Dr. Crusher or Pulaski

[NebulaClassGuy]

I liked the fact that Crusher was fresh and original. Pulaski was a female version of Dr. McCoy... a crusty old transporterphobe who enjoyed teasing the second officer (Data). Nothing original about Pulaski at all. But Crusher was the first time we saw a working single mother on a Starfleet ship, who happened to be a senior officer. The fact that that aspect of her character wasn't fleshed-out well or well enough isn't her fault... it was on the writers and producers. Gates did the best she could with what she was given, IMO. And she was hot.

 

[davejames]

And no one did "exasperated" better than McFadden either. I loved every time she would just get completely fed up with someone and need to vent to Picard about it.

She was really good in the dramatic scenes when she had them. It's just a shame most of what she did was deliver medical jargon and technobabble.

 

[SillyTilly]

Pulaski treated Data almost as badly as that jerk Maddox from Measure of a Man. That's the main reason I never liked her.

I think thats the main reason I don't like her as much as Crusher. It always irrated me how she treated Data.

 

[Hober Mallow]

Pulaski treated Data almost as badly as that jerk Maddox from Measure of a Man. That's the main reason I never liked her.

I think thats the main reason I don't like her as much as Crusher. It always irrated me how she treated Data.

I liked how her relationship with Data grew over the course of the season. In the beginning, she treated him as a walking tricorder. As the season progressed, she saw him more and more as a living being. At least, that's the impression I got back in the day.

 

[Nightdiamond]

Pulaski was an interesting shot in the arm.

She butted heads with almost everyone, and wan't afraid to speak her mind which kind went against the rule there was to be no conflict between the crew.

I thought the episodes showing where she challenged Data's sentience was interesting. She really didn't think he was sentient.

She did make an effort to understand everyone more, especially Data.

She was also pretty funny. Then again, her attitudes may be why some fans didn't get her. She would described as b@$%h by today's standards.

I admit, I am more used to Crusher and her gentle bedside manner.

 

[Michael]

I love Dr. Pulaski! Although I never actively hated Crusher, I always found her to be a rather bland, one-note and boring character. Mind you, I like Gates McFadden (and as I get older I actually think she looks hotter than I thought when I was young; boy, this beautiful hair!), but I was never sad when Crusher left the ship in season two.

Pulaski was great! She actually felt like a real character with edges. She bumped heads with everyone, showed an own opinion and liked to quarrel a lot. That's what made her interesting to me. Bones knock-off or not, she always felt like exactly what the show needed. She is definitely one of the reasons why I consider the second to be one of my favorite seasons of TNG. I would have loved for her to stay on the series or go on to appear on Deep Space Nine.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

I chose no preference. As someone older than McFadden, I had no trouble finding her quite beautiful, moreso even than Sirtis. I liked her "motherly" style, occasionally punctuated by fierce determination. Muldaur's Pulaski was an excellent character in her own right. The dismissive attitude toward Data and Spiner's coolnes in demonstrating Data's indifference toward that attitude added depth to both characters. I'm looking forward to getting the Blu-Ray disks and watching that play out all over again.

 

[Guy Gardener]

McFadden is still hot now on Franklin and Bash... Muldar was an uggo back in her TOS days trying to seduce young Shatner.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Hmm. We just did this topic a few months ago. Love the votes for Crusher because "she's hot".

Crusher as a character was bland and boring. McFadden as an actress is bland and boring.

Pulaski may be a copy of McCoy but then again McCoy wasn't the only "cranky" character the world has ever known. One could even say that DeForest was playing a copy of a cranky police pathologist when he played McCoy.

I'll take Pulaski over Crusher any day. But then that's because I base my preference on character, not on who may or may not be hot.

I agree with this whole-heartedly. Someone's looks do not define their worth as a character.

However, I am not sure who I like best / least. Pulaski annoyed me at first, but when her character started to grow on me, she got dumped from the show...quite unceremoniously, at that.

Crusher doesn't annoy me, but I feel rather indifferent toward her. so....meh. Don't know.

I guess I would have been happy if they had kept Pulaski, what with the character development I was starting to enjoy, and all that. Since they haven't, I prefer neither one.

 

[NebulaClassGuy]

Someone's looks do not define their worth as a character.

