The re-hiring of McFadden

[The Squire of Gothos]

Pulaski wasn't a bad character, but the sparring (if you can call it that) between her and Data wasn't at all a patch on the McCoy/Spock arguments.

She came across a bit too much like she was preaching or lecturing Data, with Data playing the child listening with little to say back.

 

[Malleus]

^^^ What made Spock-McCoy work, to sum up what I said earlier, was that Spock came out on top (I remember the ending argument in "Patterns of Force," where Spock mentions human history to McCoy's chagrin). That McCoy insisted later on that Spock was having "revenge for all those arguments he lost" indicates a friendly jealously.

But yeah, Data had too much of a childish attitude to stand much of a chance with Pulaski. However, I did like that instance where she persuaded him to play that cyber game with the Zakdorn guest to a stalemate. In that instance, her debate with Data was a cover for the android equivalent of an "ego boost," not a cheap Spock-McCoy attempt.

 

[HRHTheKING]

Getting rid of McFadden and her insipid character and bringing in Pulaski was a very good decision.

Unfortunately it didn't last long enough.

Deanna Troi should have been cut too.

 

[Peacemaker]

Lindley said:

broberfett said:
They time travelled so much that they should have just brought in Doctor Who.

Yeah, just hire John Pertwee.

That would have made for a fantastic in-joke.

It'd have been an even better one to hire a new Doctor every subsequent season, using at the very least, lookalikes for the corresponding Doctor Who leads.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Well I'm sure glad they didn't hire a third doctor!! Is there anyone here that actually likes Pulaski better than Crusher???

I also prefer Pulaski. A very strong character, one of the best female characters in Star Trek (not that that's a competitive category). A McCoy clone, maybe, but a good one and McCoy's not a bad model.

^I do. As I've stated in other threads, Pulaski was a more solid character than Crusher, who was rather one-note and flat being just the boy's mother and Picard's psuedo-love interest. Pulaski had some bite to her as a character, divorced three times, had an affair with Riker's father and stood-up to Picard and challenged his decision-making process.

I liked her, too. Plus, she was far more sociable and accesible to the rest of the crew, much less Worf, who saw in her a fighter's spirit (something he never saw on Crusher).

Really, has Dr. Crusher offered anything essential to the series, other than the rudementary medical procedures? At least Pulaski had character...

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

^
True. But at least it was a concieved character. Beverly Crusher was basically Wesley's Mom and Picard's Potential Love Interest. The development the character underwent later - her interest in theatre and dance, for example - came from Gates herself. Pulaski was moving in the direction of being a more organic character near the end of the season, and I think she would have been pretty good had she stuck around - and arguably a better female counterbalance for the male crew than Crusher or Troi were.

I so agree. She seemed to really fit the show's more argumentative side, a side that it lost afterwards, or at least covered by other eras (ie., by Ro Laren's appearence and all).

I still cringe that Crusher had to return to the show. I really can't see any appeal the character may have, and I can't detect anything productive, character-wise, that came from her.

I mean, Picard and Crusher never ever fullfilled their "romantic" potential... So what was the point with its insinuation, anyway?

Although I like the character of Crusher, I think that I too prefer Pulaski for basically the same reasons previously stated here. And I think her relationship with Data, disliked by some, had already started to mellow by the end of the 2nd season and could have been a great dynamic later in the series.

Pulaski was far more interesting and solidly realistic--she had more depth in a limited single season than Crusher had in 7 plus 3 movies.

I preferred Pulaski as well. Crusher was just too bland.

Absolutely right.

Darn right!

Unfortunately, with the "everyone must get along, there must be no conflict in the 24th century" mentality that severely crippled TNG, Pulaski would have done better on DS9 where most of the characters were sniping at each other as they felt their way around.

Even in the first few episodes of TNG season one, I never believed the premise that this was a new ship and a new crew that really hadn't worked together before. With DS9, I believed it. Too bad they couldn't have hired Muldaur in some capacity for DS9. She would've fit right in with that group.

Dang it, I would have loved to have seen her as guest in DS9, perhaps assisting Bashir on a medical breakthrough or something, earlier in the first seasons.

I really believe Pulaski would've fit DS9's more human approach. I mean, if O'Brien did, why not her?

 

[Michael]

Really, has Dr. Crusher offered anything essential to the series, other than the rudementary medical procedures? At least Pulaski had character...

Really, I'm also pro-Pulaski and would have liked to keep her on the series. But there are also some very good Crusher episodes. I liked her in "Cause And Effect". And I think she was very strong in "The Host" (though I dislike the end of that episode). "Attached" is another episode that comes to mind. I think she was probably the most underused characters in the movies, though.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

But the character had no character, no personality - she was just Gates McFadden citing doctor-like phrases. And I dislike that.

But then, Beverly Crusher is my least favorite TNG character, overall...