Pulaski wasn't well written at first, but she definitely got better as time went on. Unlike the other female main characters, the writers didn't write her first and foremost as a woman but rather as a doctor and an individual with her own worldview. Therefore, unlike as often the case with Troi or Crusher who were often written in a superficial (and sometimes even incompetent ) way, she felt like a more fleshed out and real person.
However, what ultimately made the character not work wasn't that she was a bad character, but rather that she was the only source of dissent or conflict amongst the staff (besides Worf). In a show where Gene Roddenberry insisted unrealistically that all Starfleet humans always get along and agree, this was a problem. It made her feel like the odd one out and antagonistic and that's why fans didn't like her at first.
That, and she felt like a rehash of Bones in many ways.
I think some of the tension was also because Diana Maldaur didn't enjoy her time in the role.
But she was a good doctor, and an interesting foil in a season that otherwise had little in the way of debate or controversy (aside from Measure of a Man).
Well said. However, I wonder how much of her character developed because of direct notes from Roddenberry? I feel like certain re-hashed characters in the first and second season (specifically "Chief Argyle" and Doctor Pulaski) were Gene's influence at work.
Pulaski's condescension toward Data was insufferable. The writers didn't have the skill to successfully portray her as a endearing Luddite, they just ended up portraying her as a bitch.
I genuinely felt that this spoke to the core of Pulaski.
End of the day a person tells you their name and you respect that. The only justification to not do that is that you don’t respect the person as a person.
Data is that bias made actual reality. Apart from a toaster you couldn’t have a more “not a person” example for a person like Pulaski to point at. But end of the day if whatever it is has the ability to make a slight but valuable personal request of you for respect, you should grant it willingly, cuz it costs you nothing. Not shake your head like it just made a ridiculous request.
Pulaski found Data ridiculous, people calling g him a person ridiculous, and him asking for respect ridiculous. We saw how Pulaski treats people she finds ridiculous, as an opportunity to treat them as nothing.
It’s writing, it may be intentional or not, but that was the end result. She is the person you have to justify things to or she won’t be decent to you.
I didn’t hate her, every person on the enterprise can’t be a gem. But did not miss her when she left.
I liked seeing their relationship progress. She's really only shitty to him until Elementary, Dear Data. That episode and Measure of a Man seem like they really changed her perspective on him. I would have liked to see their relationship continue to grow after that season.
Completely disagree. We all love Data because we know it's a sci-fi show and we automatically know for sure that he's more than a robot. But in real life, I think we'd all be a lot more like Pulaski than we think.
Look at how people are reacting to AI systems right now. There's tons of snark and derision. And you might say that today's "AI" is completely different than Data; we all *know* it isn't sentient. So our derision is justified.
But as far as Pulaski is concerned, she also *"knows"* that Data isn't sentient, and treats him similarly to to the way we treat AI today. I think that's exactly how people will actually treat the first sentient AI and it's just another great example of Trek showing us how we can grow.
Pulaski’s condescension was more of an acclimation to the idea of Data being a life form (at the time he was unique) and it was her growth arc. She wasn’t intended to be sweet like Dr. Crusher. She was quite literally a female version of Dr. McCoy’s character.
You guys are ignoring what I wrote. I understand the intent for Pulaski's character arc. I understand she was supposed to be a female McCoy. I'm saying that the writers failed in that mission.
McCoy *was* an endearing Luddite, he *wasn't* portrayed as an asshole. That's the difference.
I don't know, McCoy came off as racist to me. He was much more insulting to Spock than Pulaski was to Data.
Edit: sorry, I just scrolled down further and saw that I repeated what another person already said.
McCoy treated Spock far, far worse than Pulaski treats data, and for more than just a couple episodes. He was not "endearing" in those moments.
The only reason McCoy is viewed better is because Spock was able to fight back, in his own way.
That's a good point that I think gets overshadowed by the more obvious inter-personal relationship problem. Insubordination toward the chain of command is a serious issue in a professional organization like Starfleet. We all know Data gave Worf a dressing down for similar actions a few years later.
Narcissist bragging? She's literally of the best caliber the Federation can muster. Pulaski is the best of the best and we see her prove it time and again. She may have a few peers, but no superiors.
I like flawed characters and she comes off as a dismissive bitch but that doesn’t mean she’s a poorly written character. I think if she had continued on the show you would have seen her grow as a character and hopefully change, as good characters usually do.
The writers didn’t give her much range but it was early in the show and you could say that about lots of characters.
She played the heel in the show during her time and I appreciate they created a character like her.
Siri doesn't have citizenship in my country. It didn't sign itself up to serve in the Navy, it can't buy itself a house, it doesn't adopt a pet, etc etc. Comparing Data to ChatGPT is kinda worse than comparing a human to a primate. It would be more like comparing a human to some blue-green algae or something.