I totally agree. As I said in my post, I also liked Gates/Crusher because she was original... a working single mother, who was part of the senior staff. I'll take original and fresh any day over a cookie-cutter copy of Dr. McCoy, who is identical in every way, save for gender. If I want to watch a McCoy character, I will watch TOS. Admittedly, the same argument could be made that Data was a Spock-copy, but I kind of don't see that, since Spock was always trying to distance himself from humanity, and Data was always trying to embrace it. In any case, I have a legitimate reason for liking Crusher better... the fact that she's hella hot is merely a happy bonus.

 

[Sexy Human]

This shouldnt even be this close.

Pulaski was uninteresting, cynical, and unattractive. Plus she hated Data for some reason, and was not even open minded enough to accept him as a member of the crew.

 

[Amaris]

I loves me some Kate Pulaski. I like Beverly Crusher. Gates McFadden is awesome, but when it came down to personality, Pulaski won it for me every single time.

 

[Sexy Human]

What was so great about Pulaskis personality? I dont see it.

 

[sonak]

This shouldnt even be this close.

Pulaski was uninteresting, cynical, and unattractive. Plus she hated Data for some reason, and was not even open minded enough to accept him as a member of the crew.

Did you watch all of season 2? By the end of it, she DOES accept him as a member of the crew. Her perspective was a much-needed one. Like Worf, she wasn't one of the "blandly perfect" characters that were so much a part of TNG. As a fan of Dr. McCoy, I also appreciated Pulaski's crusty style and wit.

Really, is so much of the Pulaski-hate about her looks and her early attitude toward Data?

 

[NrobbieC]

Pulaski had personality? What? She was dull and annoying, she needed to be killed off, brutally. Beverly was so much better.

 

[Captrek]

Pulaski was uninteresting, cynical, and unattractive.

Why are looks so much more necessary in women? DeForrest Kelley, Robert Picardo, and John Billingsley weren’t exactly heartthrobs, but it didn’t seem to be a major problem for them.

 

[Mr_Homn]

Doctor Crusher was THE most boring part of TNG. Seriously, what did she bring? A tedious "on again off again" pseudo romance/friendship with picard? Boring. Constantly bringing up her dead husband who's been dead for like a decade? Shut up! Bad mothering skills? Check.

It seemed like she was a pretty worthless doctor without her scanner, too. Everytime she doesn't have her scanner she's like "i can't do anything without my scanner! wah! where's my scanner?" If Dr Crusher had her way, Worf would have been paralyzed for the rest of his life, or dead.

Pulaski could actually rig up a splint now and then. She was much cooler and believable as a doctor. Who gives a rat ass that she was "mean" to data? He didn't have any feelings anyway. He probably found her quite interesting for looking at him differently. It's not like it ever impeded on her work, and anyone in real life would be uneasy around an android at first. She warmed up to him anyway, after using her own judgement. And the scene where she took part in that tea ceremony with Worf was badass. She was willing to drink fatally poisonous Tea to take part in a sacred Klingon ritual. She was Dax before Dax. Sure, she had an antedote, but she didn't even think twice before swiggin that sauce down. Crusher probably would have racistly (not a word, sue me) lectured Worf for an hour about his unsafe Klingon ways.

 

[Xaios]

It seemed like she was a pretty worthless doctor without her scanner, too. Everytime she doesn't have her scanner she's like "i can't do anything without my scanner! wah! where's my scanner?" If Dr Crusher had her way, Worf would have been paralyzed for the rest of his life, or dead.

Not true! In the episode "The Arsenal of Freedom," Crusher gets to demonstrate her skills as a doctor when she gets injured, and instructs Picard on how to treat her.

Also, I honestly think Crusher started a) looking younger and b) getting hotter as the series progressed.

 

[Mr_Homn]

It seemed like she was a pretty worthless doctor without her scanner, too. Everytime she doesn't have her scanner she's like "i can't do anything without my scanner! wah! where's my scanner?" If Dr Crusher had her way, Worf would have been paralyzed for the rest of his life, or dead.

Not true! In the episode "The Arsenal of Freedom," Crusher gets to demonstrate her skills as a doctor when she gets injured, and instructs Picard on how to treat her.

Also, I honestly think Crusher started a) looking younger and b) getting hotter as the series progressed.

I knew someone would bring that up, but it's honestly the only time I remember her doing anything without her beloved medical scanner.

As for looking younger hotter as the series progressed, chalk that up to better hair and makeup.

 

[T'Preea]

I voted for Dr. Pulaski, but ultimately; I like them both. However, in terms of watchability; Pulaski is far more interesting.