Data and Pulaski: presumably the planned arc was for her to appreciate Data as they interacted more, but her attitude to him made me dislike the character even more
Posted by JohnHammond94@reddit | TNG | View on Reddit | 208 comments
Sethoria34@reddit
its a shame as she showed growth and was a great addition to the cast.
Without googling, im not sure why gates was not in season 2, but was in 3, but its a shame pulaski was not there anymore. she was a no nonence oldschool doc.
TLOE@reddit
The short answer is, Maurice Hurley.
Brendissimo@reddit
This and Measure of a Man also are really strange if you think about it. They take place AFTER Data has attended Starfleet Academy, been commissioned as a Starfleet officer, been promoted multiple times, and has served for 15 years as a decorated officer.
A lot of the "android prejudice" subplots would have worked way better if the Enterprise has simply found Data on a planet in an episode in season 1, and had slowly had him become a de facto part of the crew, like Neelix or Seven of Nine.
MolybdenumBlu@reddit
Data crawled so that Seven could sprint.
TanningOnMars@reddit
And sprint she did
habslably@reddit
in heels!
BagelsOrDeath@reddit
Boobies all a-bouncing...
Good_Background_243@reddit
I know you got downvoted, and I probably will be too, but I scrolled down to make the same joke.
AmeliasTesticles@reddit
Found Rick Berman's alt everyone...
Perfect_Ad7182@reddit
EvernightStrangely@reddit
I look at it more like that Starfleet had unofficially accepted Data as a person, but had not yet legally ruled him as a person because there was no need for it. It isn't until Maddox that Data's standing as a person was even called into question, and so legal proceedings had to be made. To make a real world analogy, there was a time when pets had more legal rights and protections than children. This oversight was found out when it became public that a couple were horrifically abusing their children, and when lawmakers were asked why there were not enough rights and protections, their answer was "we never imagined anyone would be capable of this kind of cruelty". Same thing with Data, Starfleet accepted him as a person but never imagined they would have to legally declare him a person and therefore entitled to all rights and protections afforded.
Brendissimo@reddit
But that's the thing - being accepted to the Academy, graduating, being commissioned as an officer, being promoted - NONE of that is "unofficial." It's the opposite, in fact. It is official recognition of his personhood, on the same terms as any other Starfleet officer.
So the idea that they would even have such a hearing after he's served in Starfleet with full rank and privileges for 15 years really doesn't make sense.
EvernightStrangely@reddit
It's because Data is machine, built by a man, found and activated by Starfleet. There's also a difference between being regarded as a person, and being legally defined as one. Data is unique, with remarkable capabilities that have yet to be matched by conventional robotics, Starfleet would have been fools not to let him join. But, seeing as he was something new and different than what's legally defined as a person, there's ambiguity on whether that applies to Data, so Maddox can make the argument that Data is salvage, and therefore property of Starfleet and unable to resign or refuse to undergo Maddox's experimental procedure.
thinspirit@reddit
I think the idea is that Starfleet Academy and being a service member is much more open than what the guy from the Daystrom institute is about.
A lot of TNG does feature "mad scientist" situations and characters that the ethics of Starfleet and the Federation have to continually fight against. It's supposed to represent an inclusive democracy and as such is always under attack from those who would pervert authority or power in the name of some doctrine or justification. I think a lot of what makes it good is the struggle between science and ethics and humanity.
There is the other episode about the terraformers who are so committed, they are willing to kill a sentient, albeit, very different life form in the name of their terraforming.
There's also the one about the exocomps.
The struggle for fairness, ethics, and democracy is always under attack, and it takes strong Aristotelian characters like Jean Luc Picard to hold the line.
Brendissimo@reddit
Sure, but if they let him into the Academy and he's a member of Starfleet, then the whole hearing in Measure of a Man shouldn't even be possible. Of course he's a person, Starfleet recognized him as such when they admitted him to the academy. Legally, Starfleet has already judged him to be a person, therefore the hearing should not even be permitted.
But that's just a conceit of the show, and without it we wouldn't have a great episode.
Don't really have much to say about the rest. I am all for morality plays - they're one of the things Trek does best. All I'm saying is that Data's situation doesn't make much sense if you think about it.
Which is why it's best not to!
thinspirit@reddit
I didn't see it as much as him already being declared as a person, more so that Bruce Maddox is making a claim that would change the status that doesn't currently have existing case law or legal proceedings to confirm it.
That in the episode, his situation is currently sitting in some kind of "grey area". The computers aboard star ships are smart, but they're considered property of Starfleet. Someone trained those computers on Starfleet procedures, is that like Data going to the academy? They can order members of Starfleet to change post and give them different assignments, isn't that what they're doing now with Data?
At the same time, Starfleet was just operating on whether he could complete the tasks set out in front of him, pass the admittance tests, complete his courses etc. I doubt Starfleet entry has any determination on whether those participating have to be declared any kind of lifeform, just that they can complete the requirements.
The whole point of the episode is to codify Data as an individual who should be granted his own bodily autonomy. Something that was assumed, rather than established, during his time at the academy and in Starfleet.
They run into the same issue with Hugh. When he was still part of the collective, they wanted to weaponized him. When they realize he's regained his individualism, they have to change plans, due to the ethics of the situation.
Sea-Quality4726@reddit
Roddenberry's initial plan was for Riker to be uncomfortable with Data because Data had what the writers guide called objectively feminine traits, specifically that Data "needed to be needed".
Brendissimo@reddit
That's funny. Roddenberry had some out there ideas. I would kind of like to see that version of S1
Sea-Quality4726@reddit
Yeah, the world is missing a fan made The Original Next Generation. A lot of complaining fans would absolutely lose it to see what the writers guide described.
Ciserus@reddit
My favorite part is Roddenberry repeatedly describing the women characters as "VERY female" in form. (Read: "thin but with big jugs")
Brendissimo@reddit
I think especially some of the younger folks who already don't like seeing sexuality of any kind, let alone problematic sexuality or sexual fetishization, would absolutely blow a fuse in outrage.
Sea-Quality4726@reddit
All the focus on sex, Data being seemingly biological to any normal scan, the correct pronunciation of Data's name...
Though the Klingons having joined the Federation and being in the process of replacing their own values with Federation ones would probably alarm the opposite people today than approaching the reforms and end of the Soviet Union.
Torlek1@reddit
Isn't that early idea going all the way back to Xon?
MarioJinn2@reddit
I also had this gripe. But after Picard speaks with Guinan and the slavery metaphor becomes for front, I view it as a free person being pressed back into slavery, even if the writers didn't intend it to be that way. A bit sloppy, kinda, but there's a lot of that in season 2.
