Dr. Katherine Pulaski is a fictional medical doctor in the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. She served a rotation as the chief medical officer aboard the

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

starship USS ''Enterprise''-D. During her time on the ship, her medical skills saved the lives of both Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander

William Riker William Thomas "Will" Riker is a fictional character in the '' Star Trek'' universe appearing primarily as a main character in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Throughout the series and its accompanying films, he is the '' Enterprise''s fi ...

. She inadvertently caused Geordi LaForge to create a hologram of Professor Moriarty that became self-aware, after a bet involving the abilities of Lt. Commander

Data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete Value_(semiotics), values that convey information, describing quantity, qualitative property, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of sy ...

. Pulaski seemed averse to most new technology and preferred to avoid the transporter, but was forced to rely on it to save her own life from a genetically-modified infection. Before arriving on the ''Enterprise-D'', she previously served on the USS ''Repulse''. For a time in her past, she was romantically involved with William Riker's father, Kyle Riker, with whom she has maintained a friendship. Portrayed by actress

Diana Muldaur Diana Muldaur (born August 19, 1938) is an American film and television actress. Muldaur's television roles include Rosalind Shays on '' L.A. Law'' and Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. She als ...

, Pulaski replaced the character of Commander

Beverly Crusher Beverly Crusher is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise played by Gates McFadden. Debuting in the television series, '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', McFadden appeared in every season except for the second, as well as its spin ...

for the second season after

Gates McFadden Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) is an American actress and choreographer. She is usually credited as Cheryl McFadden when working as a choreographer and Gates McFadden for acting work. She is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher ...

's contract was not renewed. Pulaski first appeared in the second season opener " The Child", and made her final appearance in "

Shades of Gray Variations of gray or grey include achromatic grayscale shades, which lie exactly between white and black, and nearby colors with low colorfulness. A selection of a number of these various colors is shown below. Chart of computer web color ...

". Before playing the role of Pulaski on ''The Next Generation'', Muldaur appeared in the original ''Star Trek'', playing different characters in the episodes "

Return to Tomorrow "Return to Tomorrow" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by John T. Dugan (under the pen-name "John Kingsbridge") and directed by Ralph Senensky, it was first ...

" and " Is There in Truth No Beauty?" She later worked with series creator Gene Roddenberry on a pilot for the series ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

''. McFadden returned to replace Muldaur in the third season, reprising her role as Dr. Crusher for the remainder of the series. Reviewers criticized Pulaski's approach, as well as her inability to fit in with the crew. Critics noted that her transporter phobia was reminiscent of Dr.

Leonard McCoy Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original ''Star Trek'' series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the an ...

from the original ''Star Trek'', as was her relationship with Data; Pulaski's interaction with Data raised comparisons to that of McCoy and Spock from the original ''Star Trek''. Episodes featuring Pulaski in a leading role produced divided opinions among critics, with some describing " Unnatural Selection" as a key episode while others argued that it showed only the negative side of her role.

Concept and development

Towards the end of the first season of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', staff members convinced Gene Roddenberry to drop

as Dr.

from the show. Executive producer

Rick Berman Richard Keith Berman (born December 25, 1945) is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the executive producer of several of the '' Star Trek'' television series: '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ...

opposed this decision. To allow for McFadden's return in the future, Roddenberry wrote Crusher's character out rather than killing her. Reeves-Stevens (1998): p. 76 McFadden's departure led to an opening for a new cast member. Gross; Altman (1993): p. 171 The producers contacted actress Diana Muldaur, unaware of her past involvement with Roddenberry's '' Star Trek'' and ''

'' pilot. In '' the original ''Star Trek'' series'', Muldaur played the role of a doctor in two episodes: as Dr. Ann Mulhall in "

", and as Dr. Miranda Jones in " Is There in Truth No Beauty?" Muldaur also worked on the pilot for ''Planet Earth'' after getting to know Roddenberry and his wife,

Majel Barrett Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (; born Majel Leigh Hudec;
, ''

Instead, she was given 15 VHS cassettes of the first season. She found it "very exciting", noting it "got better and better and better" as she watched it.

