I’m with some of the other folks around here: Pulaski was a better character. Conflict between the ship doctor and the captain makes for more interesting narrative opportunities, and Pulaski was great specifically because she was willing to stand up to Picard and be a pain in the ass.
Fans just didn’t like her because she didn’t immediately see Data as a person, but even that was interesting because not everyone would, and giving voice to that again created interesting ways to explore the implications of Data’s existence.
Fans just didn’t like her because she didn’t immediately see Data as a person
It wasn’t just that she didn’t immediately see Data as a person; it’s that her first scene was so ham-fisted and poorly written. She made a specific effort to mock something she didn’t even think was alive.
It would be equivalent of someone saying “Oh does my car not like that I left my lights on? Could it be that I offended it in some way?” It’s an inanimate object, why would you even bother saying that? If you saw someone doing that you would think they are an idiot and an asshole, as they didn’t miss an opportunity to be a dick even if the subject is an object performing its function.
I agree, Pulaski was far more interesting than Crusher. Pulaski butting heads with Picard? Going to be a great episode. Pulaski paling around with Geordie and Data? Going to be a great episode. It’s just her first scene was so bad that it was memorable, which meant it took time to warm up to her and what she brought to the show.
While i agree with all your points, the way she came across while not seeing Data as a person infuriated me. It’s one thing to have a good philosophical debate, as ST fans we love a good debate, but the way she acted with Data just drove me crazy. You can disagree with an idea and not be a bigot.
And yet we know in Measure of a Man that Pulaski was far from unique in her views, and was in fact a) quite tame about it and b) ended up changing her mind, showing on-screen how a person can change in a positive way. That’s a far more compelling (and realistic) message than everyone just unquestioningly accepting the one and only android in all of Starfleet holding a senior role on the Starfleet flagship.
Think of it like “The Devil in the Dark”. It would’ve been incredibly boring if everyone just immediately accepted the Horta right off the bat instead of seeing it as an unthinking monster. The journey is in the message that you can come to understand something different from you and accept it not just in spite of those differences but for them.
Everyone simply accepting Data on the Enterprise right off the bat without question was, frankly, lazy writing. And they figured that out eventually, hence episodes like Measure of a Man.
I always felt Pulaski was Bones character all over again. I’m ok with the conflict part but prefer soft spoken character, it blends better with TNG plots full of ethics and moral dilemmas. Bones/Pulaski fit better in an action based series, with no room for psychological introspection and deeper characters.
Besides, they wasted a perfectly good plot twist that Pulaski is actually Thalassa secretly still in Ann Mulhall’s body, and that she changed names to hide the slower aging.
I disliked Pulaski because she was written as a Mary Sue.
Picard needs heart surgery? Pulaski is the best heart surgeon in the galaxy. Virus that ages people? Pulaski wrote the definitive paper on Viruses. Riker’s dad shows up? Oh Pulaski dated him. Geordi has problems with his visor? Pulaski had done several successful ocular implant surgeries.
It was ridiculous.
You can get away with giving a character one unique ability. But Federation’s top heart surgeon, virologist, opthalmologist, and dates Riker’s dad is the same person? That’s bad writing.
LOL you’ve described literally every doctor in Star Trek ever. I mean, Christ, they lampshaded this with McCoy when he exclaimed “By golly, Jim - I’m beginning to think I can cure a rainy day!” when he treated a fucking silicon rock monster.
Honestly at this point this is just making up reasons to be mad.
There is a huge difference between the Enterprise Doctor or Engineer overcoming odds and solving the problem and walking in saying, “I’m the Galaxy’s expert in this.” “Oh and I’m also the Galaxy’s expert in this and that too.”
You’re right. In the former case it’s utterly implausible that every ship doctor would not be an expert in a thing but still somehow be able to cure that thing. Every. Damn. Time.
At least with Pulaski they gave an excuse (well, assuming I buy your claims; frankly, I think you’re overstating things quite a bit).
I’m with some of the other folks around here: Pulaski was a better character. Conflict between the ship doctor and the captain makes for more interesting narrative opportunities, and Pulaski was great specifically because she was willing to stand up to Picard and be a pain in the ass.
Fans just didn’t like her because she didn’t immediately see Data as a person, but even that was interesting because not everyone would, and giving voice to that again created interesting ways to explore the implications of Data’s existence.
It wasn’t just that she didn’t immediately see Data as a person; it’s that her first scene was so ham-fisted and poorly written. She made a specific effort to mock something she didn’t even think was alive.