Brendissimo@reddit
I don't think that metaphor was at all directed to Data's own experiences. They are talking about letting Maddox make more Datas and use them as he sees fit. Very different than Data's path in Starfleet.
hmnahmna1@reddit
Which ~~is basically what happened when Maddox succeeded and put all those androids to work on Utopia Planitia.~~
Brendissimo@reddit
Yup, as a flashback, with incredibly ham-fisted execution, but that's Picard for you.
Expensive_Guidance95@reddit
I don't think so.
All because he's been through Starfleet academy and one court battle over his sentience doesn't suddenly mean every single person in the whole of Federation space is going to appreciate him as a living person. Things like that are generational changes, it takes time to adjust people's perspective especially if they're older as they've grown up and become entrenched in those belief systems.
Polaski being weird toward Data felt organic to me, like there must be people who would be fucking weird toward him, much like how people are weird and dismissive of the EMH(s) in Voyager/DS9, there's absolutely an ingrained bias within the federation that a "Programmed or created" being is lesser or not as good as them in some way, or unreliable, regardless of the data on show.
I think Polaski should've had more time on the show and her being arrogant and deepseated in her speech yet trying to change was a reflection of how a lot of Gen X/Boomers were and are toward a lot of cultural things, they can't help saying out of pocket things and acting out of pocket not necessarily out of a phobia or disdain, but out of ignorance. She slowly warms up to Data and his most formative episodes proceeding this would've been really cool with her about as his "Rough, but straight talking human side"
hmnahmna1@reddit
That doesn't strike me as strange at all. I can think of a racist or sexist or three that can totally dismiss someone's accomplishments because of the color of their skin or their gender. It doesn't surprise me that Pulaski has to work through her biases. And Bruce Maddox didn't strike me as the most ethical researcher.
elizabethdawkes@reddit
I always loved his proud little smile when she says he’s technically alive.
ryhoyarbie@reddit
She was rough around the edges either him at the beginning of the season, but her treatment towards Data became better as the season progressed.
If Pulaski was there in season 3, she would have encouraged Data to fight for his daughter’s rights in The Offspring.
AbbotDenver@reddit
I've read the writers wanted something like the Spock-McCoy dynamic. It just didn't work since Data, this early on, lacked Spock's ability to verbally parry as good as he got. At that point in Data's arc it came across as too one sided, and probably would have worked better later in the series
United_Efficiency330@reddit
That's was and is exactly the problem. Data is NOT Spock. Spock is a half human, half Vulcan who does his best to suppress his humanity. Data is an android who aspires to be human. Because of Spock's maternal human heritage, he can understand nuance. Thus his ability to fight back against McCoy's bigotry. Data lacked that nuance. Thus his interactions with Pulaski looked too much like a mean old lady kicking a puppy. By the time she started warming up to him, the damage was done.
kdlangequalsgoddess@reddit
McCoy was bigoted to a degree, but Spock also secretly enjoyed infuriating him by being more Vulcan than Vulcan. Spock gave as good as he got.
Good_Background_243@reddit
Secretly? At times he was outright revelling in it and the only person who couldn't - or chose not to - see that was Bones.
Business-Decision719@reddit
Also, Spock and McCoy were both there from the beginning. (Okay, not the very first pilot. But still the rest of TOS, TAS, and the movies.) It was believable that special type of old friends who can poke at each other because they know they can take it.
Besides, as different as they might have been they always had common ground, i.e. their shared friendship with Kirk. They were like the angel and devil on his shoulder, except instead of good and evil you had McCoy's unashamed Humanism and Romanticism (embracing sincere emotion and raw subjectivity) versus Spock's objectivity, rationality, and interspecies perspective. They knew Kirk trusted no one else as much as he trusted them, and they each had very different but very necessary and very secure roles in that relationship.
TNG had already established itself as a very different show from TOS by season 2, and there wasn't any preexisting dynamic for Pulaski to slot neatly into with Data. She couldn't really be his counterpart the way McCoy was Spock's. Data's sort of child-like and works as a complete counterpart to Wesley (one's a hyper advanced android, the other's a prodigy chosen one, and their both discovering themselves). He's foreign enough to be a Worf counterpart (trying to find their way among humans). He's also got an equal-but-oppposite vibe with Deanna: he understands everything but emotions, while she feels everyone's emotions. None of these people are insulting Data on a regular basis, so why is the newcomer? The "friendly" subtext just wasn't there.
Cookie_Kiki@reddit
Not to Data
RodinKnox@reddit
Exactly. Plus, Spock would talk frequently about his appreciation for who he was. So McCoy would say something like, "You really aren't human, Spock," and Spock would reply, "A fact for which I'm most grateful, doctor."
But Data yearned to be human, so you can't have that sort of back and forth.
Torlek1@reddit
I wonder how the interactions would go between an older Pulaski and the Data of PIC S3.
WatchForSlack@reddit
I think this also explains why the scene about pronouncing Data's name is such a favorite and makes the rounds on social media so regularly. It's an example of when they nailed the dynamic they were going for. Data stands up for himself in a way that is natural (and plenty of us have done for ourselves) and Dr. Pulaski has to stop and think about what she's really doing by assuming things like "how I say it's name doesn't matter, it's just a machine!". Great scene, 10/10
Contrast with the scene in the post here, what could Data say here that wouldn't come off as being out of character or just being a doormat. Makes Pulaski look unprofessional at best and mean spirited at worst.
I think the other problem is that (I think) we never really find out why Dr. Pulaski is so technophobic (remember, she also hates using transporters). When she act's like Data is nothing more than a fancy forklift there's not really any way to follow her line of thinking, she just comes off like an a-hole
Biggu5Dicku5@reddit
That was exactly how I viewed it back in the day... she just seemed like an arrogant bully...
Interceptor@reddit
I rewatched the season recently, and realised that if I mentally gave Pulaski McCoy's voice, I immediately liked the character much more. I can see now what they were going for, but they didn't quite stick the landing.
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
A doctor questioning personhood just lands in the unforgivable column for a lot of people
ZeroBrutus@reddit
Except hes not a person as she understands it, so her coming to acknowledge and be fond of him hits harder and is more significant because of her status as a doctor.
This is the same season as measure of a man, it was a theme they were going for.
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
You're 100% spot on. It's like Star Trek fans don't understand character arcs or that human beings can be complex creatures. For me, Doctor Pulaski was a 100% more interesting character than Crusher, and I like Crusher, because Pulaski is multidimensional, while Crusher is mostly a complete snore.
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
Between that and not respecting Data's name, it can be a situation of begging for a second chance at a first impression.
It's just hard watching a doctor open by failing at empathy on that level. Just grosses you out. Not totally logically fair.
CordeCosumnes@reddit
Can you have empathy for something that doesn't have feelings?
