton made it clear that he’d jump at the chance to work with Patrick Stewart again in Picard, as the two haven’t shared the screen since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.

“If they were interested in me, I would do absolutely everything I could to get to ‘yes,'” Wheaton said. “If I got to work with Patrick again and if I had the privilege of performing in a scene with him again, it would be such a gift and such a blessing. That would be an amazing, amazing experience that I would absolutely love to happen.”

You can’t blame the other TNG cast members for trying, as several of their co-stars were able to make special appearances in season 1. This includes Brent Spiner as Data, with the actor saying this would be the final time he’d ever play the fan favorite android. Other cameos included Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker and Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, as well as Star Trek: Voyager star Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine.

As for season 2, Whoopi Goldberg has teased her return as Guinan, and a cameo from her seems very likely. It has also been reported that John de Lancie will come into season 2 as his Star Trek character Q. Because there’s only room for so many guest stars in each season, not everyone will be able to be brought in for season 2, but the good news is that this doesn’t mean they’ll never get the opportunity. A third season of Picard is also in the works, meaning there will be more ways to bring in other special guests down the road. Star Trek: Picard is streaming on Paramount+. This news comes to us from TrekMovie.com.

Topics: Star Trek Picard Series, Star Trek