Dr. Katherine Pulaski

[Chief Medical Officer]

Would love to hear what others think of Dr. Pulaski from Season 2 of TNG. As for me, I liked the character very much as she brought a spunky and strong-willed personality to the core crew. Diana Muldaur is a favorite actress of mine (anyone remember the elevator shaft scene from 'LA Law'?) and she did the character justice. What do others think?

 

[TheGoodStuff]

This has been discussed a lot here so I will just briefly add my thoughts on her:

For me, the character didn't work. I didn't like her and she was inferior to Beverley who fit the show way better. Pulaski was:

1. Too much of a Bones clone.
2. Too confrontational on a ship where the crew felt very warm, friendly and close-knit.
3. Just not as likeable as Beverley.

Also, as will no doubt be discussed a million times, her treatment of Data was irritating. I understand all the character-building/she-was-alright-in-the-end stuff but generally, it made her immediately unlikeable [and seemingly disrespectful to a commanding officer on the ship].

Oh yeah, and because she was the irritable/curt character, she ALSO didn't like the transporter. Because old fuddy duddy.

Meh.

 

[Kilana2]

I like Pulaski: she stood up to the captain and was a refreshing contrast to Crusher. I'm well aware of her treatment of Data, which improved over time. With Pulaski there wasn't just love, peace and harmony.

I'm not a Beverly fan. Especially in the novels she has some irritating moments and was otherwise bland or had only few moments to shine. On the other hand I didn't have a problem with her returning to the show when she did.

Two women, two different doctors.

I'm happy when Pulaski returns in the novels.

 

[hux]

Love Pulaski. She was confident, opinionated and ballsy. The thing I liked most though was the fact that she seemed... well, like a person. Flawed, prejudiced, curious, human.

Everyone else on TNG felt a little distant. Like weird, stoic, 24th century types who I had nothing in common with whereas Pulaski felt like someone I'd meet down the street.

I loved the fact that she was very clumsy with Data and felt uncertain around him (pretty much how I'd feel). I thought that whole thing was nicely done and her relationship with him improved organically like it would if real people were involved. While people criticise her for it, I'd say she was one of the first people to have a worthwhile interaction with Data.

Only time I ever had a problem with her was in "up the long ladder" when she told them they'd have to give up monogamous marriage but that was more the writers than her. Other than that, she was great. A big, impact making character.

I don't dislike Crusher but by comparison, her personality felt flat, more contained, less intense. I would have liked to have seen her reprise the role in one of the later seasons for a cameo.

 

[CrazyMatt]

The character wasn't successful because she always felt like something of an outsider. Certainly the character was played by a very fine actress. But the obvious effort to bring an older, gruffy "Bones" like character backfired--somehow, this character never seemed to mesh with the others, always seeming something like an outsider to the main cast. That feeling was reinforced by the fact that her credit always appeared at the beginning of Act one just before the guest credits, billed as "Special Appearance By," instead of inside the main credits along with the rest of the primary cast members.

For these reasons, the character was not anywhere as successful as expected, and the decision was to revert to 'Plan A' for season three--a decision which bore fruit for the rest of the series, especially as the story thread of the past history between Crusher and Picard was explored.

Personally, I blame the producers for trying to turn her into a McCoy like character, but without any personal connection to other primary characters like the relationship that McCoy shared with Kirk and Spock. It just never worked as intended, and thankfully it lasted only one season.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I liked the character but she didn't have much natural chemistry with the rest of the crew, and the writers didn't seem interested in building relationships. If the writers had worked harder she might have become a good character.

 

[Relayer1]

I really didn't like Dr. Pulaski at all. It's partly down to the character, but is probably mainly due to my dislike of Diana Muldaur. I can't stand her.

 

[Terok Nor]

It was as if the writers quickly realised they made a mistake and gave up on the character early in Season 2. Muldaur is a good actress. Pulaski probably would have been successful in TOS or DS9 but she just didn't mesh with the TNG characters. Her personality was at odds with the get along gang. She got off on the wrong foot with her attitude towards Data. I know a lot of fans who could never get over that even though she softened towards him later on.