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
Yes. Anyway, Data did not have emotion, but he did have experience.
Aggravating_Mix8959@reddit
And his pathways became accustomed to having the crew around. Not sure how different that is from rudimentary emotions.
ZeroBrutus@reddit
Fair - I like to remember the episode is almost 40 years old and give it the grace I gave TOS when I first watched it in the 90s. If it was shot like that today Id probably be harsher on it as well.
blindio10@reddit
i was about 7 or 8 when this first aired, i thought she was bullying our pinnochio and having been bullied a little by teachers myself i did not like it
the irony of me like her interactions with worf as much as i dislike them with Data
ZeroBrutus@reddit
I always thought thats how were meant to see it, so we can see the change and growth along the way.
According_Sound_8225@reddit
She came across just as badly 40 years ago.
Silent_Pressure_6709@reddit
Yeah, it makes sense to me. Androids have been objects for generations; to her it's like someone told her a Siri became sentient. It would be hard to imagine no matter how much evidence you got.
djonma@reddit
I don't understand why it would be hard.
If the experts all landed on the side of Siri became sentient, and it was noted as such on the personnel files I had, that dictate the way I interact with the people around me (rank), why would it be hard to imagine?
Cookie_Kiki@reddit
You assume that there was such a note. There wasn't, even after MOAM, at which point Katherine and Data were friends.
Silent_Pressure_6709@reddit
You might believe it logically, but after so long treating it as an object, old habits would remain. Also, a lot of people say that, but history proves that people find it difficult to accept things like that.
bloodfist@reddit
Look, I've worked in healthcare IT. No one hates computers more than doctors. And they hate people who work with computers only slightly less. Meanwhile, IT professionals make for their worst patients.
I think the two fields require similar skills, but work differently enough that each always thinks the other sucks at their job.
So I fully believe a doctor would not trust a person made out of computer.
GargamelLeNoir@reddit
And the fact that she essentially bullied someone who couldn't strike back.
United_Efficiency330@reddit
Like I said earlier, like a mean old lady kicking a puppy.
norbertmars@reddit
Or being beastly to Piglet.
Tabootop@reddit
Well three things, similar to zuko or Jamie from Ted Lasso, any character can super nice and accepting right off the back, but real character growth, involves actual growth. Pulaski was flawed, like a real human, look at people now a using the term clanker, she started of not believing data was conscious or alive. But when Pulaski began interacting with Data, mainly starting in "unnatural selection", she began turning around showing her realizing he maybe/is alive, to the point in "Pen Pals", when Data wants to violate the prime directive, Pulaski supports Data and agrees they should intervene. In an odd way with her starting off with a negative view of data, it actually kind of makes data feel more alive because we haven't really seen too many people have a change of heart when it comes to data after meeting him
I actually like Pulaski a lot more than I like crusher, after rewatching the series with a different perspective. I noticed that Beverly kind of seems like a deadbeat mom and an incompetent Doctor. She does have an occasional Time when she's actively being a better character but it's very rare. in the one season Pulaski was in. I learned more about her character and saw her actively making smarter choices than I've ever seen Beverly. Beverly's most well-known thing she's ever done was f*** a candle.
Finally she did not leave the show because of audience dislike of her. She left the show because on most people on the show kind of bullied her/ didn't include her in a lot of things. Most notably Patrick Stewart who wanted Gates McFadden back on the show.
Aggravating_Mix8959@reddit
Pulaski is Data's biggest supporter in the episode with the game Strategery.
david-saint-hubbins@reddit
Yeah at least half of the problem for me is Muldaur's performance. The scene OP has linked here is a perfect example. "It dOeS KnOW hOW to DO tHESE tHinGs, DoEnSN'T iT?!" She comes off as unhinged.
I feel like the writers intended it to be much more straightforward. She asks Data to do something (zoom in on the viewscreen); she's not sure if he did it correctly, so she double checks by asking Picard if Data knows what he's doing. She's treating Data like a thing, not a person. She's talking about him as if he isn't right there. It's disrespectful. But there's no reason for her to be as manic as she's acting.
It should be basically the same kind of thing that happens early in season 1 of Voyager whenever somebody talks about the EMH, in front of the EMH. They're not treating him like a sentient person. But they're not freaking out simply because he exists.
djonma@reddit
Just going off the text, it comes off as so passive aggressive sneering as well.
I MUST learn to accept it!
Plenty_Discussion470@reddit
Interesting point. This early on in a character’s performance, the director and executive director should have some input as well. Seems like they were trying for a comic beat that didn’t land
MindlessNectarine374@reddit
I don't know. By the way: Today I learnt how much harsher this in the English language original.
settingdogstar@reddit
Its not weird for a doctor to question chatgpts sentience lol
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
Real doctor, yes. They should really think about that deeply and have specific convictions on that.
Doctor character on TV, never. If they have an actor playing them, the character has personhood. On a human, emotional level.
settingdogstar@reddit
Guess trek was just better then other shows then 🤷
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
I think TNG after season 2 was some of the best Trek, and even a couple of cringey episodes from early on. I like the idea of bringing back an actor from the original. I like that actress. But she has a couple of the worst characters in old Trek.
settingdogstar@reddit
She only plays one character, not multiple.
Also, no one was talking about bringing her back.
You lost bud?
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
She was in TOS for an ep
gideonwilhelm@reddit
I feel like Pulaski, as a fictional character in a fictional setting, would think and act like a real doctor on a real enterprise, where Data is an android rather than a shiny Brent Spiner
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
There are deep differences between real people and satisfying depictions. Pulaski is a depiction.
gideonwilhelm@reddit
And the writers wanted to depict a bigot learning and growing out of her bigotry
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
I think they needed to start with a character we already liked and then introduce a bias. If you introduce a biased character, and they're biased against someone we like, team Data wins.
gideonwilhelm@reddit
That can work for one offs, but when you want an arc, using an existing character can feel way more out of left field. Like... Picard not liking kids was a trait on day one, and I don't see any complaints about that
Nervous_Olive_5754@reddit
He doesn't seem like he would quite like kids, and he had to be good without being idealistically perfect.
I think if it was a recurring minor character like Barkley who hated Data (the only computer he isn't authorized to turn off) that would have been way better. And having him express his anxious insecurity by being unwilling to use his name.
Having a doctor tell you you're not technically not people is credible. That's just mean. Doctors are supposed be nice and we judge them on bedside manner. Pulaski plays more as a charge nurse to me.
The the cat doctor from animated Star Trek (names are escaping me) was a better version of Pulaski.
TripleStrikeDrive@reddit
That real difference between Data and holodeck character or enterprise's main computer? Maybe few extra lines of code?