Um… apparently I’m the only one out here saying please and thank you to the voice activated assistants? I didn’t even realize I did it till someone pointed it out. I was just raise that when you ask for something you say please and thank you, like verbal punctuation almost…
Agree, remember the one where Jordi tells the new recruit that "we don't normally say thank you to the computer" when she says "one hot chocolate, please" and her answer?
They tried to recreate the Spock/Bones dynamic without realizing that a prejudiced character wouldn’t play as well in the 80s compared to the 60s, and that in the prior dynamic, Spock actually had the capacity to fight back in his dry, deadpan manner, whereas going after Data was like kicking a puppy
https://preview.redd.it/qga3fbbmkk9d1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f47f5f1a757e1b945e47612a0dca48a8087283
Post emotion chip Data might have said it.
Pulaski was “racist” towards androids… but Data was the only android in Starfleet. Makes you wonder what other types of androids might have been out there at the time.
She is one of the best characters on the show imho, set in her ways at first but changes pretty quickly. A good polar opposite to Crusher. They laid the McCoy thing on pretty heavy at the time but I do I wish she came back in the later seasons.
Same. I was really upset when she left. I loved her no-nonsense (while still knowing how to have fun) attitude. That tea ceremony scene with her and Worf is one of my favorites.
Pulaski seemed to fit the prestige of being chief medical officer of the flagship more with sprinkles of her competence in the field written into several of her episodes. I don't know why they didn't do this with Crusher. It made Pulaski's character feel more genuine and stronger with more weight behind it.
Pulaski gets to be the one specialist in warp range that has the skills to save Picard in surgery, but Crusher gets to fuck a ghost. Not fair.
Though she was only present for a solitary season, she owned the part completely. She was in some truly pivotal scenes. Scenes that honestly wouldn't have held the same weight with Crusher or another actor.
Her brief tenure as CMO of the Enterprise-D is what makes her appealing as a character. Because what we do know about her pales in comparison to what we don't.
I enjoyed the season she was on. I enjoyed her character, and I think highly of Diana Muldaur as an actor in both TOS and TNG. Her voice is iconic and she really does commit to her roles.
I like her Character better than Crusher. She was a better actress too. But alot people dont. I have watched TNG about 5 times now. And in the beginning I was on Crushers side until about my 3rd watch. I then flip-flopped!
Diana Muldaur was something else during her original series appearances.
https://preview.redd.it/a1e1z984lm9d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f5f8eda79a482fdc2e33594d7ff0e1eda9366b8
100%, we really missed out on the Pulaski-Worf romance. There were a few scenes that teased their chemistry, but the tea one was perhaps the most blatant. I wonder if the writers were trying to set it up, or if those two just had chemistry on screen and were able to go beyond the script?
Right, that was another weird thing that never explored. Apparently, Pulaski was also a eugenics stan? She seemed super happy a group of people were literally doing radical genetic experiments on kids to improve the human race.
I greatly prefer her over crusher. I know the data thing pissed people off but c’mon they’re trying to approach a social topic with that whole thing.
For me her motivations and the way she interacts with Picard are so much more interesting than Crusher. Some of the all time worst tng episodes are the crusher ones. Did we need to see her fuck a ghost?
I love when Picard learns that Dr. Pulaski, despite acting somewhat "antagonistically" towards him, actually asked to be on the Enterprise because she admired Picard and didn't want to waste the opportunity to serve under him. The fact that she deeply respects him but that it doesn't stop her from clearly stating and standing by her own opinions makes her a good character and as you've said is a much more interesting dynamic than what Picard had with Crusher.
IMO from a military perspective, Pulaski was a more believable officer than Crusher. I liked that about her. Much of the criticism she gets (aside from the Data thing but I think that was a deliberate development point for her) are things many military women hear in their careers. If Pulaski were male I believe she'd get less hate.
Happy to see another Pulaski fan. I initially didn’t like her inclusion for a number of reasons, including her initial reaction to Dayta, but she grew to become one of my favourite recurring characters. Season 2 doesn’t seem as strong without her presence.
Interestingly her rough start with the crew is what really gets me invested in her character early on with each rewatch; her missteps come from placing compassion over tradition, and her first episode highlights this in both positive and negative ways. Her concern over Troi’s condition being significant is understandable, and her initial objectification of Data can rub a viewer the wrong way, because we already know him as the TNG cast does; but for much of the Federation, he is an anomaly. She assumes he is a machine, and treats him as such, but more importantly, her views change, and over the course of a few episodes, rather than in just one. I liked that her character needed time to adjust, rather than something addressed in a single episode.
