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Who is Deanna Troi? 10 of the Most-Asked Questions About Her

All Articles | Pop Culture Trivia 03/15/2023 10:20am 3 minute read

Hey there, Trekkies! Let's talk about everyone's favorite empathic counselor, Deanna Troi, from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We've compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions about her to help you understand the character better.

Who is Deanna Troi?

Deanna Troi is a half-human, half-Betazoid empath who serves as the counselor on the USS Enterprise.

What is an empath?

An empath is someone who can sense and understand the emotions of others. Deanna's empathic abilities allow her to sense emotions at a much deeper level than most humans can.

Who did Deanna Troi marry?

Deanna married Commander William Riker in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Nemesis." The two had been in love for years and finally tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony.

How did Deanna Troi's father die?

Deanna's father, Ian Andrew Troi, was a prominent figure in the Betazoid government and was assassinated by a political rival when Deanna was young.

What is Deanna Troi's best quality?

Deanna's best quality is undoubtedly her empathy. She has an innate ability to connect with others and understand their emotions, which makes her an incredibly valuable member of the Enterprise crew.

Why does Deanna Troi dislike her mother?

Deanna's mother, Lwaxana Troi, is a Betazoid ambassador known for her flamboyant personality. Although Deanna loves her mother, she finds her overbearing and at times embarrassing.

What is Deanna Troi's favorite food?

We don't know for sure, but we do know that Deanna enjoys chocolate. In the episode "Conundrum," she reveals that she loves chocolate and can't resist it.

What happened to Deanna Troi's mother?

Lwaxana Troi appeared in multiple Star Trek episodes and films. She passed away off-screen, and it was mentioned in the Star Trek: Picard episode "Nepenthe."

How did Deanna Troi become a counselor?

Deanna Troi earned a degree in psychology from the University of Betazed and then completed a Starfleet Academy program in counseling and psychology.

What is up with Deanna's accent?

Deanna's accent is a result of her Betazoid heritage. The accent is meant to convey her exotic nature and her unique perspective on the world.

And there you have it, folks! The top 10 most frequently asked questions about Deanna Troi. We hope this list has shed some light on this beloved Star Trek character and her fascinating backstory. 

Live long and prosper!

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Forgotten Trek

Creating Counselor Troi

Marina Sirtis

The character of Deanna Troi, and her relationship with the ship’s first officer, Will Riker, was modeled on Lieutenant Ilia. The bald Deltan had been intended as a permanent addition to the Enterprise crew in Star Trek: Phase II but appeared only once, when that series was turned into The Motion Picture . (See Creating Lieutenant Ilia .)

Like Ilia, Troi is an empath. Like the Deltan, she hails from an alien world with liberal attitudes to sexual relations.

The last part came later. Denise Crosby, who ended up playing security chief Natasha Yar, told Entertainment Weekly in 2007 that, originally, “Troi was this cool, Icelandic blonde. Almost Spock-like.” Marina Sirtis was reading for the role. Crosby was auditioning for Troi.

Somewhere, about the second or third audition, Gene Roddenberry had this idea: Let’s just switch them and see what happens.

Tasha, who was written as a Latina, became Caucasian. Troi became first quarter- and later half-Betazoid.

Makeup and accent

There was a suggestion to give Troi three breasts, but Dorothy C. Fontana, a veteran of the original Star Trek series and once again the only female writer on the show, objected:

I felt women have enough trouble with two. And how are you going to line them up? Vertically, horizontally, or what? I was like, please, don’t go there. And they didn’t, fortunately.

To make the Betazoid Troi exotic, Sirtis wore black contact lenses and a hairpiece. She also spoke with an accent.

Sirtis, who was born in England to Greek parents, is quoted in James Van Hise’s Trek: The Next Generation as saying,

I didn’t want anyone to pin down my accent to any particular country.

In a commentary for the 2002 DVD release of Season 1, she elaborated:

It was an Eastern European accent, which kind of started with the Tasha Yar auditions, ’cause she was supposed to be from Eastern Europe. Then, when they told me to make an accent up, from Betazed, I kind of just modified that Eastern Europe accent a bit. I based it on a friend of mine, who’s actually Isreali.

The accent would wane over time to the point where Troi sounded American in the movies.

Marina Sirtis

Troi wore a “skant” (unisex skirt) in the pilot, “Encounter at Farpoint”. It would be years before she appeared in uniform again.

Sirtis told Starlog in 1988 that, after the first episode,

the producers decided that the look didn’t suit the character the way she was originally envisioned. They wanted something a bit more elegant and contained.

The actress was given various dresses to wear, a new one every season.

The downside, Sirtis lamented, was that the more cleavage her costumes revealed, the less cerebral her character seemed to become.

