In the seventh episode of the second season of The Next Generation, Picard questions the value of Dr. Pulaski, only to have her prove herself to him. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
I’m still gonna have the headcanon that Picard questioned Dr. Pulaski because Dr. Crusher wasn’t around anymore. I AM PERFECTLY FINE WITH THIS. (I miss her, y’all. Is she gone permanently???) But even putting this aside, I appreciated large parts of this episode. It was nice to have a story that focused on Dr. Pulaski, giving us a better sense of her character.
Admittedly, I couldn’t escape the sensation that I’d seen this Star Trek episode before. I initially thought that this was because I’d seen so many sci-fi shows tackle the rapid aging trope. (I referenced The X Files episode “Död Kalm” in the video.) While “Unnatural Selection” does hit a number of expected turns from a story that invokes said trope, it’s main problem is that it feels a whole lot like  “The Deadly Years” from the second season of The Original Series. Hell, I think you could even draw a number of parallels between the journey of Dr. Pulaski with McCoy in that very same episode. Hadn’t McCoy resigned himself to his fate? Wasn’t he willing to try a risky, last-minute cure to his disease?
That’s not to suggest that The Next Generation can’t have similar premises or anything. Thankfully, I found that some of the subtler (and more absurd) moments of “Unnatural Selection” made this a solid episode. Namely, Dr. Pulaski’s relationship with Picard is front and center for this story. Even if we ignore my headcanon (despite that it totally works), it’s clear that at the very least, Picard is questioning his trust in a new chief medical officer. It doesn’t help that Dr. Pulaski is stubborn and confrontational, just like Picard can be at times. I wouldn’t say they’re exactly similar, but they’re close enough that they clash. On top of that, I think that Dr. Pulaski feels like she’s got to prove that she’s worthy of the assignment – one we find out she specifically sought out – so she behaves in assertive ways in order to do so. What I like about this is that while the writers point out how this irritates Picard, we also see how he learns to trust her assertions instead of constantly fighting them.
That’s important to me, and I think it’s important to the story, too. While the rapid aging trope doesn’t make this terribly exciting, the mystery structure of the episode helps make this a lot more thrilling. On top of that, the whole genetically engineered child subplot? GOOD LORD, WHAT??? I almost feel like you could have devoted an entire episode to these creepy master race-styled kids, but they’re just a background detail. Well, a background detail THAT’S ACTUALLY THE CAUSE OF EVERYTHING.
And look, that part does confuse me. Does the Federation allow genetic testing like this? And if their immune system is responsible for the rapid aging disease, WHY ARE THOSE AT THE RESEARCH STATION ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THIS LINE OF RESEARCH? Isn’t this all a huge warning that one should not fuck with the genetic code of humanity? I feel like if your science experiment creates a TELEPATHIC ANTIBODY that can alter a pathogen IN MID AIR, perhaps you’ve gone too far. Perhaps??? I feel like this is a reasonable thing to say, y’all, and yet, there doesn’t seem to be a long-term ramification for any of those at the Darwin Genetic Research Station.
I guess what’s important to me, though, is character development, and that’s the lasting impact that “Unnatural Selection” will have. It was a chance for Captain Picard and Dr. Pulaski to see sides of one another they either didn’t or couldn’t see before, and that sense of understanding is vital to the dynamic onboard the Enterprise. If Dr. Crusher truly is gone for the long haul, then the ship needs a chief medical officer who can handle the workload and stress that comes with the job.
I believe this episode demonstrated that Dr. Pulaski was perfect for that.
The video for “Unnatural Selection” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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