Star Trek's Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) meeting Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) is likely impossible, but the actresses just crossed over in Gates McFadden's podcast, InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are? Since 2021, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard's Gates McFadden has hosted an intimate, conversational podcast from The Nacelle Company. InvestiGates season 3 just premiered, dropping three new episodes with Star Trek guests Sonequa Martin-Green, Michelle Hurd, and Jess Bush.
Since 1987, Gates McFadden has portrayed Dr. Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise-D and E, as part of the main cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and continuing in the four TNG movies. McFadden reprised Beverly to great acclaim in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Although the character of Nurse Christine Chapel was originated by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry in Star Trek: The Original Series, Jess Bush portrays the younger Chapel in the prequel Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which has delved deeper and fully explored the Starship Enterprise's top nurse.
Doctor Crusher & Nurse Chapel Just Crossed Over On Gates McFadden’s Podcast
Jess Bush Joins Gates McFadden's InvestiGates
Jess Bush joins Gates McFadden for an hour-long conversation in InvestiGates episode 302. The two actors conversing is an otherwise impossible crossover between Nurse Christine Chapel and Dr. Beverly Crusher, who exist a century apart in two different Star Trek eras and time periods. Jess Bush is best known for Star Trek, but the Australian native is also an accomplished visual artist, photographer, writer, and model who works with NASA, and she delves into all of these subjects on InvestiGates, which you can listen to below:
Of course, Gates McFadden is an inspiration to Jess Bush, not just as a fellow actor who plays a doctor in Star Trek, but also as a person. McFadden herself is a multi-talented and accomplished actor, dancer, choreographer, and director. On her Instagram (@onejessa), Jess posted a photo with herself and Gates at a Creation Star Trek convention, praising McFadden as "one of the coolest women I know." Check it out below:
While a Star Trek crossover between Dr. Beverly Crusher and Nurse Christine Chapel can't happen without a significant break in established canon, Nurse Chapel's work in the 23rd century may have inspired Dr. Crusher in the 24th century. Chapel is one of the most prominent Starfleet medical officers of her era, and the first woman to practice on the Starship Enterprise. Dr. Crusher becomes even more accomplished in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard's timeline, becoming head of Starfleet Medical and even curing Starfleet of Borg assimilation in Star Trek: Picard season 3.
Why Chapel Is A Nurse Instead Of A Doctor
Nurse Chapel Is Still A Product Of The Era She Was Created
Nurse Christine Chapel was created for Majel Barrett-Roddenberry to give her a role in Star Trek: The Original Series after Star Trek's first pilot, "The Cage," was rejected by NBC. Majel played Number One, the First Officer of the USS Enterprise, but NBC demanded her character be excised. Nurse Chapel was a recurring character in Star Trek, helping Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Sickbay, and Christine was best known for her unrequited love for Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
Christine Chapel does become a doctor in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Nurse Chapel was a product of the 1960s when the popular convention was that a woman was seen to be a nurse while a man would be a doctor. As a prequel, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is bound by this canon so that Chapel must remain a nurse into Star Trek: The Original Series. However, Christine Chapel does become a doctor in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Meanwhile, Strange New Worlds explores Chapel's talent and ambition more thoroughly than Star Trek: The Original Series.
What Happens To Nurse Chapel In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & TOS
Nurse Chapel Is On Her Own Journey
Jess Bush's Nurse Christine Chapel is a principal character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds who has multiple storylines deepening her character and giving Chapel more agency than Star Trek: The Original Series did. Strange New Worlds established Chapel to be a driven and hardworking genius who developed the technology to surgically alter humans into aliens. Chapel is also a veteran of Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War, where she met and formed a bond with Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusankomun), who is now Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise.
Jess Bush was recently interviewed by PIX11 in New York, where she revealed that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premieres in 2025, and Strange New Worlds season 4 will begin filming in March 2025. Watch the interview below:
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 will deepen Nurse Chapel's character even more, creating a three-way love triangle between Christine, Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), and Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O'Sullivan). Korby is Chapel's future fiancé according to Star Trek: The Original Series canon, and Chapel is meant to leave the Starship Enterprise temporarily to study archaeological medicine under Korby. Chapel and Spock's romance is one of Strange New Worlds' key relationships, and season 3 will add new wrinkles and twists.
Will Gates McFadden’s Dr. Crusher Return To Star Trek?
Dr. Crusher Came Back In Star Trek: Prodigy, But Will Star Trek: Legacy Happen?
Sta r Trek: Picard season 3 ended in triumph for Dr. Beverly Crusher. Promoted to Admiral for her ridding Starfleet of their Borg assimilation and creating a means of detecting Changeling infiltrators, Crusher was made head of Starfleet Medical. Meanwhile, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), her son with Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), was fast-tracked through Starfleet Academy and was assigned as an Ensign to the USS Enterprise-G as Special Counselor to Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
Although Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century, it's possible Gates McFadden could appear as Dr. Beverly Crusher as a hologram or through some other sci-fi means.
However, future live-action appearances by Dr. Beverly Crusher are seemingly tied to whether Star Trek: Picard's proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, ever happens. Gates McFadden did make a surprise appearance as Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, which predates Star Trek: Picard season 3 by roughly 15 years.
Gates McFadden and Jess Bush are popular and inspiring women of the Star Trek franchise, and while the odds of Dr. Crusher and Nurse Chapel meeting seem impossible, InvestiGates brings Gates and Jess together for a fascinating Star Trek doctors mind-meld.