No one is calling the most holodeck characters alive. It's easy to dismiss Data as sentient lifeform if you interact with machines that mimic human behavior all the time.
Imagine we, the audience, are introduced Data for the first time at the beginning of season 2. I think alot us will be questioning if Data is truly a life form. Data doesn't show emotion and admits to not having emotions.
Waste-Dragonfruit229@reddit
She openly admits to loving a man who cheats at anbo jyutsu. She cannot be redeemed.
nebelmorineko@reddit
I did not like how she minimized Kyle's horrible treatment of Riker to Riker's face because Kyle told her his son was the reason he couldn't really commit and she was still hot for the dad. Like, you know he's a liar and an asshole and a narcissist, but somehow you can't figure out he could be lying about that? That whole thing was just super weird.
IvoryWoman@reddit
Abandoned his 15-year-old son! FIFTEEN!!! I have twins who are almost 15 and they most definitely still need parenting. Riker should have stayed estranged from his father. Still mad about that after all these years.
nebelmorineko@reddit
I can't imagine wanting to get with a man who did that. Like you know he is a pile of garbage, how can you idolize him?
lilianasJanitor@reddit
It is after all the pinnacle of the martial arts
SolarBoytoyDjango@reddit
She ended up being the only character who encouraged Data to embrace being an android, instead of just reinforcing his belief that he needed to be more human.
For that, I will always like her.
Platnun12@reddit
Even Q respected that about him.
I'd never bring you that low data.
That says a lot about how Q sees him
LumiKlovstad@reddit
The Arc actually started paying off relatively quickly, and by the end of the season she genuinely trusted and liked Data.
I really liked Pulaski because she was a skilled Doctor, a skilled administrator (need to be one to head a Galaxy Class ship's medical department), and very wise... but also decidedly imperfect. She had flaws, she had biases, and she screwed up with things. That she WAS pushy, thorny, and opinionated early on actually struck me as a breath of fresh air for me after everyone kinda Just Got Along Effortlessly through Season 1, and her development was handled at a pretty good pace. I wish she'd stuck around.
GainOld4005@reddit
She was a hag
Anaxamenes@reddit
She had a more realistic portrayal of someone grappling with someone different. Had she stuck around it’s likely there would have been episodes with her interacting more with data and gaining her “aha” moment of realization.
We see some unprofessional behavior by the crew towards Barclay in later seasons and I too view this as more realistic but also that Barclay still had something worthwhile to give as a crew member even if he was struggling with his mental health.
Aridyne@reddit
unlike Spock he doesn't bite back so instead of the McCoy Spock dynamic it comes across more as unprofessional bullying
TrueLegateDamar@reddit
This. Spock and McCoy were trading evenly, while Pulaski appeared to be punching down.
robotatomica@reddit
and btw, it’s just a level of unprofessionalism that is scarcely believable for anyone serving on the Enterprise. The way she constantly undermines and insults Data, always with “oops, sorry I accidentally said what I really feel about you being a toaster I don’t respect!” -
that’s textbook, that’s exactly the way a bully tries to get away with being a bully in an environment where bullying is taken seriously, those little “plausible deniability” constant negs.
Except I just don’t buy for a second Picard wouldn’t have handled it once and for all and pulled away that excuse.
My favorite episode of TOS, “Balance of Terror,” the MOMENT Stiles makes one of these shitty little plausible deniability comments, Kirk stops everything to focus on it and make it clear it’s to cease completely.
Repeat what you said. That behavior/attitude has no place on the bridge.
https://youtu.be/RdqseBkIoSk
THIS is how a captain handles this sort of situation. It’s wild to even imagine Stiles or Pulaski achieving their posts with this sort of behavior still natural to them, but at least we got to see it shut doe immediately and aggressively by Kirk.
In-universe I feel like Picard also would have, but they wanted this dynamic to be ongoing, since they really erroneously thought it somehow mirrored the back-and-forth banter and interplay of Spock and McCoy.
But boy oh boy, what a bad read!! Yall JUST gave us a whole episode (in “Measure of a Man”) showing that the ultimate consequences of Pulaski’s irreverent and belittling attitude about Data’s personhood are that such an attitude can be used to deny him his rights and literally kill him.
How they thought they could illustrate that to the audience and then we were found to find Pulaski’s treatment and denial of his personhood adorable or playful in any way is beyond me!
Magazine_Luck@reddit
Spock and McCoy also loved the roast battles most of the time.
IvoryWoman@reddit
Yep. When push came to shove, Spock and McCoy could work together just fine, and both clearly respected each other.
There was also the fact that McCoy was a very…authentically vibrant character. His insults toward Spock upon finding out about the Genesis project are offputting, but, as it turns out, McCoy is 100% right about it being a very dangerous idea *because* he views it as an inhuman use of technology. Spock literally has to knock McCoy out in order to carry out his own suicide mission to save the ship at the end of ST2. Etc. McCoy is a creature of emotion within a framework of ethics and dedication to his craft. Pulaski was written as being much…lower-key, just with moments of almost maniac responses. Positioning her as the human extreme vs Data as the logical extreme was inherently implausible; throw in the fact that Data *wanted* to understand emotions, and you get an offputting dynamic.
Aridyne@reddit
Exactly! Punching down on the fan favorite at that
mediumAI1701@reddit
It's like punching a tree. Sometimes she got splinters, but it was entirely incidental and fully her own fault. Data didn't have the ability or the inclination to fight back.
Itcouldntpossibly@reddit
McCoy also never denied Spocks personhood. For all his racism he never once claimed that Spock wasn't even alive.
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
"Bullying" of something which can't even feel emotions? What she did was challenge Data and he rose to the occasion every time. I'd say Pulaski had as much to do with Data's early development as anyone else in the show.
Maleficent_Lab_5291@reddit
Also, Spock's personhood was never in doubt; it just lands differently when it's targeted at a character whose actual personhood is legally and philosophically challenged.
AKeeneyedguy@reddit
Her and that Christopher Hobson guy who is his XO when commanding the Sutherland during the Klingon Civil War episodes. I hated that guy. And don't even get me started on the guy who wanted to dissect Data to maybe have a chance at making more like him.
Don't get me wrong, I think what we're doing IRL with AI and Robotics will only end in Skynet becoming self aware and hunting us all down. But once anything has the agency that Data has, they are 100% a Person and should be treated as such.
Champ_5@reddit
She does come to appreciate him more and even be supportive of him.... Unnatural Selection and Peak Performance
Impressive_Usual_726@reddit
In Peak Performance, Pulaski was the only one on the ship that truly understood Data and cared enough to help him get over his loss of confidence.
