Yeah, this was way more off than her supposed "abuse" of Data.
Anyway, what's unpleasant about Pulaski isn't her, it's how the rest of the crew (or rather cast) treat her.
Dr. Katherine Pulaski
- Thread starter Chief Medical Officer
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Anyway, what's unpleasant about Pulaski isn't her, it's how the rest of the crew (or rather cast) treat her.
I liked her. However, having grown used to Beverly, it felt abrupt. I liked that she knew her shit and that gave her street cred.
Diana Muldaur was good in the role agreed but I think I preferred Dr.Crusher and her history with Picard! Was there something about Diana didn't like how she was treated on the set and that's why she left?
JB
JB
Right I've read that bit now and why would Diana have been in the opening credits between Patrick and Jonathan? Surely they were the stars of the show and she was a new boy as it were and why were they jealous of her salary? Was she paid a lot or something?
JB
JB
I always thought it was a shame we never found out why Pulaski left or what became of her. I'm imagining Picard receiving a message from Beverly stating she's bored at Starfleet Medical and wants to return to the Enterprise. Pulaski is called to the ready room by Picard and told her services will no longer be required and a shuttle is waiting to take her away from his sight.
Pulaski was far more interesting a character than Crusher: the Invisible Woman without turning invisible. When Crusher returned I wanted Pulaski back. I actually liked how she treated Data, she lately saw him different.
Not sure which post you are replying to or what you are referring to but for those who aren't aware: credits are not automatic based on screen time or size of role, they are, in fact, negotiated as part of the actor's contract. The TNG opening credit contracts apparently granted top billing to Patrick Stewart, second billing to Frakes, and the rest of the lead cast billed in alphabetical order by last name. Typically, cast additions get stuck at the end because they can't negotiate to change what someone else's contract guarantees (this is why Jonathan Harris is listed last in the Lost In Space titles, since he was added after the pilot). Had Muldaur been listed in the opening credits they'd likely have had to stick her at the end, unless the existing contracts permitted her being listed alphabetically with "the rest", which would have led to the follow billing order:
- Stewart
- Frakes
- Burton
- Dorn
- Muldaur <—same spot as McFadden
- Sirtis
- Spiner
- Wheaton
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Well I thought I had read something about it earlier on in the thread but it seems to have vanished somehow! 
JB
JB
I didn't care for her at all when the season aired. It struck me as an artificial attempt to emulate the McCoy dynamic, & it didn't play all that well. However, as the years go on, I dislike her much less, mainly because there's some good episodes in there, that I enjoy rewatching. I think I just focus less on the negative things that didn't work, like her bigotry toward Data, & try to enjoy what good she did bring to the cast.. Look at it like this, of the cast members/characters that didn't work out, she's easily not my least liked (Yar is)
Yes, Diana Muldaur was going to be in the opening credits in the starring section behind Stewart or Frakes and before the also starring section. She was a very well known actress back then and her status as an actor gave her that 'right' so to speak. Some of the actors opposed this and a special guest star credit was invented. She was also given a more comfortable uniform than the others and they were jealous of that as well and she got paid more than most them, which caused trouble. All in all, before Muldaur had set a foot on the set, there were lots of negative vibes from the other actors towards her, especially from Stewart who resented Muldaur because he wanted McFadden. He campaigned fro McFadden's return openly whilst at the same time working with Muldaur. It was nasty. Muldaur wanted out as soon as her contract permitted (end of season 2). The reason we never see Pulaski say goodbye was simply because a) at the end of season 2, the producers and writers didn't know if Pulaski would be back for season 3 (early scripts for the first couple of episodes of season 3 had Pulaski in it, not Crusher) and b) Muldaur was unwilling to return to TNG.
Source for that assertion about the credits?
Muldaur herself (EDIT: in an interview that I need to find again as I misremembered it as her Archive of American Television interview) said she left TNG when the producers would not grant her time to go film a McCloud reunion movie, so she walked, given that she wasn't enjoying the show and she'd only done it as a favor to Gene.
Muldaur herself (EDIT: in an interview that I need to find again as I misremembered it as her Archive of American Television interview) said she left TNG when the producers would not grant her time to go film a McCloud reunion movie, so she walked, given that she wasn't enjoying the show and she'd only done it as a favor to Gene.
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A
Amaris
Guest
Which is a downer for me, as I loved her role on the show. I realize not everything is magic and happiness in Hollywood, but I do hope that the people I like and admire (the TNG cast) would treat another actor with respect and dignity, even if they weren't completely on board with their casting. I'd really like to think that it's just been conflated in Diana's mind after nearly 30 years, but I doubt it. I don't see why she would ever do something like that.
Just watched that interview again (http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/diana-muldaur) and she doesn't say that at all. She mentions the money problems and not wanting to continue. Nothing about McCloud. She also mentions not wanting to continue with TNG because Gene died at the end of season 2, which of course didn't happen until a few years later...
In a candid 1999 with People Magazine she described her time on TNG as a complete nightmare and that there was a lot of backstabbing going on and everyone was out there for themselves.
I'm not doubting Diana's recollection of her TNG days but she's the only actor I've heard of who had anything negative to say about the cast. I think it might be a similar scenario to Voyager's Kate Mulgrew resenting Jeri Ryan and blaming her for the exit of Kes and the focus on Seven Of Nine as well as the message it allegedly sent about women. The TNG cast probably put all the blame on Muldaur because Gates was fired even though that was nothing to do with her.
Whoops. I thought it was in one interview I saw/read with her. Maybe it was a hearsay third-party comment. I will try to find it again.
Anyway, the Archive of American Television interview with her re TNG starts at this time index (Link).
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