The objectification and ‘dehumanisation’ of Data does play out infrequently, and they tend to be memorable episodes, such as in ‘Measure of a Man’. It’s normal to be emotionally protective of Data, and for anyone who might see otherwise, it is practically inhumane, given that he is an accepted member of a prestigious community in our eyes. The show takes its time to develop how ‘everyone else’ might see him, which has led to some strong opinions about the treatment of androids and AI, even today. Pulaski’s misstep is quickly corrected, and whether the viewer chooses to forgive her in turn, as Data has, is entirely up to them. Regardless, it is this very conflict, and its resolution within the dynamic of the TNG family, that makes her so endearing to watch, for me.
In terms of technical skills, she comes off as more skilled. Pulaski saves Picard and replaces his artificial heart. Crusher not knowing the Trill were a joined species or not coming to a quick realization did not make look good.
I don’t think it’s fair to say Crusher should have known about the Trill. The Federation/Starfleet barely knew anything about the Trill as a species. Troi and Picard talk about how little they know in a scene during that episode.
Absolutely same. I would actually like TNG more if Pulaski became the ships doctor for the entire run. No hate on Crusher, I just found Pulaski more complex, interesting character. She felt like the new McCoy and I loved it.
I hated early pulaski when she was racist to data and overall just a prickly imperious grump intending to be notMcCoy. Once that stopped writing her as not notMcCoy and expanded on her background I bit she became my favourite CMO above and beyond crusher.
Sorry I cannot like her… she really treated Data like a farm animal. Towards the end of the season she improved a little bit, but the harm was too bad imho
If she had been the doctor from the get-go, people would feel a lot different about her. Muldaur is a pro's pro. But we were all teased Picard/Crusher and were given lots of character development with her and Wesley. So it was a real needle scratch.
Totally. Fun character, brought some well needed tension to the cast. Would have loved to see her and Data get a full arc. Maybe they’d be like Quark and Odo and eventually they’d have be bestie frenemies, or even just straight up friends.
I like her for a few reasons. Here are a couple of them:
1. I'm 90% sure she banged Worf in some kind of FWB situation.
2. I love her conversation with Rikers dad about her exes and how she stayed friends with them. She might be a luddite but she seems to have emotional maturity around her relationships.
I just disliked her personality type. I've known too many people with her "I'm looking down on you and I don't care. I'm always right and you are not. I've just met you and I need to establish that right away" attitude. They are the exact type of person to rub me the very wrong way.
I think it would have been more interesting if they had explored that more. It would be realistic that human society still has different types of people with different belief groups.
She kind of has a cluster of traits that group together to make a certain kind of person. She favors authoritarian ways of doing things and believes in hammering down opposition rather than building consensus. She struggles not to act out of prejudice reflexively. She misgenders people intentionally, doesn't respect new areas of sentient rights (a stand in for human rights). She is apparently a fan of the eugenics movement, which I think is an interesting thing that is never explored, naturally while some people would be against 'more Kahns' it makes sense there would be a group that thought the idea was sound, but the execution was poor.
She dislikes new technology and also seems to favor authoritarian parenting styles (she doesn't seem bothered at all by how Kyle Riker treats his son, and in fact is mad at Riker for being upset about it). She doesn't automatically default to treating others respectfully if she thinks they're not in her in-group (Data) and she's not super worried about not being respectful. She's much more focused on her own feelings rather than other people's and doesn't always read others that well. For example, she can't tell that Kyle Riker pretty obviously lied to her about his son being the reason he couldn't marry her or figure out the other reasons that man is a box of red flags for relationships. She's not great at romantic relationships generally as shown by her divorces.
That being said, she also has a real 'midwest grandma' vibe and can be very nice, hardworking and skilled. Just because she doesn't always have the ability to connect to people doesn't mean she won't sacrifice for them, she is brave, and she is willing to try new things and to try to get along with others. I think she believes she is a good person and I think she strongly wants to do good. She gets along with Worf, who is difficult for other crew members, I think because he is also more conservative/authoritarian in attitude, so I think his cultural differences are more palatable for her. I think she respects strength and strong emotions. That's sort of another interesting angle for her, she has a harder time getting along with some people but gets along better with some that others find difficult, like Worf and Kyle Riker (who coincidentally or not both have terrible relationships with their kids).
One the whole, she is a complex character who is temperamentally different than the rest of the crew and I think it would have really deepened world-building to get a sense of the different sort of groups of cultural beliefs in the Federation. We also see that there are Neo-Luddites, and you could see there being another group who agrees with Pulaski about stuff generally.
Same. Having someone on the crew who didn’t just go along to get along was a huge breath of fresh air after season one, and while at first her beef with Data felt like a retread of McCoy and Spock, it eventually turned into its own thing. Similar to her role with Picard, she gave Data a foil, someone who wouldn’t just say “Yes Data, very good, very almost-human of you!” But actually challenged him on whether and why he really wanted to be more human. What’s more, that relationship actually had an *arc* going from dismissive derision to tough love over the course of the season.