Canuck_Lives_Matter@reddit
Pulaski is one of the most underrated characters for some reason. She's fine as far as I can tell, if a little conservative, she is basically the starfleet conservative. Opinionated but quick to reflect. She was a nice callback to Bones for me, as she reminded me much more of him.
rolyfuckingdiscopoly@reddit
I did appreciate that she was quick to reflect! And it turns out I like her now, but I definitely know why I didn’t like her when I was little. And I feel like writing about it! So here is my (longer than I expected) Pulaski diatribe. But I really do like her now, I love her relationship with Data, and I find her courage admirable. Seriously you don’t have to read this long essay; I just had extra coffee today and it was fun to examine little-me’s reaction to this specific character. And since it’s here, imma hit post despite the unreasonable length 😂. But for real don’t read it; it’s a stupid amount of words to read about someone else’s childhood impressions. I’m just journaling on your comment lol.
Dr Pulaski did, as everyone knows, make a pretty bad first impression or two. As a kid, I simply could not believe the name thing with Data. It was very obvious, from my perspective, that even if you don’t think Data is a person-person, you should refer to him by his name/title. Aside from the fact that he was my fave and was definitely, clearly, obviously a person in my childhood eyes, there are other reasons to not just randomly say it differently.
First of all, he ISNT literally just collected information aka literal data, unless you mean in the vague way that all things are just collections of data, so she can’t just be using the WORD data, and it doesn’t make sense to him as that word. And you can’t use the alternate pronunciation of a word if you’re not even using it as a properly-accurate word.
And then: Clearly, everyone else on the ship calls Data by his name properly, and you just got here twenty minutes ago— it’s weird to pronounce it differently than everyone else on purpose. What are you doing? Even if you think he is an object, why are you pronouncing the object’s name differently than literally everyone else on the ship? If I am on the flagship of the federation and everyone calls one object a cable, I’m not going to call it a wire, or a cord. Or a CABB-lay. (Exceptions would happily be made for regional accents, but not if we are just being a jerk about this one word). It’s important to say it properly! I want to be understood! And this is a military exploration endeavor— we might need to act quickly. So I call the cable whatever the captain calls it, especially if cables/wires are outside of my professional purview. And the captain calls him Mr Data! That’s a name!
We have strict protocols and high standards; I want things to be super clear and understandable when I refer to them, as I am the new girl on the FLAGSHIP of the federation. It’s bad decorum to just decide you know better than everyone else on the most prestigious ship in the known universe.
She also just seemed like a mean 3rd grade teacher, and why would I spend time with a mean 3rd grade teacher recreationally? 😂 (I did have a mean 3rd grade teacher, at the same time I first encountered Pulaski, and she was kinda similar to the good doctor but… meaner. She could not say my name properly (what a parallel). She had us sit during class with our heads down and our eyes closed, as punishment, wayyyy too often, while teaching. Which seems to undermine the point of lessons, doesn’t it? She unjustly gave me a punishment because I was reading Beverly Cleary’s “Beezus and Ramona” and it was funny, so I laughed, and this teacher could not believe that I could find a book funny enough to laugh aloud. Entire class period with my head down and eyes closed while she taught math. Weird.
This same mean teacher did give me my first copy of The Giver, though, for which I will always bless her. At the time, I was annoyed and offended because everyone else got a cute pink-and-purple copy of “The President of Sixth Grade,” or whatever, and I got a boring-looking book with a black and white old man’s face on it. I misjudged you for that one, Miss Romnell. Just like, potentially, Pulaski!).
TNG was also my first Star Trek, so I didn’t have any fun “callback to Bones.” She was just a rude lady.
Lastly, at this point, there were basically only two main women characters on the ship, and being a little girl in the 90s, i held these few women to extremely high standards. They were worse at everything than the men were, as far as I could tell. Which was okay, but a new, even worse and also old girl character just seemed ridiculous. Lieutenant Yar talked about… some weird stuff, and then unceremoniously and pointlessly died because of a blob of tar. As the chief of security. Hm. I could tell I was supposed to care, but she was weird and I did not.
Deanna was okay, but she basically just wanted to talk about feelings, her voice was simultaneously placating and kinda whiny, and she kept getting pregnant. (Which… did I just see the one episode on syndication repeatedly? Because she does not, factually, “keep getting pregnant.” It was one time! But these were my impressions). She was not as cool as any of the guys, but at least she was pretty and nice.
Dr Crusher had red hair like me (!!) and, although she was also not as cool as any of the guys, she was, like Deanna, pretty and nice. I did not count Guinan or Lwaxana as a “main” character, though I enjoyed them. I wanted a super COOL main character lady. None of this was really fair, and it’s not Star Trek’s job to give third-grade girls their dream character, but I was tired of there being one or two female characters (like the singular Smurfette, and the singular Miss Piggy, and basically everything except dedicated Disney princess movies). So we have like 2 girls, and then they weren’t even that cool! I wanted cool. And hot. Or at least one of the temperatures.
So slightly-masculine and off-putting Dr Pulaski was not cutting it for me. The guys on the ship were amazing and inspiring; the girls were medium. And this new lady was abrasive and rude to my favechar, she had a boy haircut, and she was not pretty or nice. This was, in my view, egregious. (Obviously now I can tell that she has amazing bone structure and a very good face, and I have more evolved ideas about femininity, but little girls are little girls).
As an adult, I like her a lot more than I did, and I appreciate her. I actually love her as a character now. But kid me was extremely unimpressed.
This was fun to write! It occurs to me, and I kinda like the idea, that I came around to Pulaski as a character the way she came around to Data 😂. Ps cheers and thanks for letting me pontificate on your comment!
Perfect_Ad9311@reddit
Not pretty? Have you not seen her TOS ep? The short hair is throwing you off. As a 53 yr old man, I can now attest that Pulaski is hot AF, despite the hair.
Canuck_Lives_Matter@reddit
I mean, she's no Jadzia.
rolyfuckingdiscopoly@reddit
I think she looks good NOW, as an adult woman in my 30s. She has a good face that suits her, interesting features, good bone structure, is expressive and charming, and is clearly attractive. (Still not into the hair). As a little girl? No I did not think she was pretty at all. I thought she was old and had man hair 😂 (I know I know! but I was little enough that 8th graders looked like full adults to me, and my idea of beauty was like… Ariel the cartoon mermaid and Xena the warrior princess. Dr Pulaski is not at fault for my 90s kid ideas).
Also no I have not seen her TOS episode. I didn’t know that existed. I’ve just started getting into TOS now that I have a television in my own place for the first time! Any fave episodes of yours?