When Captain Jellico (Ronny Cox) told Troi to put on a uniform in Season 6’s “Chain of Command”, Sirtis was thrilled, telling the BBC :

First of all, it covered up my cleavage and, consequently, I got all my brains back, because when you have a cleavage you can’t have brains in Hollywood. So I got all my brains back and 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.

Sirtis’ Season 7 publicity photo is the only one in which she appears in Starfleet uniform.

Marina Sirtis

Non-threatening

In her 1988 interview with Starlog , Sirtis said the women of The Next Generation were getting a “pretty fair crack”.

The chief of security is a woman, the captain takes my advice very seriously and Dr Beverly Crusher is the only one who can declare the captain unfit.

Four seasons in, she was more critical, telling Cinefantastique in 1991:

The women on this show are very non-threatening. I don’t think it’s realistic. It’s not realistic for the twentieth century, so it’s definitively not realistic for the twenty-fourth century. Ever since Denise [Crosby] left the show, the two women that are left are both doctors in the caring professions. You don’t see women in power positions.

Jeri Taylor

Jeri Taylor, who joined The Next Generation at the beginning of Season 4 and remained the only woman on its writing staff (Fontana had left at the end of Season 1), agreed, telling Cinefantastique in 1993:

They had been put in caretaker roles. It’s hard to find stories that break them out of that mold.

It didn’t help that some of the male writers didn’t see much use for a counselor at all.

Brannon Braga is quoted in The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years as saying,

A therapist on a ship full of characters that supposedly had gone beyond human foibles and no longer succumbed to petty jealousy and anger?

Tracy Tormé, who also served as story editor during the first season, argued the character was too “soft” and “touchy-feely”. But then, Tormé, who wrote the episode “Conspiracy”, thought The Next Generation was too “timid” altogether and he left after two seasons.

Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden

Writing Troi

In the beginning, Sirtis struggled with how much emotion to show, telling Star Trek: The Magazine years later:

I didn’t understand what I was doing. I had the impression that Troi was an open sore of emotions, but I wasn’t aware that you didn’t have to show emotion to get the message across.

The writers weren’t sure either.

In “Encounter at Farpoint”, Troi communicates with Riker telepathically, a skill she would later use only with her mother. Sirtis told Starlog the producers decided too much ability would be “too limiting” to the character.

So they changed the level of Troi’s powers. Now, when I experience something, it’s a very strong emotion and that frees my character up to have more substance and scope.

But it was seldom exploited. Sirtis told SFX for a special Star Trek edition released in 2013 that Troi was written out of several Season 1 episodes because her ability to sense feelings would have killed the drama. She feared she might even lose her job, but then Crosby quit and Gates McFadden was fired, leaving Sirtis the only woman of the first season to make it into the second.

Michael Piller

Sirtis told Star Trek Monthly in 1997 that it wasn’t until the third season that Troi became more grounded. “She became less decorative and more interesting.” But there was still some way to go.

Michael Piller, who joined as a writer by then, confessed in a 1990 interview with Cinefantastique that he struggled with writing Troi:

The trouble with Troi is that because she’s an empath, you think she walks into a room and says, “I feel pain.”

He knew that was a cliché:

She is a total woman who has feelings of her own with a job to do on the Enterprise . She’s the captain’s most trusted confidant, valuable in dealing with strategic issues.

But his colleague Ronald D. Moore also had a hard time finding things for Troi to do:

It is difficult, because you run into a double trap of how much does she know and when. Especially when dealing with powerful aliens. It’s unfortunate, because the things she’s had, she’s been wonderful in.

Sirtis herself had no desire to get involved in writing, telling Cinefantastique ,

My basic theory of acting is you learn your lines and try not to bump into the furniture.

She would meet the writers for lunch once or twice per season to talk through Troi’s development.

Taylor made a conscious effort to inject more life into the character, telling Cinefantastique in 1992:

She was underutilized, somewhat one-dimensional. She did one thing: she sensed things. The actress is just too good not to let her stretch herself. I tried to broaden her role.

In an attempt to strengthen Troi’s character in Season 4, the writers chose to develop an often-pitched story in which she loses her empathetic powers. This became “The Loss”.

Deanna Troi and William Riker

“This basic idea has been pitched to us every season,” Piller told Cinefantastique in 1991.

Finally, because we needed a Troi show, we said, let’s do it here.

Author Sara Century writes for the official Star Trek website that the episode showed a tremendous amount of growth “by targeting and suspending the thing that Deanna relies on for everything — her intuition.”

By inhibiting her ability to empathize, the threat of the week showed us how the generally brave and calm Deanna deals without her own supreme inner harmony. The answer is, not great, but isn’t that more relatable?

