TWITrek Character Insight No. 2: Commander Deanna Troi

This is another in a series of "Character Insight" Articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  The audio version will appear on the This Week In Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
--------------------
Welcome back to Character Insight, a segment honoring the remarkable characters of the Star Trek universe.  This week, our subject is Commander Deanna Troi, the ship's counselor on The Next Generation.




Troi is the ship's counselor on the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation, which is a role that was new to the Star Trek universe at that time.  Troi is half-betazoid, a telepathic race that is first presented in The Next Generation and likely based in part on the Deltans, who were introduced in the Star Trek movies in the 1980's.

Despite some initial struggles for the writers to find a role for Troi, the counselor finds an important role similar to Doctor Beverly Crusher following the death of the other regular female character Tasha Yar in Season 1.  Despite not having full telepathic abilities, Troi's ability to sense general feelings of others enables her to be one of Captain Picard's closest advisers and most valuable assets throughout the journeys of the Enterprise.

Unlike the other female characters on The Next Generation, Troi serves as a love interest for both Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Worf during the run of the show.  Through a relationship known as "Imzadi" with Riker, Troi and Riker could share thoughts even when separated from one another.  These two lovebirds finally tie the knot at the beginning of the Nemesis movie, and serve together aboard the U.S.S. Titan in a separate book series written over the past few years.

Troi has a reputation for loving all things chocolate, and she surprisingly dominates the android Data in three-dimensional chess and poker during various episodes of The Next Generation.  Although Troi becomes subject to numerous mental intrusions and attacks during the show, she appears completely flustered by only her flamboyant mother, Lwaxana Troi.

Notable Quote:  
Counselor Troi: My mother is beginning a physiological phase. It's one that all Betazoid women must deal with as they enter midlife.
Commander William T. Riker: Yes, it's something Troi warned me about when we first started to see each other. A Betazoid woman, when she goes through this phase... quadruples her sex drive.
Counselor Troi: Or more.
Commander William T. Riker: Or more? You never told me that.
Counselor Troi: I didn't want to frighten you.
Manhunt, season 2 episode 19

Best Episodes Featuring Troi:
The Child, season 2 episode 1

Night Terrors, season 4 episode 17
Disaster, season 5 episode 5
Face of The Enemy, season 6 episode 14

Actor: Marina Sirtis has played many small roles in numerous television series and movies for the past 35 years.  These appearances include the movie Crash, Stargate SG-1, and a three-year run on Gargoyles.  She reprises her role as Deanna Troi in several Star Trek Voyager episodes as well.

-----------------------

Thanks for listening and please contact me with feedback to make this segment better.  You can find me on twitter @BuckeyeFitzy and at my blog: www.healertrek.blogspot.com.  See you next week!