Pulaski's treatment of Data.

[Kinggodzillak]

I've never understood the whole 'Pulaski hated Data' thing considering it didn't go beyond her first three episodes. I'd agree that during The Child and Where Silence Has Lease she doesn't treat him all that well, but much of her criticism in Elementary Dear Data is kind of justified.

I honestly can't remember her making any negative remarks about him after that - in fact, there were more Pulaski/Data moments where she was being nice to him than disrespectful. Moments such as

- Attending his farewell party in Measure of a Man.
- Grateful for his support as she deteriorates during Unnatural Selection. True, she snapped at him once or twice there but under the circumstances she would have done the same had Picard or Geordi or whoever been there in his place.
- Cheering him on Peak Performance.
- Being the only person to tell him that he did the right thing in Pen Pals.

But, like many people have said, first impressions matter a lot and I guess in Pulaski's case those counted against her for the rest of the run - a shame, cos I always liked her.

 

[locutus101]

I've never understood the whole 'Pulaski hated Data' thing considering it didn't go beyond her first three episodes. I'd agree that during The Child and Where Silence Has Lease she doesn't treat him all that well, but much of her criticism in Elementary Dear Data is kind of justified.

I honestly can't remember her making any negative remarks about him after that - in fact, there were more Pulaski/Data moments where she was being nice to him than disrespectful. Moments such as

- Attending his farewell party in Measure of a Man.
- Grateful for his support as she deteriorates during Unnatural Selection. True, she snapped at him once or twice there but under the circumstances she would have done the same had Picard or Geordi or whoever been there in his place.
- Cheering him on Peak Performance.
- Being the only person to tell him that he did the right thing in Pen Pals.

But, like many people have said, first impressions matter a lot and I guess in Pulaski's case those counted against her for the rest of the run - a shame, cos I always liked her.

Yes, you're right she's being charged with bad first impression not only about Data, but also about Picard. She had no good reason not to report to him in the Child. Plus she's kinda stern under most circumstances, which is something most people don't care for.

 

[Visitor1982]

I guess people can't seem to fathom character growth.

Pulaski had more of that in one season, than Beverly Crusher had in six.

 

[locutus101]

I guess people can't seem to fathom character growth.

Pulaski had more of that in one season, than Beverly Crusher had in six.

Plus unlike Crusher, Pulaski knew her way around alien customs like the Klingon deadly tea ceremony that a human could only go through after having absorbed an antidote.

 

[Catarina]

I guess people can't seem to fathom character growth.

Pulaski had more of that in one season, than Beverly Crusher had in six.

ouch

 

[Trek Survivor]

ouch

True though!

 

[locutus101]

True though!

Yes, I would agree about Beverly, she doesn't change much, if at all, throughout the series. She's that naive, semi-competent, bothersome airhead. Which is why it was so funny when Q turned her into a barking dog.

 

[nascenticity]

I think it's less that people are ignoring her character growth and more that her character really got off on the wrong foot. She eventually developed traits other than "McCoy except as a woman" but not after we had to watch her pick on Data. If they had let her be her own character right away, people would probably have warmed up to her better.

I don't really understand the hate for Beverly Crusher. She seems like one of the nicer characters and even someone I might like to know in real life; but I guess that's a matter of personal taste.

 

[LJones41]

I would have thought that while training in medicine with Starfleet and all the scientific knowledge of the Federation, there would have been a semester or two on non-conventional forms of life, such as silicon-based and non-corporeal.

I find it hard to imagine there wouldn't have been at least one lecture covering the possibility of technological based life. With that in mind, Pulaski's treatment of Data seems unprofessional at best, ignorant at worst. Even if she assumed that Data isn't actually alive, would it have killed her to give him the benefit of the doubt and treat him as such?

I liked Dr. Pulaski and I don't care what she thought about Data.

 

[φ of π]

She did have matron-like quality about her.

 

[Kevin Wolff]

Diana Muldaur has talked about the Pulaski/Data dynamic. She was supposed to start cold toward Data because, as a Dr., she had no way to treat him and couldn't relate to him. Over time, she was supposed to warm up to him and develop a bond. Unfortunately, Muldaur left after only one season.

This is true, but the producers also said in articles at the time the whole idea backfired. Instead of building a Spock/McCoy dynamic like they wanted (TNG was notorious for zero conflict among the crew and this would have given them a new avenue), they likened her treatment to kicking a puppy.