“Man of the People” gave Sirtis another opportunity to act out of character. Troi becomes a receptacle for the negative emotions of a peace envoy and undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis.

“Face of the Enemy” (which was also directed by a woman, Gabrielle Beaumont) put her in a position where her empathic abilities weren’t relevant at all. Troi wakes up looking like a Romulan and discovers she must safely transport a defector to the Federation.

The writers had finally figured out Troi could do more than probe the intentions of the alien of the week. Toward the end of the series, Piller told Cinefantastique :

Marina is one of the great talents and nobody really knew it when this whole thing started. The more we give her to do, the more she seems capable of doing.

Troi’s brief and late-series romance with Worf confused and even upset some fans, but Century believes it was the better parts of both of their character arcs. Troi and Worf might appear to have little in common, but their relationship put an emphasis on their “substantial emotional common ground.”

Both are incredibly loyal, prideful and easily angered, but both are also deeply gentle spirits that struggle with violence on a profound and often unspoken level. Though he isn’t always forthcoming, Worf is easily one of the most emotional people on the crew. Troi’s light pushing of Worf to be more open, honest and communicative about his many feelings helped Worf. Meanwhile, his passion and sense of honor gave Troi the stable foundation she needed to express her interest in him.

The romance was short-lived, but Century argues it allowed viewers see the characters through a new lens.

Worf and Deanna Troi

Of course, the more permanent love interest in Troi’s life was Riker. After a few close encounters early on, the two settled into a friendship where they would often seek out each others’ counsel, notably when Riker was attracted to a member of an androgynous race who identified as female in “The Outcast”.

Sirtis told fans on the 1991 SeaTrek cruise that they should not expect the romance the blossom:

Forget about it! It’s not going to happen! Jonathan and I play a lot of stuff that ends up on the cutting room floor. We would like to see the characters have a relationship, but the producers want him to be “stud of the galaxy” to boff the “bimbo of the week”.

Taylor put it more diplomatically:

It’s not anything we have any interest in developing, because it leads you into constricting traps. We acknowledge that there was a relationship between Riker and Troi. They have a profound friendship. I don’t think you should close any avenue off in a series that may go on for many more years. We draw on that relationship for subtext.

It wasn’t until Star Trek: Insurrection that the characters were drawn back together by the rejuvenating influence of the Ba’ku planet. In early drafts, they merely flirted and kissed. It was at the studio’s suggestion that Piller, who wrote the script , developed the relationship more seriously.

In the next and final movie of The Next Generation , Nemesis , the couple got married.

Radical empathy

Marina Sirtis

Looking back on her role in a 1995 interview with Star Trek: Communicator , Sirtis said Troi was always the “nicest person aboard the Enterprise ” for her, “because, instead of being wacky and zany, she was always understanding and sympathetic toward people.”

Century argues this “radical empathy” was Troi’s strength. In a lot of fiction, she points out, women’s emotions devour and destroy them. Female empaths and telepaths are frequently portrayed as unstable and prone to losing control. “That’s never the case with Troi.” She “shows that people who are guided by their hearts actually have a bit of an edge in life.”

We live in a society that views compassion as a weakness, particularly feminine compassion. The message that to care is to give up your strength is instilled through media, culture, even in the mechanics of our very language. Allowing yourself to feel the world with one or two degrees less of a protective layer around your heart takes courage, and courage takes power. Like many highly sensitive people, Deanna Troi is regularly underestimated and her importance reduced. Through her patience and understanding, Troi insists that forcing yourself to view the world with empathy makes you a stronger person, not a weaker one.

Marina Sirtis and Jonathan Frakes

"Star Trek: T.N.G." empath Deanna Crossword Clue

"star trek: t.n.g." empath deanna answer is: troi, recent universal august 20, 2022 puzzle, latest clue, crossword publishers.

All intellectual property rights in and to Crosswords are owned by The Crossword's Publisher.

Star Trek: TNG - Michael Dorn Had No Issue With The Worf-Troi Romance, Actually

Riker standing behind Worf

In a utopian world where racism has been solved, and there is no need for money, conflict seems to be a thing of the past. This is what sets "Star Trek" apart from other sci-fi stories of its kind. Gene Roddenberry's creation is not a cautionary tale, but a bright hope for the future. The stories on the Enterprise are about exploration and embracing other cultures. But even in a seemingly hopeful future, human connections get in the way. The heart wants what the heart wants, and "Star Trek: Next Generation" created one of the most divisive romances in Star Trek history. Many of us were relieved when the short-lived dalliance between Worf (Michael Dorn) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) ended almost as quickly as it had begun. While these hearts were certainly yearning for each other, there was only one person who seemed to support it.