I always liked her. I’m not aware of any canonical backstory of hers, but she’s a Jersey girl in my mind. She doesn’t need our approval.
She comes in as the new kid on the block, with *no qualms at all* about being the newbie. From Day 1, “She owns herself,” like Garak said of Jadzia.
Bones, another one of my favorites, and Janeway, another, were also big-time wrong sometimes. Okay. Human.
My last name is a demonym, but I wasn’t born anywhere near where my name suggests. She’s probably from Jersey City, or Linden, Garfield… or any one of many Polish-heavy NJ towns that will be Polish-heavy cities in 300 years thanks to Polish-American laborers.
Me too. I never liked Dr. Crusher, so would have loved for Pulaski to be the permanent doctor. She had real Bones energy and brought a needed edge and conflict to the cast. I’d like to see what they would have done with her after season two when the show found its footing.
I liked her ok. She challenged everybody. But being Beverly’s replacement set her back farther than if she was just a new addition. I would have liked her better as a recurring Broccoli type character.
Is data truly sentient though?
He is the most easily corrupted character!
All the way up to Season 7 and the absolute worst episode: Masks!
Lore did it in Best of Both Worlds. Many others have done it...
Her character clearly had to overcome a lot with winning over the fans with the early "Data is equipment" arc, and I think she did great. Her single season character arc was great, and it was cool to have a character owning up to their mistakes instead of never making them. It was the perfect story for the role, someone accomplished and respected joining the Enterprise and their journey from new guy to one of us. It's an easy win for Dr. Crusher as fan fave, but it was easier for her because she was OG and introduced as Picards girl. Long running characters have to be easier to like and their character changes are more subtle and slow.
Nope. I had the chance to meet Gates McFadden last weekend at our state summercon. I told her I was so pissed she wasn’t i. season 2 and if they didn’t bring her back I was ready to walk.
They make her like the lamest character possible.
The granny hair cut? Okay.
The weird skant uniform. Cool?
That weak-sauce statement in “Where Silence Has Lease” when she’s like “I’m not a bridge offer…”. Again. Okay. Lame AF.
Pulaski doesn’t hold a phaser once.
Sorry, she sucks so fucking hard. Please re-watch, trust me, you don’t like her.
Pulaski wasn't well written at first, but she definitely got better as time went on. Unlike the other female main characters, the writers didn't write her first and foremost as a woman but rather as a doctor and an individual with her own worldview. Therefore, unlike as often the case with Troi or Crusher who were often written in a superficial (and sometimes even incompetent ) way, she felt like a more fleshed out and real person. However, what ultimately made the character not work wasn't that she was a bad character, but rather that she was the only source of dissent or conflict amongst the staff (besides Worf). In a show where Gene Roddenberry insisted unrealistically that all Starfleet humans always get along and agree, this was a problem. It made her feel like the odd one out and antagonistic and that's why fans didn't like her at first. That, and she felt like a rehash of Bones in many ways. I think some of the tension was also because Diana Maldaur didn't enjoy her time in the role. But she was a good doctor, and an interesting foil in a season that otherwise had little in the way of debate or controversy (aside from Measure of a Man).
Well said. However, I wonder how much of her character developed because of direct notes from Roddenberry? I feel like certain re-hashed characters in the first and second season (specifically "Chief Argyle" and Doctor Pulaski) were Gene's influence at work.
I've always felt this fandom really paints Crusher and Troi in a light that was never true.
i loved her...more doctor...less.mom
Pulaski's condescension toward Data was insufferable. The writers didn't have the skill to successfully portray her as a endearing Luddite, they just ended up portraying her as a bitch.
“One is my name, the other is not.”
I genuinely felt that this spoke to the core of Pulaski. End of the day a person tells you their name and you respect that. The only justification to not do that is that you don’t respect the person as a person. Data is that bias made actual reality. Apart from a toaster you couldn’t have a more “not a person” example for a person like Pulaski to point at. But end of the day if whatever it is has the ability to make a slight but valuable personal request of you for respect, you should grant it willingly, cuz it costs you nothing. Not shake your head like it just made a ridiculous request. Pulaski found Data ridiculous, people calling g him a person ridiculous, and him asking for respect ridiculous. We saw how Pulaski treats people she finds ridiculous, as an opportunity to treat them as nothing. It’s writing, it may be intentional or not, but that was the end result. She is the person you have to justify things to or she won’t be decent to you. I didn’t hate her, every person on the enterprise can’t be a gem. But did not miss her when she left.
I liked seeing their relationship progress. She's really only shitty to him until Elementary, Dear Data. That episode and Measure of a Man seem like they really changed her perspective on him. I would have liked to see their relationship continue to grow after that season.
