Why Dr. Pulaski Is Actually Pretty Awesome
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
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▶Chapters
0:00 - Intro
02:21 - Meet Dr. Pulaski
04:46 - "The Child" / "Where Silence Has Lease"
08:54 - Pulaski's Character Arc
11:50 - "Unnatural Selection"
20:28 - "Pen Pals" / "Peak Performance"
25:26 - Pulaski Compared With McCoy
28:57 - Conclusion: Examples of Awesomeness
32:32 - Shoutouts, Plugs, and Announcements - Розваги
Exasperated, exacerbated
You wanna know the best part? I re-recorded that line because I noticed I said "exasperated" instead of "exacerbated" when I initially shot the video, said it wrong AGAIN, and didn't realize it until you pointed it out. Ah, well.
@@SteveShives it's okay, we appreciate the effort to appear fallible. Helps us to see the Shives as an attainable state of being.
@@SteveShives You could pull a Shakespeare and combine them into "exasperbated," like Shakespeare's "intrinsicate" meaning both intricate and intrinsic.
Or maybe not... "exasperbate" actually sounds kind of dirty.
Mother fucker, Steve Shives. Louxana Troi is one of the best characters on trek, because she is a woman past her 40‘s and is still self affirmed and powerful in who she is.
You are extremely progressive in almost all the things you say, but clearly ageism combined with sexism are still part of your understanding.
"Older women aren't allowed to be powerful and have their own agency" is what I hear whenever you shit on Louxana Troi.
Lwaxanna Troi was awesome on DS9 and I say that completely unapologetically. Sure she was still a demanding person, but my god her relationship with Odo was so sweet, I can forgive her damn near anything on DS9.
She also had a great relationship with Alexander on the Enterprise that gave her character more depth and history than she'd been allowed up to that point. And those episodes stand out because they show us the lives and feelings of one or two people can and do matter as much as the fate of the galaxy, or even the fate of a starship.
DS9 had a good record of improving the image of characters from other parts of the franchise. Lwaxanna is an example. Also, Worf escaping the role as punching bag for the AOTW. And Miles O’Brien ascending to a higher plane from an already positive role on TNG. It would have been interesting if Dr. Pulaski had been able to appear once or twice on the show.
Yeah, if you only saw her on DS9 I can definitely see this… she’s at her most unbearable in early TNG.
Odo is the perfect foil to her because he isn’t without emotions but definitely hides them. While also having a deep longing to fully understand and express those emotions with others. If you’re mainly familiar with Lwaxanna Troi from TNG, you might get weird sex vibes in later DS9 when shes so familiar with Odo. But the truth is their relationship is more like a surrogate mother and son since she cradled Odo like a baby in her weird plastic prom gown while he was regenerating. Hell, I’m tearing up just thinking out it.
Lwxana is usually not bad either, her being demanding and so strong willed and a free spirit, its annoying, does work in the show. She is memorable, and quite acharacter but i love how much the show agnowledges that.
In ds9 thou, she is really great.
I think the fact that pulaski is still talked about is a testament she is a good character. And i love crusher, but pulanski does a good job being distinct, and she softens up to data and it becomes to roasting banter and then friendly banter. Which shows they became quite close and she respects him a lot then.
Its easier to take her as that person that has little filler and roasts and has witty jabs on her friends as sign of friendship and respect.
She has a great arc on TNG too, she starts as a joke character but then shows a great human side, she's also an older woman, something seldom seen in this kind of shows, that also happens to be libertine and independent, a great positive character that is deeper than what she appears at first
That "One of them is my name, the other is not" scene gave me the courage to start correcting people (even friends) on the correct pronunciation of my name.
I really liked her character, tough lady not taking crap from anyone and not afraid to speak her mind. Worked well in contrast with overly nice crew of early seasons
Pulaski wasn't bad because of the actress when was just written badly that way
Picard spent the entire second season huffing and exclaiming “That woman!” every time Pulaski did anything.
Season 1, they had “Wesley…the boy?”
Season 2, they had “Harrumph…that woman!”
Apparently, the secret was to give Steve a white board, and his energy in videos increases 1000000 fold. I was in stiches this whole video Steve, almost as much as when we were on that podcast with Anita Sarki-wefiowefjoweijfoweijfw. Sorry, slipped on my keyboard. Def all thumbs today.
Are you saying I'm LOW ENERGY normally?!
@@SteveShives You are a bit subdued yes :P
I first read this as "white beard," and thought, wait, what? Did they dress him up as Santa for a Christmas bit I missed?😂
Nah Steve you're just vibing along doing your thing.
I read that as "white beard" and thought that there was going to be a bit in the video where he made himself look old while talking about Unnatural Selection.
Picard was the wise, experienced patriarch but in season 2, he had an equal: *Pulaski.*
Pragmatic rather than idealistic, she was (unlike the rest of the _TNG_ crew) just as experienced, traveled, tough, & intelligent as Picard. More Pulaski in the series would've introduced interesting conflicts between the enlightened, beloved Captain who's word is gospel and the Doctor who had the world-weary experience & credibility to see through it. She ruled.
I never considered that comparison! That was insightful. Thank you.
I agree. I really wish she had been on all seasons, it would have created more depth in the series.
Definitely agree
Couldn't disagree more
The problem I saw and why the fans disliked her character is that the show started her as a female version of Doctor McCoy even down to the distrust of transporters. Had they started her character differently, she might have fared better. This is why the fans liked Dr Crusher better even though Crusher did not have a great deal of backstory in one season, Crusher was not McCoy 2.0.
I loved Pulaski's character arc too. It's too bad they never had her back, even for cameos. What gets me most, though, is not having her at Data's trial in The Measure of a Man. I could see her starting out more on Maddox's side before coming to recognise Data as a sentient being with rights. That could have been an important stepping stone in her character development.
I couldn't agree more. It would have been fantastic to see Pulaski grow from someone wary and mistrustful of Data to becoming one of his most vocal allies. It seems like a missed opportunity to draw parallels to instances of racism and homophobia today, and how some people can learn from their past mistakes.
