I don't know whether it's a popular opinion or not, but I think Dr. Pulaski was a great character and I found her much more interesting than Dr. Crusher. I don't know if it was down to the writing or the performance but Pulaski is one of the best parts of season 2 and I would have been happy to see her character continue.

She wasn't very nice to Data but that bit of friction between some of the main characters of the show was welcome, especially in the early seasons. And her performance in Unnatural Selection is a moment in the series my mind returns to often.

How about it? Do we like Dr. Pulaski? What's her best moment on the show?

  • Value Subtracted@startrek.websiteM
    ·
    1 month ago

    I'm pretty ambivalent about her, but I agree it was an interesting performance, particularly for a woman at that time in television.

    She was horribly underused - it's downright criminal that she doesn't pay a significant role in "The Measure of a Man."

    • richieadler@lemmy.myserv.one
      ·
      1 month ago

      I think obvious that she would have sided with Maddox and disagreed with the ruling. I don't think her capable of overcoming her prejudices against artificial life forms.

        • xyguy@startrek.website
          hexagon
          ·
          1 month ago

          I think that's something that gets forgotten. Season 2 gets skipped through a lot during rewatches I know. All anyone remembers is her being racist to data.

          She starts out mean to Data but she comes around by the end of the season. She is also a former lover of Kyle Riker, which could have made for a much more interesting dynamic for and with Riker if it had continued.

  • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org
    ·
    1 month ago

    Pulaski had interesting dynamics with almost every other character. I think she was written very well, especially for such a short tenure. Crusher was largely neglected by the writers.

    • xyguy@startrek.website
      hexagon
      ·
      1 month ago

      I agree. And its a real shame. I also remember seeing Pulaski sitting in the chair next to Picard relatively often where I think of Crusher being in the medical bay far more. That could just be my own memory though.

  • Numberone@startrek.website
    ·
    1 month ago

    First TNG watch throughl, she was And impediment to s02 crusher. But as I've watched repeatedly, she was a great character who made her presence known. She wasn't perfect, but she was interesting and she changed as the season went on wrt Data. I still think she was a eagerly underrated character.

  • dayna@lemmygrad.ml
    ·
    1 month ago

    I hated her the entire time she was on screen, amazing character, and very well written. In retrospect, disappointed she was removed from the show. It could’ve been interesting to see her either overcome her androids or not. As a definite outsider to the rest of the crew, I felt like it was a really interesting addition to the dynamics.

  • OpticalMoose@discuss.tchncs.de
    ·
    1 month ago

    Renegade Cut had a pretty good video about her. https://piped.video/watch?v=HC4K1mx0SPQ. I was mostly wrong about her. I didn't realize they became friends later. That's a pretty big arc for only one season.

    • xyguy@startrek.website
      hexagon
      ·
      1 month ago

      This video sums up my feelings exactly. Thanks for the recommendation. They are a lot more articulate than I was.

  • Ildsaye [they/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Had a childhood crush on Dr. Crusher, but maturity has brought me a middle aged crush on Pulaski. Wish they'd had some guest appearances by her after season 2.