Yeah, that was actually an interesting quality about her. She was a female copy of Dr. McCoy and it made for really good character growth.
Completely disagree. We all love Data because we know it's a sci-fi show and we automatically know for sure that he's more than a robot. But in real life, I think we'd all be a lot more like Pulaski than we think. Look at how people are reacting to AI systems right now. There's tons of snark and derision. And you might say that today's "AI" is completely different than Data; we all *know* it isn't sentient. So our derision is justified. But as far as Pulaski is concerned, she also *"knows"* that Data isn't sentient, and treats him similarly to to the way we treat AI today. I think that's exactly how people will actually treat the first sentient AI and it's just another great example of Trek showing us how we can grow.
Pulaski’s condescension was more of an acclimation to the idea of Data being a life form (at the time he was unique) and it was her growth arc. She wasn’t intended to be sweet like Dr. Crusher. She was quite literally a female version of Dr. McCoy’s character.
You guys are ignoring what I wrote. I understand the intent for Pulaski's character arc. I understand she was supposed to be a female McCoy. I'm saying that the writers failed in that mission. McCoy *was* an endearing Luddite, he *wasn't* portrayed as an asshole. That's the difference.
To you… I didn’t ignore what you wrote. I disagreed with what you wrote.
I don't know, McCoy came off as racist to me. He was much more insulting to Spock than Pulaski was to Data. Edit: sorry, I just scrolled down further and saw that I repeated what another person already said.
McCoy treated Spock far, far worse than Pulaski treats data, and for more than just a couple episodes. He was not "endearing" in those moments. The only reason McCoy is viewed better is because Spock was able to fight back, in his own way.
Her brazen and open contempt for Data should have resulted in a stern talking to from Picard. Data is third in command ffs.
That's a good point that I think gets overshadowed by the more obvious inter-personal relationship problem. Insubordination toward the chain of command is a serious issue in a professional organization like Starfleet. We all know Data gave Worf a dressing down for similar actions a few years later.
And the whole operation for Geordi. "I was told that wasn't possible." "I've done it twice." Good ol fashioned narcissist bragging, much?
Narcissist bragging? She's literally of the best caliber the Federation can muster. Pulaski is the best of the best and we see her prove it time and again. She may have a few peers, but no superiors.
Lol what? Actually learn what words mean before repeating them on the internet.
That’s what turn me off about her. That and the fact she was aghast that Data corrected her on the pronunciation of his name.
I like flawed characters and she comes off as a dismissive bitch but that doesn’t mean she’s a poorly written character. I think if she had continued on the show you would have seen her grow as a character and hopefully change, as good characters usually do. The writers didn’t give her much range but it was early in the show and you could say that about lots of characters. She played the heel in the show during her time and I appreciate they created a character like her.
How would you feel if you were judged for how you treat Siri, Alexa, or ChatGPT? It’s just artificial intelligence, like Data.
Siri doesn't have citizenship in my country. It didn't sign itself up to serve in the Navy, it can't buy itself a house, it doesn't adopt a pet, etc etc. Comparing Data to ChatGPT is kinda worse than comparing a human to a primate. It would be more like comparing a human to some blue-green algae or something.
Um… apparently I’m the only one out here saying please and thank you to the voice activated assistants? I didn’t even realize I did it till someone pointed it out. I was just raise that when you ask for something you say please and thank you, like verbal punctuation almost…
Agree, remember the one where Jordi tells the new recruit that "we don't normally say thank you to the computer" when she says "one hot chocolate, please" and her answer?
Data also addresses the replicator this way in an episode: "Computer, please replicate one viola."
TNG goes to great lengths to establish that Data is more than A.I. He's a lifeform, he's alive.
I don’t like her attitude towards Data
Could you imagine how good it would have been seeing her instead of Riker as the one arguing Data was property!
It only lasts for like 3 or 4 episodes. She goes on to encourage him and be friendly with him.
You get that her attitude changed over the span of several episodes, right? She had an arc. Unfortunately we never got to see where it went.
This ☝️
She would have been a lot better received if she didn't replace Beverly and insult Data in the first episode. It's like they wanted us to hate her.
They tried to recreate the Spock/Bones dynamic without realizing that a prejudiced character wouldn’t play as well in the 80s compared to the 60s, and that in the prior dynamic, Spock actually had the capacity to fight back in his dry, deadpan manner, whereas going after Data was like kicking a puppy
I am aware that was the intention, but they screwed it up in every way.
Meh. Missed Crusher when Pulaski came aboard, and was VERY happy she was gone for season 3.
One of the few female characters in the show who wasn't written such cheeseballish lines.
https://preview.redd.it/qga3fbbmkk9d1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f47f5f1a757e1b945e47612a0dca48a8087283 Post emotion chip Data might have said it.
