Counselor Troi
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Deanna Troi is a main character in the
science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...
television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and related TV series and films, portrayed by English actress
Marina Sirtis Marina Sirtis (; born 29 March 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and four ''Star Trek'' feature films, as well as other appearances ...
. Troi is half-human, half- Betazoid, and has the
psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and '60s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as extrasensory percept ...
ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor on USS ''Enterprise''-D. Throughout most of the series, she holds the rank of lieutenant commander. In the seventh season, Troi successfully passes the bridge officer's examination, gaining promotion to the rank of commander while maintaining her role as counselor. Troi appears in all four ''Next Generation'' theatrical films and also made guest appearances on '' Voyager'', ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'', ''
Picard Picard may refer to: Places * Picard, Quebec, Canada * Picard, California, United States * Picard (crater), a lunar impact crater in Mare Crisium People and fictional characters * Picard (name), a list of people and fictional characters with th ...
'' and '' Lower Decks''. Her romantic interests, family and personal life are plot elements in many ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episodes.


Depiction

Deanna Troi was born on March 29, 2336, near Lake El-Nar, Betazed. Troi's parents are Betazoid Ambassador
Lwaxana Troi This is a list minor of characters from the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Characters are ordered alphabetically by family name, and only characters who played a significant recurring role in the series a ...
(portrayed by Majel Barrett) and deceased human Starfleet officer Lt. Ian Andrew Troi (portrayed by Amick Byram). An older sister, Kestra, died in a drowning accident during Troi's infancy. Although Deanna Troi has little exposure to Earth culture, she attended
Starfleet Academy Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for condu ...
from 2355 to 2359, as well as the University of Betazed, and earned an advanced degree in
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
. As part of Betazoid aristocratic culture, Deanna, like her mother, is a Daughter of the Fifth House. Deanna Troi serves as the ship's counselor aboard the Starfleet starships USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701-D) and ''Enterprise''-E under the command of
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Jean-Luc Picard Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, most often seen as the commanding officer of the Federation starship . Played by Patrick Stewart, Picard has appeared in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Gene ...
. In '' Star Trek: Nemesis'', Troi leaves the ''Enterprise'' with her new husband,
William Riker William Thomas "Will" Riker is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' universe appearing primarily as a main character in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' portrayed by Jonathan Frakes. Throughout the series and its accompanying films, ...
, who has just been promoted to captain of the USS ''Titan''. Troi's empathic abilities prove key to the main shows, and other popular areas are her relationships and sexuality. In " The Child," she gives birth to an alien child. The Betazoid race has
telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
abilities. Due to her half-human heritage, Troi has only partial telepathic abilities and, as a result, is more of an empath with clairsentience. In ''Star Trek: Nemesis'', Troi has expanded her empathic abilities; she is able to connect to another psychic and follow that empathic bond to its source. In this instance, her ability enables ''Enterprise''-E to target and hit the
Romulan The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Their adopted home world is Romulus, and within the same star system they have settled a sister planet Remus. Their original home world, Vulcan ...
vessel ''Scimitar'', despite the fact that it is cloaked. She is also able to communicate telepathically with her mother and other telepathic Betazoids or races with sufficient aptitude. Several species are resistant to the telepathy and empathy of Betazoids, such as the
Ferengi The Ferengi () are a fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were devised in 1987 for the series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', played a prominent role in the following series '' Star ...
, the Breen and the Ulians. Early in the series, Troi finds herself working with a former lover, the newly assigned first officer of the ''USS Enterprise'', Commander William Riker. In season one, she meets a potential spouse in " Haven," In later episodes, Troi has romantic involvements with several others, including a brief relationship with
Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon language, Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a humanoid species of aliens in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star T ...
Starfleet officer
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Worf Worf, son of Mogh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, portrayed by actor Michael Dorn. He appears in the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (''TNG''), seasons four through seven of ''Star Trek: Deep Space ...
. A major exploration of their relationship begins with " Parallels," in which Worf encounters parallel universes where they are married with children. Another episode that explores a Troi-Worf relationship is " Eye of the Beholder". However, in both cases, they are not revealed to be dating aboard the "real" ship, although both episodes are oriented towards exploring this concept. In " All Good Things...," the beginnings of a real-world relationship are briefly explored, though this is abruptly dropped as Worf explores other love interests in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', and Troi's romantic relationship with Riker is rekindled through the ''Next Generation'' films. As a main cast member, Troi appears in nearly every ''TNG'' episode, though particular episodes, starting with "The Child," feature her as the primary protagonist. Her name is included in the show title "
Ménage à Troi "Ménage à Troi" is the 24th episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the 72nd episode of the series overall. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adve ...
," which is oriented towards an adventure she and her mother have (besides
Data Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted for ...
and Q, this is one of the few cases where a character's name is in the episode title). Other episodes principally about Troi include: " Face of the Enemy," " Man of the People," " Violations" and " Night Terrors." The Season 7 episode " Thine Own Self" deals with Troi's attempts to pass the bridge officer's exam; she succeeds after several attempts and is promoted to Commander. Fellow officers address her in various ways. Captain Picard calls her "Counselor," but when he is concerned about her or in emergencies, he calls her "Deanna." Picard also refers to her as "Commander" in the pilot episode, "
Encounter at Farpoint "Encounter at Farpoint" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', which premiered in syndication on September 28, 1987. It was written by D. C. Fontan ...
," which is consistent with her uniform's rank pips. In the pilot episode, Riker addresses her as "Lieutenant" only once; he does not refer to her service rank again for several seasons. Doctor Crusher (one of her most noted female friends) usually calls her "Troi." Data rarely uses her first name, preferring to call her "Counselor Troi." Depending on the situation, Commander Riker calls her "Deanna" or " Imzadi," which means "beloved" in the Betazoid language. In several episodes, Troi falls victim to aliens. In an episode of season four (" Clues"), the ''Enterprise''’s crew loses a day's memory. An entity takes over Troi to communicate with the crew as events unfold. She temporarily gains "superhuman" strength and effortlessly tosses Worf across the bridge, breaking his wrist. In the season-five episode, "Violations," the ''Enterprise'' encounters an alien species who are telepathic and specialize in being able to bring back lost memories. One of the aliens mentally assaults Deanna and also tries to physically assault her in her quarters. Worf and one of his security teams save her. In the film ''Star Trek: Nemesis'', Shinzon's telepathic viceroy violates her mental integrity. This violation occurs in her quarters when she is with her new husband, Commander Riker; it also occurs in the ''Star Trek: Nemesis'' bonus deleted scenes, where she is attacked in the turbolift. Eventually, she uses the same connection to flip the tables on the viceroy. Troi is an avid connoisseur of chocolate, a fact that is significant in multiple episodes, including one in which she tells Commander Riker how to properly enjoy eating it. In the episode " Remember Me," Beverly Crusher briefly describes Troi to Captain Picard to jog his memory and mentions that she "loves chocolate." She is known for ordering chocolate-flavored desserts in Ten-Forward, and her love for desserts is frequently mentioned in the series. She talks about this with a visiting alien ambassador in " Liaisons," who takes up her love for desserts, as in their culture they do not have this type of food. Dream-themed episodes include " Phantasms," where Troi appears as cake in Data's dream, and in "Night Terrors," her dreams help save the ship. The dreams a suitor thinks he is having about her in "Haven" become a major plot point in that episode.