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

I liked Pulaski. So many people seem to judge her based on her early attitude of Data, completely ignoring that she actually undergoes growth and development over the course of the season - by Peak Performance, she is Data's own personal cheerleader, comparing his 'android algorithms' to 'human emotions.' Her attitude towards him made complete sense considering that this is the same season we see Data having to fight for his ability not to be designated as 'Starfleet property.' She had no further experience with him than his resume, of course she makes assumptions. But as time goes on, she realizes that he's more than a machine and comes to treat him as such. Plus she was a bit of a kick in the pants that the TNG could use every now and then. The majority of the characters were rather stiff and even a little dull. That abrasive quality made her more interesting, more dynamic.

 

[Chronos]

I think that she was a good contrast to the other characters who could sometimes be calm and agreeable to a fault. Yes, she was harsh on Data, but at least she changed her opinion over time. Her character developed more over the course of a season than some of the others did during the entire series' run.

It seems like she gets more flak than she deserves mostly because she replaced Crusher. It's hard to like a character that replaces another character that you like.

 

[Timewalker]

I didn't like Pulaski for her attitude toward Data, but I liked her gruff, realistic way of dealing with people. She had a past, but didn't get overly sentimental about it. She didn't tiptoe around peoples' rank, either.

There's something else I wanted to add but have no idea how to do spoiler tags here...

 

[Phoenix219]

I liked Pulaski alot; she added some personality and a bit of conflict, which the show sorely needed. If she had stayed on, I could have seen the Data stuff progressing and their relationship growing. It was kind of the modern take of the Spock/McCoy dynamic, and I think it would have served the show well. They never did anything with Crusher (or her history with Picard) anyways. Even when I was young, I knew a shake up was needeed; I was one of the few, probably, that was actually disappointed when Locutus was cured, and Shelby was sent off. I was looking forward to a new show dynamic. How different a show, would it have been, with a series long antagonist being their former Captain, actual progression to Riker's character (wish they had taken the risk and replaced him with his Transporter duplicate....), and a leading trio of Riker/Data/Pulaski.

(Yes, I fully admit that although I watched TNG through its original run when i was young, I've never gone back to it, and have always loved TOS first and foremost.)

 

[2takesfrakes]

Why the old ladies on TNG had to always be so annoying, I don't know. Maybe it's playing off some old Mother-in-Law TV trope. But Kate Pulaski was not spared these qualities and it didn't work. Gene Roddenberry - bless him! - kept trying to force it, insistent on modeling her after the cranky, irritable, boisterous and possibly alcoholic Dr. McCoy. It barely worked the first time, and having Kate challenge everyone, all the time, especially Picard and Data simply wasn't entertaining to watch.

In fact, she'd impose her irritating, braying self on the bridge crew even After Hours. And that was A Bridge Too Far, for me. I'd wonder, "... who invited the crazy old lady? What's she doing here?" I don't blame Diane for it, I loved her in The Classic Series, she was something special in those days. But the old adage is so true: you can't go home again. Her stint on TNG is a good case in point. They should've just promoted Nurse Ogawa. I love her, she's so sweet! She would've been a very suitable replacement had Gates given TNG the finger and just moved on. Much more so than Pulaski.

 

[Shikarnov]

Season Two of the series is my favorite, and Pulaski is a big reason why. I think hux said it best:

She was confident, opinionated and ballsy. The thing I liked most though was the fact that she seemed... well, like a person. Flawed, prejudiced, curious, human.

Others upthread have said that her not meshing with the rest of the crew was a detriment, but I always found it to be a strength. The TNG crew, with few exceptions, is really very homogenous. Pulaski acted both as a foil and as a foundation for the rest of them. She didn't just contrast the characters, she pushed them further.

Crusher was very bland in comparison -- and always felt more like a background character that was given too much screen time. She had no personality; anybody could have filled her role and said her lines.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The thing about Pulaski's attitude toward Data is that she reacted like people probably would react in real life. People don't want to see real human beings on TV, they want to see TV humans.

 

[Tracy Trek]

The way she acted around Data bothered me a bit at first. Because he was my favorite character. But I think he stood up to her by telling her (when she mis-pronounced his name) that one was his name, the other is not. I really like that and I have actually used this line when people don't spell my name right. And she did warm to him later.

I think what some others have said is true, they were trying to set up a Bones/Spock type interaction.

Concerning what happened to Muldar's character on L.A. Law. I remember this statement I heard about Pulaski. Someone speculated that Pulaski fell down the turbolift shaft. As jokes go, not very funny.

I agree with what Visitor 1982 has said below me. She brought a more normal human aspect to the show. Sometimes I think the other cast were meant to be portrayed as a little too perfect.

 

[Visitor1982]

I'm probably the biggest Pulaski fan in the world.