Data didn't have his fully developed character yet in early s2, so his perceived innocence and simple manner made it appear that she was just being nasty. S3 Data would have met the challenge and bombarded her with logic (and inadvertent humor) and would have probably embarrassed her and made her see what she was doing. Then they'd have had a bond beyond Spock and McCoy.

I liked her, but she hated doing the show. She was expecting 60's Trek (as were we all to some extent) which she enjoyed a lot, and she along with several actors (Terry Farell too), could not handle the technobabble for various reasons (memorizing it, the absurdity of it for non-fans, etc.). They had to stop giving it to Farell because they had to shoot too many takes for her to nail it. That's when she became the action heroine with Klingon ties and stuff like that.

Also, with Maurice Hurley gone after s2 (the one who got McFadden fired), it seemed logical to bring her back.

I was surprised to learn from the 50-yr mission books that only one regular was ever fired in the TNG era. Kes. That's it. Everyone else either quit or it was mutual (Bujold). I think if Diana wanted to stay they'd have let her and her character would have been tweaked and refined by the end of S3 like most of the others.

 

[Kevin Wolff]

Plus unlike Crusher, Pulaski knew her way around alien customs like the Klingon deadly tea ceremony that a human could only go through after having absorbed an antidote.

Exactly. Factoring in s2 writing, her character did have some gravitas that McFadden's never did. Crusher is the least developed character by far, which was bizarre considering she had interesting ties to Picard's past. Wesley could have been his

Pulaski gave them a way to make a character who's less idealized. Instead of spouting rhetoric and adhering to protocol, she's not afraid to ruffle feathers to do her job or support her convictions. This is a powerful storytelling tool in a show that desperately needed that. Which is why they tried again with Ensign Ro, and were very successful.

 

[Kevin Wolff]

Yes, and it was late in the series, season 5, which was surprising.

They were brutal to the doctor, especially Janeway. Those writing mistakes are important though. It shows humankind still can't even properly imagine an existence without bigotry and racism, much less come close to achieving it.

 

[nascenticity]

They were brutal to the doctor, especially Janeway. Those writing mistakes are important though. It shows humankind still can't even properly imagine an existence without bigotry and racism, much less come close to achieving it.

Bigotry yes, racism no. We're meant to believe humanity has outgrown outright persecuting people for being "different", while a tendency toward prejudice and preconceived notions remains as a natural part of Human psychology.

 

[Mojochi]

I was surprised to learn from the 50-yr mission books that only one regular was ever fired in the TNG era. Kes. That's it. Everyone else either quit or it was mutual (Bujold). I think if Diana wanted to stay they'd have let her and her character would have been tweaked and refined by the end of S3 like most of the others.

And funnily enough, though I didn't care for her much from the get go, I'd have probably been ok with her staying & being reworked, much in the same way almost all the characters were for season 3. I can't say I hate Pulaski, only that the dynamic wasn't working & it featured her in a very ugly way, comparatively. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she offered far greater story potential for the CMO spot on board. All Bev really had was being a mom. Anything else was a tough fit. I found Pulaski a more believable doctor, flaws & all

 

[Kevin Wolff]

Agreed. They needed to fix her look too. Trek has this weird obsession of putting form-fitting or exposed neck costuming on men and women of a certain age. Especially in S1 and S2. It's undignified. There are always exceptions, but in general they should really limit that to the young and fit.

 

[at Quark's]

Agreed. They needed to fix her look too. Trek has this weird obsession of putting form-fitting or exposed neck costuming on men and women of a certain age. Especially in S1 and S2. It's undignified. There are always exceptions, but in general they should really limit that to the young and fit.

Makes me wonder how that would have worked in-universe.... a Starfleet regulation that stipulates all personnel should step over from the 'form fitting uniform model' to the 'loose uniform model' once they reach the age of 40, except when their yearly audit reveals they are achieving high marks on the 'representative aptitude index', and their annual fitness test ?

 

[nascenticity]

Makes me wonder how that would have worked in-universe.... a Starfleet regulation that stipulates all personnel should step over from the 'form fitting uniform model' to the 'loose uniform model' once they reach the age of 40, except when their yearly audit reveals they are achieving high marks on the 'representative aptitude index', and their annual fitness test ?

And how would different species' life spans fit into this? For a Vulcan 40 years old is hardly 1/4 way through their lifetime!

 

[Spot261]

I don't get it, I'm a man approaching 40 and I look absolutely fabulous wielding a prop phaser in skin tight latex.

Oh, wrong forum....

 

[charliefox]

What was the episode where Pulaski asked if Data could pilot the ship, even though he was already at the helm?