Star Trek’s Dr. Pulaski and Trans Rights
A lot of Star Trek fans hate Dr. Katherine Pulaski.
That’s understandable. She replaced the already beloved Dr. Beverly Crusher after Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first season.
Not only that, but she was styled as a new version of Bones McCoy, an acerbic gruff presence about as far from Dr. Crusher as possible.
Which led to probably my favorite scene in all of Star Trek. It’s a tiny moment. Dr. Pulaski is working with Data, and she pronounces his name “DATT-a” instead of “DAY-ta.” When he corrects her, she chuckles and says, “What’s the difference?”
Says the android: “One is my name. The other is not.”
Beautiful. A takedown for the ages.
Currently we are suffering through the GOP’s latest scapegoat-fest, this time targeting trans people. Ron DeSantis in particular is making Florida an incredibly unsafe place for trans people — adults and kids — to live. But the anti-trans push is ramping up to scary levels across all of red America.
Vox has a great rundown on this campaign — where it came from, and where it’s going.
Make no mistake: this is a marketing effort, no different from selling mattresses or soft drinks. Anti-trans hate was test marketed, and it got the best (worst) response.