Canuck_Lives_Matter@reddit
Just checking in to say I have finally finished reading this post, against my better judgement. By the second day I knew I had gotten myself in too deep but I was invested. I feel as though in some not-small way you have really shared a part of yourself with us here in response to my comment which was seen by all of like 40 people, and that's pretty special. That said, I feel as though this level of dedication to following out a thought through a stream of consciousness could be better served writing posts themselves on Reddit, where they can get a better audience and provoke more conversation than I was ever prepared for :p
portmapreduction@reddit
We like Crusher in the end but I thought Pulaski was a more interesting character than S1 Crusher. She was very stubborn about certain things but in a well intentioned way and had an interesting POV.
Impressive_Usual_726@reddit
I wish they'd kept her, she injected some desperately needed conflict and diversity into the series.
Also she banged Riker's dad.
portmapreduction@reddit
Also Picard almost died because he was too proud to let her operate on him. She ended up being the only qualified person to treat his case once he got into a bad state.
Silent_Pressure_6709@reddit
What?!
charlie_marlow@reddit
Between being brought in to replace Crusher and making her initially antagonistic to Data, she just never stood a chance
weyoun_clone@reddit
Yep. It’s for that reason I will always love and defend Pulaski. She was a great character who actually had a good arc.
JumbleOfOddThoughts@reddit
Torlek1@reddit
T'Ana represents what Pulaski should have been.
She didn't imitate McCoy in Lower Decks. Her sarcasm was all her own!
glacial_penman@reddit
Strong disagree. The most immersion breaking aspect of the show was that there were never real interpersonal conflicts at a core level. 10 ambitious and competent people in the same work environment will create friction. Sometimes to frequently to the ships benefit. She was realistic. A lot of people wouldn’t see a toaster as human no matter how complex the programming. So it was nice to see logical conflict come into play.
GiltPeacock@reddit
I swear this Pulaski opinion is never genuine and is always just parroted. This “planned arc” literally entirely happens in season two. There’s two occasions where she treats him like the emotionless android that everyone including Data is constantly saying he is, one of which is this one which she apologizes for immediately.
In Peak Performance and Pen Pals, she is the most outspoken advocate for Data’s feelings in the crew by far. But everyone wants to remember it like she was a less personable McCoy who bullied Data relentlessly for some reason I cannot understand. The Pulaski who gave herself a shot so she could spontaneously engage in the Klingon tea ceremony with Worf out of respect for his culture and excitement for a chance to bond with a comrade seems to be largely forgotten by the fandom and I think that’s a shame.
DistanceMiserable591@reddit
I agree completely. I've always thought Pulaski was better written than Crusher. The arc with Data and the Klingon tea ceremony alone are so far beyond anything Crusher got. I think people get hung up on the introduction where she was crochety towards Data, a beloved character. Personally, I wish they kept Pulaski and we got to see her relationships with Worf and Data over time.
Swimming-Syrup8400@reddit
I think not having Pulaski cameo in some form in Picard was such a disservice. I don’t even know if Diana Muldaur was interested or even approached, but it would have been nice.
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
Add me to the Pulaski fan club. She challenged Data to accept who and what he is and to grow. She had a bigger hand in Data's development in season 2 than just about any other character. The hate for Pulaski is so weird.
Swimming-Syrup8400@reddit
Exactly! It’s almost like people have selective amnesia when it comes to Pulaski and her interactions with Data.
BR41ND34D@reddit
Soooo, you're saying some data is hard to remember?
(I'll let myself out)
Swimming-Syrup8400@reddit
Oh, I needed that. 😝😂😆
Fan_of_Clio@reddit
Bigotry like hers is why the federation condemned non organic life to slavery
WithASackOfAlmonds@reddit
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Beverly fan but Pulaski was the better character and should have stayed for the whole run.
Rhediix@reddit
But she doesn't have flings with non corporeal entities who hide in candles!
WithASackOfAlmonds@reddit
She would never.
cybersquire@reddit
I know what they were going for with DR Pulaski and Data, but her being ‘mean to Data’ made me dislike her instantly.
It’s unfortunate because she has a great scene with Worf later in the season where she clearly appreciates Klingon culture.
Diana Muldar is a fantastic actress who was stuck in an impossible situation and did her best with what she was given.
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
Do you not change your opinions on someone when they too also change? You run with first impressions for years on end?
KayJay282@reddit
They tried too hard to make her into a new Dr. McCoy.
She was so much better when she was able to be her own character.
I would have loved for her to return for a episode in the last season, or a episode in DS9.
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
A recurring character on DS9 would have been pretty cool.
PomegranateFair3973@reddit
By just the end of her time in a single season, Pukaski became a real friend to Data and one of his biggest supporters. In that one season she had more character development then Crushed did across seven seasons and four movies. She was a much better character than Crusher ever was, and I am tired of people saying otherwise. Those that dismiss her judge her solely on how she first treated Data, ignoring all of their later interactions where she showed him respect, and was one of the few people who seemed to take an active interest in helping him explore humanity.
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
She also encouraged him as what he is too, an android.
Robman0908@reddit
Totally agree
VanDammes4headCyst@reddit
Star Trek fans are so weird about this.
trekgirl75@reddit
Pulaski grew on me over the years but I still get angry when she mispronounces his name & has the audacity to be offended when he corrects her.
Acrobatic-Shirt8540@reddit
The writers didn't do her character any favours. She was dislikeable from the beginning. You could argue her attitude to Data's sentience was about character growth. However, the scene when she gets his name wrong and then doubles down when he corrected her, is just obnoxious. Pure disrespect, and there's no way she'd have done that to a human crew mate.
morangias@reddit
The problem with Pulaski is they tried to give her and Data the same dynamic Bones had with Spock, but Spock was perfectly capable of reciprocating insults while Data wasn't, which made her look like a bully even before one considered how much the whole assumed dynamic looks problematic in the 80s.
That said, she did have the arc of warming up to data, and by the end of the season she was supporting him quite fiercely.
HisDivineOrder@reddit
They pretty much established she distrusted blind belief in technology and Data was the living embodiment of her having her own experiences with Data before deciding, "Okay. This one's not a transporter. This one's one of the good ones."
Then she needs the transporter, too.
Business-Decision719@reddit
Honestly the whole "I hate technology" thing was another point that didn't exactly do Pulaski too many favors as a likeable character. It didn't really make a lot of sense. It's the far future. Food materializes out of the wall. "The economics are somewhat different." You don't have to take a job on the, um, cutting edge juggernaut starship of the fleet. But here you are. Thanks for complaining about all the tech you signed up to be here with, including our beloved android!
Combined with her and Picard not getting along all that well at first, Pulaski looked a trouble maker. TNG arguably could have used a character like that. She sort of shakes up the "let's not have conflict among the crew" vibe that the "Roddenberry rules" were apparently going for. I think a lot of people nowadays do sort of like Pulaski in hindsight. But at the time she was sort of the square peg getting shoved into the round hole left by Crusher's banishment, and it just didn't go over well at all.
