sassypulaski

JKatkina, or just Kat

jkatkina at gmail.com

jkatkina

Katherine Pulaski

Star Trek: The Next Generation

sassypulaski

Kate Pulaski

Katherine Pulaski has served in Star Fleet for over twenty years, as ship's doctor on a number of vessels. In this time, she's become both an excellent physician and a top-notch researcher some of the papers she's written are standards in their fields. She has consistently earned the respect and loyalty of the captains and crew she has served with, despite being prone to butting heads, and has earned the rank of Commander.

She served on USS Enterprise-D in 2365 while Dr. Beverly Crusher was serving as head of Starfleet Medical, and departed a year later when Dr. Crusher returned to the Enterprise; she served as chief medical officer on the USS Repulse both before and after her stint on the Enterprise, and on a number of vessels before that.

I am taking her from her canon a few years after she has departed from the Enterprise. At this point in her life she is in her fifties.

Her bedside manner -- and in fact, her manner in most things -- is brusque, businesslike and competent, with a liberal dash of wry good humor. She is a quick decision-maker who sticks to her guns: she has a strong sense of right and wrong that sometimes clashes with regulations. She prefers to ask forgiveness rather than permission. This means she is well-versed in how to offer a thorough, sincere apology when it's deserved.

She will tell you if she thinks you are wrong, and does not hold grudges if you do the same. She takes a lot of enjoyment in playing devil's advocate, and likes to push people as hard as she pushes herself. She is stubborn, quick-witted and can be very abrasive, although she disapproves of bravado for its own sake.

She loves her job more than she has ever loved another person, although that does not mean she is cold: she has a good sense of when a patient needs gentleness or dedicated advocation. In fact she has a well-honed sense of fun in her job and her personal relationships. She likes people, although she'll often tend towards butting heads with those she likes and respects the most -- she holds them to a higher standard. She has a deep love and respect for human life.

A skilled and experienced physician, she can diagnose and treat a wide range of injuries and diseases. In particular she has a depth of knowledge of viral models of disease, prosthetic implants (particularly optical), cardiac surgery, and a somewhat slapdash proficiency with the erasing and modifying of memory engrams.

She is also familiar with many of Earth's traditional remedies, though most of that expertise revolves around North American and European traditions. She believes in the curative properties of chicken soup.

None! She's used to the convenience of replicators, and she doesn't have a lot of sentimental knick-knacks.

Nope!

I've always liked Pulaski, and liked her even more when I found out she was loosely based off of Bones. A grizzled old lady doctor? Yes please! I've never played a character that was so competent, so very at the top of their game.

I've also been intrigued by the fact that so many other Trek fans seem to hate her with such passion. I want to explore the aspects of her that are contentious. Frankly, I want to see how people react to my interpretation of Kate Pulaski. I'm looking for CR, be it positive or negative, and to flesh out a character that never got enough time to grow into her role on the show itself.

"Captain. Really now. And this week had been going so well." She'd risen to greet her commanding officer when he'd come blustering in and stopped before her desk. Now she stood with crossed arms, giving him her eyebrows-raised smile. "This is going to fill up my entire schedule."

"I realize that," he huffed back, frowning. "However this is of the utmost importance. Straight from the top."

She had served under Captain Taggert for years and she liked the man. He was truly the quintessential middle-aged, paunchy, round-faced career officer, and he enjoyed the chain of command. Even after their many years he still seemed to struggle with how to relate to her, and they clashed as a matter of course, but that didn't matter much to Pulaski. Taggert had been miserable to see her go to the Enterprise, and she had later gotten word of how hard he'd pushed to get her back on the Repulse afterwards: that kind of loyalty couldn't help but beget affection.

He was speaking again: "The diplomatic efforts have stalled, and we think it hinges on this. They're desperate: they need our doctors, our technology."

"I can see why." She uncrossed her arms tapped the padd he'd brought her. "What's the morbidity? Fifty percent of their population infected? And if even half of those reach this end-stage..."

The captain's bluster fell, and he looked grim. "Then we have a quarter of a planet slated to lose their minds." He leaned in, put his hands on her desk. "Even if this wasn't tied to a diplomatic effort, these people would need our help. Doctor, from what I understand this falls squarely into your wheelhouse. Can you do this? Can you pick apart this virus in time to save these people and the treaty?"

Here was the part where she'd have to push back. She sucked a breath in and leveled an equally serious gaze back at her Captain. "I don't know. I'm willing to give it a try."

Taggert frowned deeply, his fleshy brow pulling together and pressing deep wrinkles into his forehead. "The brass at the top has a keen eye on all of this. They're going to need an answer."

"Then you're going to have to tell them that they're going to have to wait. I have barely had time to glance at this data," she waved the padd, "much less take a detailed look at what's been done so far. You can tell whichever admiral is tasked with keeping an eye on us that medicine is messy and that it takes time. I won't have a good answer to that question for at least a day."

"That's not good enough," Taggert demanded, straightening.

"That's the best you're going to get," she told him, pursing her lips.

They stared at one another over her desk for long moments, and then Taggert sighed. "Doctor, why can't you ever give a simple answer?"

Pulaski was pleased; she'd won. She gave him a wry smile. "Captain, why can't you ever give me a full week without a crisis?"