10 Biggest Feuds In Star Trek History

5. Diana Muldaur And The TNG Cast

Star Trek The Next Generation Pulaski
CBS

Diana Muldaur was brought into Star Trek: The Next Generation to replace Gates McFadden, who had been fired on the insistence of Maurice Hurley. Gene Roddenberry had previously worked with her on two episodes of the Original Series, along with a television pilot in 1974. Muldaur was very pleasantly surprised to receive the call, noting that she knew from the beginning that she was to play something of a female Dr. McCoy.

She was written to be a colder, more removed character than Dr. Crusher had been. She was unafraid to bite back at Picard and treated Data with disrespect, assuming him to be nothing more than a computer terminal.

Unfortunately, this led to the fans not taking to the character. Behind the scenes, there were more issues. Muldaur said that she believed the cast were not welcoming and that people were simply out for themselves. This seems to be at odds with the way the rest of the cast remember their time on the show, so it is very possible that there was simply a clash of personalities.

It all resulted in her contract not being renewed for another season, though this then opened the door for Gates McFadden to return.

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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"