That's probably why they had her back off of Data and befriend Worf instead. The way she treated Data bothered me as a kid, but I wish they had gone further with it. It would have been great to have Pulaski testify on Data's behalf.
The only thing Pulaski really did wrong, was not be Dr. Crusher.
Even better if she has a knee-jerk, negative reaction to Maddox's attempt to poach Data, and then has to wrestle with her cognitive dissonance, and comes out the other side speaking in his defense. Even just have her in the scene with Picard and Guinan, mostly listening, and after the trial, she can come up and apologise to him.
Maddox was a monster except for the end, if she had sided with him it would have damaged her character.
She does kind of warm to Data in the episode in which she gets Data to challenge a master of strategema.
Mama Troy is honestly super annoying *except* when she appears in DS9 and starts having real, down to earth moments- especially her relationship with Odo. I loved that and her in that
She just gives off weird cougar vibes
I mostly found her annoying, but she was great in the episode Half a Life. She made the story relatable and for once Lwaxana was fiery and formidable as she passionately took on the Prime Directive.
I enjoyed her character. Fun.
I also enjoyed Lwaxana and her flamboyance. Definitely being annoying was her point, but she showed really depth in some episodes, especially her interactions with Odo
Lwaxana was awesome. She owned her fabulousness. Passionate, fiery, and not afraid to challenge ageist tropes, like “old people shouldn’t ever have, want, or talk about sex” or “women over the age of 50 are automatically ugly by definition.” She was also annoying as heck at times, and a bit full of herself. But honestly, there are ways in which Lwaxana, like Auntie Mame, is someone I admire and hope to emulate.
“Life is a banquet, and some poor suckers are starving to death!” - Auntie Mame
I loved that there was apparent friction between Pulaski and Troi, particularly in “Time Squared” where the doctor threatens to relieve Picard of command. Pulaski’s relationship with Worf is also fantastic, unexpected and well-rendered - besides Geordi she’s really the first character shown truly befriending the giant Klingon.
I was definitely sad to see her go, replaced by the rather one-note Crusher, who early on primarily existed to provide a source of sexual tension with Picard. I always found that awkward and forced since the actors had little chemistry together and nothing about the two characters’ personalities helped sell the notion of some suppressed relationship.
It’s like someone watched too much Moonlighting and Remington Steele and decided, “Hey, Trek can do that, too!” Er, no.
I always liked the interaction Steve described with Worf.
It is how any federation member should approach that situation.
It's also like a proto-Dax: just immediately go "awesome, lets do this! This might be fun, but its *guaranteed* to be interesting!"
Huh. I always found that Pulaski's brusque attitude was a huge point in her favour, especially given her gender - being soft, gentle and maternal isn't an intrinsic part of womanhood. And her initial condescension towards Data was very much shown as a flaw that she eventually overcame, because, you know, growth and stuff.
And based more in lack of information than prejudice.
The moment she learns about Data as a person, she begins to adjust. Not completely and immediately, but that would be unconvincing to say the least.
I sincerely doubt that any medical professional (especially one serving on the flag ship of the federation, at that time a mostly scientific and diplomatic institution) intrinsically distrusts science, engineering and/or progress.
I agree. I loved Dr. Polaski precisely because she was like that. Great character.
It wasn't even a flaw. She didn't know Data at all when she first came aboard and probably just assumed he was some Federation experiment. You could argue that she should have done a bit of research on his history, but she probably didn't think there was much to know. And anyway, as a doctor, she had no reason to take an interest in a crew member whom she would never have to treat.
@@projektkobra2247 What?
I don’t think trying to be another character should be a point
I am glad that you brought up Dr. McCoy because I always got the feeling that Pulaski was supposed to be a next-generation female version of Dr. McCoy. Prejudiced against androids instead of vulcans, scared of transporters, cold and hard on the outside, warm, caring, and very dedicated on the inside.
I interpreted the character in the same way. It looked to me like they were deliberately reusing the dynamic that worked so well between McCoy and Spock. Almost to the point where I was worried it would just be a retread of things ToS already said pretty thoroughly.
Honestly, I agree: Pulaski isn't nearly that bad. I remember that episode with data's pen pal she's one of the few who says "damn the prime directive, we have to help these people!" Which is a sentiment I 100% agree with.
I feel they were trying to recreate the Spock (logic)/McCoy (emotion) rivalry of TOS. But it didn't work because Data is an innocent, unlike Spock. Spock suppressed his emotions (like most Vulcans) but he has them and understands them and can therefore defend himself against an emotional argument. But Data didn't have emotions and didn't really understand them so he couldn't defend himself against Pulaski the way Spock could against McCoy. So Pulaski just came off as being mean while Data takes her abuse. But in her defense, I think her getting over her prejudice and learning to value Data as a person was one of the better growth arcs in the series for any of the characters. She is definitely a better person at the end of that season than the beginning.
Good point, and Spock keeps actively asserting Vulcan superiority. Bones and co. are punching up (or at least sideways) rather than down. Data never asserts his superiority (even though he is better in most ways) making the dynamic less acceptable.
And let's face it the only times that Bones used the insults was when Spock had really pissed him off if you notice in Star Trek VI McCoy actually says that cunning little Vulcan when Kirk mentioned the patch that Spock put on him.
I wish the first episode of S3 had a cameo from Pulaski, leaving the ship and Data comes to say goodbye.
That would have been wonderful.
What's *not* so awesome of Pulaski in "Unnatural Selection" is when she's beamed back onto the Enterprise, following the brilliant and diligent work of Chief O'Brien, she thanks and shakes the hand of everyone... except O'Brien.
Poor dude never catches a break.
To be fair, that's more just the O'Brein Curse than any fault of Pulaski herself.
O'Brien must suffer, after all.
An early example of the O’Brien must suffer trope, a thorough dissing from Doctor P.
But we do know she dislikes comical transporter chiefs.
O'Brien must suffer.
Did he even have a name at that point? 😂
As a Brit I can confirm we all say "'ang on a tick!" a minimum of 14 times a day. If we forget we must dance around a cup o' tea whilst chanting the names of senior royals.
Thank you for confirming my preexisting assumptions.