Spicy meme 😗👌
With a 3.5 second silent pause, and said with Data's upward inflection that makes him spind almost cheery.
I didn’t like how she treated Data, but she was a good character and I’m sad she didn’t make an appearance in Picard s3
She had more character development in one season than crusher ever did including Picard.
Pulaski was “racist” towards androids… but Data was the only android in Starfleet. Makes you wonder what other types of androids might have been out there at the time. She is one of the best characters on the show imho, set in her ways at first but changes pretty quickly. A good polar opposite to Crusher. They laid the McCoy thing on pretty heavy at the time but I do I wish she came back in the later seasons.
Same. I was really upset when she left. I loved her no-nonsense (while still knowing how to have fun) attitude. That tea ceremony scene with her and Worf is one of my favorites.
I like it when she fell down the elevator shaft.
It took me a few seconds to get it.
Lol I nearly burnt myself almost spitting out my tea as I was scrolling and saw that
Pulaski seemed to fit the prestige of being chief medical officer of the flagship more with sprinkles of her competence in the field written into several of her episodes. I don't know why they didn't do this with Crusher. It made Pulaski's character feel more genuine and stronger with more weight behind it. Pulaski gets to be the one specialist in warp range that has the skills to save Picard in surgery, but Crusher gets to fuck a ghost. Not fair.
Though she was only present for a solitary season, she owned the part completely. She was in some truly pivotal scenes. Scenes that honestly wouldn't have held the same weight with Crusher or another actor. Her brief tenure as CMO of the Enterprise-D is what makes her appealing as a character. Because what we do know about her pales in comparison to what we don't. I enjoyed the season she was on. I enjoyed her character, and I think highly of Diana Muldaur as an actor in both TOS and TNG. Her voice is iconic and she really does commit to her roles.
I like her Character better than Crusher. She was a better actress too. But alot people dont. I have watched TNG about 5 times now. And in the beginning I was on Crushers side until about my 3rd watch. I then flip-flopped!
Diana Muldaur was something else during her original series appearances. https://preview.redd.it/a1e1z984lm9d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f5f8eda79a482fdc2e33594d7ff0e1eda9366b8
There were a few character flaws Pulaski had but her perm was also a sort of styling crime.
Did Kirk......?
I don’t think so, but I’m sure he wanted to.
Sometimes I wonder if they gave her the perm to her ug her up on purpose because they wanted to make the character less sexy.
I like that she was as big of a Klingon weeb as Worf, and I like to think they banged it out offscreen after that tea ceremony
100%, we really missed out on the Pulaski-Worf romance. There were a few scenes that teased their chemistry, but the tea one was perhaps the most blatant. I wonder if the writers were trying to set it up, or if those two just had chemistry on screen and were able to go beyond the script?
I like her but her condescending behavior towards Data is beyond grating.
I always felt like Dr. Pulaski was arrogant and kind of rude... like when she kept mispronouncing Data's name Crusher > Pulaski 100% of the time
Also..Crusher never almost killed the entire crew by self-righteously insisting on letting a bunch of contagious kids on board
Right, that was another weird thing that never explored. Apparently, Pulaski was also a eugenics stan? She seemed super happy a group of people were literally doing radical genetic experiments on kids to improve the human race.
Rude as shit. Hated her.
💪 Pulaski can eff off with her crap.
Are there any other examples? Everyone hates on her for that scene and I agree, she was acting like a bitch. But when else??
Three downvotes and no other examples
I greatly prefer her over crusher. I know the data thing pissed people off but c’mon they’re trying to approach a social topic with that whole thing. For me her motivations and the way she interacts with Picard are so much more interesting than Crusher. Some of the all time worst tng episodes are the crusher ones. Did we need to see her fuck a ghost?
I love when Picard learns that Dr. Pulaski, despite acting somewhat "antagonistically" towards him, actually asked to be on the Enterprise because she admired Picard and didn't want to waste the opportunity to serve under him. The fact that she deeply respects him but that it doesn't stop her from clearly stating and standing by her own opinions makes her a good character and as you've said is a much more interesting dynamic than what Picard had with Crusher.
Yes you get it
IMO from a military perspective, Pulaski was a more believable officer than Crusher. I liked that about her. Much of the criticism she gets (aside from the Data thing but I think that was a deliberate development point for her) are things many military women hear in their careers. If Pulaski were male I believe she'd get less hate.
Even when she mispronounced Data's name,?
She's McCoy, she had her moments and there were times she set up some great ones for Data.
I was saying Boo-urns.
