Star Trek: 10 Hated Characters You Grew To Love
7. Pulaski
Diana Muldaur arrived on the set of the Enterprise-D in the shadow of two departures. The end of The Next Generation's first season had seen the exits of both Denise Crosby and Gates McFadden, reducing the number of main female characters down to one.
Though Muldaur bore no responsibility for McFadden's departure, Pulaski then took up the role of Chief Medical Officer to replace a hastily written-out Crusher. From her first appearance, she was a very different sort of Doctor - though one could also say she was a little too familiar.
Pulaski was a clear attempt to bring back a McCoy-type Doctor, though this dynamic simply didn't work this time. So, for years, she languished as a character who was often written off as unlikable. As the years have passed, Pulaski has undergone a reevaluation.
She brought a little difference to the crew, bonded well with Worf, and held her own when it came to matters of ethics and conflict. Though she may not have slotted into the crew in the way Crusher did, she has become a true hero in her own right. She has only been referenced by name since her final appearance in Shades Of Gray, but her legacy has thankfully become something a little kinder as the years have passed.