Gates McFadden….My Geeky Holy Grail

When I was younger, I’d kiss my parents good night, head to my room and fall asleep; Or so my mother thought. In reality, I would be lying in bed waiting for my mother to come up the stairs, pause for a moment, listen for my breathing to become even which would indicate to her that I was asleep. Then she would quietly enter her room, ready herself for bed and shortly there after, I would be the one listening for the sounds of slumber.  When the coast was clear I would quietly make my way back down stairs to spend quality time with my dad. We would sit on the coach, my head on his chest, watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, the good one not the old one, together.

My favorite character was Dr. Beverly Crusher, the ship’s Chief Medical Officer played by the incredibly talented Gates McFadden. As I watched the show I’d become entranced by Dr. Crusher. I remember thinking about how beautiful, strong, smart and caring she was and how lucky the ship was to have her.

Over the years I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. As people came and went the one constant I could rely on was Star Trek and Dr. Beverly Crusher. Gates McFadden and the character she played became a role model of sorts and I hoped to one day meet her. I’ve been to several conferences where there would be various members of the cast and I felt fortunate to have met two of the characters from my favorite show, however, I was still hoping to me Gates McFadden… my GEEKY holy grail… Until NOW!

Last year my husband and I were able to get tickets to an event that Gates McFadden would be attending. As I stood in line I could not believe my good fortune… I was actually going to meet my idol: Dr. Beverly Crusher! I felt light headed and shaky I was so excited. As the line moved forward and my turn was at hand I found myself face to face with one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen… in person. My legs became numb, I could literally see;  my pulse pounding in my wrist and when I finally approached the table she smiled up at me from her seat and I will never forget what she said… “Hi”. Her voice at once so familiar it immediately took me back 10 years to those special times I shared with my dad.

There she was… my favorite character, actor, my GEEKY Holy Grail; Dr. Beverly Crusher! My throat was dry, my courage waning and when I finally had the strength to speak, the words “I love you!” burst forth before I knew what I was going to say. She smiled and laughed. Gates was everything I had hoped she would be. Friendly, warm, treating me like someone she had known for years.

I couldn’t believe that I finally had the chance to tell her what the show, her character and she personally had meant to me. The moments of bonding with my dad. It was the best 60 minutes of my life. During that time I was able to live in a world where anything was possible. I am not naïve. I know that Klingons, Vulcans and the many other alien races are not “real” however, what the show portrayed was hope. Hope for a future without illness, hunger, homelessness or war. A Utopia of sorts. The show captured the essence of a world we would all love to live in and because we saw it week after week it made us believe that anything was possible.

As our time together drew to a close, I was saddened. It was literally one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I didn’t want it to be over. I wished with every fiber of my being that this moment, this one small moment that I had prayed for and dreamt of for so long, would last forever. I thanked her for her time, for being such an important part of my life. I told her that I would always boycott season two of the show because she was not a part of it. She laughed once more sharing a tidbit about creative differences. It was moment of bonding between an Icon and a fan, a child and her mentor, two strong women that had a few things in common.

By:Nicole Jacobs

Founder & Managing Partner

GEEK4GEEK

http://www.geek4geek.com