Star Trek Fans Don't Want to Admit It, But One of TNG's Biggest Critiques Is 100% Correct

Star Trek fans may not want to admit it, but one of the biggest criticisms of a character from The Next Generation is 100% correct. Captain Picard and Data were some of the franchise’s most beloved characters. However, not everyone on board the Enterprise was popular. In issues 3 and 4 of Marvel’s Deep Space Nine comic, Doctor Pulaski returns, and proves some of her critics right about her.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 3 and 4 are both written by Mariano and drawn by Tom Grindberg. A deadly virus sweeps Deep Space Nine, and all signs point to it being created by the Maquis. Fans then learn that one of the virus’ creators was Jackie Pulaski, Katherine Pulaski’s daughter, who had joined the Maquis. The virus gets away from them, forcing Jackie to contact her mother. Doctor Pulaski reluctantly agrees to help, and, joining forces with Doctor Bashir, finds a cure for the virus. Doctor Pulaski then tries to patch things up with Jackie.

Doctor Katherine Pulaski, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Replacement CMO, Explained

Star Trek Fans Did Not Like Doctor Pulaski From the Beginning

Doctor Katherine Pulaski is the most controversial character to appear in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Introduced at the beginning of season two, Pulaski was intended to replace Doctor Crusher. Actress Gates McFadden, who played Crusher, was unhappy with the behind-the-scenes drama, and was let go. In The Next Generation’s second season premiere, “The Child,” Crusher was written off the show, revealing she was leaving for Starfleet Medical. Oddly enough, Doctor Pulaski actress Diana Muldaur never joined the regular cast, only appearing in “guest star” roles.

From the get-go, Star Trek fans did not like Doctor Pulaski, and there are several reasons why they hated her. It has been speculated that one of the primary reasons was fan anger. They had grown accustomed to Doctor Crusher during The Next Generation’s first season, and suddenly she was ripped away. No doubt some fans also knew of the conflicts and drama that led Gates McFadden to leave in the first place. Doctor Pulaski was shown to be a highly competent Chief Medical Officer, but this did not seem to matter.

Perhaps the biggest reason, however, that fans disliked Doctor Pulaski was that she was viewed as a clone of Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy. Both doctors had crusty personalities. “The Child” established that Doctor Pulaski did not like transporters, and preferred shuttles. Throughout the classic Star Trek, Doctor McCoy repeatedly expressed discomfort over using the transporters. Bones also regularly teased Spock, and The Next Generation’s writers tried to duplicate this dynamic, this time with Pulaski berating Data. It did not take with fans, and Pulaski’s attempts at humor with Data came across as bullying.

Doctors McCoy and Pulaski Both Have Intense Family Drama

Both Doctors Sacrificed Their Families For Starfleet Careers

Issues 3 and 4 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine further strengthen the comparisons between Doctors McCoy and Pulaski by looking at Katherine’s family. In Star Trek lore, Doctor McCoy joined Starfleet after a painful divorce, and he also had a daughter named Joanna. McCoy’s leaving of his family, and the years spent away in space in Starfleet, drove a wedge between Joanna and Bones. Joanna has never appeared in an on-screen, canonical source, but she has appeared in numerous novels and comics. In each, Doctor McCoy is able to salvage his relationship with Joanna.

Doctor Pulaski has a similar relationship with her daughter, Jackie, and this makes her more like Bones than ever. As seen in the two issues, Doctor Pulaski does not get along with Jackie. Their relationship is so fraught that Doctor Pulaski had no idea her daughter had joined the Maquis. Yet Doctor Pulaski did not hesitate for a minute to help Jackie when the latter reached out. The issue ends with the hope that mother and daughter will reconcile, even if Jackie will be spending a good portion of time in prison.

Doctor Pulaski Will Never Live Down the "Bones" Insults

Doctor Pulaski Was the Victim of Bad Writing on Star Trek: The Next Generation

The writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation intended for Doctor Pulaski to shake up the formula, and introduce someone who was more abrasive. The attempts to duplicate Bones’ quirks were the result of bad writing, and definitely contributed to the hatred fans had for Doctor Pulaski. Issues 3 and 4 of Deep Space Nine may at first seem to lend credence to fans’ dislike of Pulaski, but it also shows what she could have been with better writing. Doctor Pulaski is unlikely to return to Star Trek, and will never live down the “Bones” comparisons.