Development and casting

Marina Sirtis Marina Sirtis (; born 29 March 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and four ''Star Trek'' feature films, as well as other appearances ...
at first read for the role that would become
Tasha Yar Natasha "Tasha" Yar is a character that mainly appeared in the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Portrayed by Denise Crosby, Yar is chief of security aboard the Starfleet sta ...
in 1986. She had, in total, five readings, all with
Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer who created the science fiction series and fictional universe ''Star Trek.'' Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up ...
and other executives. Roddenberry took a liking to her almost immediately.
Denise Crosby Denise Michelle Crosby (born November 24, 1957) is an American actress and model known for portraying Security Chief Tasha Yar mainly in Star Trek: The Next Generation (season 1), season one of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and Yar's daug ...
, who eventually won the role of Tasha, auditioned for the role of Deanna Troi. Sirtis was said to have had a more "exotic" feel about her. She was just about to return home, in debt and jobless, when she received the phone call alerting her that she had the role of Deanna Troi. She said she would have missed the call and been on her way to England if it had been an hour later. Sirtis' US visa was expiring that day, and if she had stayed any longer, she could have run into legal trouble. For Sirtis, ''Star Trek'' was her first big break. Prior to Deanna Troi, her acting career was going nowhere: "What they told us about ''The Next Generation'' when we started was that we were guaranteed 26 episodes. So that was the longest job I've ever had." Series creator
Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer who created the science fiction series and fictional universe ''Star Trek.'' Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up ...
initially intended Troi to be "eye candy": beautiful, sexy, and not very bright. He also conceptualized her as having four breasts, before his wife told him this was a bad idea. Prior to filming, Sirtis was told to lose , but she thought that she had to drop even more and was often wearing plunging necklines and form-fitting dresses. After six years, the producers decided to drop the "sexy and brainless" Troi and make her a stronger character, represented by changing her outfit to a standard crew uniform:
I was thrilled when I got my regulation Starfleet uniform... it covered up my cleavage and I got all my brains back, because when you have cleavage, you can't have brains in Hollywood... I was allowed to do things that I hadn't been allowed to do for five or six years. I went on away teams, I was in charge of staff, I had my pips back, I had phasers, I had all the equipment again, and it was fabulous. I was absolutely thrilled.


