Editing Beverly Crusher (section)

==Casting==
Gates McFadden was reluctant to accept the role of Dr. Crusher because of her commitment to appear in the play ''[[The Matchmaker]]'' at the [[La Jolla Playhouse]].<ref name="schrager">Adam Schrager, ''The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation Cast On Screen and Off''. New York: Wolf Valley Books (1997): 126</ref> Before McFadden was cast, [[Anne Twomey (actress)|Anne Twomey]] and [[Jenny Agutter]] were considered for the role.<ref>https://www.sliceofscifi.com/2006/11/01/the-memo-that-never-was/</ref> During the second season, the character was written out of the series, with the explanation that she "was off heading up Starfleet Medical for the year."<ref name="schrager" /> Producer [[Rick Berman]] has said that McFadden left due to her disputes with the head ''TNG'' writer at the time, [[Maurice Hurley]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=February 3, 2021|title=Star Trek: Why Dr. Crusher Left TNG In Season 2 (& Why She Came Back)|url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-tng-beverly-crusher-exit-return-reasons/|access-date=February 6, 2021|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205150120/https://screenrant.com/star-trek-tng-beverly-crusher-exit-return-reasons/|url-status=live}}</ref> She was replaced by the louder, more opinionated Dr. [[Katherine Pulaski]] ([[Diana Muldaur]]). [[Patrick Stewart]] was upset by McFadden's departure and played a large part in bringing about her return after Hurley left at the end of the second season.<ref name="schrager" /><ref name=":1" />