Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG

Visitor1982 · December 14 2012, 09:07 AM

I was wondering what Diana Muldaur had to say about her year on TNG on the new blu ray and if any of the other actors had anything to say about the Pulaski character (f.e. during the reunion special on the blu ray).

I've heard stuff from her and about her form the past and it mostly wasn't very positive.

Could anyone shed some light? Most of the stuff on the official blu ray season 2 thread is more technical.

Zaku · December 14 2012, 09:32 AM

She hated the technobabble

Visitor1982 · December 14 2012, 10:58 AM

The director for Unnatural Selection mentioned they had cue cards for her. So she didn't have to learn all that technobabble.

Was that everything she said in the documentary?

Zaku · December 14 2012, 12:54 PM

Well... something about how the uniform was very uncomfortable.

She does not say many negative things, but she does not seem very happy to talk about the experience.

And Marina Sirtis in an interview said she was very unhappy to have lost two good friends on the set (McFadden and Crosby).

R. Star · December 15 2012, 08:12 PM

Yeah, I don't seem to recall ever having seen her featured at any of the major conventions. If she found her time on Trek a negative experience at least she's not grinding her axe about everything she dislikes. Sirtis certainly was never shy about pointing fingers at any part of the franchise she didn't like.

Trekky0623 · December 15 2012, 08:30 PM

Zaku wrote:

And Marina Sirtis in an interview said she was very unhappy to have lost two good friends on the set (McFadden and Crosby).

What happened between Sirtis, McFadden, and Crosby?

R. Star · December 15 2012, 08:39 PM

Trekky0623 wrote:

Zaku wrote:

And Marina Sirtis in an interview said she was very unhappy to have lost two good friends on the set (McFadden and Crosby).

What happened between Sirtis, McFadden, and Crosby?

I would assume this was referring to them both leaving between seasons 1 and 2.

beamMe · December 15 2012, 08:46 PM

Zaku wrote:

but she does not seem very happy to talk about the experience.

Sorry, but this really does not seem to be the case. She comes across as very open, very happy to talk about her time on TNG in the interviews for the BluRays.

Zaku · December 15 2012, 08:59 PM

beamMe wrote:

Sorry, but this really does not seem to be the case. She comes across as very open, very happy to talk about her time on TNG in the interviews for the BluRays.

Just my impression

Star Grinch wrote:

I would assume this was referring to them both leaving between seasons 1 and 2.

Exactly

Zaku · December 15 2012, 09:00 PM

Duplicated post

beamMe · December 15 2012, 09:45 PM

Zaku wrote:

beamMe wrote:

Sorry, but this really does not seem to be the case. She comes across as very open, very happy to talk about her time on TNG in the interviews for the BluRays.

Just my impression

I see why you would get that impression; she's smiling and laughing during her interview session.

Salinga · December 15 2012, 09:56 PM

You dont need to have to wait for the BluRay. She talked about TNG on the "Archive of American Television" YT channel. Jump to minute 15:

Salinga · December 16 2012, 04:53 AM

Visitor1982 wrote:

I've heard stuff from her and about her form the past and it mostly wasn't very positive.

Well, she wasnt as close to the actors as the rest was. They were friends and she wasnt friends with any of them. It seems to me that she was just doing a job as an actor there. She only felt closer to Micheal Dorn. She thinks, her salary maybe was a problem, since she got a higher one than the other regulars, even tho she just got the part on the show.

The main reason for her to say yes to the job was Gene Roddenberry and that she loved working with him. And after he died and the way the studio handled that matter (she claims, Roddenberry's office was cleared pretty much right after his death), she didnt liked working there anymore. It seems, she really disliked the production side of TNG and the people involved into the production of the show, and she did not want to work with them anymore.

But she felt, that TNG really represented the heart of Star Trek and the philosophy. But one of the most important things was for her, that her work on TNG gave her the job on L.A. Law, because the producers looked at footage from her there.

It seems to me, that Muldaur was too much influenced by the athmosphere on the production/writing side of TNG and that she wasnt able to connect to the main actors and be friends with them like the rest, so she could compensate that negative, rough athmosphere behind the camera.

That's what I get from what she says (especially the interview from the TV-Archive).

Zaku · December 16 2012, 09:32 AM

beamMe wrote:

I see why you would get that impression; she's smiling and laughing during her interview session.

I repeat, just an impression

. In the interview basically she doesn't say anything about the work. How she got the job, yes. What a wonderful person was Gene. Something about the uniform and the technobabble. Stop. Not a single episode, the impression on the set, nothing.

But I repeat. Just. An. Impression.

timtonruben359 · December 16 2012, 08:32 PM

Diana Muldaur is a very classy person (I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Las Vegas convention this year) and has never come out and said it directly but she's strongly hinted that she had a terrible time on TNG.

