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For the mirror universe counterpart, see Katherine Pulaski (mirror).
For other uses, see Katherine.
See Pulaski for other articles with titles that contain, either by relationship or by coincidence, this character's surname.

Commander Katherine Pulaski was a Starfleet physician whose myriad Starfleet postings included stints on starships, starbases and research facilities. She is perhaps best known for her service aboard the USS Repulse and a brief stint as chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise-D in 2365.

Biography[]

Family[]

Katherine Pulaski, the daughter of Sabina and Georgos Pulaski, was born in Krakow, Poland in 2318. She has at least one sibling, for she has a nephew who also serves in Starfleet; Wes Pulaski. (ST video game: Starship Creator)

She is known to have been married three times by 2365. One of her husbands was a Bajoran doctor named Kellec Ton. (TNG novel: Vectors)

She was known to have at least a single daughter called Jackie Pulaski who also became a doctor. (DS9 comic: "The Cancer Within, Part I")

Early career[]

When she was old enough, Pulaski decided that she wanted to pursue medicine as her career, and by 2335 she was undertaking her internship on the planet Chaquafar. (TNG novel: A Call to Darkness)

Pulaski met and befriended Maurita Tanj during their postgraduate days when both students were forced to work together on a project that looked into different care strategies for patients across five separate species groups. Their project won several academic prizes that year. Tanj found Pulaski's spikiness and frankness to be hilarious. (DS9 novel: The Missing)

In 2343, Pulaski finally earned her medical degree from the Stony Brook University Medical School, and decided to specialize in genetic statistical modeling. (ST video game: Starship Creator)

In 2347, Pulaski accepted a Starfleet commission with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and took a position in the medical department aboard the USS Renegade the following year. (ST video game: Starship Creator)

Pulaski was assigned to Starfleet Medical in San Francisco in 2353 when she first met Kyle Riker. Pulaski oversaw Riker's rehabilitation after he was severely injured by a Tholian attack on Starbase 311. Pulaski and Riker became romantically involved in an intense relationship that lasted just over a year. (TLE novel: Deny Thy Father)

Following her relationship with Riker, Pulaski married three times, including the Bajoran doctor, Kellec Ton, and Starfleet officer Brian Anderson. (TNG short story: "Calculated Risk"). All three marriages ended in divorce; however, Pulaski maintained close friendships with all of her former husbands.

In the year 2358, Pulaski became the chief medical officer of the USS Repulse, under Captain Taggert. Taggert thought very highly of Pulaski, and informed her that she would always have a home on the Repulse. Nevertheless, when the opportunity to serve on the fleets flagship, the USS Enterprise, Pulaski jumped at the chance. (ST video game: Starship Creator)

Enterprise[]

Pulaski served as chief medical officer of the Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the year 2365, when the ship's previous CMO, Beverly Crusher, was given the position of "Head of Starfleet Medical." (Star Trek: The Next Generation season two.)

Early on in Pulaski's stint as Enterprise CMO, she made private arrangements with a visiting Klingon dignitary, the Honorable Kobry, to automatically pronounce him dead if he were ever attacked in order to forestall any further attacks upon him. After Kobry was indeed attacked, Pulaski did as Kobry asked of her, and even defended her sickbay when Kobry's attacker, the renegade Klingon Tron, burst into the room demanding treatment. (TNG novel: Strike Zone)

Other experiences with Klingon culture also presented themselves to Pulaski, in the form of Worf's including her in his Rite of Ascension and tea ceremonies (TNG episode: "Up the Long Ladder", as well as William T. Riker's Officer Exchange Program aboard the IKV Pagh. (TNG episode: "A Matter of Honor")

After a young native of Drema IV named Sarjenka was brought aboard the Enterprise, and her planet was saved from self destruction, Pulaski used a method to erase the young girl's memories of her contact with off-worlders. (TNG episode: "Pen Pals")

A type of maverick, Pulaski used some of her own remedies in treating patients, such as "PCS", or "Pulaski's chicken soup." (TNG episode: "The Icarus Factor") Also like Admiral McCoy, she mistrusted (and avoided, if possible) the transporter. (TNG episodes: "Unnatural Selection", "Shades of Gray"; TNG - The Hero Factor comic: "Return to Raimon")