"The evolution of Worf was great, especially on 'Deep Space Nine.' It was just fantastic. The father thing, I thought, was a real challenge," Dorn told startrek.com about Worf's struggles with parenting his son, Alexander (Marc Worden). "What do I wish was not broached? People may expect me to say the Worf-Troi romance, but I actually liked that." In that regard, he was alone. Even his co-stars were vehemently vocal against Worf's attention toward the empathic Betazoid. 

Worf and Troi shared common ground

Even though Worf and Troi's relationship disappeared without explanation between seasons, Michael Dorn supports the union between the unlikely pair. It wasn't because Troi needed to be with someone who wasn't her Imzadi, Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Dorn appreciated the pair for a logical reason.

"I felt that was a good thing because Troi was so not like Worf," Dorn further explained. The pair start to see each other romantically during Worf's struggles with his estranged son. As an empath, Deanna helps Worf with his emotional struggles concerning Alexander. "That worked for me, but Marina didn't, of course. She and Jonathan (Frakes) just go, 'Oh, that was stupid. We hated that.'" Riker and Troi's relationship is iconic and beyond reproach. The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and Frakes still considers Marina his favorite acting partner . But "Picard" writers also made sure that Worf didn't hang out to dry. He and Deanna get closure and a humorous moment after they reunite following the Episode 8 conflict.

"I just love the idea that in the rescue, after he's had this journey to Zen, he can't wait to tell Deanna about it. He's just not even looking at Will," showrunner Terry Matalas told Collider . "They all play it so perfectly. Frakes is the straight man, just sitting there, looking back and forth. It's fantastic." Even when played for humor, this moment was a concise way to include Worf and Troi's past.

  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Episode aired Dec 6, 1968

Star Trek (1966)

Trapped in an alien laboratory, Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments. Trapped in an alien laboratory, Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments. Trapped in an alien laboratory, Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments.

  • Gene Roddenberry
  • Joyce Muskat
  • Arthur H. Singer
  • William Shatner
  • Leonard Nimoy
  • DeForest Kelley
  • 42 User reviews
  • 11 Critic reviews

Alan Bergmann and Willard Sage in Star Trek (1966)

  • Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk

Leonard Nimoy

  • Mister Spock

DeForest Kelley

  • Lieutenant Hadley
  • (uncredited)
  • Security Guard
  • All cast & crew
  • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

  • Trivia This was DeForest Kelley 's favourite episode.
  • Goofs McCoy and Kirk's evaluation of Gem makes unwarranted inferences: that being an empath, being able to feel what others feel, somehow means having the ability to physically heal others, and that being mute also means being unable to understand speech.

Dr. McCoy : Well, we can't keep referring to her as 'she' as if she weren't here.

Captain James T. Kirk : D'you have any ideas?

Dr. McCoy : Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to call her Gem.

Dr. McCoy : Gem, Doctor?

Dr. McCoy : Well, that's better than 'Hey, you'.

  • Alternate versions Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
  • Connections Featured in Mr. Plinkett's Star Trek 2009 Review (2010)
  • Soundtracks Theme Music credited to Alexander Courage Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

User reviews 42

  • May 7, 2014
  • December 6, 1968 (United States)
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  • Runtime 51 minutes

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Memory Alpha

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Empathy was the capacity to understand and feel the feelings and emotions of another person from their perspective or point of view . It could also refer to a type of extrasensory perception in which one can directly detect the emotions of another; such an individual was known as an empath . Empathic powers were often associated with telepathy .

Species in which empathic abilities were normal included the Betazoids (and Betazoid hybrids), Deltans , Haliians , Kwejians , Lumerians , and Napeans . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Man Of The People ", " Aquiel ", " Eye of the Beholder "; DIS : " The Sanctuary ")

Gem's species was empathic, and further possessed the ability to transfer the wounds of others onto themselves. ( TOS : " The Empath ") In Kelpiens , empathy was a defining trait hard-wired in their DNA , linked to their ganglia responding to shifts in their environment. ( DIS : " An Obol for Charon ")

In 2259 , La'an Noonien-Singh noted that the Federation taught that if a way was found to empathize with an enemy then one day they could become friends . She considered this wrong, because she believed some things in the universe , such as the Gorn , were evil . ( SNW : " Memento Mori ")

In 2365 , Deanna Troi described Doctor Katherine Pulaski 's greatest medical skill to be her empathy. ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ")

In 2366 , Reginald Barclay created a hologram of Deanna Troi, named the " Goddess of Empathy ". ( TNG : " Hollow Pursuits ")

Berlinghoff Rasmussen claimed to Deanna Troi in 2368 that some of his closest friends were empaths. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Time ")

In 2373 , Kes told The Doctor , who was malfunctioning, that empathy and kindness were basic to all forms of life . ( VOY : " Darkling ")

Appearances [ ]

All the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes listed here with empathy is done by Deanna Troi, unless otherwise stated. Troi uses her empathic abilities in roughly half (49 percent) of TNG's 178 episodes.

