Gates Ensign Gates was a flight controller aboard the under the command of Captain Jean - Luc Picard . Service history . 2366 . Gates was on duty on the bridge and working on an aft station when the Vulcan ambassador Sarek was beam ed aboard . She later witnessed the effects of Sarek ' s Bendii Syndrome on Captain Picard and Commander Riker on the bridge . ( ) She was on duty on the bridge when the " Enterprise " - D encountered a Zalkonian warship in late 2366 and the crew suffered from its weapon . ( ) 2367 . A holographic duplicate of Gates passed Commander Riker and his son Jean - Luc when she left the turbolift . This scenario was part of an illusion created by the alien Barash on Alpha Onias III . ( ) Gates was part of the medical staff who received instructions from Dr . Crusher regarding radiation poisoning treatment in sickbay . ( ) She was working at an aft console of the bridge when the " Enterprise " - D was rapidly approaching a cosmic string due to the influence of two - dimensional lifeform s . ( ) Gates was also taking Mok ' bara lessons in Worf ' s course . ( ) She was enjoying a drink in Ten Forward after the ship had successfully delivered a spaceborne species dubbed " Junior " to the Alpha Omicron asteroid belt . ( ) Gates was working on the bridge when the ship went into orbit of Tarchannen III to investigate the mysterious disappearing of several crewmembers . ( ) She was in the audience of Doctor Crusher ' s adaptation of the play " Cyrano de Bergerac " in the ships theater . ( ) Gates manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D went into orbit of Kaelon II and took Kaelon scientist Timicin aboard . ( ) She manned the conn when the Trill Ambassador Odan , possessing control over Commander Riker ' s body , talked to the Peliar Zel native Leka Trion . ( ) Gates passed Data in a corridor when the android brought Jenna D ' Sora flowers . ( ) 2368 . Gates manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D went into orbit of El - Adrel IV and Captain Picard was kidnapped by the Children of Tama . ( ) She came on the bridge to mann the conn when Data showed Captain Picard an image of Senator Pardek . ( ) Gates was again at the conn when Worf met Captain Picard in his ready room . ( ) Gates manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D approached a stellar core fragment near Moab IV and was later replaced by Ensign Felton . ( ) She was one of the crew members held captive in Ten Forward by Ux - Mal terrorists while the " Enterprise " - D was in orbit of Mab - Bu VI in 2368 . ( ) Gates manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D crew assisted the J ' naii during their rescue mission for their shuttle " Taris Murn " . She later set course for the Phelan system . ( ) She was again manning the conn when the " Enterprise " - D was infected by nitrium parasite s . Due to the loss of the life support system she became unconscious at her station . ( ) Gates served as conn officer during the mission to the Argolis Cluster and when the crew beamed the Borg Hugh aboard . ( ) She had a candle light dinner together with a lieutenant in his quarters in late 2368 . The two were interrupted by Lieutenant Commander Data who detected a huge chroniton field in these quarters . ( ) Gates manned the conn again when Captain Picard was affected by the Kataan probe . ( ) She set course for the planet Devidia II after Data ' s head was found as an artifact of the 19th century in San Francisco on Earth . ( ) 2369 . Like in the last year , she took part in Worf ' s " mok ' bara " class in early 2369 along with Counselor Troi and Ves Alkar . ( ) Gates manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D arrived at Tagra IV and received a call from Orn Lote . ( ) She was also on the bridge when the new Captain Edward Jellico ordered a fourth duty shift . ( ) She manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D arrived at Relay Station 47 and investigated the case of Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari and Lieutenant Keith Rocha . ( ) Gates had a drink in Ten Forward in an alternate timeline created by Q in which Picard served as ensign aboard the " Enterprise " - D . ( ) She manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D headed to the planet Bersallis III to rescue colonists and patients from the fire storm s . ( ) She passed Doctor Crusher in front of the shuttlebay shortly after Doctor Jo ' Bril ' s death . ( ) Gates was along with Jae part of the day shift which replaced the night shift in 2369 . ( ) Ensign Gates served as flight officer when the " Enterprise " - D answered a distress call from Ohniaka III and was attacked by a Borg ship . ( ) 2370 . She was among one of the away team s which searched for Data and the Borg Crosis on an unnamed planet and was beamed back aboard the " Enterprise " - D where she resumed her navigational station . ( ) Ensign Gates served as flight officer when the " Enterprise " - D received a distress call from the Federation starship and arrived at the coordinates to help the " Raman " . ( ) She served at the conn when the " Enterprise " - D left Starbase 84 and activated the new warp core . ( ) Gates also manned the conn while the " Enterprise " - D was in orbit of Kesprytt III ( ) and when the two scientists Serova and Rabal beamed aboard the ship . ( ) She was off duty when she visited Ten Forward while Pran Tainer and Juliana Tainer came aboard the ship . ( ) " In an alternate quantum reality , Gates attended the surprise birthday party for Worf at his 30th in his quarters . Later she manned the conn , when the Cardassian s under the command of Gul Nador attacked the " Enterprise " - D . " ( ) Gates was frequently at the helm of the " Enterprise " - D during 2370 , following the departure of Ensign Ro Laren . Gates was a capable officer , and her merits include piloting the " Enterprise " - D inside an asteroid . ( ) Gates helmed the conn when the " Enterprise " - D arrived at Boraal II after they received a distress call from Nikolai Rozhenko . Later she was ordered by Captain Picard to go to warp . ( ) She was part of the beta shift alongside Jae , which replaced the alpha shift , including Commander Riker and Sam Lavelle in 2370 . She also had a drink in Ten Forward shortly after Ensign Sito Jaxa went missing and took again part in Worf ' s Mok ' bara class , together with Martinez . ( ) Gates manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D left orbit of Maranga IV to search for the Duras sisters Lursa and B ' Etor ( ) and when the " Enterprise " - D created an emergent lifeform and the crew lost control of the ship . ( ) In late 2370 she manned the conn when the " Enterprise " - D received a distress signal from the " Vetar " . She was replaced by Ro Laren . ( ) Gates served as flight controller when the " Enterprise " - D investigated the temporal anomaly in the Devron system . ( ) Memorable Quote . " " Course plotted , sir . " " ( ) Appendices . Background information . Ensign Gates was played by regular background actress Joyce Robinson who received no credit for her appearances and previously appeared as an " Excelsior " crewmember in . Gates was named after Gates McFadden , who played Dr . Beverly Crusher . ( " " ) She was first referred to by name in the episode " Phantasms " . The erroneously claims that Gates first appeared in " Descent " and then in several seventh season episodes , although she had appeared as early as the third season in " Sarek " .