Deanna Troi is a main character in the

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univer ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

'' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress

Marina Sirtis Marina Sirtis (; born 29 March 1955) is a British 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 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psychok ...

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 takes the bridge officer's examination and is promoted to the rank of commander, but continues as counselor. Troi appears in all four ''Next Generation'' theatrical films, and also made guest appearances on ''

Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...

'', ''

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 * Enterprise ...

'', '' Picard'', 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 ''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinof ...

. Troi’s parents are Betazoid Ambassador

Lwaxana Troi This is a list 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 are lis ...

(portrayed by

Majel Barrett Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (; born Majel Leigh Hudec;
, ''

Amick Byram Amick Byram (born January 24, 1955) is an American tenor, a recording artist and two-time Grammy nominee. A native of McLennan County, Texas, Byram is a well-known sessions artist in Los Angeles, California, He was best known for providing the sin ...

). An older sister, Kestra, died in a drowning accident during Troi’s infancy. Although Deanna Troi has little exposure to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

culture, she attended

Starfleet Academy In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto is "''Ex astris, ...

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. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. 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 of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Jean-Luc Picard Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, most often seen as the captain of the Federation starship . Played by Patrick Stewart, Picard has appeared in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (''T ...

. 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''. Throughout the series and its accompanying films, he is the '' Enterprise''s firs ...

, who has just been promoted to captain of the USS ''Titan''. Troi's empathic abilities prove key to 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 Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, cog ...

with

clairsentience Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

. In ''Star Trek: Nemesis'', Troi has expanded her empathic abilities, as 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''. They first appeared in the series ''Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including ''The Ani ...

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 ''Sta ...

, the Breen, and the Ulians. Early in the series, Troi finds herself working with a former lover, the newly assigned first officer to USS ''Enterprise'',

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

William Riker. In season one, she meets a potential spouse in "

Haven Haven or The Haven may refer to: * Harbor or haven, a sheltered body of water where ships can be docked Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Haven (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter), from the novel series * Haven (comics), from the ''X-Men ...

". In later episodes, Troi has romantic involvements with several others, including a brief relationship with

Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon language, Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' ('' ...

Starfleet officer

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Worf Worf, son of Mogh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He appears in the television program, television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (''TNG'') and seasons four through seven of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (''D ...

. 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 real-world relationship are briefly explored, though this is abruptly dropped as Worf explores other love interests in ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'', 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 adventu ...

", which is oriented towards an adventure her mother and she have (besides

Data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpret ...

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 Night terror, also called sleep terror, is a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread and typically occurring during the first hours of stage 3–4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and lasting for 1 to 10 minutes. It can last long ...

". She is addressed in various ways by fellow officers. 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. Fontana an ...

", which is consistent with her uniform's rank pips. Riker addresses her as "Lieutenant" a single time in the pilot episode; her service rank is not referred to again for several seasons. Doctor Crusher (one of her most noted female friends) usually calls her "Troi". Data very rarely calls her by her first name, usually calling her "Counselor Troi". Depending on the situation, Commander Riker calls her "Deanna" or "

Imzadi ''Imzadi'' is a non-canon ''Star Trek'' novel by Peter David, primarily exploring William Riker's assignment to Betazed and his early relationship with Deanna Troi. ''Imzadi'' has a complex structure, involving time travel through the Guardian ...

", 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. As events unfold, Troi is taken over by an entity to communicate with the crew. 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. She is saved by Worf and one of his security teams. In the film, ''Star Trek: Nemesis'', she is mentally violated by Shinzon's viceroy, who is also telepathic. This 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. She eventually is able to turn the tables on the viceroy using the same connection. 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 Remember Me may refer to: Film and television Film * Remember Me (1979 film), ''Remember Me'' (1979 film), an American documentary short by Dick Young * Remember Me (1985 film), ''Remember Me'' (1985 film), an Australian TV movie * Remember Me? (f ...

", 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 USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701-D), or ''Enterprise''-D, is a starship in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, it is the main setting of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and the film '' ...

, and her love for desserts is a common point of dialogue in many shows. 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

at first read for the role that would become Tasha Yar 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, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series '' Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and '' S ...

and other executives. Notably, Roddenberry took a liking to her almost immediately.

Denise Crosby Denise Michelle Crosby is an American actress and model known for portraying Security Chief Tasha Yar mainly in season one of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and Yar's daughter, the half-Romulan Commander Sela, in subsequent seasons. She ...

, 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 stated that if it had been an hour later, she would have missed that call and been on her way to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Sirtis'

US visa The visa policy of the United States consists of the requirements for foreign nationals to travel to, enter, and remain in the United States. Visitors to the United States must obtain a visa from one of the U.S. diplomatic missions unless they ...

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 first started was that we were guaranteed 26 episodes. So that was the longest job I've ever had." Initially, series creator

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 thought to herself 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:

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 anim ...

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 conduc ...

character of ''Star Trek'', in 2018; they note her role as an empath aboard ''Enterprise'' 1701-D. In 2017, ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

'' 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,

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...

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 ''Tom's Hardware'' is an online publication owned by Future plc and focused on technology. It was founded in 1996 by Thomas Pabst. It provides articles, news, price comparisons, videos and reviews on computer hardware and high technology. The si ...

recommended the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episodes "

", " Face of the Enemy", and "

Thine Own Self "Thine Own Self" is the 168th episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the 16th episode of the seventh season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet ...

" as having some of the best moments for this character. In 2020,

SyFy Wire Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

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", "

Inside Man ''Inside Man'' is a 2006 American heist thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist on Wall Street over a 24-hour period. The film stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Frazi ...

", and " Life Line") together with Reginald Barclay, and in

the final episode "The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)" is a song by British metalcore band Asking Alexandria. It is the band's lead single from their debut album, ''Stand Up and Scream''. It was released on 15 December 2009. One of the band's most success ...

of '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', "These Are the Voyages...", with William Riker. Troi appears in the '' Star Trek: Picard'' episode "Nepenthe", set twenty years after ''Nemesis'' where she is married to Riker and they have two children, Thad (deceased) and Kestra. When Jean-Luc Picard and his android companion Soji visit the Rikers' home, Deanna and her husband welcome them with open arms. Deanna and Will are both retired from Starfleet, although Will is described as being on "active reserve". Troi appears in the first season finale of the animated ''

Star Trek: Lower Decks ''Star Trek: Lower Decks'' is an American adult-oriented animated television series created by Mike McMahan for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+). It is the ninth ''Star Trek'' series and was launched in 2020 ...

'', set a year after the events of ''Nemesis''.

References

External links