I don't think any apologies are necessary for the portrayal of a fictional character in a fictional universe. Maura Drake is exactly as I envision her. She's caustic to the point that she's perceived as a bitch, and that's how I wanted her played. Renda, who is quite charming in real life, did a perfect job capturing the character as intended. Dave did a terrific job scripting Drake's vile nature. They're to be commended for the work they did; it could not have been easy for either of them to come up with and portray such a thoroughly unlikeable character.
(BTW Dr. Lazarus in OUTLAND was NOT a nice person. Marshal O'Niel had to threaten to kick her ass to get her to do her job. It was not an idle threat. She was redeemed at the end of the movie.)
SPOILER NOTICE****
In the second season, there are two Drake vignettes planned. One is with Grigory and Drake in a precarious situation, and you'll see a "Comeuppance" of sorts.
The other episode is "The Lucky One" which is where you will see a redemption of Dr. Drake. We were hoping to film "The Lucky One" this past summer in Birmingham in a green-screened set, but sadly real-life got in the way. (We've even got the virtual set created by Michael Zock for this episode.) We're hoping that Tim and Renda will be able to film the episode for our second season.
In real life, you meet some assholes. Sometimes, these assholes just remain assholes. And sometimes, circumstances come up and you learn that these assholes have a reason for being the way they are, and even rarer, sometimes you realize they're not the assholes you think they are. Maura Drake is going to be an example of this.
END SPOILERS ****
Unlike in TOS and the TOS Movie Era, our CMO is not a regularly appearing character. She's in one vignette this season. If you want to decline to watch our fan film series based on one character in one vignette, then it's your loss. Frankly, I think you'll be missing something special, especially with stories like "Delivery," "Miscommunication" and "The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky" coming up this season.
Is Maura Drake an interesting character? Clearly from the commentary this morning, she has provoked a lot of interest and skepticism and criticism and that is always welcome.