My new years resolution is to cut down saying it to 11 times a day.....baby steps and all that!!
Well that's a sticky wicket innit?
@@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout Too far! Nobody has ever said that.
Except for you, just now.
@@sarahscott5305 Oops. Rescinded. I rescind!
I always felt that Dr Pulaski was an excellent foil character for Data, a character that brings another character adversity and conflict which ends up making that character better. I agree that Dr. Pulaski grew from Data’s friendship, but I think it’s worth noting that Data grew just as much from that friendship.
And pulaski being incredible blunt does allow her to be a good foil in the first place. I respect her if she has issues with data, she is at least honest and explains herself. Mean, sure, but she allows dialogue about where she comes from too. And its blunt enough data gets it all.
Pulaski went to the Leonard McCoy Institute on how to put every one in their place.
On the episode of TAS, " The counter clock incident " , Robert April former first Captain of the Enterprise, was a Federation ambassador now on his way to retirement at age 74.
You make a good point. The Stratagema episode was a great source of character growth for Data. From Dr. Pulaski's lambasting Data as "Achilles sulking in his tent" to Picard's "it's possible to make no mistakes and still lose. That's not weakness. That's life", Data learns a lot from them both.
In fact, I try to keep Picard's quote in mind a lot, as I'm still trying to parse that wisdom and translate it into something applicable to my own life.
I feel like her bs got old immediately. Like the name thing was unecesary. It seemed like she hated him and was like some android racist. It was uncomfortable to watch and could have been done differently. Not to mention, yeah it was character developement, but it came after we already knew data for a year and they didnt do this with anyone else so it didnt really work
Pulaski was so much more interesting of a character than Crusher, I wish she'd stayed (no offense to Gates McFadden).
And I absolutely loved the Pulaski - Data dynamic. It was so reminiscent of the Spock - Bones, one too, but no one gets mad at Bones for being repeatedly racist to Spock.
Edit - Oh, you're talking about that last bit now, serves me right for posting whilst you're still talking.
The problem is that Data isn't Spock. Spock is a half human/half Vulcan who aspires to suppress his humanity. Data is an android who aspires to be human. In the eyes of "TNG" fans, Pulaski was bullying Data, while McCoy and Spock were just exchanging disdain. Spock could dish back, Data could not.
@@anglobostonian it also helped that McCoy and Spock were friends and knew each other for many years. McCoy could at times berate Spock for acting inhumane towards others while Spock would rightfully counter than giving in to emotion and wild hysterics benefits no one. But because Pulaski doesn't know Data, her attitude about Data aping human behavior and referring to Data as 'it' rather than 'he' comes across like her being a smug condescending bitch.
Crusher and Troi were horribly underwritten.
@@nekkidpossum4397 omg yessss a lot of wasted potential
@@nekkidpossum4397 I agree. Both were poorly written. I used to say that Crusher had multiple personalities, depending on who was writing her or what maguffin was needed on the episode.
.
And poor Troy was written as the worst councilor ever. I don’t remember anyone opening to her after her “I sense strong emotions. Do you want to talk about it?”
.
With all respect to the amazing actresses, they did the best they could with the material that was provided.
I guess genetic engineering isn’t against Federation law at the Darwin Station?
Also, whenever I watch Riker kill the clones in Up the Long Ladder I’m always reminded of Odo’s line in that early season 1 episode of DS9, “Murdering your clone is still murder, Ibudan.”
And the fact that they don't check for any further samples of their own DNA in the lab, just kill the growing ones, whilst they could already have made hundreds of "sample" copies ready to be "grown"... Or check for any electronic copies?🤔
Yeah. Isn't genetic engineering banned (Khaaaan!)? And naming the place "Darwin station" kinda gives it away ... need to watch this episode again
the clone hadn’t taken a breath yet or anything, hadn’t perceived its life in any way.
@@tonoornottono I don’t know about that. The prime minister of the people that created the clones and knows more about it than Riker, called him a murderer for killing the clones.
Lwaxana was great in "Half a Life" and "The Forsaken". Those episodes do a great job showing how her outgoing and forceful nature is a front for a deep well of insecurity and fear, as is often the case for people like that. In her case, the fear of growing old and useless and irrelevant.
It also adds a lot of dimension for troi that her mom is that anoyingly unfiltered of a free spirit and that troi has personal conflicts there.
And while she is annoying, that makes her incredible human like its clear picard both respects and is uncomfortable, same as troi. And riker.
Even if thats probably the actresses personality, thats nicely written.
It just good writing capturing that ambiguity.
Half a Life definitely made me warm up to her. DS9 made me like her.
Dark Page is also a great example. I wish the writers gave her better stories.
It's less a front for insecurity and fear and more a performance she puts on purposely as a sort of rebellion. She's basically space Dolly Parton.
Same with Dark Page.
I liked Pulaski when I first saw the show. I was a kid, so I didn't know all the stuff about Gates Mcfadden, and as a kid, Pulaski was my fist exposure to a character who had reservations about artificial intelligence. It was great storytelling to me as a nine year old.
Cat Pulaski was Kyle Riker’s fist exposure as well 😆
Given both the more recent (for us) developments regarding AI in Trek, and its track record in Star trek OG you would expect a lot more like her.
Shows that the Enterprise crew really isn't a representative cross section of humanity.
Almost as if the flag ship of one to several trillion individuals is not crewed by average people!
I was about 11 when her character was on the show.
I think they should have had her guest star later during the season. Maybe as another chief medical officer for another star ship.
In retrospect, it was an interesting approach to the "is an Android a lief form" debate they had later in the show with that pushy guy, who wanted to take Data for research purposes. If she had appeared in a later season, when the writers finally gave more sh*t about showing the character development, Pulaski would've gotten an awesome episode about re-evaluating the concept of "identity" from the perspective of someone who treats organic beings.
I never held that over her, just the mediocre execution of the episodes subplot.
And, being around 12 when I first watched the show on DVD, it was a good & simple enough exposure to me, too. And oh my, did I love her being pushy in discussions and not as mellow as the other women in the early seasons. She didn't just wer the trousers, she delivered.
