Poll Crusher or Pulaski?

[Akiraprise]

Following up from a tangent in the Geordi thread I was somewhat surprised to see so much love for Pulaski. I much preferred her to Crusher and I think she got more character development in one season than Crusher did in 6 and a bunch of movies. Not counting PIC S3. I don't actively dislike Crusher but she was kind of bland whereas Pulaski was a firebrand and shook up the crew dynamic. I would have preferred her staying on for the remainder of the series. Even as a recurring character from time to time.

 

[Michael]

Am definitely a Pulaski fanboy as well. As a kid I always thought Crusher was super uninteresting as a character (I’d say she was probably my least favorite of all of them) and that Pulaski was a breath of fresh air in season two. Her grumpiness and feistiness make her stand out so much in a cast of characters where everyone almost always gets along.

Interestingly though — while I still prefer Pulaski over Crusher — I’d say growing a bit older made me appreciate Beverly more and I don’t really find her as bland as I used to. I tend to really enjoy episodes where her character is the focus, like “Remember Me”, “Attached”, “Ethics”, arguably “Cause And Effect”, and even guilty pleasures like “Sub Rosa” and “Suspicions”. And Gates McFadden is a more than capable actress, iconic at this point, really. So if we’re to be honest here, the problem has never been Beverly’s character, but how little the writers apparently wanted to write episodes for her.

 

[Qonundrum]

Crusher did get better treatment from season 3 onwards... well, mostly... often? But Pulaski had more background and depth throughout season 2 than Beverly ever had in six seasons in TNG, though she did have a few moments such as in "The High Ground", "Best of Both Worlds", "Evolution", and a few in PIC season 3 as well....

On edit: I voted for the poll and then immediately went to post my ebabble. Then I actually read your OP.

 

[Qonundrum]

Had Pulaski returned, as long as it wasn't in "Ethics", she'd be great. Not the worst story, but it is so contrived when the guest doctor is increasingly written as "all but outright evil", with Bev being square on the other side with "real research takes time", I can't sit through it. True, throwing out the baby with the bath water isn't good, but if there's no baby and Worf's issue was completely new, complete with time clock going tick-tock-cuckoo-clock so there weren't too many options, as I recall... that said, the reuse of the "computer simulation isn't always 100%" trope was nice, even if Worf's magical backup systems worked right on cue.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

I wish there was a “Both” button. I liked them both, each for their own reasons and characteristics. Besides, I’m older than McFadden and I thought she was hot.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Selar.

 

[The Realist]

Pulaski was more interesting by far. Crusher was bland, bland, bland.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I honestly didn't expect to be the first and only person to vote for Crusher.

Pulaski was fine, though I always got the sense that the actor would've rather be doing something else. Maybe the reason Crusher comes off as bland by comparison is because she fits right into the group like she was meant to be there. When she comes into conflict with the others it's because of her beliefs, not her personality.

 

[Nerys Myk]

She's bland because the writers didn't give her much of a personality.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I greatly preferred Beverly, because she has much better bedside manner and doesn't treat Data like dogshit.

 

[Frontis]

Beverly is my doctor

 

[Akiraprise]

I honestly didn't expect to be the first and only person to vote for Crusher.

And I always thought my opinion was in the minority when it came to Pulaski.

doesn't treat Data like dogshit.

She came around. Character growth.

 

[Warp 10 (Pepperoni)]

I really enjoyed Pulaski's personality, particularly how she didn't fit the typical Starfleet mold and would try and push back at people with humour. I do see that Crusher wasn't given the same edge or development but she's still my fave. I can't really put my finger on why, I just love that she was so good at her job and always stuck to her guns.

 

[NCC-73515]

Katherine

 

[Tosk]

I have nothing against Beverly, but she was the most undeveloped of the main cast by far. She's fine. She's dependable. She's nice. She...has a few hobbies.

I just wish she had more.

If Crusher and Pulaski's screen times were more even maybe it would make a difference. Pity we'll never know.

 

[ananta]

Pulaski had something Beverly never had: a personality. Diana Muldaur was also a better actress and something of a scene-stealer. Admittedly, I didn’t much appreciate her when I was watching as a kid, but I stan for her now that I’m an adult. After that is, the out that “bullies Data” misfire of a thread to an end.

 

[Oddish]

My issues with Crusher are that basically the writers had no ideas on what to do with her. Hence the fact that she basically had the same thing happen in both "All Good Things" and "Picard". That is to say, she and Picard were together, but it went south.

Don't know if they would have had similar difficulties with Pulaski.

 

[Phoenix219]

I don't see why so many people hang on to the Data thing. It was a couple of lines very early on that was very quickly gone away from. She had her epiphany when they were going to die in the shuttlecraft together, and it was never an issue again.

 

[Frontis]

For me Beverly was more simpatico and I think that's important for a doctor.
Oh and I love redheads

 

[Alexander Corrino]

Pulaski. Never liked Crusher, never will. Would not get along with her. Pulaski tho? I think we'd be buddies. For one thing, we both seem to love to ruffle Jean-Luc's feathers in a certain way.