For a series that continued the live-action saga that The Original Series established for the Star Trek universe, The Next Generation was easily one of the most popular shows of all time. However, the series created by Gene Roddenberry wasn’t without internal problems of its own and had some major changes in its cast even from its first two seasons.
For instance, Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher in season 1, was replaced by Diana Muldaur’s Dr. Katherine Pulaski in season 2. However, Muldaur couldn’t stay in the series for more than one season either and ended up leaving after season 2. And, as it turns out, Roddenberry was not the reason why for she most certainly left “under my own power.”
Diana Muldaur Confesses She Left Star Trek Of Her Own Will
Although season one was a remarkable success, it saw Gates McFadden’s Dr. Beverly Crusher leave to head up to Starfleet Medical for one season. In her stead was brought forward Diana Muldaur’s Dr. Katherine Pulaski, who took over as the Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise-D.
But, surprisingly enough, even Muldaur couldn’t stay for longer than one season either. This led to rumors that perhaps it was Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the masterpiece series, who may have led to her firing from the show.
However, Muldaur never admitted to these claims. Conversely, she revealed that the real person behind her leaving the saga was none other than herself.
As per what she said while candidly refuting all those claims during an interview for Star Trek Explorer issue #9 (via Screen Rant):
There was a reason for it that I don’t want to go into, but it had nothing to do with Gene or the cast.
Rather than pinning the blame on Roddenberry, Muldaur continued to justify her point, saying:
I left the show because the year was up, simple as that, under my own power. And if anything else happened, I would still be leaving under my own power. I would not have stayed, let’s put it that way.
That being said, the one to actually blame for her exit is none other than Muldaur herself. Additionally, her character wasn’t all that popular with fans either, and McFadden eventually wound up returning in the third season, so the 85-year-old actress’ confession is only believable.
But when it comes to the problems she faced while working on it, Muldaur confessed that what actually got her “a little disappointed” was the lack of creativity.
Diana Muldaur was “A Little Disappointed” with TNG‘s Level of Creativity
During the same interview, Diana Muldaur continued to talk about how she was “never unhappy” with her character, as opposed to her previous statement where she claimed she was. Instead, what really bothered her just a teensy bit was the creativity of the show not pulling up to the mark.
As Muldaur continued to reveal:
No, I was never unhappy. No. Never. I don’t even know why I said that. They were all good actors, they all worked very hard. I was a little disappointed in the people putting it together. I thought they were not creative as they might have been.
Well, yes, she isn’t wrong. The team could have been more creative, at least enough to make her character more likable than it was. But the series has long concluded, and a majority of the fans were satisfied with how it ended (it has an 89% audience score on RT), so we might as well let the past bury the past.
You can stream Star Trek: The Next Generation on Paramount Plus.