Christina Pickles Christina Pickles (born 17 February 1935) is a British-American actress. She is known for her role as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the NBC medical drama '' St. Elsewhere'' (1982–1988), for which she received five nominations for the Primetime Em ...

was also considered for the part of Pulaski, a decision Berman described as "very tough". Nemecek (2003): p. 64 Muldaur finally agreed to play the role, but asked Roddenberry to change the name of the character to Kate, which became Katherine. The character of Katherine Pulaski was not modeled on Doctor

from the original ''Star Trek'', despite claims to the contrary. Pulaski debuted in the second season episode " The Child", along with

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

making her first appearance as Guinan in the same episode. Even though Muldaur was a regular character on ''The Next Generation'', she was listed in the opening credits as a "Special Guest Star". After the second season, Muldaur left the series and joined the cast of ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

''. She used footage of the episode " Unnatural Selection" to gain the part. Gates McFadden returned to continue her role as Dr. Crusher for the remainder of the series.

Appearances

Pulaski's background is touched upon in the episode "

The Icarus Factor "The Icarus Factor" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. It is the 40th episode overall, first broadcast on April 24, 1989. Set in the 24th ce ...

". She is thrice divorced and was previously romantically involved with Commander William Riker's father Kyle Riker (

Mitchell Ryan Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actor, who in his six decades of television is known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', and later for his co- ...

), after she was part of a rescue team responding to a Tholian attack on a

Starbase. She realised that a romantic relationship with Riker would not work, but they remained friends. Directly prior to serving on the '' Enterprise-D'' Pulaski served on the USS ''Repulse''. In, " Elementary, Dear Data" she challenges Lt. Cmdr

to solve an original Sherlock Holmes mystery on the

holodeck The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise ''Star Trek'' which uses "holograms" (projected light and electromagnetic energy which create the illusion of solid objects) to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imag ...

. He accepts her challenge, which results in the creation of a self-aware hologram of Professor Moriarty (

Daniel Davis Daniel Davis (born November 26, 1945) is an American film, stage and television actor. Davis is best known for portraying Niles the butler on the sitcom ''The Nanny'' (1993 to 1999), and for his two guest appearances as Professor Moriarty on ...

). Pulaski joins Data and Lieutenant

Geordi La Forge Geordi La Forge ( ) is a fictional character who appeared in all seven seasons of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and its four feature films. Portrayed by LeVar Burton, he served as helmsman o ...

(

LeVar Burton Levar Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host, best known for playing Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994). He also played Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''R ...

), but is captured by Moriarty who also takes over control of the ''Enterprise''. Moriarty demands that they find a way to enable him to leave the holodeck, but is persuaded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

) to release control and be stored within the ship's computer memory until a means can be found to grant his wish. Pulaski's apprehension at using the transporter was evident in " The Schizoid Man", where Dr. Selar ( Suzie Plakson) went with the away team instead of Pulaski, as it required her to beam over to a transport vessel. However, the transporter would later save Pulaski's life in " Unnatural Selection", after she was infected with a disease from the planet Gagarin IV that accelerated her aging process. She uses the transporters to remove the infection and is returned to health. She demonstrates her medical expertise on several occasions. In " Time Squared", Pulaski discovers that the duplicate Captain Picard is out of sync in time and will slowly improve until he returns to the point at which he left. In the episode " Pen Pals", Picard orders Pulaski to wipe the memories of a young girl called Sarjenka, whom Data had been corresponding with and helping in violation of the prime directive. In " Samaritan Snare", she is summoned to Starbase 515 to perform heart surgery on Captain Picard, as she is the most experienced surgeon nearby. This is despite Picard's wish for her not to perform the surgery, due to his concern with the image it might give to the crew. When the ''Enterprise'' arrives at the lost colony of Mariposa in "

Up the Long Ladder "Up the Long Ladder" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the syndicated American science fiction television show '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', the 44th episode overall, first broadcast on May 22, 1989. Set in the 24th ...

", the Mariposans kidnap Pulaski and Commander

(

Jonathan Frakes Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Commander William Riker in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and subsequent films and series. Frakes als ...