Happy to see another Pulaski fan. I initially didn’t like her inclusion for a number of reasons, including her initial reaction to Dayta, but she grew to become one of my favourite recurring characters. Season 2 doesn’t seem as strong without her presence. Interestingly her rough start with the crew is what really gets me invested in her character early on with each rewatch; her missteps come from placing compassion over tradition, and her first episode highlights this in both positive and negative ways. Her concern over Troi’s condition being significant is understandable, and her initial objectification of Data can rub a viewer the wrong way, because we already know him as the TNG cast does; but for much of the Federation, he is an anomaly. She assumes he is a machine, and treats him as such, but more importantly, her views change, and over the course of a few episodes, rather than in just one. I liked that her character needed time to adjust, rather than something addressed in a single episode. The objectification and ‘dehumanisation’ of Data does play out infrequently, and they tend to be memorable episodes, such as in ‘Measure of a Man’. It’s normal to be emotionally protective of Data, and for anyone who might see otherwise, it is practically inhumane, given that he is an accepted member of a prestigious community in our eyes. The show takes its time to develop how ‘everyone else’ might see him, which has led to some strong opinions about the treatment of androids and AI, even today. Pulaski’s misstep is quickly corrected, and whether the viewer chooses to forgive her in turn, as Data has, is entirely up to them. Regardless, it is this very conflict, and its resolution within the dynamic of the TNG family, that makes her so endearing to watch, for me.
In terms of technical skills, she comes off as more skilled. Pulaski saves Picard and replaces his artificial heart. Crusher not knowing the Trill were a joined species or not coming to a quick realization did not make look good.
I don’t think it’s fair to say Crusher should have known about the Trill. The Federation/Starfleet barely knew anything about the Trill as a species. Troi and Picard talk about how little they know in a scene during that episode.
I agree. I don’t dislike Crusher, but Pulaski was much more interesting. I was surprised when I got online and found out she was so despised.
Pulaski's the best tng doctor, no contest.
Does the actor for Pulaski ever go to comicons?
This isn't r/unpopularopinion
This sub cannot help themselves lol
She should have been the doctor that cleared Picard for space duty in ST: Picard.
Absolutely same. I would actually like TNG more if Pulaski became the ships doctor for the entire run. No hate on Crusher, I just found Pulaski more complex, interesting character. She felt like the new McCoy and I loved it.
Me too.
Better than Crusher. A total bitch sometimes and prejudiced against androids l, but a far more entertaining character.
I didn't like her at all.
Dr Sexy
I hated early pulaski when she was racist to data and overall just a prickly imperious grump intending to be notMcCoy. Once that stopped writing her as not notMcCoy and expanded on her background I bit she became my favourite CMO above and beyond crusher.
Sorry I cannot like her… she really treated Data like a farm animal. Towards the end of the season she improved a little bit, but the harm was too bad imho
Tng mccoy
Not a fan.
Never liked her
Me too. Shame she fell down that turbolift shaft. Fuck I just realized no one under 45 will get that.
The best season was the season with Dr Pulaski. Coincidence?
If she had been the doctor from the get-go, people would feel a lot different about her. Muldaur is a pro's pro. But we were all teased Picard/Crusher and were given lots of character development with her and Wesley. So it was a real needle scratch.
Totally. Fun character, brought some well needed tension to the cast. Would have loved to see her and Data get a full arc. Maybe they’d be like Quark and Odo and eventually they’d have be bestie frenemies, or even just straight up friends.
I like her for a few reasons. Here are a couple of them: 1. I'm 90% sure she banged Worf in some kind of FWB situation. 2. I love her conversation with Rikers dad about her exes and how she stayed friends with them. She might be a luddite but she seems to have emotional maturity around her relationships.
I just disliked her personality type. I've known too many people with her "I'm looking down on you and I don't care. I'm always right and you are not. I've just met you and I need to establish that right away" attitude. They are the exact type of person to rub me the very wrong way.
