I don't know whether it's a popular opinion or not, but I think Dr. Pulaski was a great character and I found her much more interesting than Dr. Crusher. I don't know if it was down to the writing or the performance but Pulaski is one of the best parts of season 2 and I would have been happy to see her character continue.
She wasn't very nice to Data but that bit of friction between some of the main characters of the show was welcome, especially in the early seasons. And her performance in Unnatural Selection is a moment in the series my mind returns to often.
How about it? Do we like Dr. Pulaski? What's her best moment on the show?
I watched that one last night and had the same thought - she's been the face of nonacceptance towards Data and although Bruce Maddox is far more extreme in his views it seemed like a waste of her character building.
That said, they'd already shoehorned in a Guinan scene so I don't know where they'd find the time.
Picard's scene with Guinan was not in the original script. Melinda M. Snodgrass was told that they needed a "Ten-Forward" scene to accommodate Whoopi Goldberg coming in that week.
I took it as true, although I had a quick go at finding where this claim came from and am drawing a blank
I think obvious that she would have sided with Maddox and disagreed with the ruling. I don't think her capable of overcoming her prejudices against artificial life forms.
I think that's something that gets forgotten. Season 2 gets skipped through a lot during rewatches I know. All anyone remembers is her being racist to data.
She starts out mean to Data but she comes around by the end of the season. She is also a former lover of Kyle Riker, which could have made for a much more interesting dynamic for and with Riker if it had continued.