Why is Tasha Yar hated?

[2takesfrakes]

This is somewhat off-topic, but I've been on kind of a TNG kick the last few weeks and have been watching a lot of random episodes. I've been paying special attention to Season 2, which it seems I have mostly forgotten about. I remember not liking Pulaski very much, but this time around I enjoyed her well enough. It seems weird that she never came back, even for a random guest appearance once or twice.

According to what I've read, what it comes down to is that Diane M. had the misfortune of being in TOS when she was young and very cute. So ... naturally, she had a good time, then. Her experiences of those days coloured her experiences during TNG, where the vibe was very different. She did not feel that she fit in and, in fact, was under the impression that everyone was out for themselves. She was glad to leave and did not want to come back.

 

[Robert Comsol]

The first season of TNG "tried" too much to be a clone of TOS and bringing in a TOS veteran for the second season, worse, to replace a fresh and young new face, didn't really suggest a cut of the "umbilical cord".

Curiously, Roddenberry had originally cast older actors as the ship's senior medical officers in the TOS pilots (characters of Boyce and Piper) and apparently that somehow didn't work. Why he did the same on TNG (knowing it wasn't such a great idea from previous experience) is a little beyond me.

Bob

 

[Timewalker]

This is somewhat off-topic, but I've been on kind of a TNG kick the last few weeks and have been watching a lot of random episodes. I've been paying special attention to Season 2, which it seems I have mostly forgotten about. I remember not liking Pulaski very much, but this time around I enjoyed her well enough. It seems weird that she never came back, even for a random guest appearance once or twice.

According to what I've read, what it comes down to is that Diane M. had the misfortune of being in TOS when she was young and very cute. So ... naturally, she had a good time, then. Her experiences of those days coloured her experiences during TNG, where the vibe was very different. She did not feel that she fit in and, in fact, was under the impression that everyone was out for themselves. She was glad to leave and did not want to come back.

Do you have a link to the interview where she said this?

The first season of TNG "tried" too much to be a clone of TOS and bringing in a TOS veteran for the second season, worse, to replace a fresh and young new face, didn't really suggest a cut of the "umbilical cord".

Curiously, Roddenberry had originally cast older actors as the ship's senior medical officers in the TOS pilots (characters of Boyce and Piper) and apparently that somehow didn't work. Why he did the same on TNG (knowing it wasn't such a great idea from previous experience) is a little beyond me.

Bob

Yeah, Roddenberry should be brought back from the dead and shot for daring to cast a veteran actress who actually gave the impression she could play a competent doctor instead of a featherbrain sashaying around the ship, whispering breathily into the Captain's ear.

Pulaski wasn't perfect; I found her bigotry toward Data distasteful. But she did make a good doctor, and brought interesting dynamics with the other characters (friends with Riker's father, friends with Worf, not afraid in the least to stand up to Picard, etc.).

 

[mos6507]

It always surprised me - with how important an actor's looks are - that Shatner let himself go like that

If you're not on juice or something (like Stallone) It's a lot of work to stay in shape as you get older. Shatner had a pretty long run, all things considered. A lot of men would have already been flabby and out of shape by the age he was in ST:TMP. Instead he was flashing his (now unwaxed) biceps in a short-sleeved shirt, and then he goes on to do a physically demanding weekly TV series (TJ Hooker) where he has to run-down thugs. He was pretty active for his age in the 1980s. He just slowed down by the 90s.

 

[Robert Comsol]

Yeah, Roddenberry should be brought back from the dead and shot for daring to cast a veteran actress who actually gave the impression she could play a competent doctor instead of a featherbrain sashaying around the ship, whispering breathily into the Captain's ear.

Just for the record: I have no such issues with the Great Bird of the Galaxy, you seem to imply, I would just like to understand his reasoning if it were available.

Curiously, should I wonder why he replaced veteran actors from the TOS pilots (who actually gave the impression they could play experienced doctors) with a guy (McCoy) who seemed emotionally unstable most of the time and seemed to prefer lamenting over practising?

Bob

 

[Mytran]

There was also this scene cut from the beginning of the third season which explained Dr. Pulaski's departure.

I quite like Pulaski, but that was funny!