When the USS Enterprise-D found a derelict ship, Pulaski accompanied Commander Riker and the away team as they investigated the ship. Pulaski and the away team were captured and were to be taken to Taxxus as specimens for dissection. Luckily the ship was disabled and Pulaski then treated Lieutenant Worf. (TNG - The Hero Factor comics: "The Derelict", "The Hero Factor")

When Crusher returned to the Enterprise-D in 2366, Pulaski was expecting to go to Deep Space 5 to await her new posting. Her plans changed when the returning Crusher gave Pulaski an assignment from Starfleet Medical to get in touch with one of her former husbands, Kellec Ton, in order to supply Starfleet Medical with information about a medical crisis in the Cardassian-occupied Bajoran sector.

After the communication with Ton, Starfleet Medical obtained permission from the Cardassian prefect of the Bajoran sector, Gul Skrain Dukat, for Pulaski to lead a small medical team to research the unknown disease on the Terok Nor space station. Pulaski's researchers eventually identified the strange malady as a variation of the Double Helix virus that was designed to jump between the various species inhabiting the station. With the identification of the disease, Pulaski was able to develop a cure before the Terok Nor station was destroyed to prevent further outbreak. (TNG - Double Helix novel: Vectors)

Later assignments[]

Following the Bajoran mission, Pulaski received orders to return to the Repulse, this time under the command of the original Captain Taggert's daughter, Captain Ariel Taggert.

Pulaski was on board the Repulse in 2367 when that ship, the Enterprise and the USS Chekov took part in a three-way battle between Starfleet, the Borg, and an ancient alien Doomsday machine. (TNG novel: Vendetta)

In 2368, Pulaski served as CMO aboard a medical ship, the USS Debakey. During that mission, she was called upon to cure a romance-inducing pathogen discovered on Cygnus IV. (TNG short story: "Calculated Risk")

Pulaski later served on the USS Progress under Captain David Gold, until that vessel's decommissioning in late 2369. From the Progress, Pulaski transferred to the newly commissioned Drema Station in the Selcundi Drema sector. During the transfer, she re-encountered Sarjenka. (SCE eBook: Progress)

Also at some point during the 2360s, Pulaski had to opportunity to give a guest lecture to the students at Starfleet Medical Academy. (SCE eBook: Out of the Cocoon)

By late 2370, Pulaski was again seen serving on the Repulse. (TNG novelization: All Good Things...)

At some point, she received a call for help from her daughter Jackie Pulaski who had joined the Maquis. This cell of the terrorist organization was responsible for a dangerous genetically engineered disease to which her daughter had helped create and now wished to stop from being unleashed. Ultimately, she was successful in finding a cure but her daughter had to stand trial for her association in the matter though it was believed that her actions would go in her favor and that Captain Benjamin Sisko was going to testify on her behalf. (DS9 comic: "The Cancer Within, Part I")

By 2376, a year after the end of the Dominion War, Pulaski was serving at the research facility known as the Phlox Institute. She was still serving there in late 2379, when she attended the wedding of former Enterprise shipmates William T. Riker and Deanna Troi. (SCE eBook: Progress; TNG novel: A Time for War, A Time for Peace)

In 2385, Dr. Pulaski met Julian Bashir for the first time when she attended a medical conference on Bajor. She was still at the Phlox Institute at that time, and her work had brought her renown as an expert in genomic therapy. Pulaski, along with Bashir, Dr Elizabeth Lense and several other specialists collaborated to resolve the Andorian Reproductive crisis using the Shedai meta-genome data Bashir has secured from Section 31. (ST - The Fall novel: A Ceremony of Losses)

Due to her role in assisting Bashir in fashioning a cure for the Andorians using classified data Pulaski was taken into custody and held under house arrest. After Baras Rodirya was exposed as an imposter and war criminal President Pro-Tempore of the United Federation of Planets Sipak authorized Starfleet to drop the charges against Pulaski and everyone else in the group except Bashir. They were released from custody, restored to their former positions, and given commendations for their actions. (ST - The Fall novel: Peaceable Kingdoms)