I love in her first episode, how she goes straight to sickbay, instead of going and introducing herself to Picard. Basically putting her patients first over what would be be considered normal protocol
I remember the Renegade Cut episode about this same topic, and I admit he had a point. When you think about everything about Pulaski you hate, like all of it comes from the early episodes of the season. She had growth, we just forgot about it.
As a kid I wasn't a fan of Dr Pulaski but now I'm well into adulthood I see the genius behind her character
I love her and I warm up to her the more rewatches I do of season 2 the more I miss her and wish she stayed on somehow.
Now really, what's so wrong with Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, and Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed?
Besides the fact that I apparently have to write that entire thing out when I mention her?
Like 'A Tribe Called Quest' and 'A Pimp Named Slickback'
It's like how you have to fully render the title of Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel At Mount Skullzfyre. That shit is just important.
@@kokukokubin6092 someone should have questioned if they dislike her so much Starfleet out to change the Computer voice to "HAL 9000" or "KITT" or something else. 😉
My favorite Pulaski moment was in the "Elementary Dear Data" episode, where she challenges that Data would be unable to solve a true Holmesian mystery due to his lack of intuition and understanding of human nature. Whereas every other crew member dismissed Data's own concerns about his lack of humanity with nonsense like "don't worry about it" or "you already are, you just don't realize it yet", Pulaski was only one to accept Data on his own terms of wanting to improve himself by being honest about what she thought was holding him back and offering purpose-driven goals, making her a better friend than Geordi or Picard in many ways.
I think your criticism of the crew is valid here, but I don't think it's better to try to convince someone that they are inherently incapable of a task they want to accomplish. Instead, it might be best to suggest that a thing will be hard, but you are willing to help them through it.
I thought her ideas in that episode felt kind of forced and unrealistic. Holmes is known for keen observation and deductive reasoning, and does not rely heavily on intuition. Data has exactly the right skill set. Also, she thinks that the computer is capable of creating a unique mystery that Data hasn't seen before, but that Data won't be able to handle it. So...she has a higher opinion of the computer's creative abilities than of Data's capacity for processing new information?
100% she helped him grow and reflect more than anyone
@@JRMcCarroll that’s a very interesting analysis I haven’t thought of before!
LWAXANA IS INCREDIBLE. i love her so much. she’s perfectly overbearing and trying to read her true emotions is so fun. as an empath you need to learn covertness through clarity. throw all your emotions at the wall, constantly, and hide the truth among other truths. if nearly all feelings are visible, the weight of feelings becomes a much more important signifier of somebody’s behavior.
in my personal opinion, lwaxana is the perfect ambassador. cunning, coy, and equally obvious and direct. she is entirely three-dimensional and makes multiple moves on a chessboard at once, in one move of her hand. she toys with emotions and manipulates events really well. she’s just absolutely incorrigible and equally unlucky in her love life because men find her intimidating. her almost-romance with odo is one of the most beautiful parts of ds9 in my personal opinion. i think there’s a lot to admire about her.
I loved every interaction between her and Picard.
@@zoyadulzura7490 Same. Watching *someone* get under the otherwise unflappable Picard's skin was always so much fun!
I couldn't agree, more; Pulaski was one of my favorite characters from that era...she consistently challenged not just the character named Data(I phrase it that way in order to address the system's issues with the word, "Data"), but all of the others to step up their game, and lent a much-needed critique of what they interpreted to be " okay" on a regular basis. The only thing that I wish could've happened during her tenure was some interaction with Guinan!
When they introduced Mary’s acerbic friend, Rhoda, on Mary Tyler Moore, the pilot episode had her resentful of Mary, who was moving into the apartment she (Rhoda) wanted. The writers needed a way for the audience not to hate Rhoda, so they had the landlady’s teenage daughter, who comes off immediately smart and likable, love Rhoda. She even reassures Mary that Rhoda’s “funny and cool” underneath her tough act. That way when Mary and Rhoda were besties on episode two and beyond, it worked.
It’s an old trick, but in retrospect, maybe TNG could’ve had somebody we accept as cool, like Riker, know Pulaski from before and welcome her with a bottle of whisky and maybe even knock one back.
I feel like Pulaski got as much character growth in one series as many of the rest of the cast got in 7. Not that the glacially slow organic character growth in an episodic series isn't something I personally actually enjoy about TNG in the way it stands in stark contrast with many other series and honestly imo really grounds the show.
I feel like this kind of character development should be called dejerkification. (See alos Scrouge)
I’m with ya on this one Steve. I found Pulaski to be a far more interesting character than Crusher tbh, like Troi and Crusher I found too similar personality wise so it was nice to have some variation in the female characters. Also, with regards to her versatility as a doctor I think the most impressive thing is that she didn’t blink twice when she had to deliver a baby. Most doctors who don’t regularly deliver babies break out into a cold sweat when having to treat a pregnant patient, let alone manage a delivery, let alone manage an extremely atypical delivery lol.
I really missed her long after she was gone, so I was very confused to hear people didn't like her.
Likewise. She endeared herself to me.
Same here.
I liked her when she wasn't comming for my innocent wonderful most sweetest android husband Data. She was cool doctor tho but like i said dont come for my sweetie pie ❤
@@elenapederson1862
Exactly.
Data is very childlike and the viewers naturally feel protective of him.
Almost anyone else would have been a better choice as someone for Pulaski to clash with.
The best Pulaski moment is when she does the Klingon tea ritual with Worf. Pretty awesome!
While the character may have been intended to be "Bones in a dress (metaphorically speaking)," Muldaur did bring far more to the role - and the fact that she was the sister-in-law of the woman who sang 'Midnight at the Oasis" is just kinda neat...I wonder if her daddy was as sultan?
One of the things that works against our collective memory of Pulaski, aside from only being around for one season, is the fact that, unlike modern Trek (and DS9), each episode is set up to be viewed on its own, and not together. If we had a full-season story arc, it would have been easier to see Pulaski's arc within it.
You know, the ability to restore someone who has had something done to them with the transporter would never come in handy again, ever. Kinda like the ability to stun a large area on a planet from orbit with the phasers.
