In Defense of Dr. Pulaski

Dr. Katherine Pulaski's brief stint as the CMO on the USS Enterprise-D in s2 of Star Trek TNG gets plenty of flak from the fans- she always has. Reasons cited are usually missing Dr. Crusher or not liking how Pulaski interacted with Picard and Data... Which is fair, but I still think people are way too hard on this character!

Don't get me wrong- I absolutely love Dr. Crusher and felt her absence quite acutely. Nevertheless, come season 3, I always find myself missing Pulaski, too... I think a less-than-compassionate doctor is a really fun character to work with, and despite her rough edges, her commitment to medicine was undeniable. I'll also admit that TNG was my first trek, so the intended similarities between her and Bones meant nothing to me when I first met her, for better or for worse. Let me go through a few of the reasons that I think she was a good addition to the cast.

One of the biggest reasons I see people hate her is for how she treated Data throughout her brief run on the show. Look, Data is my favorite character, and of course I don't agree with Pulaski's views on the guy, but honestly? I think this tension and her growth throughout the season made things interesting and fun to watch. I liked the drama! I like her for the same reason I like the plots of "The Measure of a Man" and "The Most Toys". I think Data's humanity and sapience being challenged is one of the more fascinating aspects of the show, and- not to get too fandom-brained here- I just like some good old Data Angst. Just try to say you don't have emotions with Pulaski ragebaiting you, you goofy ass android. Joking aside, it's ok for the good guys to have flaws- I don't think the crew need to get along 24/7. There are moments other characters have treated each other poorly and no one gets near the same amount of defensive about it as Data fans do towards Pulaski. Furthermore, she was starting to see the error of her ways about him! I would have liked to see more of that character arc, truth be told.

To those who bring up Pulaski butting heads with Picard... Okay, sorry, I just literally can't see why anyone would care about this one. Granted, Picard isn't the most compelling character to me, so I dunno, maybe there's some diehard Picard fans out there who feel similarly about the situation as the Data fans do. Or maybe military pilled rank pullers who can't stand a little insubordination...? But again, to me, this just creates some nice dramatic tension on the bridge. I like it when any character disobeys direct orders or is rude to the head honcho. It makes me smile.

Missing Crusher is... Super valid, honestly, that's the reason I most can relate to. Beverly Crusher is one of my favorite characters on the show (probably in a tie for 2nd place with La Forge, honestly) and that's even despite her main ties being with characters I don't care as much for (Sorry again, Picardheads, and also sorry to poor Wesley who has surely endured enough hate over the years). I love her compassion, her sense of humor, her skills. And I really enjoy how knowing Picard on a more personal level allows her to engage with him in a more direct manner. Also, she's crazy hot. Okay, that's enough about how great Crusher is. Now let's compare her and Pulaski.

Crusher is certainly a lot kinder than Pulaski, but I'm admittedly a sucker for a mean doctor. I think a doctor without good bedside manner is super fun! Honestly it kind of just makes me wish we could have seen Crusher and Pulaski work together somehow, just to see their very different methods clash. Pulaski taking orders from Crusher... Dude, sorry, but the yuri would go crazy. That's not what this is about but that ship would be mindblowing.

There is the fact that Pulaski was just trying to imitate McCoy- like I said, I hadn't watched TOS at the time so it didn't bother me. I guess I can see how people might get irritated with a knockoff version of a character that lacks a lot of the same charm, but a LOT of TNG is trying to follow TOS' formulas. The other characters and dynamics got a chance to grow into something more than just a mimicry of the original, and I wish Pulaski would have gotten that same chance!

I really enjoyed Pulaski's few episodes. I think she was a compelling character who added some very interesting dynamics to the show. It's ok if the crew doesn't get along, guys, God knows I don't get along with all of my coworkers and yet we still excel. I was really fascinated with some of the decisions that the character made. When she was stubborn vs when she relented, when she rebelled vs when she stayed in line. I think the most fascinating aspect of her character was her willingness to sacrifice her own safety if it meant she could better treat a patient. I enjoyed her taking a shuttle out with a patient to be able to inspect him without endangering the ship- I liked how Data got to go, too, being immune, and I would have liked to see them in more situations like that. I LOVED her in "Peak Performance"- her challenging Data's abilities here read as more playful than outright dehumanising, and the way she ends up rooting for him and prodding him to accept the W is just delightful. There is just so much more of this character I would have liked to see... Oh, well, in another world!

If you are a Certified Dr. Pulaski Hater, I hope this little plea gave you pause. If you still hate her, then fair enough, these are just my opinions (and I haven't watched these episodes in a while, so have mercy on any innaccuracies, OK?). Either way, thanks for reading! LLAP! 🖖