  • " Wolf in the Fold " (Season 2)
  • " The Empath " (Season 3)
  • " Encounter at Farpoint " (Pilot, Season 1)
  • " The Naked Now "
  • " Code of Honor "
  • " The Last Outpost "
  • " Where No One Has Gone Before "
  • " Lonely Among Us "
  • " Justice "
  • " The Battle "
  • " Angel One "
  • " Too Short A Season "
  • " When The Bough Breaks "
  • " Home Soil "
  • " The Arsenal of Freedom "
  • " Symbiosis "
  • " Skin Of Evil " (Troi & Armus )
  • " We'll Always Have Paris "
  • " Conspiracy "
  • " The Child " (Season 2, Troi & Ian)
  • " Where Silence Has Lease "
  • " Elementary, Dear Data "
  • " The Outrageous Okona "
  • " Loud As A Whisper "
  • " The Schizoid Man "
  • " Unnatural Selection "
  • " The Dauphin "
  • " Contagion "
  • " The Royale "
  • " Time Squared "
  • " The Icarus Factor "
  • " Samaritan Snare "
  • " Up The Long Ladder "
  • " Manhunt "
  • " The Emissary "
  • " Shades of Gray "
  • " Evolution " (Season 3)
  • " The Survivors "
  • " The Bonding "
  • " The Enemy "
  • " The Price " (Troi & Ral)
  • " The Defector "
  • " The Hunted "
  • " A Matter of Perspective "
  • " The Offspring "
  • " Allegiance "
  • " Tin Man " (Troi & Tam)
  • " Transfigurations "
  • " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II " (Season 4)
  • " Suddenly Human "
  • " Future Imperfect " (fake Troi uses empathic powers)
  • " The Loss "
  • " Night Terrors "
  • " The Drumhead "
  • " The Host "
  • " The Mind's Eye "
  • " Redemption "
  • " Darmok " (Season 5)
  • " Ensign Ro "
  • " Silicon Avatar "
  • " Disaster "
  • " Unification I "
  • " A Matter Of Time "
  • " Hero Worship "
  • " Violations "
  • " Conundrum "
  • " Power Play "
  • " Cost Of Living "
  • " The Perfect Mate " (Kamala)
  • " The Next Phase "
  • " Time's Arrow "
  • " Realm Of Fear " (Season 6)
  • " Man Of The People "
  • " Chain Of Command, Part I "
  • " Face Of The Enemy "
  • " Starship Mine "
  • " Second Chances " (mention only)
  • " Timescape "
  • " Descent "
  • " Descent, Part II " (Season 7)
  • " Gambit, Part I "
  • " Gambit, Part II "
  • " Dark Page "
  • " Attached " (Picard felt Beverly's fear of heights)
  • " Sub Rosa "
  • " Eye of the Beholder "
  • " All Good Things... "
  • " The Forsaken "
  • " Fascination "
  • " Life Line "
  • " Inside Man "
  • PIC : " Nepenthe " (Troi attempted to read Soji Asha 's emotions, but was unable to do so)

See also [ ]

  • Empathic metamorph
  • Radical empathy

External link [ ]

  • Empathy at Wikipedia
  • 2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • 3 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)

star trek tng empath deanna

All 10 Star Trek: TNG Time Travel Episodes Ranked Worst To Best

  • Time travel plays a key role in shaping the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation, offering unique challenges and storylines to the Enterprise crew.
  • Episodes like "Cause and Effect" and "All Good Things..." skillfully navigate time travel concepts, providing engaging and satisfying conclusions.
  • Despite some inconsistencies and rushed scriptwriting, TNG remains a pioneer in incorporating time travel into its storytelling, capturing the essence of the sci-fi genre.

Throughout the seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation , the crew of the USS Enterprise-D have several experiences involving time travel. Although time travel is technically possible in the 24th century of TNG , it often comes with many risks and complications. While time travel has been depicted in every Star Trek series since Star Trek: The Original Series , it does not always work the same way. Some of Star Trek's best television episodes and films incorporate time travel, including two of the most beloved films in the franchise, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek: First Contact .

Star Trek: The Next Generation seemed to have a particular fondness for this science fiction staple, and includes ten episodes with plots that center on time travel. From trips to the past to alternate futures to time loops, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his Enterprise-D crew became well acquainted with time travel throughout TNG's run. The show incorporated time travel in several interesting ways, and here are all ten episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation that center on time travel, ranked.