Cookie_Kiki@reddit
This was such a dumb scene. Why is the captain dragging the chief medical officer from sick bay to give orders to the science officer?
TheMaskedHamster@reddit
I really hate that they even brought it up.
Data is a machine, and I am happy to exercise the suspension of disbelief with the crew. But asking this is like nitpicking the scientific possibility of the warp drive. There has to be room in science fiction for the fiction part.
This wasn't using the question of a robot's humanity to reveal man's depravity, but just staking her morality on whether she accepted a machine as life.
MsToodleCakes@reddit
I wanted Data to cuss her out so bad. lol
Fun-Tooth-622@reddit
Ah, I get to defend Pulaski.
I appreciated her because she gave us an interesting take of Data they was missing. At the time of TNG, Data is the only one of his kind besides Lore running around. Androids are not common at all, this is the first Android most people of any race have interacted with.
Even in the tolerant federation, I think a lot of people would take time to get comfortable with Data. The rest of the crew just kind of gets there immediately with no drama, but her journey is more realistic and interesting.
Consistent_Mango2358@reddit
They're already introducing a new character to an established cast and she's a cranky old lady who was instantly mean to one of the most beloved characters on the show. If she was there from the beginning and she was learning about Data as we were it might have worked but the way they did it we were all like "this bitch has a lot of nerve"
UrguthaForka@reddit
9CaptainRaymondHolt9@reddit
https://i.redd.it/fwvi93lf5j0h1.gif
Blue_box_42@reddit
Overall I like Pulaski's arc and think it's interesting. That being said I also have a different perspective regarding the name thing, as I also have people alter the pronunciation of one of the A's in my name all the time. Normally I don't bother correcting it, but I could easily see someone getting defensive in that instance, particularly if they didn't know that it was a name, not a designation.
Jolly-Holiday819@reddit
I've always felt Pulaski's early perspective of Data as inhuman, emotionless, etc. parallels McCoy's early perspective of Spock.
Kendrakirai2532@reddit
Pulaski was hugely disrespectful to him, acting like treating him like a person was a favor.
In this very image, if the line was "Your file says you're male, and I must respect that", there'd be mo question as to her sheer bigotry and not at all veiled disgust at him existing. But because he's an android people do gymnastics to excuse her.
She fricking calls him an "it" at one point!
EudamonPrime@reddit
Technically Data is an it. Yes, he is fully functional, but that just means the vibrator also knows how to make coffee and fly a spaceship.
Accomplished_Gold510@reddit
This was necessary as part of datas story. Do you really think she was the only person who he experienced this with? Or that she wasn't more open minded than the rest of the bigots? This is just something not all people relate to, but its very common. Harden up.
RhydYGwin@reddit
She never said anything worse than McCoy said about Spock.
slimspida@reddit
Pulaski was an almost great character. She was happy to drink Worf’s poison tea as soon as she had some antidote. You know she would be great to party with.
The conflict between her and Data was undercooked. Having her be wrong about him and eventually corrected is as nuanced as a Taylor Sheridan plot-line, but it was entirely reasonable to introduce a character that had trouble accepting Data’s personhood. Data was unique in his sentience, and it’s realistic that some would have trouble seeing it.
krampaus@reddit
well put!
Pythias@reddit
I loved Pulaski. I started off not liking her at all but ended up loving her by the end of the season.
CaleanKnight@reddit
Another one that just doesn't actually pay attention because "Pulaski mean!"...
IncandescentScamp@reddit
A big part of the problem with Pulaski and Data is actually Data himself: being unique (as far as anyone knows) and quasi-famous, he's a horrible fit for a lot of robot plots, among them people not understanding what he is. Pulaski's response would make perfect sense if Data looked like a stack of bio-neural gel packs or a chunk of ship's computer, because she's from the 99.999% of the universe where that is an object, and thus an it. Her response would equally make sense if there were a lot of nonsapient androids running around, and arguably would show her in a more sympathetic light; Data has none of what she sees as human traits because she's so emotionally connected to human biology.
Pulaski is in this scene either needling Data or trying to integrate this impossible paradox into her worldview and prioritizing accuracy over elegance. The writers just never figured out that if you want to replicate the Spock and McCoy dynamic, you don't do it with contention between the human and the robo-woobie. You have Pulaski try to give him a physical and tie herself in knots trying to make it benefit him somehow, because he is a living crewman and that is what the ship's doctor does. You have her take his pulse with her fingers before remembering he has none. Data can only ever be adorably awkward, so have them be adorably awkward together. Then she ends up closer to Barclay in her understandable, very human difficulty, she keeps accidentally reminding Data he's not human, and when she leaves, she's not good enough rather than actively mean.
Emm_withoutha_L-88@reddit
Pulaski comes from a civilization 300 years after having to deal with AI slop. I can totally understand her being a bit unbelieving.
Think of how many idiots are certain their chat bot is sentient.
yeahalrightgoon@reddit
Pulaski feels like a character who if she stuck around, people may have enjoyed. The actor played her well with what she was given. She just had the misfortune of being made to replace Dr Crusher.
PurpleHawkeye619@reddit
My understanding is Diana Muldaur herself has confirmed she was never expected to stay for season 3 (part of why she was never actually credited as a main character but as a "special appearance") so I dont think there was any planned arc they never got to.
Linara2003@reddit
I always hated her because they are whizzing around space, meeting all kinds of lifeforms, and she can't respect his personhood? Every time they interacted, she was always just on the edge of rude to him. Picard should have put it in her record. Thats not acceptable behavior for a senior officer in Starfleet. Honestly, that would have been a good arc for her. You don't get to decide if you need to respect your fellow officers. It made no sense to me that any of them tolerated her attitude.
IamZed@reddit
Just watched that on H&I seconds ago.
Such-Race1607@reddit
Her biggest asset is empathy...goes on to be the least empathetic character on the show. What were they thinking?
Kredstarr2020@reddit
I would have loved her to come in contact with Lore and deliver him some devastatingly painful home truths
rebuildingrob@reddit
You could see where they were starting to grow into that relationship. If you remember the episode “penpals“ it was Pulaski who came to data’s defense while the senior staff was debating whether or not to help Sarjenka
bootyholeboogalu@reddit
What a coincidence it made me dislike Dr Pulaski more too
CSWorldChamp@reddit
When the show first aired, and ever since, of course I’m like “how can Pulaski act like that to poor Data?” 🥺
But here, now, today, in May 2026, I totally get it. I would absolutely be the Luddite, saying “get that fucking clanker out of my sight.”
wookieesgonnawook@reddit
You aren't a leader in an organization whose whole mandate is to seek out new forms of life.