You can even see the logic in it. A new main character replaced a previous one. So… she’s not gonna be liked from the start. So make her not easy to like from the beginning character wise and grow her into a character that can be liked.
I’m glad they brought back Crusher but I did like Polaski. She was always interesting.
Apparently Filoni did the same thing with Ahsoka Tano on Clone Wars - make her unlikeable at first on purpose because fans would hate her either way, then give her a character arc to grow and now she's one of the best characters in all of Star Wars.
No mention of “Elementary, Dear Data”? The whole premise of the episode is based on Pulaski, once again, doubting Data’s capabilities. I would argue that her prejudice towards Data persists to some degree and she looks for ways to parse that into more subtle prejudices. Geordi even tries to defend him, resulting in the unfortunate slip of the tongue that created the sentient Moriarty.
Like the Shatneresque pronunciation of 'telekennesus' too!
the difference between the Spock/Bones dynamic and Data/Pulaski is, as you mentioned, that Spock could give as good as he got. He may claim to suppress his emotions, but he could always be counted on for a sarcastic or acerbic quip to snipe back at McCoy in his way. They felt like evenly-matched sparring partners. With Data/Pulaski, though, the "sparring" was entirely one-sided. Data struggles mightily with nuanced interpersonal interactions, and would never insult anyone on purpose. Pulaski would demean him or disrespect him, and he'd either not notice, or politely ask her to stop. It isn't fun to watch. I know it wasn't the writers' intent, but it just comes off like a mean-spirited adult bullying a child.
It comes across exactly like that.
Hence the horrific first impression she made and that her character remains stuck with.
Sadly, because as the video says she got some pretty good good episodes later in the seasons.
Ah well.
That's Trek and its clunky writing for you.
The thing about Lwaxana Troi is I agree with Steve as much as most of her screen time she's irritating as sandpaper, but when used properly, like her interactions with Odo, or in Half A Life, she's fantastic.
It builds a lot empathy for troi thou and gives her a more complex backstory as contrast. And the writing usually makes her as not malicious but still adding tension.
Her problem is that most of her appearances she is Deanna’s nosey mom who hangs out at her work all day and hits on her boss.
Lwaxana gets better in TNG too when she isn't being played a "foil" for Picard. Like in Dark Page, and maybe others... I can't remember all of names, but the one where that scientist guy has to commit suicide because he is 60 years old.
I always remember Pulaski as "the competent one" - which is probably the ultimate praise for anybody in the medical profession.
I always thought the writers were trying to do a McCoy and Spock dynamic with with Pulaski and Data - but they just couldn’t get it to work.
To be fair, when a character is replaced on a TV show, it’s quite typical that they clash with the rest of the main cast, at least initially. It’s a good way of creating empathy between the main cast and the audience ie. they are just as sad to see the old character go as we are and just as wary of their replacement.
This is probably the most tightly written, performed, and edited of your episodes I’ve seen to date. Good comedy, commentary, and analysis. All the gags work so well intertwined with the themes you’re explaining
Something I thought was an integral step in Dr. Pulaski's development as a character was in "Elementary, Dear Data". After Moriarity is made sentient, he kidnaps Pulaski. Even though she's his prisoner, and he's a holographic character, she seems to regard Moriarity with a great deal of respect, and expresses a little sadness at the end when she tells him it could be many years before they would see each other again (if ever). I feel like this episode showed Pulaski that artificial sentience, like Moriarity and Data, was worthy of as much dignity as any biological intelligent being.
"One is my name, the other is not." Love that line.
There's a early TNG novel with a great Pulaski and Data scene where Pulaski responds to Data "I don't know what I would do with that, Data.
The Child was originally going to be an episode of the never produced Star Trek Phase 2. It's an episode of the fan made UA-cam series, Star Trek New Voyages. Which also had several Actors from TOS.
I'm glad they made that Klingon difference episode on Enterprise. I was mystified why the Klingons looked different in TOS / TMP.
Polanski was a Dr.McCoy themed doctor.
Spock themed back lash towards Data.
I thought genetic engineering was outlawed by the Federation.( The lessons learned from Khan's existence for instance.)
When first contact happened in the year 2064, some Vulcans made an unexpected contact on the McCoy homestead in Georgia. The Vulcan thing carries on years later in Leonard McCoy.
Dr. Pulaski is wary of technology but uses a hypospray to give herself an antidote before drinking poison. That one moment sums up why she's pretty awesome. She's multi-layered, and also a badass.
She trusts tech more the closer she is to it.
One could also call that hypocritical.
Makes no believable sense that she would be that wary of technology, especially being part of Star Fleet.
My biggest issue with the character was that it was too derivative of Doctor McCoy. On the other hand I always thought it would have been nice if she'd been brought back as a guest star one time. She deserved a better send off than a clip show
Another great thing about Pulaski is that she could continue to practice medicine even when the ship's systems went down, and she knew how to make a splint.
(Of course, that's not to say that Crusher couldn't also improvise with medicinal roots.)
I wonder if she would have been sent to help treat the children at Darwin station as her send off from the series.
Too sexist? The first season of TNG? The devil you say.
The last time i watched through season 2 I distinctly had the feeling of “oh hold up this woman is a BADASS?!” ST was just not ready for her and it’s a damn shame she and Tasha didn’t get the time to be the female characters to act as foils against the “softer” ones. God forbid the ship have women who are not always soft and nice and generous to a fault. Anyway, i ended up seeing so much potential in her this time around, and I wish things had been different for Mulgrew on set
Gods this is gonna be a tough sell, Steve. :P
I actually think Pulaski is indicative of how the rest of Starfleet treated Data on the whole, at least until he was transferred to the Enterprise. So her behaviour was probably perfectly acceptable in Starfleet, what with being less than god ordained perfection that was the Enterprise.
Pulaski on DS9 would've been fucking awesome. Now I'm angry it didn't happen.
Pulaski was really good!
*Especially* in comparison to every other female character on TNG.
Pulaski was good. Beverly never really got a fair chance, on TV or on film, thanks to the TNG writing team.
@@Andrew-pr9xv Truth be told, I don't even like Crusher.
