Gates McFadden declares final moments of Star Trek: Picard season three were deliberately left ‘unclear’
After huge speculation about the show’s end, actress Gates McFadden has said the final moments of Star Trek: Picard season three were deliberately left “unclear”.
Gates McFadden says the final moments of Star Trek: Picard season three were deliberately left “unclear”.
The actress, 76, first appeared as Dr Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, and has now discussed the series finale during Creation’s Trek to New Jersey convention after fans speculated about whether her character Beverly Crusher had rekindled a romance with Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart on the show.
Gates said: “You know that Patrick originally wanted it to be going back, he actually wanted his wife’s voice to be calling him into the house, his real wife’s voice.
“But I think the fandom really did want us, for the most part, to get back together.
“So I think we sort of, ‘We’re like this about it, right?’ It’s more like, ‘No, we weren’t like, back together… but obviously I was going to be in his life because we had a son.
“I think it doesn’t really matter. I think what matters is what you guys think, and it could be any number of ways.”
She added she believed the ambiguity was intentional.
Gates said: “I think it was meant to be left unclear.”
Speaking at the same event, the actress praised how her character was developed in the final season. She said Beverly’s storyline showed her as a more fully realised character than in earlier appearances in the franchise.
The Paramount+ drama led by Patrick concluded in 2023 with Picard reconciling with his son Jack Crusher, played by Ed Speleers, who he has with Beverly.
Its closing scene reunited the three characters, prompting debate among fans over whether it hinted at a renewed relationship between Beverly and Picard.
Since the conclusion of Star Trek: Picard, fans have continued to push for a new spin-off titled Star Trek: Legacy.
Terry Matalas, the showrunner of Picard, has acknowledged the campaign and has said he would like to see the project happen.
He is currently working on Marvel’s upcoming series Vision Quest, but has repeatedly stated he would be eager to return to the Star Trek universe with Legacy at some point in the future.