) and steal their DNA to clone new members of their colony. Although technologically advanced, the Mariposans lack genetic diversity. When Pulaski and Riker discover the clones, they destroy them. Picard helps resolve the dispute by suggesting the Mariposans allow the Bringloidi, a preindustrial, rural people whose colony was destroyed, to migrate to their world. The Mariposans, however, have relied on cloning for 300 years, and no longer sexually reproduce. Pulaski notes that with time, they will become familiar with the practice once again, and recommends that the Mariposans form large, group marriages with the Bringloidi to create a healthy population. Following Data's defeat at a game of stratagema in "

Peak Performance Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...

", Pulaski and Counselor Deanna Troi (

Marina Sirtis Marina Sirtis (; born 29 March 1955) is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and four ''Star Trek'' feature films, as well as other appearances ...

) attempt to console him, but it is left to Captain Picard to convince Data that he is not malfunctioning. Pulaski's final appearance on ''The Next Generation'' was in the episode "

". When Commander Riker falls ill to a dangerous virus during an away team mission, Pulaski drives out the virus with a device that stimulates his memory centre. After she discovers that negative memories are more effective in removing the virus, she uses memories of fear and survival to save Riker's life. In the alternative future timeline portrayed in "

Endgame Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to: Film * ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film) * ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film * ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...

", the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' finale, Pulaski is said to have worked at the Starfleet Medical facility in San Francisco.

Novels

Pulaski appears in several books of the non-canon novel series based on the adventures of the crew in ''The Next Generation'' and elsewhere in the same time period. In

Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

's novel ''

Vendetta Vendetta may refer to: * Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight Film * ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke * ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes * ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...

'' (1991), Pulaski is reassigned to the ''Repulse'' under Captain Taggart following her departure from the ''Enterprise''. In ''Star Trek: Progress'' (2006), a Starfleet Corps of Engineers book by Terri Osborne, Pulaski is on board the USS ''Progress'' when it visits Drema IV, as she wants to check up on the progress of Sarjenka, a young girl from ''The Next Generation'' episode "Pen Pals". Pulaski also appeared alongside Wesley Crusher and Guinan in Michael Jan Friedman's " All Good Things..." (1994), a novelisation of ''The Next Generation'' series finale.

Reception and commentary

In their 1998 book, ''Star Trek 101'', Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block called "Unnatural Selection" the key Pulaski episode. Erdmann & Block (1998): p. 65 Science fiction writer Keith DeCandido described Pulaski as "charming" and noted that this feeling was mirrored on screen by Captain Picard. In ''Science Fiction Television: A History'', author M. Keith Booker observed that "Pulaski never quite meshed with the rest of the crew". The events of "Elementary Dear Data" led film professor Zoran Samardžija to suggest that Pulaski may have been inspired by the works of

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

. In ''Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy: The Footprints of a Gigantic Mind'' (2011), Samardžija notes that Pulaski's argument that Data lacks intuition is reminiscent of parts of Nietzsche's 1878 work ''

Human, All Too Human ''Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits'' (german: Menschliches, Allzumenschliches: Ein Buch für freie Geister) is a book by 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, originally published in 1878. A second part, ''Assorted Opinions a ...

''. Samardžija (2011): p. 300 Samardžija (2011): p. 299 The relationship between Pulaski and Data was further considered by Rhonda V. Wilcox in her article "Dating Data: Miscegenation in ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''" (1993). Wilcox notes that Pulaski "frequently challenges Data in terms of his machine nature." She compares Data's emotionless state to slavery due to the reference in "The Child" to Maya Angelou's 1969 work ''

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' is a 1969 autobiography describing the young and early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of charact ...

''. Harrison et al. (1996): p. 76 In 2016, Pulaski was ranked as the 39th most important character of

Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...

within the ''Star Trek'' science fiction universe by

Wired magazine ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fr ...

, out of 100 characters. In 2019, she was listed as one of the underrated characters of the Star Trek universe by CBS.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

Katherine Pulaski
at ''Star Trek'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulaski, Katherine Star Trek: The Next Generation characters Starfleet officers Fictional surgeons Starfleet medical personnel Starfleet commanders Television characters introduced in 1988 Fictional female doctors Fictional Polish military personnel