Did anyone else feel uncomfortable with Dr Pulaski?

[Lance]

As others have mentioned, the reason why it doesn't really capture the old Spock/McCoy magic is that with those two characters it was a mutual thing they had going, it was a kind of 'friendly adversity', and it went both ways: McCoy liked making fun of Spock, and Spock clearly enjoyed making fun of McCoy, but when it came down to it they were really close (and it was that friendship which made it okay).

The problem with Pulaski is that Data doesn't have the capacity to understand the sarcasm, or at least the ability to "play along" and give some of it back. So, instead it just comes across as Pulaski being a bully, and Data sitting there silently like the shy kid in class.

(Pulaski actually gets over the whole 'bullying Data' thing quite quickly, and by the end of the season in "Peak Performance" she's anything but bullying, but because she does it for the first few episodes of the season, it leaves a bit of a bad first impression of her that's kind of hard to get over.)

 

[Bille de clown]

The thing is, if I remember correctly, she only starts to respect Data after he saves her life. Nobody else has to save her before being respected. Hence the bad impression lasting.

 

[Nebusj]

The thing is, if I remember correctly, she only starts to respect Data after he saves her life. Nobody else has to save her before being respected. Hence the bad impression lasting.

Actually, she starts to respect Data after she's met and known Holo-Moriarty. Given a computer person she feels down in her bones is a person, she pretty quickly comes to see this other computer person as a person.

 

[HIjol]

While I recognize Muldaur"s talents and body of work, when she started arguing with Data about the pronounciation of his name, that is when I lost her.

 

[Ghrakh]

This has turned into "Pulaski shits on Data 24/7/365".

Er, I never said that.

It wasn't directed at you, just an observation of how Pulaski threads typically go. All selective memory and Data worship as well. Which is odd considering S1 Data was all there was at that point Were people fans of him in 1987-88 like they are now? To such a degree that if someone is apprehensive towards him, they're considered a "bitch"?

If it were a box on wheels, we wouldn't be having this debate.

But it's plainly obvious that Data is nothing of the sort.

Exactly.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

Like the little Gnat that buzzes in your ear.

 

[HIjol]

For me, the issue was her almost aggressive rudeness towards Data, seemingly for no reason. And, I admit, I am the World's Biggest Polyanna when it comes to how my Crew of the Enterprise/Voyager/DS9/ interact. Rudeness is not among my expectations.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Did Data ever get her back for that? I thought he did, at least once.

 

[Ithekro]

She seemed to get along with Worf, sharing mindly poisonous tea with him.

I didn't hate Pulaski. She just didn't get to charm us like McCoy had done.

 

[Mojochi]

I always scoff at the Data/Pulaski = Spock/McCoy dynamic. Clearly that was their intent, but it fell sickeningly flat, and this is why

Even in the times of TOS, Spock & McCoy had a mutual respect, personally, professionally & culturally. The barbs were rooted in the fact that Spock considered himself, his philosophy & his culture superior, (As do most Vulcans) & Bones clearly did not, and they would BOTH stoke that flame with comments on either side. Spock openly provoked that challenge, and at times, reveled in the exchange

Pulaski's cuts on Data were one sided, & ultimately prejudiced & bigoted. It belied everything that was being explored in his character, unless they were going to eventually make her openly admit she'd been a horse's ass to him. For god sake, she's a master of LIFE sciences, and in that respect, it belied her own character to be so ignorant of a life form

Bones's snark came from a refusal to accept Vulcan superiority. Pulaski's was rooted in an unwillingness to even accept Data as a sentient being. She was one of the 4 most ignorant people we ever witness Data encounter, Bruce Maddox, Anthony Haftel & Christopher Hobson being the other 3, and they ALL got a helping of humble pie for their narrow-mindedness. It would've been ugly for Data to keep being subject to that, unless Pulaski eventually got a huge dose of STFU from somebody, in short order

 

[Ithekro]

The oddity is that they put forth that Data has been around for nearly two decades and much of that time has been in Starfleet service. It is not like he is a new things. Just rare since he is the only one known to be in Starfleet.

 

[TheSubCommander]

I didn't like Pulaski at first, either. In fact, I couldn't stand her, but as the season went on, my intense dislike softened to mere annoyance. Had she been in Season 3, and they mellowed her abrasiveness some, I might have come to accept her somewhat.

Which is a pity, seeing as how she had been on TOS as other characters, much like Majel Barrett had been. It would have been nice to have an actress with ties to TOS.

 

[Sybok Was Wrong]

Somewhere once- Pulaski's treatment of Data was compared to "kicking a puppy".

Thats spot on. She was attacking an innocent, unlike McCoy, who took the superior Spock to task.

I liked Muldaur in "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" & "Return To Tomorrow", and that gave her some favor as Pulaski. But, she was like that co-worker that makes things uncomfortable when they enter the room. She never fit in as Pulaski.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Pulaski was a scab, she had no hope of working out, on any level. Have that lovely and incredibly sweet nurse Ogawa take over - not the position of Medical Chief, but just give her the sickbay stuff to do. Not alot, especially if there were ANY hope of getting Gates McFadden back, at all. We don't want the audience to love her more than Bev, so ... just have her use her hypospray and say "everything's going to be fine" and save Diane Muldaur for some other recurring character that actually had a chance at being liked.

 

[Trek Survivor]

Not at all. Pulaski was great.

Also, people seem to focus on her interactions with Data at the START of the season - by the end e.g. "Peak Performance" Pulaski had grown as a character (imagine that on Star Trek!) and overcome her initial prejudice.

A nice Trekkian sentiment if ever there was one.

 

[Mojochi]

I didn't hate Pulaski in her other applications. Her relationship with Picard was well played, & her stuff as the doctor was well done. She even seemed to gel with Worf & Riker. That's what made the Data thing so out of place

Frankly, I would've been totally fine with more development of Dr. Selar. If TNG hadn't been so staunchly against reflecting TOS, they could have made a go with her

 

[Timo]

She was attacking an innocent, unlike McCoy, who took the superior Spock to task.

That just goes to show she was more clear-sighted than the people around her. Data was by far the tougher target: smarter than Spock, faster than Spock, stronger than Spock, more at ease with his place in life than Spock. And more alien than Spock, with inhuman philosophies and behavior patterns. That he looked like a puppy when Spock looked like Devil Himself just threw off those with less clarity of thought...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Lance]

Despite what I said before, underneath it all I do have a soft spot for Pulaski. When I was a kid the only season of TNG that I owned from start to finish on VHS was season two, so it got a lot of repeated airplay when I was in high school. As a result, even today I have a strong bias towards that season, and a sort-of appreciation of the Pulaski character over Beverly Crusher.

 

[Bille de clown]

Data was by far the tougher target: smarter than Spock, faster than Spock, stronger than Spock, more at ease with his place in life than Spock. And more alien than Spock, with inhuman philosophies and behavior patterns.

And much less able to get the joke* and to defend himself than Spock. Easy target!


* It's not even a joke, it's just bigoted nastiness.

 

[ShranMan]

I liked her more than Crusher! Wonderful actress and character IMO. (Not that I don't like Crusher too)