20 Best Star Trek Time Travel Episodes & Movies, Ranked

"we'll always have paris" (star trek: tng season 1, episode 24), in which the enterprise crew sees double..

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "We'll Always Have Paris," the USS Enterprise-D answers a distress call from Dr. Paul Manheim (Rod Loomis), whose experiments are causing time distortions. Manheim has become trapped between two dimensions, which will result in his death if the Enterprise crew cannot find a way to save him. Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) determines that the experiment must be shut down during one of the time distortions , so he beams down to the planet alone to stabilize the experiment.

The secondary plot of "We'll Always Have Paris" follows Captain Picard as he reconnects with a former flame, Jenice (Michelle Phillips), who is currently married to Dr. Manheim. While it's nice to learn a bit more about one of Picard's past love interests , their romantic chemistry is less than convincing. Due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, the script for "We'll Always Have Paris" was written quickly in only five days, which explains why the episode feels somewhat incomplete.

"Time Squared" (Star Trek: TNG Season 2, Episode 13)

In which picard has a run-in with picard..

When the USS Enterprise-D encounters a shuttle containing a version of Captain Picard from six hours in the future, the crew rushes to uncover the circumstances that led to this scenario. The future Picard wakes up disoriented and unaware of his surroundings, apparently "out of phase" with the Enterprise of the present. For unexplained reasons, stimulants have an opposite effect on the future Picard and the shuttle from the future requires negative power to function.

As the Enterprise-D investigates the strange shuttle from the future, the ship gets caught in a vortex. The original Picard decides to fly straight through the vortex, which somehow works and causes Picard and the shuttle from the future to vanish. No explanation is given to explain the strange effects of time travel in Star Trek: The Next Generation' s "Time Squared" or why Picard's solution works.

In the original concept for the episode, Q (John de Lancie) was responsible for these strange occurrences, but Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry reportedly nixed this idea.

"Firstborn" (Star Trek: TNG Season 7, Episode 21)

In which an adult alexander visits from the future..

Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Firstborn" dives into the relationship between Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) and his son, Alexander (Brian Bonsall). Hoping to get Alexander more interested in Klingon culture, Worf takes his young son to the Kot'baval festival on Maranga IV. While there, the two are attacked by a group of Klingon warriors, and a mysterious Klingon named K'mtar (James Sloyan) jumps in to help them.

When Worf catches K'mtar about to murder Alexander in his sleep, K'mtar reveals himself to be an adult Alexander from the future. The future Alexander wanted to prepare his younger self to prevent Worf's future assassination. K'mtar motivations are shaky at best, but "Firstborn" does offer an interesting look into Klingon culture and has some nice father/son moments for Worf and Alexander (even if Worf won't be winning any father-of-the-year awards ). ​

In a crossover from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Quark (Armin Shimerman) makes a brief appearance in "Firstborn," as do the villainous Duras sisters, Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh).

"A Matter of Time" (Star Trek: TNG Season 5, Episode 9)

In which a supposed traveler from the future visits the enterprise..

When the Starship Enterprise encounters a time distortion, they find a futuristic shuttlepod with one passenger on board. The passenger, Berlinghoff Rasmussen (Matt Frewer), claims to be a historian from the 26th century who has traveled back in time. Captain Picard later realizes that several pieces of 24th-century technology have gone missing and has a security team confront Rasmussen before he can depart.

Matt Frewer delivers a solid performance, but the story feels like it's missing something.

Rasmussen then reveals that he is actually from the 22nd century and that he stole the shuttlepod from a 26th-century time traveler. Picard arrests Rasmussen and his stolen pod disappears, trapping him in the 24th century. "Matter of Time" has some fun moments and Matt Frewer delivers a solid performance, but the story feels like it's missing something, and Picard and the crew accept Rasmussen's story a bit too quickly.

The role of Berlinghoff Rasmussen was originally written for Robin Williams. Although Williams wanted to be a part of Star Trek , he was busy with Steven Spielberg's Hook at the time.

12 Actors Who Appeared In Star Trek & The Walking Dead

"time's arrow" (star trek: tng season 5, episode 26 & season 6, episode 1), in which data visits the past and loses his head..

This Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter begins when Data's severed head is found in a cave alongside 19th-century relics. When the Starship Enterprise arrives to investigate, Data steps through a time portal and finds himself in the 19th century. As he searches for a way home, he encounters American authors Mark Twain (Jerry Hardin) and Jack London (Michael Aron), as well as Ten Forward bartender, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg).

