I would've liked Pulaski more if she wasn't so mean to Data. It was like someone kicking a puppy! At least Spock gave as good as he got when it came to his arguments with McCoy.
Data can not be "injured" in that manner. It was more like insulting an XBox system or your microwave. They can take it.
Uh, not really. The whole point of Data's story arc is that he's NOT just an Xbox or a microwave. While insults might not affect him the in the same way as they would a flesh and blood human, that's not to say that they don't affect him at all. Pulaski couldn't seem to grasp that the fact that he was made of metal didn't preclude him from being a life form (at least, not in the beginning). I seem to recall a very different exchange between Data and Dr. Bashir in the TNG/DS9 crossover where Bashir marvels at just how human-like Data actually seems to be. (It's interesting that the primary complaint against Pulaski seems to be her attitude towards Data. Anyone watch SFDebris' reviews? He pretty much UNLOADS on Pulaski during his review of The Child.)
Good gracious, I totally forgot that she was kind of mean to Data. She wasn't really a "robophobe", she just couldn't grasp the concept that he was special. Even though he had no feelings, per se; what was said and/or done to him in a negative way affected him in some way or form whether leading him to believe there was something "wrong" with him or he did or said something "wrong". Data's a complex being that requires as much gentle nurturing and understanding as a human.
It is pretty funny that The Measure of a Man, which proved that Data was sentient being was aired in season two, the same year Pulaski was on TNG! If he is a sentient being shouldn't he deserve respect like everyone else on that ship?
MOAM comes near the middle of the season, and all the "Pulaski being mean to Data" stuff comes before it. This exchange from Pen Pals shows quite a changed attitude toward Data:
I voted for Crusher as she is my favourite TNG character (and no I don't fancy her!) but I liked Pulaski as well. I randomly caught some Season Two episodes the other day and although they overdid the Data stuff she was a nice contrast to the rest of the crew. That said I do think that Crusher also presented that alternative viewpoint, in conference room scenes she & Worf were the most likely characters to argue against the consensus, though she wasn't quite as aggressive as Pulaski about it.
I voted for Pulaski because, in spite of being a carbon copy of McCoy, she at least had character and personality. I like that she would stand up to stuffy ol' Picard. And she picked on Data the way Bones picked on Spock.
I find Crusher rather vapid. She does have beautiful hair. I voted for Pulaski because personality actually came out of her mouth.
First impressions are everything, so I never really "got over" Pulaski's disrespect of Data. The difference between that and McCoy's disrespect of Spock was that Spock gave as good as he got. In contrast, Data was naive and defenseless, and it just came off like she was bullying him. Yes, Pulaski improved later on, but it still mars my perceptions of the character.
Pulaski all the way, if for no other reason than if they'd kept Pulaski, we might have been saved from the horror that was Sub Rosa. I found Pulaski far more interesting and Crusher was practically wasted as any sort of meaningful character. But then, most of the female characters in TNG were poorly written and developed, so no one had any really great contributions to the overall series.
First of all Diana Muldaur is a fantastic actress and despite my dislike of the character, I think she made a memorable impression. That being said I think the Crusher character was a better fit for TNG. Gates McFadden had much better chemistry with the cast than Muldaur though neither character was really used properly.
I don't think Pulaski worked too well cause this was a future where they're all supposed to be nice to each other.
If the TNG films had not come out, I would have voted for Crusher because she had good chemistry with the crew and was pleasant to watch. I would rate them as equally capable physicians. I am also not stating that muldaur is unattractive and am not comparing the actresses physically. But after seeing the films (especially FC) I imagined being an average ensign expendable under the command of Captain Ahab Picard. One of the overlooked duties of a CMO is that they are the only authorized person who could relieve a starship captain who becomes unfit for command. Her relationship with Picard clouded her judgment. She herself went all gung-ho to kill the Borg when even Worf knew their strategy was futile. I believe that Pulaski would have stood up to Picard.
I don't even know why I'm replying in this thread, but here's my take. First off, the "Hotness" factor. It is manifestly unfair to compare two women at different age brackets, almost always to the older of the pair. Without going to IMDB and checking birthdates (which are probably wrong anyway), I will say that I've seen Ms. Muldaur looking very hot, check out McCloud reruns and you'll see what I'm talking about. While Ms. McFadden isn't a classic beauty, she did have a knockout figure which was only accentuated by the TNG uniform. Edge: Crusher. As regard to the characters, Doctor Crusher brought a great deal of compassion to the job and seemed to genuinely care for her patients as people (assuming that they were people, that is), whereas Pulaski seem more the kind of Doctor who hates losing a patient because she hates to lose period. Again, edge: Crusher.
Let me clarify that I was not comparing the two actresses physically and did not pick one over the other based on that fact. As you have observed McFadden as having a knockout figure; my statement was of a similar nature. I have seen Muldaur's appearances when she was younger as well and have nothing negative to state. I also agree it would not be fair to compare two women in different age brackets. In regards to Pulaski, I believe that there was room for character growth. She was interesting to watch. I believe Crusher would have made a better commanding officer than Pulaski. In regards to the CMO being a failsafe for an unstable captain, Crusher failed miserably in FC. If it wasn't for Lily doing Crusher's job, they would have all been assimilated.
I've always quite liked Pulaski. She wasn't particularly nice to Data at first, but she didn't understand him properly. In later episodes such as Pen Pals and Samaritan Snare, she had come way past that attitude, which was commendable. I also enjoyed the relationship she had with Worf. It's a shame that she was essentially a McCoy clone, as she had some decent stuff to do during her short stay. S1 Crusher vs. Pukaski is no contest - Pulaski wins hands down. Crusher became more interesting as the series went on.