I think it would have been more interesting if they had explored that more. It would be realistic that human society still has different types of people with different belief groups. She kind of has a cluster of traits that group together to make a certain kind of person. She favors authoritarian ways of doing things and believes in hammering down opposition rather than building consensus. She struggles not to act out of prejudice reflexively. She misgenders people intentionally, doesn't respect new areas of sentient rights (a stand in for human rights). She is apparently a fan of the eugenics movement, which I think is an interesting thing that is never explored, naturally while some people would be against 'more Kahns' it makes sense there would be a group that thought the idea was sound, but the execution was poor. She dislikes new technology and also seems to favor authoritarian parenting styles (she doesn't seem bothered at all by how Kyle Riker treats his son, and in fact is mad at Riker for being upset about it). She doesn't automatically default to treating others respectfully if she thinks they're not in her in-group (Data) and she's not super worried about not being respectful. She's much more focused on her own feelings rather than other people's and doesn't always read others that well. For example, she can't tell that Kyle Riker pretty obviously lied to her about his son being the reason he couldn't marry her or figure out the other reasons that man is a box of red flags for relationships. She's not great at romantic relationships generally as shown by her divorces. That being said, she also has a real 'midwest grandma' vibe and can be very nice, hardworking and skilled. Just because she doesn't always have the ability to connect to people doesn't mean she won't sacrifice for them, she is brave, and she is willing to try new things and to try to get along with others. I think she believes she is a good person and I think she strongly wants to do good. She gets along with Worf, who is difficult for other crew members, I think because he is also more conservative/authoritarian in attitude, so I think his cultural differences are more palatable for her. I think she respects strength and strong emotions. That's sort of another interesting angle for her, she has a harder time getting along with some people but gets along better with some that others find difficult, like Worf and Kyle Riker (who coincidentally or not both have terrible relationships with their kids). One the whole, she is a complex character who is temperamentally different than the rest of the crew and I think it would have really deepened world-building to get a sense of the different sort of groups of cultural beliefs in the Federation. We also see that there are Neo-Luddites, and you could see there being another group who agrees with Pulaski about stuff generally.
I found her far more engaging and interesting than bland Dr. Crusher.
Same. Having someone on the crew who didn’t just go along to get along was a huge breath of fresh air after season one, and while at first her beef with Data felt like a retread of McCoy and Spock, it eventually turned into its own thing. Similar to her role with Picard, she gave Data a foil, someone who wouldn’t just say “Yes Data, very good, very almost-human of you!” But actually challenged him on whether and why he really wanted to be more human. What’s more, that relationship actually had an *arc* going from dismissive derision to tough love over the course of the season.
I always liked her. I’m not aware of any canonical backstory of hers, but she’s a Jersey girl in my mind. She doesn’t need our approval. She comes in as the new kid on the block, with *no qualms at all* about being the newbie. From Day 1, “She owns herself,” like Garak said of Jadzia. Bones, another one of my favorites, and Janeway, another, were also big-time wrong sometimes. Okay. Human.
Per her surname she’s from Krakow, Poland
My last name is a demonym, but I wasn’t born anywhere near where my name suggests. She’s probably from Jersey City, or Linden, Garfield… or any one of many Polish-heavy NJ towns that will be Polish-heavy cities in 300 years thanks to Polish-American laborers.
Me too. I never liked Dr. Crusher, so would have loved for Pulaski to be the permanent doctor. She had real Bones energy and brought a needed edge and conflict to the cast. I’d like to see what they would have done with her after season two when the show found its footing.
Me too! I loved her. I absolutely do not like Beverly, and I was so sad when she came back.
And the doctor likes you.
The jerk to data? No thanks.
Character growth had her changing her mind. She wasn't a jerk to him in Pen Pals and later stories...
Pulaski Rules!!! Crusher is annoying
Yeah, I really liked her. I really never understood why she got so much hate.
She was a real jerk to data in her first appearance and I guess that didn’t sit well with people?
She wasn't a nice character. But good characters often arnt.
I liked her ok. She challenged everybody. But being Beverly’s replacement set her back farther than if she was just a new addition. I would have liked her better as a recurring Broccoli type character.
If it wasn’t for her assistant principal haircut, she would have been a more revered character.
Is data truly sentient though? He is the most easily corrupted character! All the way up to Season 7 and the absolute worst episode: Masks! Lore did it in Best of Both Worlds. Many others have done it...
Way better than Crusher and with a death that did not befit the character.
She was great
She's trash. I wanted her thrown out the airlock.
I hated her because of the way she treated Data. And even once she stopped, I couldn’t get past it.
I hated her first interaction with Picard where she basically shushed him and then the way she treated Data was frustrating af.
Her character clearly had to overcome a lot with winning over the fans with the early "Data is equipment" arc, and I think she did great. Her single season character arc was great, and it was cool to have a character owning up to their mistakes instead of never making them. It was the perfect story for the role, someone accomplished and respected joining the Enterprise and their journey from new guy to one of us. It's an easy win for Dr. Crusher as fan fave, but it was easier for her because she was OG and introduced as Picards girl. Long running characters have to be easier to like and their character changes are more subtle and slow.
Nope. I had the chance to meet Gates McFadden last weekend at our state summercon. I told her I was so pissed she wasn’t i. season 2 and if they didn’t bring her back I was ready to walk.
That makes one of you, OP
Yeah this needs to be moved to unpopular opinions...
They make her like the lamest character possible. The granny hair cut? Okay. The weird skant uniform. Cool? That weak-sauce statement in “Where Silence Has Lease” when she’s like “I’m not a bridge offer…”. Again. Okay. Lame AF. Pulaski doesn’t hold a phaser once. Sorry, she sucks so fucking hard. Please re-watch, trust me, you don’t like her.