Does Diana Muldaur who played the 2nd doctor in the 2nd season ever go to Star Trek conventions?
- Thread starter Kristine
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She's probably retired, but as with other stars or makers not well-liked by the bulk of the fanbase, she might not go unless she's under contract to do so.
Also having been in two TOS episodes, of which one's plot is a mixed bag and the other's an underrated classic since it's in season 3 and people hate season 3 because it's like "it's season 3" and stuff, it'd have been lovely to have met her at a convention. I liked all her roles.
Also having been in two TOS episodes, of which one's plot is a mixed bag and the other's an underrated classic since it's in season 3 and people hate season 3 because it's like "it's season 3" and stuff, it'd have been lovely to have met her at a convention. I liked all her roles.
She did a few conventions in 2012 and 2013 I believe. She never appeared on stage with any of her former cast mates from TNG though...
She has cancelled a few appearances since then, for health reasons.
This is one of her last known pictures, from about 4 years ago... She really does look like in Unnatural Selection!
She has cancelled a few appearances since then, for health reasons.
This is one of her last known pictures, from about 4 years ago... She really does look like in Unnatural Selection!
I think it was true at one time that she was disliked by a great many fans… these days I think most would welcome her. Actually I read a lot of folks on the board praising her performance in Season 2. It’s the data-ribbing that people dislike and honestly that’s softened pretty quickly over her short span on TNG.
I do NOT give McCoy a free pass for his racist remarks towards Spock. It's one of the reasons I don't watch TOS that much.
But I think there are some legitimate reasons why people do this:
1) TOS is from the 60s when people didn't see much wrong with behavior like that. By the late 80s. Picking on someone for being different wasn't as "cool" anymore.
2)Spock bit back during those conversations, Data was incapable of doing so. This made the whole thing a lot more one sided bullying on Pulaski's part.
DeForest Kelley’s natural charisma shined through his characterization of McCoy. Diana Muldaur is a beauty with brains type that could be (and was) received as ignorance. The writing was a lot better as they never had McCoy call Spock “Spook” and act like there wasn’t a difference between the two words. It was also an odd dynamic to introduce in the second season of Next Generation, when we had a whole first season of excepting an android crew member. We got the Spock and McCoy angle as early as The Naked Time and was cited as the spark that began that series long dynamic. Spock got a moment to call out McCoy in All Our Yesterdays and usually had a good comeback to McCoy’s banter. Data had to just stand there and take it which increased our sympathy with him and condemned Pulaski. The only interesting take they could have made with her was having her involved with Worf, but instead they only had her be with the age appropriate father of Riker.
I agree with the others' assessment; Spock hit back, and often nailed Bones good.
Well, remember that it was within spitting distance of an era where a woman's place was considered to be the home, and seperate drinking fountains for blacks and whites was considered normal and reasonable. We might celebrate interracial couples today; at the time, many regarded them as the "end of the world as we know it". And yes, we might castigate "Voyager" and "Enterprise" for not including gay cast members, but remember that both shows began in an era where you could still get thrown in the clink in 13 states just for having a same-sex relationship.
Maybe, to use Riker's analogy, Trek's job wasn't to ignite a revolution, but to facilitate evolution.
I do think the whole "Trek is progressive" is more hype than reality for both TOS and TNG. And TNG is quickly becoming very dated too.
As for TOS it has its good episodes, but yeah it's treatment of female characters wasn't good and I find it hard to relate to any of the characters, and that really makes it a hard show for me to watch. I can believe that it was good in comparison to a lot of other 60s shows, but it's just from a time and culture I have trouble relating to.
Like I remember this completely weird scene where "Scotty" and Chekov have a pissing match about who's drink has more alcohol in it. Like, what am I supposed to get from this scene other than that both of them are idiots?
If you are talking about Scotty and Chekov in the bar on station K-7 in "THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES", that's simply two off-duty shipmates and pals poking fun at each other. Friendly banter is what we guys do.
I honestly don't see how it can be miscontrued as anything but that.
Actually, I see three things here: 1) Boys vs men (Chekov is a child) 2) Scots vs Russians (my country's better than your country) 3) Men vs women (Scott is a sissy)
But all in good fun. Until it's 4) Klingons vs Humans. and 5) Korax vs Kirk, ultimately 6) Anti-Enterprise, which finally gets Scotty going, after he has controlled himself and Pavel up to this point.
I've always liked Muldaur and Pulaski. I think the way she was introduced into the show upset people a bit, and not just the fans - hence she says she didn't enjoy her time there as an actress.
Pulaski initially showed some scepticism of Data - and quite frankly if calling it bullying/racism then you'll get bent out of shape the way I swear at my Echo Dot too. We need to stop with this ridiculous need to politicise everything.
That said to echo what Richard said, they softened that very quickly. I saw a woman whose life is biological life being sceptical/confused by an artificial life (hell, she's wary of transporters) but that softened pretty much immediately. It's not like she ragged on him the entire season. But in their attempt to get some Bones/Spock going, they did have her insult what was probably their most popular character at the time and I think that reputation stuck.
Pulaski initially showed some scepticism of Data - and quite frankly if calling it bullying/racism then you'll get bent out of shape the way I swear at my Echo Dot too. We need to stop with this ridiculous need to politicise everything.
That said to echo what Richard said, they softened that very quickly. I saw a woman whose life is biological life being sceptical/confused by an artificial life (hell, she's wary of transporters) but that softened pretty much immediately. It's not like she ragged on him the entire season. But in their attempt to get some Bones/Spock going, they did have her insult what was probably their most popular character at the time and I think that reputation stuck.
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She’s 84 and one check with IMDB will tell you that and more.
I didn't think it worth the effort at the time but it does appear she is doing one thing involving the holocaust. Otherwise, retired
Muldaur was not retired at the time she joined the TNG cast — she'd just finished appearing on the drama series A Year in the Life, and moved on to L.A. Law after TNG — and she was 50, only two years older than Patrick Stewart was at the time.
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