CSWorldChamp@reddit
It’s easy to take that attitude because data’s the only one. Imagine the LLM situation transposed into the 24th century. Imagine for a second they are mass producing data’s. Imagine they are getting top star fleet jobs, while thousands of non-synthetic lifeforms are being laid off in the name of efficiency.
The real world has begun looking more how Isaac Asimov imagined it than gene roddenberry…
TripleStrikeDrive@reddit
They want that Mccoy and spock fri-enemy energy. Unfortunately, Data doesn't drop one-liners comebacks on Pulaski the way Spock did on Mcoy. It left Pulaski looking like a bully and Data her defenseless victim.
I see them why writers want to add personal charged dialog when no one yet had a full personality yet. it's ds9 where writers started perfection the characters with varying attitudes but still maintaining the professional feel of high-ranking officers.
deadlyspoons@reddit
Data was the only crewmember who did not fall under her care nor needed anything she had at sickbay. Not a lot of opportunity for interaction.
PhysicsEagle@reddit
With the proliferation of AI I find myself becoming more sympathetic for Dr. Pulaski's point of view
rando1459@reddit
Failed attempt at a McCoy/Spock dynamic.
thinspirit@reddit
Yeah, she was much sharper than McCoy.
McCoy comes across as more of a frustrated luddite or sometimes just generally fearful and doubtful. The repartee with Spock is also built over a long service record together. There's a kind of buddylike banter.
Pulaski just comes off as a bigot. Maybe it's because she's not charming enough for the banter?
PronouncedEye-gore@reddit
That's not how the word luddite works.
Their problem is not technology but it not being shared equally.
thinspirit@reddit
They had issues with how technology is used. My reference for McCoy is exactly that. He comes across more as a luddite than anti-technology.
He's a doctor on a starship. He's not anti-technology, but he's got all kinds of issues of how it's being used and directions it's going in. He doesn't like the robotic lack of feelings in Spock and laments having to participate in certain technological endeavors.
Swimming-Syrup8400@reddit
I don’t think people give Pulaski a fair shake. While she is initially cold toward Data, she goes on to develop a great respect for him. Peak Performance and Pen Pals are two amazing examples of this. She eventually grew to be a great defender of Data.
But, the selective memory for some of you seems to prevail.
481126@reddit
Never could really get passed this and then she was really cool with Riker's Dad being a deadbeat because she thought he was hot and I'm like I'm good. Now I'm an adult and I'm trying to be more charitable but...
AdagioVast@reddit
she was written to be TOO much of a scientist. It came off "wrong".
South_Front_4589@reddit
They clearly had intentions for her to upset the team chemistry at first, which gives a lot of room for stories and character development. But they took it too far, so the character tucked and obviously she was replaced before they did anything significant with her.
Darkhawk2099@reddit
IIRC the original idea was to try to recreate the Bones/Spock vibe except that the writers overplayed it so she just came across as mean, instead of gently teasing. (i don’t blame Muldaur for this, she did her best with what she was given to work with.)
HellyOHaint@reddit
If most of you met an Android, you would not consider it a person. You can claim differently because you love sci fi and watch Star Trek and see Data as a person and claim you always would, but this is doubtful. It would take a while to get past the uncanny valley and accept him as equal in value to a human.
TheMightyTywin@reddit
Sad reality: If she had looked like troi or 7 of 9, Roddenberry would have kept her.
Lawnmover_Man@reddit
Actual reality: He kept her over 2 series.
ReallyGlycon@reddit
Nah that's not how that worked. Roddenberry and her were old friends. That's how she got the job.
Done_With_That_One@reddit
If that was the case wouldn't he have kept her around more in TOS when she wasa looker? She did two episodes when she was young and 20 of TNG qhen she was old.
Red-Sun-Cinema@reddit
You're not alone in her acerbic attitude making people dislike her character a great deal.
pokemike1@reddit
It was planned that their interactions would be reminiscent of McCoy and Spock poking at each other in the original Star Trek. But, Data not understanding emotions was so much different than Spock not expressing emotions that it made Pulaski just seem mean.
Hephaestus16@reddit
Someone has to wrong so they can learn and to do properly they have to be crew member to they can stick around and have their preconceptions challenged one by one. I guess a problem with TNG is everyone already did their character development on a earlier ship and they have become stable characters (which I prefer to character development that goes over same lessons over and over again or just give them more and more trauma)
Aridyne@reddit
A effect of Roddenberry's moratorium on interpersonal conflict as 'humanity has evolved'
MICKTHENERD@reddit
I feel it was harder to get where Pulaski was coming from at first given how we the audience knew Data was a person. Now in the modern day seeing AI in action, I can UNDERSTAND why she'd be skeptical of Data being an actual person capable of good decisions, given the...HISTORY before him.
AppropriateCap8891@reddit
It must be remembered, almost nobody wanted her on the show.
She only came about because showrunner Maurice Hurley and Gates McFadden did not get along at all, and he demanded that she be fired for season 2. However he himself left the show at the end of season 2, so Gates was immediately brought back.
Magazine_Luck@reddit
God forbid TNG have more than two female main characters (who hardly get plots).
promeritum@reddit
The plan was McCoy/Spock repartee. Pulaski was basically just McCoy in a skirt.
Mini_Marauder@reddit
The problem is that McCoy would have been entirely unbearable were it not for DeForest Kelley.
Magazine_Luck@reddit
I love McCoy, but he was frequently a lot! I appreciated him more in the movies when stuff got so dour. He was vital and peppy.
Chewblacka_@reddit
Data, day-ta, what’s the difference
ThatDarnRosco@reddit
This exchange and sequence in the image, sounded to me so awkward and rough that it surprised me that it even made it into the episode. Sounded so fake.
jsonitsac@reddit
“The Child” was a retooled Phase II script so she’s at her most irascible and McCoy like in that one. I think that they only minimally rewrote her dialogue. I think that some of the McCoy-Spock (or Xon) banter got transferred but instead it came across as hostility.
MolybdenumBlu@reddit
As someone who didn't care much for data (I saw voyager first which basically did everything they did with data again with the doctor and seven, except better), I found pulaski to be fine.
Stagnu_Demorte@reddit
I recently reached this and it felt different since I found out that one of my coworkers named their ai agent and gave it a breathy voice
Elim-tain@reddit
her character arc was gonna be getting married to data, I'm glad she left quickly
Constant-Box-7898@reddit
Check back at Peak Performance.
CodeCleric@reddit
They also clearly wanted her to be the McCoy to Data's Spock. He's the logical unfeeling android with fantastic abilities and she'd be the staunch humanist, extolling the virtues of emotions and spirit and intuition etc.
watanabe0@reddit
She does appreciate him more as the season goes on.