I’ve rewatched “Transfigurations” (Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 3, episode 25). This episode somehow feels like TOS, I don’t know why – it’s about a race of aliens evolving and a less evolved part is discriminating and repressing the other part. (I guess it was a spoiler already…) One of the more evolved aliens is injured and picked up by Enterprise and healed by Doctor Crusher, but doesn’t remember anything and just live on the ship for some time. It turned out he can heal just by touch. Well, while he was being slowly healed Geordi and Data decoded a capsule with the information they had found with him and so they were able to find his home planet and get him there, even though he was protesting and then they found out about the discrimination and evolution, but everything ended up well, the alien was accepted into the evolved part of the race and has transformed into pure light.
“If there’s nothing wrong with me, maybe there’s something wrong with the universe!”
It is hard to convey how much I adore Beverly Crusher. When I was a kid, I always stopped what I was doing to go and watch TNG when it would come on in the evening, and I was always excited when it was a Bev episode. There she was, a woman strong in her convictions, always facing something unknown and dangerous but never giving up - not on herself and not on those in her care. Whenever she was faced with adversity, she snapped open that tricorder and found a solution.
I don’t think Bev would be this amazing if it weren’t for the amazing job Gates McFadden does bringing her to life. Much like her character, Gates never gave up in the face of adversity. She fought hard for her character and all the other women characters and actors involved in TNG, standing strong what she knew was right and never backing down. I look up to both Bev and Gates for strength, especially when the universe wants me to back down.
I wanted to capture a moment of realization, a eureka moment in this piece: the dawning of an idea, the split moment before she says she’s got it. And as we all know, you can always count on Bev to solve the problem and save the day.
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I was asked to make a portrait of one of my favourite women from Star Trek for the initiative Women Make Trek, which launched its website today, and immediately I knew I wanted to make a portrait of this amazing woman
Beverly Crusher understands the frustration and stress of OCD. Dealing with OCD can be very overwhelming, and having to do things like check things over and over can be difficult. It can be a stressful existence. Remember that you are a strong person for dealing with all of this, and she believes in you. :)