She's my all time favourite Star Trek character and can probably dream all her lines she had on the show.

I loved her from the get go. She brought humanity, she brought conflict, she brought compassion and she brought faults. She brought everything a TV character needs to be, but most or everyone on the TNG crew was lacking.

The way she treated Data in the beginning was exactly the way anyone not knowing Data would have treated him: a glorified toaster. She started to warm up to him in Unnatural Selection when he asked how she was doing and she replied "Not exactly up to factory specs" and then apologised to him.

In Pen Pals she defendent Data when he made contact with a little girl on a planet. "Does that invalidate the emotion?" When Worf exclaims the girl only means something to Data.

And of course in Peak Performance when she feels horrible for forcing Data's hand into challenging Kolrami.

It was the first true character arc on TNG.

Pulaski brough so much more than Crusher did. Can you imagine an episode like Attached with Pulaski and Picard? They would have probably killed each other. It would have been fabulous. There was also definately something going on between her and Worf. There were endless possibility's and it was a shame Diana Muldaur was treated horribly on set and she wanted out.

They were jealous of her salary, jealous of her more comfortable costume and they didn't want her in the opening credits after Stewart and before Frakes like she was supposed to be. It was a horrible time for her.

It's a pity, Pulaski as a character had more growth in in one season than the others had in seven...

 

[stardream]

I often wonder how it might have been if she had been the Doctor from the get go....but then I can't see her as Wesley's mother and they HAD to have Wesley.

 

[Chief Medical Officer]

I'm probably the biggest Pulaski fan in the world.

She's my all time favourite Star Trek character and can probably dream all her lines she had on the show.

I loved her from the get go. She brought humanity, she brought conflict, she brought compassion and she brought faults. She brought everything a TV character needs to be, but most or everyone on the TNG crew was lacking.

The way she treated Data in the beginning was exactly the way anyone not knowing Data would have treated him: a glorified toaster. She started to warm up to him in Unnatural Selection when he asked how she was doing and she replied "Not exactly up to factory specs" and then apologised to him.

In Pen Pals she defendent Data when he made contact with a little girl on a planet. "Does that invalidate the emotion?" When Worf exclaims the girl only means something to Data.

And of course in Peak Performance when she feels horrible for forcing Data's hand into challenging Kolrami.

It was the first true character arc on TNG.

Pulaski brough so much more than Crusher did. Can you imagine an episode like Attached with Pulaski and Picard? They would have probably killed each other. It would have been fabulous. There was also definately something going on between her and Worf. There were endless possibility's and it was a shame Diana Muldaur was treated horribly on set and she wanted out.

They were jealous of her salary, jealous of her more comfortable costume and they didn't want her in the opening credits after Stewart and before Frakes like she was supposed to be. It was a horrible time for her.

It's a pity, Pulaski as a character had more growth in in one season than the others had in seven...

What was the issue that the rest of the cast had with her? I hadn't heard that she was treated badly or not liked.

 

[In_Correct]

Would love to hear what others think of Dr. Pulaski from Season 2 of TNG. As for me, I liked the character very much as she brought a spunky and strong-willed personality to the core crew. Diana Muldaur is a favorite actress of mine (anyone remember the elevator shaft scene from 'LA Law'?) and she did the character justice. What do others think?

No, I do not like Pulaski. She had huge shoes to fill and did not fill them.

I also did not like her cruelty to Data. If they going to recreate a rivalry between Spock and McCoy with Data and Pulaski, they should have written comebacks for Data. Spock had plenty for McCoy.

The character of Pulaski just doesn't seem right for Star Trek: The Next Generation. If it was Dr. Jones or perhaps a more Dr. Jones-like character she would have been much better. Or even if Diana Muldaur attempted to imitate Dr. Crusher.

I completely disagree that Beverly is a boring character that never stood up to Captain Picard. On the contrary: She did it all the time. She just did it differently than Pulaski. She was just as passionate as Pulaski also. The only difference is that Beverly is much more sophisticated. She rarely got many lines which doesn't give you the complete picture.

The only thing wrong with Beverly is her spoiling of Wesley.

As for replacing Beverly with Ogawa for season 2, she didn't appear until season 4. But Dr. Selar was introduced in season 2 and would have made a much better replacement.

Even though people say that Diana Muldaur is a great actress, Suzie Plakson is an even better actress, who even though she got to play multiple characters, she only appeared in less than five episodes total.