Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) served as the ship’s counselor on the USS Enterprise-D throughout all seven seasons ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. Originally conceived to be the Spock (Leonard Nimoy) ofTNG,Troi became more of a caregiver character and, in many ways, formed the heart of the show. With a Betazoid mother and a human father, Deanna Troi inherited empathic abilities from her mother,Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry). Troi could sense the emotions of those around her, which proved useful both as a counselor and as the trusted advisor to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).
Counselor Troi’s character was largely inspired by Lieutenant Ilia (Persis Khambatta), a character who was originally conceived for the abandonedStar Trek: Phase IIand later appeared inStar Trek: The Motion Picture. As a Deltan, Ilia also had empathic abilities, and her relationship with Captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins) has many similarities toTroi’s relationship with Commander William Riker(Jonathan Frakes).Deanna Troi did not always receive the best storylines onStar Trek: The Next Generation,but her romance with Riker remains one ofStar Trek’sbest love stories.
Counselor Troi’s Life On Betazed Before Star Trek: TNG (2336-2364)
Deanna Was Born On Betazed In 2336 To A Betazoid Mother & A Human Father
Deanna Troi was born on the planet Betazed in 2336 to Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi and human Starfleet officer Ian Andrew Troi (Amick Byram). Lwaxana and Ian had a previous daughter named Kestra Troi, but she tragically drowned when Deanna was a baby. Overcome by her grief, Lwaxana repressed her memories of Kestra and removed all evidence of her existence from the Troi household. Because of this,Deanna did not learn about her sister until 2370,inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “Dark Page,” when Lwaxana’s memories began returning.
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Deanna’s father shared elements of human culture with her as a child, but he passed away in 2343 when Deanna was only seven years old. Sometime in the 2350s, Deanna began studying psychology at the University of Betazed, and she entered Starfleet Academy in 2355.Troi graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2359with a major in psychology. Sometime between 2357 and 2361, Troi was involved in a romantic relationship with Lt. Will Riker while he was stationed on Betazed. However, Will later chose to prioritize his career over this romance and the two eventually lost contact with one another.
Deanna Troi Was USS Enterprise-D’s Counselor On Star Trek: TNG (2364-2371)
Troi Served As The Ship’s Counselor & An Advisor To Captain Picard
Counselor Troi made herStar Trekdebut inStar Trek: The Next Generation’sseries premiere, andher empathic abilities quickly came in handy during the Farpoint mission in 2364.Troi’s empathic abilitieswere altered somewhat after “Encounter at Farpoint,“but nevertheless proved vital on numerous occasions throughout the series. Deanna’s mother, Lwaxana, was introduced inTNGseason 1, episode 11, “Haven,” when she visited the Enterprise to celebrate her daughter’s prearranged marriage to Wyatt Miller (Rob Knepper). Wyatt, however, fell in love with another woman, saving Deanna from having to marry a man she barely knew.
“Face of the Enemy”
Season 7, Episode 7
“Dark Page”
At the start ofStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 2, in early 2365, an alien entity wishing to learn more about humanity impregnated Deanna with a child who aged extremely quickly. Over the next several years,Deanna had a few romances withTNGguest stars and a brief relationship with Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn).She also lost her empathic powers and gained them back, and later went undercover disguised as a Romulan. Troi did not begin wearing a Starfleet uniform untilTNGseason 6, and she later took the Bridge Officer’s Test in 2370, becoming a full commander.Deanna Troi sometimes deserved better onTNG, but she ultimately became an integral member of the Enterprise crew.
Troi In Star Trek: TNG’s Movies (2371-2379)
Troi Remained On The Enterprise Throughout The TNG Films
InStar Trek Generations,Counselor Troi piloted the USS Enterprise-Dduring the Battle of Veridian III and was forced to crash-land the saucer section.Troi was the first Enterprise crew member to encounter Dr. Zefram Cochrane(James Cromwell) inStar Trek: First Contactafter the ship traveled back in time to stop the Borg. Troi ran into Cochrane at a bar, where he bought her several drinks. Troi passed out soon after Commander Riker found them, and she later helped convince Cochrane to go through with his historic warp flight.
In 2376, between the events ofStar Trek: InsurrectionandStar Trek: Nemesis,Troi helped Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) with Project Pathfinder, the mission to communicate with USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant.
Troi helped evacuate the Ba’ku inStar Trek: Insurrectionand rekindled her romance with Riker in the process.Troi and Riker finally married inStar Trek: Nemesisand joined the USS Enterprise-E for one final mission to Romulus.Praetor Shinzon (Tom Hardy)became obsessed with Troi and telepathically took advantage of her. Troi later used their residual connection against Shinzon, crashing the Enterprise into Shinzon’s warbird, the Scimitar.
Troi After Star Trek: TNG (2380-2399)
Riker & Troi Appeared In Animated Form On Star Trek: Lower Decks
Counselor Troi briefly popped up inStar Trek: Lower Decks,serving alongside her husband on the USS Titan in 2380. About a year after the Titan saved the USS Cerritos from the Pakleds, Troi gave birth to her andRiker’s first child, Thaddeus Troi-Riker, in 2381. As a child, Thad was diagnosed with mendaxic neurosclerosis andthe Troi-Riker family moved to Nepenthe due to the regenerative properties of the planet’s soil.
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Although Thad’s illness could have been cured with an active positronic matrix, all synthetic life had been banned after the attack on Mars in 2385, and Thad tragically passed away. Troi and Riker also had a daughter named Kestra (Lulu Wilson), born sometime after Thaddeus.
Counselor Troi In Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)
Troi Saved The Day In Star Trek: Picard Season 3
Marina Sirtis returned to portray Counselor Troi briefly inStar Trek: Picardseason 1 before making a more substantial return for the show’s third and final season. InPicardseason 1, episode 7, “Nepenthe,“Admiral Picard and Soji Asha (Isa Briones) visited Troi and Riker, who were living on Nepenthewith their daughter, Kestra. InPicardseason 3, Picard and Riker commandeered the USS Titan-A after Jean-Luc received a distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). In the latter half of the season, Troi was kidnapped by the Changeling Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and held aboard her warship, the Shrike.
After the events ofStar Trek: Picardseason 3, Troi puts her counseling skills to good use to help Data (Brent Spiner) adjust to his newfound humanity.
Vadic soon captured Riker as well, and he and Deanna talked through some of their marital problems as they waited for rescue.Before long,Captain Worf arrived to free his old friends(with a particularly warm welcome for Deanna), and the entireTNGcrew then reunited aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D. Troi’s empathic abilities not only allowed her to discover the residual Borg DNA in Jack Crusher’s (Ed Speleers) mind, but also helped her locate her husband in the heart of a Borg cube. In the end,Troi got to be a true hero inStar Trek:Picardin a way she rarely did onStar Trek: The Next Generation.
