Diana Muldaur called Star Trek: The Next Generation “Off-Broadway”

Diana Muldaur replaced Gates McFadden on the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Unfortunately, the fans didn’t take to the new character of Dr. Katherine Pulaski as she came across as abrasive and treated Data like a child. Though Pulaski was meant to resemble Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy’s character, it didn’t suit her or the other actors she was working with. And, apparently, that was just fine with Muldaur, as she told Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, the writers of The Fifty-Year Mission—The Next 25 Years, [pp. 151-153] that, since her time on the show, she pretends she wasn’t in it and that she was just a guest person.

But that’s not all the former Star Trek: The Original Series actress had to say about her time as Dr. Pulaski. Not only did she tell the writers she was making more money and had better billing than the rest of the cast, but she had quite a few scathing words to say about that cast.

"“You just feel it from people who really hadn’t done anything else who were a little insecure. I did everything I could to make everyone feel secure and work well.”"

Diana Muldaur said the original Star Trek was like doing a nice Broadway play.

The Next Generation, on the other hand, was Off-Broadway to her. She said everyone was trying to be somebody rather than letting go and acting wonderfully, adding that if there was any tension, it had nothing to do with her, but them.

Though Muldaur said she wouldn’t have stayed beyond season two, there was a lot she loved about working on the series. And she does think the cast of L.A. Law, who she said offered a lot of snobbery about her time on the series, would be jealous if they knew the residuals Muldaur made from The Next Generation.

Still, the actress made it quite clear she wasn’t a big fan of the directors or much of the cast really.

"“The directors were all kids, who had just come over from the old country and didn’t know what they were doing. It was not a great creative mix of people and directors.”"

She further clarified that her time on the show wasn’t working out, but it had nothing to do with her. Then added that she “loved being part of it.”  Everything else she said certainly speaks to the contrary.