 

[DonIago]

Haven't watched the clip...does it involve a tragic encounter with an airlock?

 

[Timewalker]

Yeah, Roddenberry should be brought back from the dead and shot for daring to cast a veteran actress who actually gave the impression she could play a competent doctor instead of a featherbrain sashaying around the ship, whispering breathily into the Captain's ear.

Just for the record: I have no such issues with the Great Bird of the Galaxy, you seem to imply, I would just like to understand his reasoning if it were available.

Curiously, should I wonder why he replaced veteran actors from the TOS pilots (who actually gave the impression they could play experienced doctors) with a guy (McCoy) who seemed emotionally unstable most of the time and seemed to prefer lamenting over practising?

Bob

McCoy had ample scenes where he practiced psychiatry, surgery, minor medical procedures, major medical procedures, helped non-ship personnel, delivered a baby, etc. and so forth.

 

[BillJ]

Curiously, should I wonder why he replaced veteran actors from the TOS pilots (who actually gave the impression they could play experienced doctors) with a guy (McCoy) who seemed emotionally unstable most of the time and seemed to prefer lamenting over practising?

There's really no proof that either Boyce or Piper wouldn't have turned out the exact same way if they had been cast for the weekly series.

 

[varek]

Why is it that so many people hate her character?

Wesley is hated by many people, Tasha isn't liked by many people. It's not the same thing.

I agree. Tasha didn't seem very believable to me. But, Wesley was just irritating!

 

[The Old Mixer]

Haven't watched the clip...does it involve a tragic encounter with an airlock?

Close...think a little more Trek....

The clip was very funny...and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who made a connection between Pulaski and the doctor from "Ethics".

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

For the protagonists, Sela's origin story is still full of unexplained mysteries.

Although apparently not for Worf. The Duras sisters try to seduce him:

LURSA: Join us, Worf, and usher in a new era for our people. WORF: An era where honour has no meaning? Where Klingons trade loyalties in dark rooms and where the Empire is ruled from Romulus.
SELA [on monitor]: Enough, Lursa. You failed. I need to know the strength and capabilities of the Federation fleet. I don't have time for this. Turn him over to the guard. B'Etor can have him back when they've finished with him.

Worf doesn't express any astonishment seeing Tasha Yar's alter ego on screen! Either he was incredibly cool or he already knew that Sela was behind all that...

Yet another issue Klingons don't discuss with outsiders?

Bob

I can't remember, did Worf ever actually see Sela face to face?

Even if he did, there's no way he could have known about what happened in "Yesterday's Enterprise", so he would have probably written it off as a coincidence. As far as he knew, Tasha never had a child, so therefore, he would never have any reason to suspect Sela's parentage.

 

[Mojochi]

According to what I've read, what it comes down to is that Diane M. had the misfortune of being in TOS when she was young and very cute. So ... naturally, she had a good time, then. Her experiences of those days coloured her experiences during TNG, where the vibe was very different. She did not feel that she fit in and, in fact, was under the impression that everyone was out for themselves. She was glad to leave and did not want to come back.

I've heard about that too, and it just seems suspicious to me, because Denise Crosby left after a very tumultuous first season, where everyone pretty much thought they were going to be canned, and yet as of the third season, she was game to come back in any incarnation, as often as they'd have her.

Whoopi was new to the show in season 2 also, and grew into the cast quite well. Michele Forbes began as a guest actor, and came back to play Ro, who left & she reprised later. Dwight Schultz has always been eager to reprise Barclay. Wheaton reprised Wes. John Delancie, Suzie Plakson, Tony Todd, etc...

It seems the only person who had an issue with the environment was Muldaur alone. What does that suggest? It's not like TOS was all sunshine and roses anyway, given some of the internal drama that's come out since

 

[2takesfrakes]

According to what I've read, what it comes down to is that Diane M. ... did not feel that she fit in and, in fact, was under the impression that everyone was out for themselves. She was glad to leave and did not want to come back.

Do you have a link to the interview where she said this?

There's really no need to crosscheck and verify. It's enough that I say it's so, isn't it? Trust in me. In the meantime, allow me to assuage your concern for historical truth ...

