#dr. pulaski

[cookies-candy-shelleylong]

Diana Muldaur in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989) [ep. 2.14 The Icarus Factor]

[passer-fringillidae]

Katherine Pulaski gets a lot of hate for being mean to Data, but her initial criticisms are pretty spot-on when it comes to current AI

[cookies-candy-shelleylong]

Diana Muldaur in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988)

[verins-little-notebook]

It's so weird how Dr. Pulaski is kind of the villain of Season 2?

[kelloclane]

I'm rewatching tng from the start of season 2 (because it's the season I've watched the least) and I genuinely love Dr. Pulaski. As a kid I didn't like her because I liked Dr. Crusher and I was upset she left for a season. I never watched too many episodes in season 2 since I always had a semi-negative feeling toward it. But it's actually pretty solid and Pulaski and her friendships with Data and everyone else are a huge reason why. I wish she had stuck around for a little longer or we had at least gotten closure when Crusher came back.

[mots-scifi]

I actually like Dr. Pulaski. She is a menopausic woman with a strong character (older women are allowed to have more character than younger women), she is fun and also flirts occasionally. She is the only one who actually replies back to Picard, something only Wesley had done before her, because all the others are way too timid around him.

And I think the problem with her racism with Data is not that she is like that in some episodes (it seems to disappear over time), it's that nobody really stops her.

They wanted to mimick McCoy and Spock but while McCoy and Spock have known each other for years and get back at each other (because Spock also comments on humans and on the doctor), Pulaski and Data just met and Data never makes fun of humans. There is no friendly banter there.

The problem with her is that Captain Picard (who has a confusing way of showing authority) allows her remarks on the bridge. Geordi doesn't know how to defend his friend when she challenges him as Sherlock. She can just say whatever and nobody, particularly not Picard, call her out on it.

We see Picard cares about Data as a person, but he doesn't care enough to tell Pulaski to leave her remarks in her quarters. And as the saying goes, if nobody stops the racist at the table, there is not one racist, but the whole table. And this is never really adressed because they are all so kind to Data while not correcting Pulaski.

And then, they treat these remarks as Pulaski's character, not as a general feeling in society, even though there is quite literally a trial to see if Data is a person of his own or an object. But no connection is made between the two things. They have given us a full accepted into Starfleet Data in the first season and now it turns out, he is working only where people accepted him, which may not be the majority opinion in the Federation.

If they used her as a barometer of the general feeling, they could have shown her learning, others could explain how their opinion evolved over time, Data could reply or get angry, etc. Or Captain Picard could call her out on day one instead of showing that he tolerates racism on the bridge better than he tolerates children.

But sure, let's say it's her. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that the sweet and younger Crusher left and with the fact that the series doesn't know how to handle the comments they make her say in context with the world they are creating.

[caseyshadow]

Stormy cave chat

Casey had always known that she was different from her half-brother Spock. While he had been raised on the planet Vulcan, with their father teaching him the ways of logic and control, Casey had grown up on Earth with her human mother. She had always been more in touch with her emotions than Spock, which had caused some tension between them when they were younger.

Despite their differences, Casey and Spock had grown to have a strong relationship as adults. They both shared a love of science and exploration, which led them both to join Starfleet. Casey had been serving as a science officer on the USS Enterprise under Captain Picard for a few months when she was called on an away mission to a frozen planet.

Dr. Pulaski, the ship's chief medical officer, had also been assigned to the mission. Casey had always found Pulaski to be a bit abrasive, but she respected her skills as a doctor. They had been trudging through the snow for hours when a sudden snowstorm hit. Visibility dropped to almost nothing, and they quickly became disoriented.

"We need to find shelter," Casey shouted over the howling wind.

"There's a cave up ahead," Pulaski pointed out. "We can wait out the storm there."

They hurried towards the cave, trying to shield themselves from the icy wind. Once they were inside, they huddled together for warmth.

Casey shivered, trying to stay positive despite the situation.

"Well, that's tragic," she said with a forced smile.

Pulaski snorted. "I've been in worse situations than this, kid. We'll be fine."

Casey appreciated the older woman's confidence, but she couldn't help but worry. What if they were stuck in the cave for days? What if they ran out of supplies? Her mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

As they waited for the storm to pass, Casey and Pulaski talked to pass the time. Casey was surprised to learn that Pulaski had once been married to a fellow Starfleet officer, but the marriage had ended badly.

"I thought I could balance a career and a relationship, but it just wasn't meant to be," Pulaski admitted.

Casey felt a pang of sympathy for the doctor. She had never been in a serious relationship herself, but she knew what it was like to struggle with conflicting emotions.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

Pulaski shrugged. "It's in the past. I've moved on."

Casey nodded, grateful for the distraction. She realized that despite their differences, she and Pulaski had more in common than she had thought.

Eventually, the storm passed, and they were able to make their way back to the ship. Casey was relieved to be back in the warm confines of the Enterprise, but she couldn't help but feel a bit changed by the experience. She had always been focused on her work and her studies, but being stuck in the cave with Pulaski had made her realize the importance of human connections.

As she walked through the halls of the ship, Casey felt a newfound appreciation for her crewmates. She knew that there would always be more challenges to face, but she felt confident that she could face them with the support of her fellow Starfleet officers. And maybe, just maybe, she could learn a thing or two about human emotions from Dr. Pulaski.

The end.

[ifwebefriends]

I wanna put Keebo from DRV3 and Dr. Pulaski from Star Trek TNG in a room together and see what would happen