In a Variety interview, Gates McFadden revealed that showrunner Terry Matalas and executive producer Akiva Goldsman told him about Crusher and Picard’s son Jack in their first meeting, and immediately worried whether Crusher would really keep Jack a secret. from Picard for years:
“They told me the story. I was like, ‘Hey, great story, but my concern is, ‘that bitch didn’t tell her she was pregnant with her child! How could she do such a thing?” He’s basically a very ethical humanist. He really cares about doing the right thing. That was my concern. I was coming from “TNG” where I felt that the female point of view was done only from the female point of view. Not Troi or Crusher, but different female characters that will come aboard.”
It’s understandable that McFadden was hesitant to put Beverly in such a position, because, as he points out, there were many scenes in “The Next Generation” with Troi and Crusher in skimpy or tight-fitting outfits. men like a pair of confused teenagers. He wanted to make sure that there were canonically sound reasons for Crusher not to tell Picard about his son, and that his character’s reputation would not be ruined by the need for a plot device. Fortunately, there was a “Next Generation” episode that gave Crusher plenty of reasons not to reveal his secret son.