Picard and the crew soon reunite with Data in the 19th century, and discover that shapeshifting aliens have been preying on the humans of the past. After some technobabble solutions, Picard and his team return to the 24th century and destroy the Devidian habitat. While the first half of "Time's Arrow" has some fun character moments (particularly regarding Data's 19th-century exploits), the second half feels contrived and unnecessarily confusing.

"Timescape" (Star Trek: TNG Season 6, Episode 15)

In which the enterprise is frozen in time..

When Captain Picard, Data, Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) return from a conference, they find the Enterprise frozen in time seemingly locked in a battle with a Romulan warbird. Picard, Data, and Troi then transport aboard the Enterprise to find a warp core breach in progress and multiple Romulans aboard. As they examine both ships, they realize that the Enterprise was trying to save the Romulans, as their ship was also about to explode.

Data and La Forge eventually discover that the temporal distortions were caused by aliens from trans-dimensional space who were trying to recover a quantum singularity from the Romulan ship. After La Forge is injured, Picard, Troi, and Data prevent the Enterprise from being destroyed, save their own crew, and transport the rest of the Romulans to safety. While "Timescape" may not be one of TNG's all-time greatest episodes, it turns an incredibly compelling premise into a fun story with some great character moments.

"Cause and Effect" (Star Trek: TNG Season 5, Episode 18)

In which the enterprise explodes over and over..

"Cause and Effect" begins with one of Star Trek's best cold opens, as the Starship Enterprise explodes just before the opening credits role. When the show returns, time resets to just before the explosion and everything happens all over again. While the Enterprise studies an anomaly, the USS Bozeman suddenly bursts through. The two ships collide, resulting in a catastrophic explosion before time resets yet again.

As the crew members begin to experience a sense of déjà vu, Data devises a way to communicate with himself between loops, eventually preventing the collision. After the loop ends, Captain Picard greets Captain Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer) of the Bozeman, whose ship has been missing for 90 years. Time loops have since become a staple of science fiction, and "Cause and Effect" remains one of the best. Not only is the episode engaging throughout the first viewing, but it's also incredibly re-watchable.

Prolific Star Trek director (and Riker actor) Jonathan Frakes directed "Cause and Effect," and he manages to make each loop feel a bit different even as events repeat themselves.

"Tapestry" (Star Trek: TNG Season 6, Episode 15)

In which picard gets a do-over..

When Captain Picard is wounded during a diplomatic mission, Q gives him the chance to change a regret from his past. Q transports Jean-Luc back to his Starfleet Academy days, where he prevents a bar fight that had originally earned him an artificial heart. Picard finds himself back in the present, but he is a junior science officer on the Enterprise rather than the Captain. Picard realizes that the bar fight and his resulting injury played a major role in making him the man (and the Captain) that he became.

Q sends Picard back to the past again, where he joins the fight and gets stabbed. Jean-Luc then wakes up in sickbay as the Enterprise's Captain once again, unsure if everything he just experienced really happened or was only inside of his head. Either way, "Tapestry" is a brilliant episode that offers a rare glimpse into the mind and history of Jean-Luc Picard. Plus, Patrick Stewart and John de Lancie always play off of one another well, and their many scenes together show off their obvious talent.

Every Q Star Trek Appearance Ranked Worst To Best

"all good things..." (star trek: tng season 7, episodes 25 & 26), in which tng comes to an end (for now)..

In Star Trek: The Next Generation's series finale , Captain Picard finds himself jumping from the past to the present to the future. In the past, Picard revisits his first mission as Captain of the Enterprise at Farpoint Station, while in the future, he has retired to his family's vineyard in La Barre, France. In all three time periods, Picard encounters a dangerous anomaly, and he works with his friends to avert disaster and stop the anomaly from expanding.

One of the best series finales ever, "All Good Things..." perfectly bookends Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Picard then finds himself in the courtroom from "Encounter at Farpoint" where he first met Q. Q congratulates Picard for being able to solve the puzzle and showing the Q Continuum that humanity has great potential. In the final scene of the series, Jean-Luc sits down with his friends and crew members, joining them for a game of poker for the first time. One of the best series finales ever, "All Good Things..." perfectly bookends Star Trek: The Next Generation , celebrating humanity and bringing the story of the Enterprise-D crew to a satisfying conclusion.

The TNG crew get another wonderful finale in Star Trek: Picard season 3. After they have saved the day on the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D, they enjoy another game of poker in a callback to TNG's original finale.

"Yesterday's Enterprise" (Star Trek: TNG Season 3, Episode 15)

In which the enterprise encounters a blast from the past..

When the severely damaged USS Enterprise-C emerges from a rift in spacetime, it alters the future. The Enterprise-D becomes a warship fighting in the Federation's ongoing war with the Klingons, and Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) mans the tactical station despite having been killed years before. Guinan senses that something has shifted, and she tells Picard that the Enterprise-C must return to its own time. After Guinan tells Yar of her death in the original timeline, Tasha joins the Enterprise-C as it travels back to the past.

