TNG - Time Squared

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

https://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/t139.php

[Nealithi]

This is one of the episodes that kept digging deeper for Pulaski.

I am left with one question. Why? Why did the writers make her like this?

[Nobody700]

I like to think of Pulaski as a woman who wants to destroy Starfleet from within, given I bet she's a member of Terra Firma.

[clearspira]

As i said over on the review itself, Pulaski was right. I don't understand why anyone thinks that she wasn't.

The normally unflappable Picard immediately started to second guess his decisions, was showing visible signs of stress, and murdered the other Picard based on a whim. He didn't know that killing Himself was going to resolve the problems.

[Nealithi]

As i said over on the review itself, Pulaski was right. I don't understand why anyone thinks that she wasn't.

The normally unflappable Picard immediately started to second guess his decisions, was showing visible signs of stress, and murdered the other Picard based on a whim. He didn't know that killing Himself was going to resolve the problems.

The problem is this is the second or third time she has brought up that she can relieve the captain. Yes, great, it is in her purview if he begins to act mentally disturbed. But you have an empath on board to check on him. Honestly shouldn't that be Troi's job right now?
Further, Pulaski seems to threaten to do this, then kinda stands there awkwardly.

[stryke]

I am left with one question. Why? Why did the writers make her like this?

Trying to recreate Bones, but while tragically lacking the skill to do so.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I... like how Pulaski is at odds with everything on the show as part of her shtick.

[Fianna]

In this specific case ... well, they have a Picard from a few hours in the future, and that dude isn't even lucid. Suggesting Picard's mental state may rapidly deteriorate very soon seems warranted.

[MaxWylde]

I never despised Pulaski. Personally, I don't get what the venom is for her. I rather thought this was an attempt by someone to subvert Roddenberry's "no-internal-conflict" among the crew thing, by throwing some shade here and there. Not all doctors may have the best bedside manner, especially surgeons, who, when they do their job, may cause the patient they're working on to die at their hands, and that means most of them aren't going to be like Hawkeye Pierce.

Oh, she called Data a machine? Well, he is, and whether or not Data is sentient is immaterial. TNG never really had a good discussion of this issue. The Measure of a Man was not a good discussion; indeed, the question of Data's sentience was actually irrelevant to the case. The question was really twofold: Does Starfleet Judge Advocate have the right to call anything the "property of Starfleet," and does Starfleet, which had never treated Data as property before, have proof that he is? The former question is especially pointed, because bringing that question up before Captain Louvois (especially in private) would've probably had her reverse the initial ruling because she could get in serious legal trouble for that action. A call from Picard to her superiors at Starfleet, or perhaps at the Inspector General's office (I know Starfleet has one) would've solved this issue before the need for a hearing.

The episode doesn't actually answer if Data is sentient or not. But the damn show then goes onto assume he is, making up the audiences' mind for them, which is bad sci-fi.

[Durandal_1707]

Proving that Data is or isn't sentient is just as impossible as proving or disproving the idea of solipsism, and I'm not sure how the episode would have been expected to do it. No one can know to what degree Data is conscious without being Data, but he consistently behaves as though he is conscious, so he has to be given the benefit of the doubt. I'm not sure what else one could expect.