Diana Muldaur joined the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation in season 2 as Dr. Katherine Pulaski, replacing Gates McFadden's Dr. Beverly Crusher. During TNG's first season, the writer's room gained a reputation in Hollywood because writers came and went with such frequency. This led to an inconsistent season as the show struggled to define its characters and find its footing. Still, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew proved interesting enough to hold viewers' attention, and TNG went on to become one of the most beloved science fiction shows of all time.
Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation's feature-length premiere, Dr. Beverly Crusher was the Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise-D. Beverly lived on the ship with her child-prodigy teenage son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), and had an interesting past with Captain Picard. TNG season 1 hinted at romantic feelings between Crusher and Picard, but the show never fully committed to exploring their relationship. Despite Dr. Crusher's popularity as a character, Gates McFadden was fired by co-executive producer Maurice Hurley after TNG's first season and replaced by Diana Muldaur's Dr. Pulaski.
Diana Muldaur’s Doctor Pulaski Replacing Beverly Crusher In Star Trek: TNG Season 2 Explained
Gates McFadden Left TNG After Season 1 & Diana Muldaur Joined The Cast In Season 2
Because of the chaos within the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 writers' room, Maurice Hurley took over as the show's head writer. Hurley disliked both Gates McFadden and her character, Dr. Crusher, and fired her at the end of the show's first season. Dr. Crusher's departure was only briefly referenced in the TNG season 2 premiere, as Captain Picard mentions that she left to become head of Starfleet Medical. As Wil Wheaton remained a main cast member, Wesley Crusher decided to remain on the Enterprise despite his mother's new job.
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had worked with Diana Muldaur in the past, and she was brought in as Dr. Pulaski, the new Chief Medical Officer on the Enterprise. Pulaski was introduced in TNG season 2, episode 1, "The Child," and appeared in all but two episodes of the second season. Gene Roddenberry loosely based Dr. Pulaski on DeForrest Kelley's Dr. Leonard McCoy from Star Trek: The Original Series. In sharp contrast to Dr. Crusher, Pulaski had a gruff personality and a questionable bedside manner that didn't quite mesh well with the rest of the TNG crew.
Why Diana Muldaur Only Lasted One Star Trek: TNG Season As Dr. Pulaski
Muldaur Did Not Renew Her Contract After TNG Season 2
Soon after her introduction, Dr. Pulaski proved to be significantly less popular than Dr. Crusher. Not only did she butt heads with Captain Picard in her first episode, but she also disrespected Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) by treating him like a machine. Picard and Data had already become popular characters, so Pulaski's actions did not exactly endear her to fans. At the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, Maurice Hurley left the show and Rick Berman took over as showrunner. As a character, Pulaski was deemed to have been a failed experiment and Berman decided to bring back Gates McFadden as Dr. Crusher for TNG season 3.
Although Diana Muldaur was a series regular for Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, she declined to appear in the opening credits. Instead, she received a "special appearance" credit for each episode.
For her part, Diana Muldaur was not interested in renewing her Star Trek contract anyway. Muldaur has spoken about her experience on TNG in various interviews, stating that it wasn't quite what she hoped it would be. Although Muldaur was a fine actress, her character was not popular, and fans had been writing to the studio asking for Dr. Crusher to return. Patrick Stewart, too, spoke up on Gates McFadden's behalf, and she ultimately decided to return. Dr. Crusher would remain the Enterprise-D's main doctor throughout the rest of TNG and the subsequent films.
Gates McFadden Is Far More Popular As Dr. Beverly Crusher
McFadden Returned As Dr. Crusher In Star Trek: Picard Season 3
With her intelligence and profound sense of compassion, Dr. Crusher was a better fit among the crew of the Enterprise-D, and she remained popular with fans after her return. Although Star Trek: The Next Generation did not always do right by its female characters, Dr. Crusher got some solid storylines over the years. She grew into one of Star Trek's best doctors and returned in Star Trek: Picard season 3 better than ever. The Dr. Crusher of Picard season 3 was a whole person who had grown a lot since her time on the Enterprise-D.
After her departure from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dr. Pulaski was mostly forgotten by the show and remains one of the franchise's more disliked characters. Still, that's nothing against actress Diana Muldaur, who has only positive things to say about her encounters with Star Trek fans. While there are certainly TNG viewers who found Pulaski refreshing as a character, Beverly Crusher remains the more popular of the two. It's possible Pulaski would have grown on fans if she had lasted more than one season, as TNG ascended into true greatness during its third season.
Diana Muldaur Also Played 2 Star Trek: The Original Series Roles
All Of Muldaur's Trek Characters Have Been Doctors
Diana Muldaur was not new to Star Trek when she took on the role of Dr. Pulaski and, in fact, her friendship with Gene Roddenberry helped her land the TNG role. Muldaur appeared as two different characters in two different episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. In TOS season 2, episode 22, "Return to Tomorrow," Muldaur portrayed Lt. Commander Ann Mulhall, a doctor and astrobiologist who served on the USS Enterprise of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). When Mulhall joined a landing party to Arret, and was temporarily possessed by a being named Thalassa.
Diana Muldaur remains an important and beloved member of the Star Trek family.
In her second appearance, Diana Muldaur played Dr. Miranda Jones, a blind telepath and psychologist who visited the Enterprise in TOS season 3, episode 7, "Is There in Truth No Beauty?." She was accompanied by Medusan Ambassador Kollos, a noncorporeal being whose appearance caused insanity in most humanoids. Jones' blindness and telepathic abilities made her the perfect person to communicate with Kollos and she eventually established a true mind link with the Medusan. Although her Star Trek: The Next Generation role may not have worked out, Diana Muldaur remains an important and beloved member of the Star Trek family.
