Does anyone remember what fan reaction to Data was from Season One? Was there perhaps a small subset of people who disliked Data in the way Pulaski inititally did? Was Pulaski written for them?
Because I always sort of felt Pulaski was more or less a type of foil for Data, to help people who were offput by the idea of Data themselves to find the same path of understanding that Pulaski did. She existed as a contrast to the other characters who implicitly accepted Data, but was forced to reckon with her own preconceptions and accept she was wrong.
Her character felt like it was way more about humanizing Data than it felt like she existed as an important character on her own. As I said, a type of foil.
Starfleet loves its medical bigots. Go back and watch TOS. 90% of the shit that comes out of mccoy's mouth shoulda got him cashiered, if not outright court martialled for hate speech