@@sarahscott5305 TBF that's a pretty low bar to clear.
The issue wasn't that her arc started with disliking Data, the issue was how poorly it was executed. Instead of showing her reserved about him, ideally showing some background/motivation where she's coming from, they show her being just demeaning without provocation. The way she demonstratively insults and disrespects him with a smile on her face makes it feel like she's being a dick just for the sake of being a dick--towards a fan-favourite character with childlike qualities who is always kind and never even fights back.
I don't blame the character herself (I really like her), I blame the writers/showrunners/whoever's responsible for this really clumsy setup of the arc. They should have known to be more careful. The replacement for Dr. Crusher would obviously be under high scrutiny from the fan base and the first impression would be very important. They could have hardly messed that up worse, making it very hard for the character to recover from the ire that would inevitably draw.
Good post.
If you mentioned to Pulaski to anyone who hasn't watched season 2 recently the reaction you will get will be,
"Oh yes. The character who bullied Data for no reason."
It's very hard to recover from a strongly negative first impression.
Well said
she would have been an interesting character to bring back for Picard. I'm glad they didn't though since I'm sure the would have just killed her for shock value.
When you fumbled the whiteboard at the beginning it looked so natural, It took me a few of beats to get the joke
Well played Sir, very well played
I forget how good Steve is. His wit, delivery, and knowledge really amplify my love of Star Trek!
I wonder what Doctor Selar thought when they brought in Pulaski instead of her getting a promotion.
She felt like too much of a copy of Bones. She had her own characteristics that made her unique, but stuff like not wanting to use transporters and the rivalry of the most logical character seemed to only be there because Bones was like that. The first thing is only minor but the latter was handled really badly. Bones and Spock had friendly banter, Pulaski came across as a bully that genuinely considered Data not only inferior to her, but not even a person deserving of basic respect. And to do that straight away like you said is just setting her up for failure.
"One is my name. The other is not." That's been stuck in my head since the episode aired, and I've hated Pulaski for 100% of that time.
Questioning the nature of Data's humanity and what it means is an ongoing arc throughout season 2. Through Pulaski, as well as episodes like The Measure of a Man (most obviously) and The Schizoid Man, TNG was interrogating the philosophy behind Data's "androidness" and whether or not he had transcended his programming to become a man. That's why Pulaski fit so well in the second season.
I've been saying this for a long time
Pulaski had more character development in 1 season than Crusher in 6
In the UK we saw Muldaur in LA Law first - where she was an evil manipulator who tried to oust favourite characters. Her being prejudiced against Data finished things for her here!
I was a kid when TNG was out, and yeah, her initial treatment of Data grated on me... But then I got over it. And the Klingon tea thing absolutely made me a fan.
I had my own character arc upon watching this season for the first time:
At first, I couldn't stand Pulaski for the very reason you mention; because she was rude to Data, who is my Star Trek boo and always shall be.
But by the end of the season, as much as I liked Dr. Crusher and was happy to see her again, I was genuinely sad to see Dr. Pulaski go. I grew to love that she took no one's shit and wasn't afraid to speak up and speak her mind. And as you demonstrated, she grew to genuinely like Data and reconsider her position. She never directly apologizes, which is a bummer, but I got the very clear vibe that she regretted her previous mistreatment of him.
So, to use modern parlance: I stan Dr. Kate Pulaski.
I think Pulaski ultimately suffered from being in the second season of TNG, a garbage fire season of television if there ever has been. Had she come in in better circumstances I think it could really have worked.
That said, her line in Unnatural Selection that supposed to be her softening on Data...that's a pretty yikes ass line if you actually extrapolate it to bigotry in the world. It's basically "you're one of the good ones".
although i do think Pulaski gets a lot better by the end it's hard for me to get over her mistreatment of data at the beginning. As a trans person, the way that she abuses data, invalidates his identity, calls him "it" in front of the entire bridge crew, hits far too close to home as the kind of workplace harassment trans people are so often subjected too. Her entire "just stating the facts" thing (especially in "elementary my dear data") so strongly reminds me of the way TERFs use "science" and "facts" to invalidate trans identities that it is very difficult for me to forgive her character.
Worst of all she shows up the rest of the crew as being poor allies, especially in "where silence has lease", it’s very upsetting the way Picard tolerates her behaviour in that episode, he laughs it off and says something like "I assure you mr Data is quite capable of doing his job". He should have been furious; he should have told her that you do NOT speak to a member of his crew that way. That kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable, and it really makes Picard look like a bad boss for letting it slide.
Seeing how data is constantly harassed and no one really stands up for him properly is deeply upsetting, it honestly made me want to cry lol.
Dr Pulaski never really apologises to data for how she treated him and its a huge shame. However i do think there was a great opportunity to have her apologise in "measure of a man", if i could change ONE thing about tng season 2 it would be to have pulaski take riker's place at the trial. i think it would have hit far harder for her to fully realise there how wrong she's been as it slowly dawns on her that data is a person, and the scene at the end where riker apologises to data could have been a great turning point for her character going from “he might be a glorified toaster but I begrudgingly respect him” to “he is a person and I am deeply ashamed of how I used to treat him”.
Elementary My Dear Data was (I think) the first episode of Star Trek I ever saw. I had no context of who either Pulaski or Data so by the end of the episode I read Pulaski as an antagonistic character that was being used to show that Data, an artificial life form, was not just emulating life but actually living it.
You've got me thinking about a missed opportunity for a fitting and respectful reference in First Contact, had the writers remembered Pulaski's offer of ocular implants for Geordi. He could have said in just one line "Pulaski did a great job on the procedure now that she finally convinced me" or something to that effect, to let us know that she was still around to help her Enterprise friends, and to reinforce in canon that she was the superior surgeon of the two in TNG.
One might argue that Pulaski's arc was so successful that it sparked the nuanced and more serialized type of storytelling later adopted for DS9. Anyway, nice work on the video, and I really enjoyed the humour!
Thanks for another video which made this sometimes cranky 70-year-old’s day.