It would be equivalent of someone saying “Oh does my car not like that I left my lights on? Could it be that I offended it in some way?” It’s an inanimate object, why would you even bother saying that? If you saw someone doing that you would think they are an idiot and an asshole, as they didn’t miss an opportunity to be a dick even if the subject is an object performing its function.
I agree, Pulaski was far more interesting than Crusher. Pulaski butting heads with Picard? Going to be a great episode. Pulaski paling around with Geordie and Data? Going to be a great episode. It’s just her first scene was so bad that it was memorable, which meant it took time to warm up to her and what she brought to the show.
And some of us never got there. Pulaski reminds me of some of the worst people I’ve known, even after she’s supposed to have warmed up to Data.
While i agree with all your points, the way she came across while not seeing Data as a person infuriated me. It’s one thing to have a good philosophical debate, as ST fans we love a good debate, but the way she acted with Data just drove me crazy. You can disagree with an idea and not be a bigot.
And yet we know in Measure of a Man that Pulaski was far from unique in her views, and was in fact a) quite tame about it and b) ended up changing her mind, showing on-screen how a person can change in a positive way. That’s a far more compelling (and realistic) message than everyone just unquestioningly accepting the one and only android in all of Starfleet holding a senior role on the Starfleet flagship.
Think of it like “The Devil in the Dark”. It would’ve been incredibly boring if everyone just immediately accepted the Horta right off the bat instead of seeing it as an unthinking monster. The journey is in the message that you can come to understand something different from you and accept it not just in spite of those differences but for them.
Everyone simply accepting Data on the Enterprise right off the bat without question was, frankly, lazy writing. And they figured that out eventually, hence episodes like Measure of a Man.
I always felt Pulaski was Bones character all over again. I’m ok with the conflict part but prefer soft spoken character, it blends better with TNG plots full of ethics and moral dilemmas. Bones/Pulaski fit better in an action based series, with no room for psychological introspection and deeper characters.
Swap Bashir and Pulaski between TNG and DS9.
Ooh that would be cool
Besides, they wasted a perfectly good plot twist that Pulaski is actually Thalassa secretly still in Ann Mulhall’s body, and that she changed names to hide the slower aging.
I disliked Pulaski because she was written as a Mary Sue.
Picard needs heart surgery? Pulaski is the best heart surgeon in the galaxy. Virus that ages people? Pulaski wrote the definitive paper on Viruses. Riker’s dad shows up? Oh Pulaski dated him. Geordi has problems with his visor? Pulaski had done several successful ocular implant surgeries.
It was ridiculous.
You can get away with giving a character one unique ability. But Federation’s top heart surgeon, virologist, opthalmologist, and dates Riker’s dad is the same person? That’s bad writing.
LOL you’ve described literally every doctor in Star Trek ever. I mean, Christ, they lampshaded this with McCoy when he exclaimed “By golly, Jim - I’m beginning to think I can cure a rainy day!” when he treated a fucking silicon rock monster.
Honestly at this point this is just making up reasons to be mad.
There is a huge difference between the Enterprise Doctor or Engineer overcoming odds and solving the problem and walking in saying, “I’m the Galaxy’s expert in this.” “Oh and I’m also the Galaxy’s expert in this and that too.”
You’re right. In the former case it’s utterly implausible that every ship doctor would not be an expert in a thing but still somehow be able to cure that thing. Every. Damn. Time.
At least with Pulaski they gave an excuse (well, assuming I buy your claims; frankly, I think you’re overstating things quite a bit).
Not being an expert, having a problem, learning, and overcoming the problem is the narrative circle.
Walking in as the foremost expert on everything is called a Mary Sue and is correctly derided as bad writing.
If we had been introduced to Pulaski being a virologist and then in later episodes her expertise is useful, that’s fine, narratively.
Edited:
Picard travels to the best heart surgeon in the Federation. Billions of humans. The best out of Billion:
"PHYSIOLOGIST: You’re unwilling to make the attempt??
SURGEON: I’m not qualified.
PHYSIOLOGIST: I know someone who is."
<Pulaski>
Best virologists in the Federation (again that means billions of people) doing cutting edge research:
"KINGSLEY [on viewscreen]: To whom am I speaking, please?
PULASKI: I’m Doctor Pulaski, Chief Medical Officer.
KINGSLEY [on viewscreen]: Katherine Pulaski, author of Linear Models of Viral Propagation?"
It’s hamfisted writing.
Dating Riker’s dad counts as a unique ability? XD