by Chris Snelgrove
| Published
it took Star Trek: The Next Generation It's been a tough few years to find space legs, and the show has gone through many changes along the way. One temporary change was to replace Dr. Cracker with Dr. Pulaski in the second season before the Crusher was brought back for the third season. Many have often wondered why Pulaski replaced herself after Season 2, but the explanation is quite clear: simply put, she was put off. A lot of Star Trek Fandom.
Dr. Pulaski enters Star Trek
The next generation It was a little more like The original series Back in the day, the new Doctor character represented the producer's desire to direct Captain Kirk's early adventures. That's why Pulaski played Diana Muldawar, someone who acted alongside William Shatner in the original Star Trek series. Her character is also loosely modeled after Dr. McCoy, which is why she hates using a transporter and has a naive attitude towards Data, who acts as a TNG version of Mr. Spock.
However, there was a big problem with Pulaski from the beginning: while Star Trek: The Original Series It thrived on occasional conflict among the crew, The next generation It was a show where everyone got more or less. When this new doctor was brought in, I immediately started butting heads with Captain Picard. She also had such a hatred towards Data based on being an Android that fans accused him of racism, a label that never goes away.
In retrospect, it's easy to see why Pulaski's character is dreaming Star Trek: The Next Generation Producers. Being a strict clone of the sex-filled Dr. McCoy helped her immediately stand out from Beverly Crates' mother character. Additionally, having her butt heads with other characters introduced conflict into the show, a Gene Roddenberry prohibition that made the writing of the first season really suffer. And the fact that Moldauer starred in The original series Meaning it could win over older fans still on the fence about a new spinoff show.
Pulaski was not a fan favorite
It all looked good on paper, but after a season of trying to make Pulaski happen, the Star Trek writers and producers threw in the towel. Producer Rick Berman later admitted that her character “never worked… Dr. Pulaski never got along.” Accordingly, she did not call the show back, although she was not disappointed as she felt the new spinoff focused too much on technology and too little character building.
One of the big reasons Pulaski didn't return for the new SPINOFF is Star Trek Fandom, many of whom launched a passionate letter-writing campaign to bring Gates McFadden's Dr. Crusher back to the show. Join them Patrick Stewartwho was equally passionate in his personal campaign to bring back his old colleague. The combined pressure of the fans and the TNG captain was enough to cause Berman to personally invite McFadden, and the rest is television history.
Dr. Pulaski had many interesting qualities that made her a fascinating character, but she never really stuck around Star Trek: The Next Generation. Fortunately, it has been replaced Gates McFaddena killer actor whose character has become more prominent and popular with time. Ultimately, Dr. Cracker was a central character in the final season of Picardand this seriously satisfying plot would likely never have happened if not for the intense fan campaign to ditch Diana Muldaur and return Gates McFadden to the institution where she belongs.