Of course I could be a cranky teenager with TOS and a cranky 40-something with TNG which may be why I warmed to Dr Pulaski pretty fast. But I think it had more to do with her being such a fine kickass instead of super mom, combined with reminding me of Bones. I always thought his prejudice stood out in contrast to some of the bit player crew member’s flat out bigotry which would crop up occasionally. Bones had an element of undermining bigotry by making it laughable especially when so many of his snipes were a desperate rejoinder to Spock’s winning argument. He was almost always on the defensive with Spock as if anticipating losing again. And when things escalated into worrying about losing a patient (or potential patient given the danger surrounding them), he came across as, “Don’t you DARE throw your logic at me NOW, Spock.” Okay, maybe I just liked him enough to want him to be better. But as you pointed out, they were friends. So the name calling felt more in the realm of nicknames in less aware times (60’s plus I was 15 when the show first aired).
But that brings me to a more compelling point:
Much as I wanted to believe in that brighter future I kept getting the impression the reason Trek’s humans finally stopped confusing race with skin color was because they realized there were alien races and the “Little Green Men” weren’t so little.
Our hero’s were almost always better than Star Fleet which was almost always better than civilians. But all of them lived in a bubble of this tragic period can’t happen again. This had all of them riding for the fall you see at the start of Picard.
I love them but find them exasperating every time one of them says, “We used to have a problem with . . .” whatever was the other peoples’ serious to devastating social problem that episode but which has or will show up in another bad Admiral from a different episode.
This is not only viewing yourself through heavily rose-colored glasses, it’s being somewhat condescending to the people who have been stunned by whatever it is you overcame a long time ago. No matter how much you may mean to give them hope they’ll conquer as you did and comfort you understand from your own past, you tend to come across as smug if not foolishly complacent. At the least they should say they used to have a significant problem with whatever it is that often makes for bad Admirals.
It’s like Star Fleet insisting it’s not military when its structure is identical to the British Navy that ruled the seas. Yes, that’s the safest way to survive exploring new worlds or defending the Federation. Yes, they are far more enlightened. Yes, saying you’re not military when you mean you’re a new kind of military that really does come in peace (No, honest we do) is awkward. But being more honest about what you are and how much holding on to your ideals means keeping everyone reasonably comfortable and secure lest ugly history repeat itself is crucial.
I remember when some people thought the McCarthy era would never happen again. I would point out he got as far as he did because too many people thought he was a joke or rather assumed everyone would see what a joke he was as a human being. And that is exactly what happened when Hitler started to gain attention. When Trump threw his hat in the ring only to be dismissed the same way, even by Fox News before they saw him gaining steam I started worrying.
It sometimes sucks to learn from history when too many others don’t. Trek’s heroes need to show they don’t just know their history they’ve learned to avoid repeating it as can still happen.
Sorry for the long winded response. But like I said: 70 years old, sometimes cranky, lucky my surviving family loves me even if they don’t have any interest in Trek. Add in COVID and it’s been a while since I got to hear some kind of discussion on this. But I’m betting your followers can come up with some brilliant responses for me to ponder. It’s really good to keep on pondering.
I really loved Pulaski, and whilst it was nice to get Beverly back, I'd have loved for her to have become recurring, or done another series. Her entire personality was just one that was great to watch, and her being slightly at odds with some characters like Data, at least initially.
Thank you for these videos, you increase my appreciation for star trek even more, you help me see the context more and you're funny! ❤
Diana Muldaur is one of the best supporting character actors ever and one of the most classic beauties in the original Star Trek series such as Susan Oliver who played Vina in "The Cage". I wish Ms. Oliver had been given a couple more guest roles during the series.
Absolutely love your videos.
I used to think Lwaxana was awful and the worst recurring character, but now I think she's actually kind of great. She ends up being a fascinating study of a character trying desperately to mask so much sadness, fear and trauma.
Thank you for expressing the feelings that I always had about Dr. Pulaski! Nothing against Dr. Crusher - but I think the show would have benefitted if she had stayed on for more seasons. Makes me wonder 'what could have been?'. Anyway - thanks again.
This was a great breakdown to rehabilitate the character, as only someone who had studied her the entire season could have done. Like many, she made a bad initial impression on me and her graciousness went unnoticed (because she was finally behaving with generosity and kindness, which I unconsciously expected all along). If I ever dare to watch season 2 again, I will keep this in mind and try giving her another chance.
I don't often enjoy your videos when I cross them, but this one... OMG. Hilarious, enlightening, important start to finish.
I would like to point out though that "it" can be a valid pronoun for humans and other sentient beings; it's just that it isn't Data's preferred pronoun.
I know several people who prefer to be referred to as 'it', and it's not just limited to non-binary people.
Pronouns are also a personal choice; one that shouldn't be to hard to stick to once you are aware of it.
"It" may be a preferred pronoun for some people, and I will absolutely respect and honor that choice. That said, when Dr Pulaski used it on Data, it was very clear that Data used he/him/his, and I can't see any reasonable argument for why Dr Pulaski would be unclear about that. It felt like a very intentional misgendering (ungendering?) on her part. I don't buy her whole "oops! I forgot, you're a people, my bad!" act.
I think the issue where Pulaski uses it for Data is more the issue calling anyone out in their presence, when she could have just asked Data directly : "You do know how to work the controls?"
Indeed, pronouns are such a personal thing, one that cannot be dictated by others (no matter what criteria they're using). Proper pronoun use is just a basic aspect of respect, as this episode demonstrates. When in doubt, the respectful thing to do is ask.
I just wish society didn't normalize guessing pronouns to the point that asking is seen as unusual, but that's not something that will change overnight. I will note, one thing asking pronouns does very well is head off conversations of correction like Data had to do with Pulaski...
I also got very trans-affirming vibes from Steve's "accept someone's name when they tell you what it is", and though I don't think it's limited to trans folk, I do think it'd be very helpful if everyone just accepted it as the reasonable proposition that it is. Names are inherently personal...I mean, it's *your name.* It's hard to get more personal than that.
Yes! I'm glad someone finally stood up for Pulaski, and naturally it was Steve Shives. She was always a TNG favourite of mine, and it's unfortunate we never had an opportunity to find out what happened with the character.