Reception

One reviewer compared her to
Leonard McCoy Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original ''Star Trek'' series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the anima ...
from the original ''Star Trek'' television series. In 2018, CBR ranked Counselor Troi as the 25th-best
Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduct ...
character of ''Star Trek'', in 2018; they note her role as an empath aboard ''Enterprise'' 1701-D. In 2017, '' IndieWire'' ranked Troi as the 9th-best character on ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''. In 2016, Troi was ranked as the 24th-most important character of Starfleet within the ''Star Trek'' universe by ''Wired''. In 2017, ''
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'' ranked Troi the 12th-most attractive person in the ''Star Trek'' universe. In 2018, ''CBR'' ranked Troi the 25th-best member of Starfleet. In 2019, Troi was ranked the sixth-sexiest ''Star Trek'' character by SyFy. In 2020, '' Tom's Guide'' recommended the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episodes "
Ménage à Troi "Ménage à Troi" is the 24th episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the 72nd episode of the series overall. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adve ...
", " Face of the Enemy" and " Thine Own Self" as having some of the best moments for this character. In 2020, SyFy Wire was very positive about her performance in the ''Star Trek: Picard'' episode "Nepenthe," explaining that "It features Deanna Troi at her very best, with Marina Sirtis at the height of her powers."


Franchise appearances

Besides being a regular in ''The Next Generation'' and its films, Deanna Troi appears in three episodes of '' Star Trek: Voyager'' ("
Pathfinder Pathfinder, Path Finder or Pathfinders may refer to: Aerospace * ''Mars Pathfinder'', a NASA Mars Lander * NASA Pathfinder, a high-altitude, solar-powered uncrewed aircraft * Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder'', a Space Shuttle test simulator Arts and ...
," " Life Line," and " Inside Man") together with Reginald Barclay, and in the final episode of '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', "These Are the Voyages...," with William Riker. Troi appears in the '' Star Trek: Picard'' season 1 episode "Nepenthe," set twenty years after ''Nemesis'' where she is married to Riker and they have two children, Thad and Kestra. Deanna and her husband extend a warm welcome to Jean-Luc Picard and his android companion Soji when they visit the Rikers' home. Deanna and Will are both retired from Starfleet, although Will is described as being on "active reserve." Deanna appears in a recurring capacity in the first half of season 3, which includes flashbacks to her motherhood. She is later revealed to have been abducted by the antagonists of the season and is reunited with Riker, who had fallen into an existential crisis after Thad's death and needed to temporarily separate from her to get outside help from Picard. They discuss their marital issues in their detainment, realizing their relationship had turned into one of toxic codependency and longing for adventure. The ''Enterprise'' crew reunites with the couple aboard a new incarnation of the ''USS Titan'' after Worf rescues them. Troi appears in the first-season finale of the animated '' Star Trek: Lower Decks'', set a year after the events of ''Nemesis''.


See also

* List of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' cast members


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Troi, Deanna Fictional telepaths Star Trek alien characters Fictional commanders Fictional empaths Fictional extraterrestrial–human hybrids Fictional characters from the 24th century Fictional psychologists Star Trek (film franchise) characters Star Trek hybrids Star Trek: Enterprise characters Star Trek: Picard characters Star Trek: The Next Generation characters Star Trek: Voyager characters Starfleet lieutenant commanders Starfleet commanders Starfleet officers Television characters introduced in 1987 de:Figuren im Star-Trek-Universum#Counselor Deanna Troi