In the same year, Pulaski successfully lobbied the Rosalind Franklin Institute for Biomedical Research for a starship to undertake a multi-cultural mission of science and exploration, and was given the Athene Donald. Pulaski's chosen crew consisted of representatives from the Klingon Empire, the Cardassian Union, the Romulan Star Empire, the Ferengi Alliance and the Tzenkethi Coalition, with the belief that "science will do what diplomacy can't" and start to bring peace between the powers of the Khitomer Accords and the Typhon Pact. She chose her old friend, Maurita Tanj, to be the director of research and de-facto commanding officer. During this mission, Pulaski struck up an unlikely friendship with Deep Space 9's CMO, Dr. Beverly Crusher, but clashed with Commander Peter Alden of Starfleet Intelligence until he left Starfleet to join the civilian mission. (DS9 novel: The Missing)

Appendices[]

Personal timeline[]

  • circa 2310, late 2300s: {born} (assuming Pulaski is in her mid-20s when she starts her internship)
  • 2310s: {childhood}
  • 2320s: {teens} teen years and college
  • 2330s: {20s} college, med school, internship and first years as MD
  • 2335: {mid-20s} internship on planet Chaquafar
  • 2353: {early 40s} at San Francisco Starfleet Medical, meets Kyle Riker
  • 2354-2364: has three marraiges, three divorces
  • 2358: {late 40s} CMO of USS Repulse
  • 2365: {mid 50s} CMO of USS Enterprise
  • 2366: {mid 50s} Medical mission to Terok Nor
  • 2367: {late 50s} return to USS Repulse
  • 2368: {late 50s} CMO of medical ship USS Debakey
  • 2369: {late 50s} to the USS Progress
  • 2370: {60ish} from Progress to Drema Station to Repulse
  • prior to 2376: {mid 60s} joins Phlox Institute
  • 2379: {late 60s} Picard offers CMO of Enterprise-E, Pulaski declines ("had enough of shipboard medicine") and remains at Phlox Institute
  • 2385: {Early 70s} Assisted Julian Bashir in using the Shedai Meta-genome to cure the Andorian reproductive crisis. In November 2385, Pulaski joined the crew of the Athene Donald as CMO.

Connections[]

Chief medical officers of the starships Enterprise
Enterprise (NX-01) Phlox Enterprise assignment patch.
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) Poole-AprilBoycePiperMcCoyChapel Enterprise assignment insignia.
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (Kelvin timeline) PuriMcCoy Enterprise assignment insignia.
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (other alternate realities) McCoyBoyceCarlottiM'Benga
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) McCoy Starfleet badge insignia.
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) (alternate realities) Carlotti
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) MetcalfeMichaelsMcCoyMorell
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) CasadoSternAristide
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) CrusherPulaski Starfleet badge insignia.
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) (alternate realities) Ogawa
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) CrusherStevenson Starfleet badge insignia.
ISS Enterprise (NX-01) Phlox Emblem of the Terran Empire.
ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701) BoyceMcCoyM'Benga
ISS Enterprise (ICC-1701-D) Crusher
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) medical personnel
Emblem of the United Federation of Planets. AsenziBondCallowayChandraCrusherD'AiroFaradayGavarGoldIovinoItohJohnsonLewisMarinoNigataOgawaPulaskiSelarTanakaTarsesTempleTroi Seal of the Federation Starfleet.
see also: engineering personnelpilots & flight control personneloperations personnelsecurity & tactical personnelsciences personnelsenior staffunnamed
USS Repulse personnel
USS Repulse (NCC-1863) Eugene Myers UFP emblem image. Starfleet emblem.
USS Repulse (NCC-2544) Katherine PulaskiElizabeth ShelbyTaggertA. TaggertKila Vet
Athene Donald personnel
Emblem of the United Federation of Planets Peter AldenDelkaMetigerKatherine PulaskiMaurita Tanj

Appearances[]

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External link[]

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