When you have 726 episodes and 10 films in your history, there's certainly a lot of room for debate about what worked and what didn't. It's not easy to compare things across the various generations and incarnations of Trek, either, given the changes to the very nature of television storytelling from the first time "Space...the final frontier" graced our screens. For example, back in the days of TOS the nature of "serialized" plots that continue for years was almost unheard of. Almost everything was wrapped up with a joke at the end of the hour, and little attention was paid to character development that occurred in the previous seasons. Compare that to arcs that lasted for years on DS9, the ambitious (but not quite always successful) season long story in S3 of Enterprise. Backstory and character development often occurred in one or two spotlight episodes for characters that weren't "Captain," or through sheer force of the portrayer's talent and charisma in delivering the lines and requisite technobabble for the week.
Speaking of "the big chair," you could probably devote hours of debate to the captains (Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer), given the importance they had driving each of the shows and the attention paid to the roles. And it's difficult to compare apples to apples in many of the other roles from show to show (e.g. did every show have a clear cut science officer? who was the true "number 1" on each show? etc.). But one thing each incarnation had is a doctor, and I've found (yes, after watching each of the 726 episodes and 10 movies. Multiple times. Yep. I'm a geek. But don't worry, I don't own any prosthetic ears nor live in my parents basement, Shatner never told me to "get a life" and I do get laid) that the doctors were actually a consistent strength of each show.
While having a doctor was a necessity of the plot mechanics, each of the doctors brought something unique to the party.
TOS: Leonard McCoy
"Bones," the "old country doctor," whose cranky, humanistic approach was a perfect counterbalance to Spock's alien logic. Responsible for two of TV's best catchphrases: "He's dead, Jim," and of course, "Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a......" (Note: it sounds better with the "dammit, Jim," but just like Rick Blaine never said "Play it again, Sam," McCoy never actually started one of those on the show with the "dammit, Jim.") One of the rare flattering portrayals of a southerner, that didn't involve redneck and unenlightened stereotypes. Most involved in the central plots of the show (though latter seasons of DS9 and Voyager did give some good time to Bashir and The Doctor also).
TNG: Beverly Crusher
Passionate embodiment of TNG's more advanced take on medicine, widow of Jack Crusher and mother of Wesley (I was one of the many who held that against her, but if you ever get a moment, check out Wil Wheaton's hysterical TNG recaps. He fully realizes what an ass young Wesley was and how hated he was by the fans. Makes you see the writers and actors in a new light.). Excellent romantic tension with Picard (handled well in many episodes, particularly "Attached" and in a potential future way, in "All good things..."). Occasionally funny and almost always sympathetic. Note: we won't even address the horrific Dr. Pulaski who subbed in in S2, trying to be a distaff version of McCoy. Awful.
DS9: Julian Bashir
Initially introduced as a preening, green and playboy know-it-all, Bashir had one of the more gripping character evolutions on Trek. From this initial characterization, Bashir developed a realistic and wonderful friendship with O'Brien and dealt with the repercussions of discovering he was genetically engineered as a child. Served as an entry point into many of DS9's fascinating moral debates about the grey areas between "right" and "wrong" with not only medical issues, but also issues of state and government (such as Section 31).
Voyager: The Doctor
While the "holodeck" got quite a workout as Trek progressed, moving into annoying plot device after a while, the holographic doctor was a novel and revolutionary take on the technology. His snarky attitude and less than pleasant beside manner, all the while grappling with the questions of "what makes a sentient being," was clearly one of the high points and strongest aspects of Voyager. Easily the funniest character on Voyager, and surprisingly, one of the most insightful and empathetic.
Enterpise: Phlox
On a show known for uneven (or non-existent) characterizations, Phlox did a wonderful job with what he was given. Warm, friendly, curious and possessing a deadpan wit, Phlox represented one of the first alien members of a Starfleet crew. He would also fit in well with the Henricksons on Big Love.
It's hard to "rank" these characters as "best" or "most effective," since they were all uniformly well acted and a consistent bright spot across all the Trek incarnations. In this case, I'll use "best" simply to represent which ones I enjoyed more.
Best Star Trek Doctors:
- Leonard McCoy
- The Doctor
- Julian Bashir
- Phlox
- Beverly Crusher
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment