A Star Trek: Lower Decks Joke Is The Perfect Gates McFadden Tribute
This post contains minor spoilers for the "Star Trek: Lower Decks" episode "The Inner Fight."
Throughout the fourth season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," audiences have seen a mysterious white UFO, its motivations unknown, cruising about the galaxy attacking and destroying numerous alien vessels. Details about this UFO have slowly been revealed throughout the season, but its true secret remains. Who is flying it and why is it attacking non-Federation ships?
In the latest episode, called "The Inner Fight," it is also revealed that the UFO may be targeting specific Starfleet officers, again for reasons unknown. Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) notes that one of the potential targets may be Dr. Beverly Crusher, once the chief medical officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise. Lieutenant Boimler (Jack Quaid), being intimately familiar with Starfleet history, immediately begins to geek out. He will get to meet the Dr. Beverly Crusher? He is giddy just at the possibility. To his dismay, Captain Freeman immediately points out that another vessel has already been assigned to protect Dr. Crusher.
Dr. Crusher, of course, is a long-term regular of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," having appeared in six of its seven seasons, all four NextGen movies, and in the final season of "Star Trek: Picard." Dr. Crusher was played by Gates McFadden, and many /Film articles have been devoted to the good doctor and to the actress playing her. "Lower Decks" not only pays Dr. Crusher homage by giving the character an air of excitement, but there's also a brief, throwaway reference later in the episode that gives that tribute a little extra wink.
The Dancing Doctor
Later in "The Inner Fight," Boimler finds himself stranded on a distant planet, trapped after a mysterious attacker downs his shuttle. Because the planet's weather is aggressively inhospitable, Boimler must take shelter in a cave to rest for the night along with several of his compatriots. Although his mission has nothing to do with Dr. Crusher, he's clearly still thinking about her. As Boimler shifts in his sleep, he mutters blissfully "Teach me to tap dance, Beverly Crusher" before rolling over and snoring again.
That may seem like a fun, absurd thing for Boimler to say, but Trekkies will recognize the reference. As it so happens, Dr. Crusher was also a trained dancer, a passionate hobby she maintained in secret. She kept her dancing acumen on the down low merely because she didn't want to be mocked as "the dancing doctor." It was only in the episode "Data's Day" (January 7, 1991) that audiences got to see Dr. Crusher's dance skills in action. Data (Brent Spiner), knowing he needed to dance for an upcoming event, surreptitiously sought out Dr. Crusher's instructions. Crusher taught him how to tap dance. It wasn't until later that Dr. Crusher learned that the lessons were meant for a wedding, and she left the slow dancing lessons in the capable holographic hands of a simulated instructor.
While a dance double was provided for Spiner, McFadden did all her own dancing. This is because, prior to "Star Trek: The Next Generation," McFadden spent many years on stage and with dance troupes working as a professional dancer and choreographer. McFadden served as choreographer on the films "Rustler's Rhapsody," "Dreamchild," and Jim Henson's "Labyrinth." She was previously credited by her first name Cheryl.
Cheryl McFadden
McFadden's career prior to "Star Trek" was textured, varied, and fun. Her first big-screen appearance was in "The Muppets Take Manhattan," wherein she played an overwhelmed secretary. McFadden was in the employ of the Jim Henson Company for several years, providing dance consultation. She worked on the Troma movie "When Nature Calls," directed by Lloyd Kaufman's brother Charles, and starring David Strathairn. Her participation in a Troma film indicated that McFadden has a wonderful sense of humor. McFadden first started appearing on stage and choreographing as a professional in the early 1980s, having worked on Shakespeare, on "Medea," and multiple others. McFadden has a BA in performing arts, but not a doctorate, so sadly we cannot also call McFadden "the dancing doctor."
One might recall seeing McFadden as Caroline Ryan, Jack Ryan's wife, in the terse 1990 Tom Clancy-based thriller "The Hunt for Red October" or in a 1993 episode of the smutty HBO sitcom "Dream On."
Playing a medical professional in the 24th century didn't give McFadden too many opportunities to ply her dance skills, so it was likely a great favor that the makers of "Data's Day" gave her a scene wherein she could show off her tap skills. It's the only time on "Star Trek" that McFadden was allowed to dance.
It also appears that Data was a little indiscreet about his secret tap lessons from Dr. Crusher. If, several years after the events of "Data's Day," Lieutenant Boimler knows all about Dr. Crusher's tap dancing skills — to the point that he would dream about them — then word would have gotten out about her secret afternoon with Data on the holodeck. Or maybe he just closely read her personnel file.
Either way, Boimler never got to dance with the doctor.