7 Star Trek Actors Who Were Fired
3. Gates McFadden
Yep, they actually fired Beverly Crusher. She didn't really just take that job as Head of Starfleet Medical.
Interestingly, only in the last few years has the true story behind McFadden's departure from the show really come to light. At the time, an official announcement from the network said that she "had left the series to pursue other career options". In reality, McFadden had just received a call from her agent saying that the producers wanted to go "in another direction" and wouldn't need her back.
But the plot thickened substantially though when Rick Berman revealed that she was actually fired because writer Maurice Hurley "had a real bone to pick" with her as an actress. In short, he didn't like the way she acted and so used his considerable sway to have her removed from the show. Adding further fuel to this account of events, the moment Hurley himself left the show, McFadden was brought back.
That return was seemingly inevitable though, as the frosty reception that had greeted Diana Muldaur replacing her as Doctor Katherine Pulaski, plus the pressure from both fans and Patrick Stewart, had made the decisions seem idiotic.