In Pen Pals, after Riker goes on his tirade of "It's the height of hubris!" Pulaski should have permanently banned him from ever stepping foot in Sickbay again.
"But commander, if there is a 'divine plan' then it would be *the height of hubris* to ever treat you for anything ever again. I'm prepared to let nature take it's course, especially if it means we never have to sit through a clip show as a medical procedure."
5:13 "...only two days after getting knocked up by Mr. Flare."
Excellent Captain Disillusion reference!
Wait...does that mean the ENTIRE crew of the Lantry were human? They had no members of other races on that ship?
Whut? Why?
If a drunken Klingon from the TOS era can respect a Starfleet officer by calling her by her proper name at the time without fuss,
You'd think a Starfleet officer can do so as well
Not just "a drunken Klingon," you're talking about Kor, son of Rynar and Dahar Master!
You bring great dishonour by forgetting this!!!
@@sarahscott5305 I did not forget, just didn't feel like wrestling with my autocorrect with klingonese
You actually should make an episode called "why l'waxana troi is actually pretty awesome". I didn't like her until I introduced my GF to Star Trek and saw Lwaxana through her eyes. L'waxana is the only person in the entire galaxy who can put Picard on his back foot, and she REVELS in doing it, and the episode Dark Page is an absolutely heartbreaking story about pain, and loss, and grieving.
NOT ONLY THAT, but she's also the only person on the Enterprise-D who treats Alexander like a human being and gives that poor kid hope.
I would agree. The actress plays the role flawlessly, and her intentions are always pure even if her methods are not. I also think she knows Picard hates her guts, since she can read his mind and all, and chooses to fuck with him in the way that hits him hardest: convincing everyone that he constantly has dirty thoughts about her. That is such a hilarious way to utilize a potentially really cruel ability. Don't humiliate them with the truth, humiliate them with a lie, something anyone could do even without telepathy.
I have a lot of respect for a character that knows what it is. She is the personification of the overbearing, embarrassing mother. She's the larger than life, exaggerated version of every fear adults have of their parents. She is meant to be annoying.
Which is why Wesley fails so miserably. He doesn't succeed at any of his character's goals. He's supposed to be just a normal kid who happens to be smart, and instead he's a know-it-all, pretentious, self-righteous tool.
Some of your best Trek, Actually writing to date. Thanks, Steve!
I respect your view here, Steve, but SFDebris really hit this on the head a few years back:
Pulaski treats someone as sweet and emotionally disadvantaged as Data with disgusting contempt. Data's not into it. He's not able to push back in the same way that Spock did with McCoy. His lack of emotions and emotional development is enormous here.
Dr. Pulaski is picking on someone who is, effectively, disabled. For the sheer fun of it.
Characters have arcs, absolutely. Writing allows for even contemptible characters to make a change. But wow, what a choice! As we're talking about fiction, I think the big point is that Pulaski doesn't emotionally pay for the horrible shit she said in her earliest appearances.
Still loved the video, as always. Thanks, Steve.
Steve's so gleeful about the fact he hangs out with Anita xD honestly it's quite endearing.
Pulaski was one of my favorite characters. No-nonsense, super professional and someone who cared deeply about her patients, even if she didn't have the most endearing bedside manner. That plus the fact that she showed enormous character growth in the limited exposure she was given in the show only redoubles my appreciation for her. Like Barclay, I find her to be one of the under-appreciated but most impressive characters on TNG.
The scenes where Dr. Pulaski is attacking Mr. Data was a weak attempt to replicate the Spock - McCoy dynamic.
I find her robophobia really parallels transphobia. She has big terf energy it really struck me on my rewatch last year
I think that while your interpretation of Pulaski as someone who starts out skeptical and cold towards Data and ends up as some who respects him is valid, it is also possible to interpret her character arc much less charitably. As someone with a noticeably non-western name, people who not only mispronounce my name, but mock me when I ask for my name to be pronounced correctly, easily strike a sore spot for me, and I imagine for a large number of viewers.
Your joke about Pulaski’s initial attitude towards Data, “Icy contempt reserved for computers running Windows ME,” while humorous, obscures an important point. Pulaski is rude, belittling, and frankly dehumanizing to Data in a way that too many people can recognize from their real life experience. Her begrudging “Your service record says that you are alive” reads exactly like real bigots talking about how the “PC Police” won’t let them speak badly about minorities. “As far as androids go, you’re in a class by yourself” is a mirror of “You’re one of the good ones”, an all too classic “I’m not a racist” statement.
Viewed through this lens, Pulaski’s arc does not redeem her nearly enough for her to be “Actually Pretty Awesome”
I actually like Pulaski better than Crusher. Crusher was great but I liked that Pulaski had an attitude, said what she meant, and didn't take no shit. As a little girl that was important to me to see. As an adult I realize I also like her because they'd tried to do that "no crew conflict" crap with TNG and here was a character who had interpersonal conflict baked into her design. I think she was honestly one of the more interesting characters on the show and I wish we'd gotten to see more of her.
She never "got over" back in the day. I love when wrestling terminology bleeds into non-wrestling content. Can't wait for Crusher to get the hot tag for season 3.
i just feel that she should have immediately understood that data was alive. she’s a doctor in the future, she knows about technology and psychology and consciousness in a way we don’t understand. she of all people should be immediately onboard with a living machine- she OPERATES on human beings frequently! i feel that in the 24th century there isn’t an excuse for not treating something which claims to be sentient as sentient. i appreciate her arc and see the necessity in having somebody ‘come around’ to another person’s being alive. this is a metaphor for recognizing humanity, or seeing yourself in others. it’s good to see people transition from bigotry to acceptance. but from a setting perspective it seems like she’s incredibly behind the times.
""Awesome...totally not allarming, awesome." Had me fucking rolling
I never had a big issue with her. I was kind of sad when they swapped doctors at first, but I saw how quickly she was changing. It was nice to see her evolve.
I very much appreciated the validation of Pulaski's mistrust of tech in Contagion. When all the equipment fails, she immediately suggests using a splint for a broken leg. The medtech could barely say "huh?"