Rewatch and series podcasts surged in popularity, particularly during the Covid pandemic in the age of streaming when classic shows are being rediscovered by new audiences and revisited by dedicated fans. Star Trek: The Next Generation star Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on the syndicated series, decided to host a Star Trek podcast called Gates McFadden Investigates: Who do you think you are? in 2021 that dives into the lives of those behind the Paramount franchise with guests from every series from The Original Series, TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds. On top of reprising her role for Picard and the animated series Prodigy, McFadden spoke to Bleeding Cool about how she’s evolved as a podcast host, what she’s still trying to figure out, the guest selection process, and the biggest surprise a guest revealed to her in the first two seasons.

Bleeding Cool: Three seasons on ‘InvestiGates,’ how do you feel about your evolution in podcasting?
I enjoyed it this year. It took learning how to do it, and I’m getting better every season. I relax more, and I feel good about this season. I liked every person I interviewed, and it was fun because I didn’t know them well. I knew a couple of them like Todd [Stashwick] (‘Picard’) I’d worked with, and a few others. It’s great getting to know people you don’t know much about their lives and converse like you would if you were meeting on an airplane [laughs]. Some of those deep conversations one sometimes has on airplanes, or I do anyway.

When you started ‘InvestiGates,’ what was your biggest challenge, and hurdle to overcome entering this venture, and are there things you still are overcoming now?
I’m sure there are things I’m still overcoming. The hardest thing was to learn how to relax and not jump. If there was a moment of silence because I didn’t understand…I hadn’t edited it yet. Now that I’ve edited it, I understand if there’s some inordinately long silence, you can shorten it. I was always worried about keeping it going. I discovered I like it much better when I relax more and allow it to unfold. There’s always another question, so I like that. I also learned about editing. Learning that was huge and tough. I’ve now found ways to go much faster with my editing. The technical part is done by Nacellecast [Studios], but it makes a difference. I always have more material than I can put into a time. There are always things that must go out. I try to put out and take out as much of me as possible [laughs]. Do you feel that way? Have you ever had that feeling?

Read the full transcript in our press library.