>MC>         I thought Gates McFadden left TNG for a season 
 >MC> because she was pregnant... and the writers didn't 
 >MC> want an unwed mother aboard the Enterprise.  Still, it 
 >MC> might have been interesting...  (Dr. Crusher:  Uh, 
 >MC> Jean-Luc?  Remember when we were together at that 
 >MC> ambassador's party six to eight weeks ago?  You'd 
 >MC> better sit down for this...)
 > 
 > Nope.  She was absent for season two.  She had her baby during the 
 > hiatus between seasons 4 and 5 (IIRC - she's seen in a group photo 
 > for the 25th anniversary of Trek VERY pregnant).  They merely took 
 > advantage of the fact that Crusher wore a lab coat to disguise her 
 > swelling abdomen; stood her behind consoles; and did a lot of 
 > closeups to hide the fact.  
The departure of Gates McFadden for ANY reason was Ok with me.  She seemed to 
me to be... inept... yeah, thats the word.  When McCoy faced a problem, he 
solved it; whe Beverly had a problem, she used the computer to solve the 
problem. If it didn't work, the her son Wes had better figure something out!
Dr. Polaski was irritating, but in a good way.  She DID something when a 
problem came up, and never hesitated to speak her mind.  If given another 
season, the character would have fit perfectly.
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