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20130422,00.html
Legend of the Fall By Samantha Miller

Back on the scene, Muldaur scored two plum parts in the late '80s, as Star Trek: TNG's feisty Dr. Kate Pulaski and L.A. Law's power-hungry Rosalind.

She says she still gets "wonderful" letters from TNG fans—
"they've named their children after me," she marvels—but has not-as-fond memories of her year on its set. Everybody was out for themselves," she says. "I don't think they were happy to have me there."

Wikipedia expands upon these sentiments:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Muldaur

"I don't think they were happy to have me there.""It wasn't what I hoped it would be. I thought it would be wonderfully inventive and wonderfully creative, and I found it was not any of those things. But it did give me Trekkies. I love Trekkies. I find them very dear."

It always surprised me - with how important an actor's looks are - that Shatner let himself go like that

If you're not on juice or something (like Stallone) It's a lot of work to stay in shape as you get older. Shatner had a pretty long run, all things considered. A lot of men would have already been flabby and out of shape by the age he was in ST:TMP. Instead he was flashing his (now unwaxed) biceps in a short-sleeved shirt, and then he goes on to do a physically demanding weekly TV series (TJ Hooker) where he has to run-down thugs. He was pretty active for his age in the 1980s. He just slowed down by the 90s.

Yes, everyone gets wrinkled, lined and flabby, but I still maintain that Shatner could've done more to keep up his appearance. We can't have our actors looking too realistic, now ...

According to what I've read ... Diane M. ... was glad to leave and did not want to come back.

I've heard about that too, and it just seems suspicious to me, because Denise Crosby left after a very tumultuous first season, where everyone pretty much thought they were going to be canned, and yet as of the third season, she was game to come back in any incarnation, as often as they'd have her.

Whoopi was new to the show in season 2 also, and grew into the cast quite well. Michele Forbes began as a guest actor, and came back to play Ro, who left & she reprised later. Dwight Schultz has always been eager to reprise Barclay. Wheaton reprised Wes. John Delancie, Suzie Plakson, Tony Todd, etc...

It seems the only person who had an issue with the environment was Muldaur alone. What does that suggest? It's not like TOS was all sunshine and roses anyway, given some of the internal drama that's come out since

Yeah, but you know ... everybody on TOS was mostly men, including GR. She was young and pretty and she's on the show getting all this attention, "Diane! We love having you, guest for us! You're so beautiful and talented - you're really going to make a name for yourself ..." and it was genuine, I'm sure. She was all those things. And the roles she was given on TOS were devoid of politics of any kind. They needed a babe-of-the-week, and she filled-in, nicely.

But when TNG came around, she was middle-aged and playing a crusty old lady whose job it was to bitch to all the characters, especially everybody's friend Data. I'm sure that Gates was pretty vocal about not appreciating being used as just a pretty decoration, at a time when TNG really needed team players. Marina always was, but her charater was always having to find stuff to do. So she felt her job was in jeapoardy, though it never really was, because she had the right attitude.

Getting rid of Gates was a bad decision and she had to come back. As I understand it, Sir Patrick Stewart was the one who eventually persuaded her to come home. The situation was not stacked, at all, in Diane's favour. She was basically a "scab," as it were, and was treated as such. Nobody gave a shit, this time, that Diane was onboard, except maybe for Gene. It was a matter of Time, that's what it was. "You Can't Go Home Again," and this is a case in point.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Curiously, should I wonder why he replaced veteran actors from the TOS pilots (who actually gave the impression they could play experienced doctors) with a guy (McCoy) who seemed emotionally unstable most of the time and seemed to prefer lamenting over practising?

There's really no proof that either Boyce or Piper wouldn't have turned out the exact same way if they had been cast for the weekly series.

They're all the same character, really. And IIRC, Kelly was GR's first choice ( and second) to play "the doctor". One might guess the role was written with him in mind.

I liked John Hoyt' take on the part, but Paul Fix just didn't do it for me.

Robert Comsol's conflating of actor and character is puzzling.

 

[Lance]

It seems the only person who had an issue with the environment was Muldaur alone. What does that suggest? It's not like TOS was all sunshine and roses anyway, given some of the internal drama that's come out since.

