10 Star Trek Characters Who MUST Return

4. Dr Pulaski

Star Trek The Next Generation Pulaski
CBS

Dr. Katherine Pulaski received a raw deal on the Next Generation. While Diana Muldaur did state in interviews that the plan was only ever to do one year, it still felt as though she was only ever a stopgap character, waiting for the next doctor to arrive (or previous one to return). With that, it was hard to truly warm to her. Constantly misnaming Data did nothing to help either.

And yet, with more than thirty years having passed since her last appearance, and her name only being used once afterward, it feels wrong for a main character to be discarded so callously. There was an opportunity in Picard's first season to address this. Rather than having the never-before-seen doctor of the USS Stargazer appear to give Jean-Luc his news, it would have stroked nostalgia to have Pulaski be the one to deliver the diagnosis.

Pulaski and Crusher have also never met on-screen. With the confirmation of Gates McFadden's return for the third season, it is possible, though unlikely, that these two characters could end comparing war stories from their time on the Enterprise-D. It may be a pipe dream, but Muldaur is one of the few main actors of a Star Trek series to depart, and never be heard of again.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"