There was tension between Muldaur and the majority of the cast from the start. First of all she was coming in to replace Gates McFadden who had been fired because of disagreements between her and Maurice Hurley over how her character was developing (or lack thereof). Patrick Stewart in particular was appalled by McFadden's firing, which he made no secret of and openly campaigned for her return.

Second, Muldaur joined the show as a personal favor to Gene Roddenberry whom she liked and wanted to work with again. Because of this Diana got some perks the other actors didn't namely she was paid more than everyone except Patrick Stewart (we forget it now that while not a household name, Muldaur was a very well respected character in Hollywood and could demand high pay). Also Diana hated the one piece spandex Starfleet uniforms so Roddenberry ordered a special two piece uniform be created just for her (the rest of the cast had been campaigning for more comfortable uniforms since the start). Finally, because of her status in Hollywood she was to have been listed before Levar Burton in the opening credits but the cast protested so Roddenberry and Muldaur decided she would be listed as 'Special Appearance.' These things caused a great deal of jealousy and bitterness.

Muldaur admitted she found the whole experience very uncreative and she hated all the tech talk. She only signed a one year contract so when the year was over she had no intention of returning.

December 14 2012, 09:07 AM	#1
Visitor1982 Lieutenant Commander Location: The Netherlands	Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG I was wondering what Diana Muldaur had to say about her year on TNG on the new blu ray and if any of the other actors had anything to say about the Pulaski character (f.e. during the reunion special on the blu ray). I've heard stuff from her and about her form the past and it mostly wasn't very positive. Could anyone shed some light? Most of the stuff on the official blu ray season 2 thread is more technical. __________________ "The Truth Is Out There... And It Hurts!"

December 14 2012, 09:32 AM	#2
Zaku Lieutenant Commander Location: Italy	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG She hated the technobabble Last edited by Zaku; December 14 2012 at 10:23 AM.

December 14 2012, 10:58 AM	#3
Visitor1982 Lieutenant Commander Location: The Netherlands	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG The director for Unnatural Selection mentioned they had cue cards for her. So she didn't have to learn all that technobabble. Was that everything she said in the documentary? __________________ "The Truth Is Out There... And It Hurts!"

December 14 2012, 12:54 PM	#4
Zaku Lieutenant Commander Location: Italy	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG Well... something about how the uniform was very uncomfortable. She does not say many negative things, but she does not seem very happy to talk about the experience. And Marina Sirtis in an interview said she was very unhappy to have lost two good friends on the set (McFadden and Crosby).

December 15 2012, 08:12 PM	#5
R. Star Commodore Location: Terra 3	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG Yeah, I don't seem to recall ever having seen her featured at any of the major conventions. If she found her time on Trek a negative experience at least she's not grinding her axe about everything she dislikes. Sirtis certainly was never shy about pointing fingers at any part of the franchise she didn't like. __________________ "I was never a Star Trek fan." J.J. Abrams

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

December 15 2012, 09:00 PM	#10
Zaku Lieutenant Commander Location: Italy	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG Duplicated post

December 15 2012, 09:56 PM	#12
Salinga Captain	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG You dont need to have to wait for the BluRay. She talked about TNG on the "Archive of American Television" YT channel. Jump to minute 15:

December 16 2012, 08:32 PM	#15
timtonruben359 Lieutenant Junior Grade	Re: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski) on TNG Diana Muldaur is a very classy person (I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Las Vegas convention this year) and has never come out and said it directly but she's strongly hinted that she had a terrible time on TNG. There was tension between Muldaur and the majority of the cast from the start. First of all she was coming in to replace Gates McFadden who had been fired because of disagreements between her and Maurice Hurley over how her character was developing (or lack thereof). Patrick Stewart in particular was appalled by McFadden's firing, which he made no secret of and openly campaigned for her return. Second, Muldaur joined the show as a personal favor to Gene Roddenberry whom she liked and wanted to work with again. Because of this Diana got some perks the other actors didn't namely she was paid more than everyone except Patrick Stewart (we forget it now that while not a household name, Muldaur was a very well respected character in Hollywood and could demand high pay). Also Diana hated the one piece spandex Starfleet uniforms so Roddenberry ordered a special two piece uniform be created just for her (the rest of the cast had been campaigning for more comfortable uniforms since the start). Finally, because of her status in Hollywood she was to have been listed before Levar Burton in the opening credits but the cast protested so Roddenberry and Muldaur decided she would be listed as 'Special Appearance.' These things caused a great deal of jealousy and bitterness. Muldaur admitted she found the whole experience very uncreative and she hated all the tech talk. She only signed a one year contract so when the year was over she had no intention of returning.