Transcription
Okay, so in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered and introduced the world to a cast of characters who would soon become iconic. Commander Will Riker, the hotshot young first officer and ladies' man. Lieutenant Worf, the warrior with the heart of gold. Among this new crew of the Enterprise was Dr. Beverly Crusher, chief medical officer and mother to acting ensign Wesley Crusher.
Crusher was played by accomplished stage actor and choreographer Gates McFadden. The stage has a different atmosphere than television, and when McFadden would bring her concerns and notes to the writers, they thought she was being difficult. A common patriarchal refrain among men in charge with regards to women. Head writer Maurice Hurley fired McFadden between season 1 and season 2, and a new doctor was introduced: Dr. Catherine Pulaski, played by veteran Star Trek actor Diana Muldaur.
To this day, Star Trek fans have a deep dislike for this character, partly because she replaced a beloved Trek character in season 2, but also because of her contentious relationship with breakout character Lieutenant Commander Data, the android with a dream of being human. When Pulaski first encountered Data, she mispronounced his name as "Data," and when corrected, is intrigued. "Is there some combination that makes up a circuit for bruised feelings?" Possible. However, in addition to being intrigued, it is also kind of rude.
Pulaski is shown to be unaccustomed to working with an android in the second episode of the season, "Where Silence Has Lease." Pulaski accidentally refers to Data as "it" instead of "him." She is corrected by Captain Picard, and she apologizes to Data. She fumbles her words a bit again, then asks for forgiveness again. The way some Star Trek fans see it, Pulaski is calling Data some kind of non-person, which would obviously be completely unacceptable behavior from anyone, let alone a Starfleet officer.
However, Pulaski is trying, just kind of awkwardly and insensitively. Pulaski's initial incorrect assessment of Data is never portrayed as something the audience should agree with. In other words, Pulaski is not a problematic character in terms of her framing. Now, what do I mean by that? An action movie starring a police officer might show that officer brutalizing suspects, violating civil rights, and shooting people, even when he is not in danger. If the film portrays these actions as justified, then this is problematic framing, at least from the perspective of my politics. We, the audience, are being told to sympathize with this officer and to accept his actions as morally correct, feeding into real-world glorification of law enforcement "getting the job done by any means necessary."
In contrast, Pulaski's assessment of Data is not framed as correct. It is framed as incorrect. She is corrected by both Data and Captain Picard. Pulaski's initial assessment exists in the series to be proven wrong. There is no nuance here that could suggest that Pulaski's assessment of Data could be correct. It's entirely black and white. That's usually how Star Trek works. Episodes are often science fiction fables. The lesson here is that Data's view of himself as a fully realized person is accurate, and Pulaski's skepticism of Data must be rejected. And that is exactly what happens throughout the course of season 2.
See, because Data is so beloved, and because Pulaski's initial behavior toward Data is so surprising, Star Trek fans sometimes remember only their initial conflict and not anything that happens afterward. They forget, or perhaps dismiss, the fact that after a mere three episodes, Data and Dr. Pulaski become friends. In the third episode of season two, "Elementary, Dear Data," Dr. Pulaski, Data, and Geordi La Forge have a discussion and debate about Data's ability to think creatively. Pulaski believes this is the spark of life and is skeptical that Data can think that way. To test Data's creativity, they go to a holodeck and have Data solve a series of mysteries in the style of Sherlock Holmes. Pulaski is initially unconvinced until something goes wrong on the holodeck, as it often does. La Forge asks the computer to create a nemesis who can out-think Data, and in doing so, the holodeck gives sentience to the Professor Moriarty holodeck character. He outwits both Data and the Enterprise crew for a time, even kidnapping Dr. Pulaski. In other words, an artificial being is proven to be as creative as a human, perhaps even more creative. Pulaski and Data are never really in conflict ever again.
A few episodes later, in "Unnatural Selection," Dr. Pulaski risks her life to find a cure for a dying population. During her efforts, she is infected, and Data stays with her, giving her comfort and trying his best to save her. Pulaski is humbled, realizes the error of her ways, and a new friendship is formed. Throughout the rest of the season, Data and Pulaski get along very well and are often allies. During the episode "Pen Pals," Data makes contact with a young girl on a planet that is dying. Captain Picard is uncomfortable with this and initially orders Data to break off communication, saving the planet would violate the Prime Directive. Data is unconvinced that this is the moral choice, argues for saving the planet, and Pulaski sides with Data. Pulaski and Data want to save the planet, and they eventually win the argument.
In the episode "Peak Performance," a man named Kolrami boards the ship. Kolrami is the renowned player of a game called Strategema. After Commander Riker is defeated in the game, Pulaski suggests that Data should face Kolrami. She encourages him to play the game, and though Data loses in the first match, he brings Kolrami to a stalemate during the rematch. Pulaski is so proud of him. In "The Measure of a Man," when it looks like Data will be forced to resign from Starfleet, Dr. Pulaski is a guest at his going-away party.
Over the course of her only season, Dr. Pulaski reevaluates her assessment of Data, shows him gratitude, realizes her own failing, and becomes both his friend and supporter. It's a very Star Trek lesson. Her earlier behavior toward Data is never excused, nor should it be. It is always framed as wrong, and Pulaski's new outlook on Data is always framed as right.
Now, people in the real world are under no obligation to forgive those who mistreat them, but the series is not saying they have to. It's only showing a fable. It's just showing right from wrong and showing the potential for a person to change. Discussing Pulaski among Star Trek fans always seems to follow a pattern of outrage stemming from misremembering the character, misremembering how she was meant to be framed, and judging her as if she were a real person and not a character in the midst of an arc. Liking a Star Trek character is not approving of everything they ever did. See, every great supporting character from Deep Space Nine, I prefer Dr. Crusher to Dr. Pulaski, like everyone else. But I still wonder what the series would have been if the change had remained permanent. If Pulaski had not been replaced by a returning Dr. Crusher in season 3, fans would probably think of her differently. But because of how beloved Data is, and how brief Pulaski was part of the Enterprise crew, her character is consistently reduced in Trek fandom as "that mean lady who is rude to Data for two episodes."
Let's have a little fun and dig a little deeper. In "The Icarus Factor," it's revealed that Dr. Pulaski once dated Commander Riker's father, Kyle. As they catch up, we learn that Pulaski has been married three times, but all three marriages ended without acrimony, and she remained friends with all three of her ex-husbands. I just think that's kind of great. This is a great episode for Dr. Pulaski. It shows her to be really mature, sensible, good-natured, far more than what people remember.
In "Up the Long Ladder," we learn that Dr. Pulaski has always been fascinated with Klingon culture and forms a bond with Worf. I would have loved to have seen more of that in season three or four, but all we get is this one scene, and it's pretty good. When Worf is suffering from a Klingon ailment more common among children of a species, Pulaski covers for him and keeps his secret from the captain. Later, Worf allows Pulaski to take part in a sacred Klingon tea ceremony. The tea is actually lethal to humans, but Pulaski risks it, taking an antidote and hoping for the best, respecting Worf's culture too much to refuse.
So, yeah, I do like Dr. Pulaski. She's a good character. Not good like always morally good. I love Garak too, and he has probably assassinated a lot of people.