Yeah, but you know ... everybody on TOS was mostly men, including GR. She was young and pretty and she's on the show getting all this attention, "Diane! We love having you, guest for us! You're so beautiful and talented - you're really going to make a name for yourself ..." and it was genuine, I'm sure. She was all those things. And the roles she was given on TOS were devoid of politics of any kind. They needed a babe-of-the-week, and she filled-in, nicely.

But when TNG came around, she was middle-aged and playing a crusty old lady whose job it was to bitch to all the characters, especially everybody's friend Data. I'm sure that Gates was pretty vocal about not appreciating being used as just a pretty decoration, at a time when TNG really needed team players. Marina always was, but her charater was always having to find stuff to do. So she felt her job was in jeapoardy, though it never really was, because she had the right attitude.

Getting rid of Gates was a bad decision and she had to come back. As I understand it, Sir Patrick Stewart was the one who eventually persuaded her to come home. The situation was not stacked, at all, in Diane's favour. She was basically a 'scab', as it were, and was treated as such. Nobody gave a shit, this time, that Diane was onboard, except maybe for Gene. It was a matter of Time, that's what it was. "You Can't Go Home Again," and this is a case in point.

Strongly put, but as far as I can tell pretty accurate really.

The existing TNG cast gave her the could shoulder because she was effectively the "Captain's Pick", parachuted in by Gene Roddenberry to replace the popular Gates (who had been sacked in very dubious circumstances). Only Michael Dorn was apparently happy-go-lucky enough to treat Muldaur cordingly, admitting even nowadays that he thinks she was great.

So the wider TNG cast's treatment of her was... at least understandable on some level, even if it does seems somewhat petty in the cold light of 25 years later.

It doesn't help that according to some sources, the producers used Gates' firing as a stick to beat down potential rebellion with. If a cast member raised any issues, their agent would be cheerfully told to remember what happened to Gates.

Basically Gates being fired left a sour taste hanging over season two, which wasn't remedied until season three when Berman (now more firmly in charge of the show) went out of his way to bring her back, as he was pretty much opposed to her being fired in the first place.

 

[2takesfrakes]

It's great that Michael Dorn took a liking to Diane Muldaur and treated her like a Human Being on the set. As for everyone else, I don't know. Stress, especially alot of it, will definitely cause someone to lose their objectivity and to withdraw, to a certain degree. I'm not trying to excuse dissing a friendly coworker, I'm just saying that if the situation weren't so stressfull, Diane would've probably gotten along with everyone, just fine, onset. Whether that would've been enough to make her feel welcomed, or a valued member of the team, or given her any artistic satisfaction, who can say? But the original series celebrated Diane's involvement and contributions much more and I suspect that would've been the case, no matter what.

The Chief Medical Officer of the ENTERPRISE wasn't her gig and the "Bones" parallels were completely inappropriate for the time and setting her character was in, anyway. When Bones harassed Spock, Spock harassed back. Sometimes Spock would even harass Bones without provocation. Not passionately, or anything, but enough to be nettlesome to the good doctor. Data, however was incapable of that. He simply did not have the capacity for saracstic wit. Humour of any kind was almost beyond his reach, but he recognized that people often have a good time with it, so he kept trying. Cutting someone down to jibe them, or whatever, was simply beyond Data's programming. So that it became "picking on" Data, and even though that's not the intent, that was certainly the outcome and it wasn't amusing. Not that it was enough to take offense at, but it did beg the question, "what's your problem, bitch?" And that Gene Roddenberry wouldn't have recognized this dilemma, even when he first came up with recycling this Original Series scheme, is kind of telling that maybe he'd lost some of his edge, due to illness, old age, or whatever.

 

[Hober Mallow]

Only Michael Dorn was apparently happy-go-lucky enough to treat Muldaur cordingly, admitting even nowadays that he thinks she was great.

And she apparently liked him, too. At least, she said she "liked the black guy."

 

[Timewalker]

So she could have been referring to Levar Burton.

 

[Hober Mallow]

So she could have been referring to Levar Burton.

No, the interviewer asked, "Levar Burton?" and she said, "no." LOL...