As soon as the Enterprise-C makes it back through the time rift, the original timeline is restored, with only Guinan aware that anything has happened. Not only does "Yesterday's Enterprise" provide a fascinating look into a previous version of the Enterprise, but it also offers a glimpse of a darker Federation future and a more battle-hardened Picard. "Yesterday's Enterprise" has since become one of Star Trek's most celebrated episodes, and it remains one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's finest hours.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis

Release Date September 28, 1987

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

All 10 Star Trek: TNG Time Travel Episodes Ranked Worst To Best

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Published Jan 18, 2021

What Can Star Trek Teach Us About Empathy in 2021?

Does empathy demand a lived experience?

Star Trek: The Next Generation

StarTrek.com

2020 saw the whole world struggling with enormous challenges — from the health impact of the pandemic to the difficulty of examining our society’s racial biases in response to the Black Lives Matter campaign and, especially in my country of England, dealing with the rising tide of transphobia. The pandemic may have put pressure on our societies, revealing the cracks and fissures that were already there, but there is something even more fundamental in some country’s failure to approach these challenges with grace and dignity: the lack of ability to put ourselves in another’s shoes. But if we’re looking for lessons in how to build our empathy for this new year, we are lucky that we can return to Star Trek .

We’ve all read stories of those who didn’t believe in COVID-19, until they or a loved one contracted it . We’ve also heard reports of white spouses in mixed relationships finally realizing the extent of systematic racism , after experiencing it themselves. Parents of kids who have come out as trans are also suddenly thrust into a fight for human rights and dignity. The flipside of these realisations are the politicians questioning if systematic racism is real or journalists asking if anyone knows someone who has had COVID-19 , when we will almost definitely pass 90 million cases worldwide by the end of 2021.

Why don’t we believe doctors, survivors and statistics? It seems in this time of crisis, we’ve lost trust in authority and instead only believe our own direct experiences or those of our close contacts. This is a question then of the lived experience of pain — we believe it when we see it. ‘Lived experience’ is personal, direct experience of something, and the knowledge we gain from it. Say a loved one contracts a disease and passes away, or we experience discrimination — this then teaches us to believe that COVID-19 is dangerous, or racism is endemic. But as rational creatures, should we need to see something to believe in it? As a society we will be constantly limited and unable to progress if we can’t trust in data or in testimony from our fellow humans.

Star Trek has always been ahead of the curve in terms of tackling important contemporary ethical questions. In these dark days I keep going back to two episodes from Star Trek: The Next Generation that deal directly with the question of lived experience: “The Inner Light” and “The Child.” Both of these episodes take this concept of lived experience or 'walking a mile in another's shoes' and develop it to intense emotional conclusions.

Star Trek: The Next Generation -

In "The Inner Light," Captain Picard is stunned by a beam from a desolated planet. This episode, written by freelancer Morgan Gendel, won a Hugo Award for dramatic performance, and it’s easy to see why. While the crew panic and try to work out what has happened, we see that Jean-Luc is being compelled to live a lifetime from another's point of view. As he watches the planet’s climate change and his children and grandchildren grow up, we learn that the last act of this civilization was to create a device which would show the unfolding disaster. As ships pass the dead world, one crew member aboard will receive the direct lived experience of watching a beloved planet die. Jean-Luc is returned to the ship physically unharmed, but deeply affected by the grief he has experienced. After all — although the life belonged to someone long dead, he also lived and loved and lost in exactly the same way.

In “The Child,” counselor Deanna Troi becomes pregnant through the work of a powerful and mysterious lifeform, in a clear Madonna-and-child reworking. The pregnancy lasts a few short hours, the birth is painless, and the child is sweet and curious. Unfortunately, the lifeforce has come aboard the Enterprise while the ship is transporting dangerous plague samples. To save the crew, the lifeform must sacrifice itself. After the lifeform has transcended its physical body, it explains to Deanna that they chose to be born aboard the Enterprise to learn what it was like to be human.

Star Trek: The Next Generation -

So is the thesis proposed by these two episodes that the strongest and most impactful experiences come from lived experience? Is this the only way to engender true empathy? Are we doomed to not believe in a deadly plague or systematic racism unless we directly experience the pain for ourselves? While the episodes clearly illustrate how powerful lived experience is, they also reveal another lesson for us. Both of these episodes are very much exploring the power of storytelling, too.

Roger Ebert once wrote that film is a “machine that generates empathy”. Many of us have experienced that sensation of loss of self when watching a piece of media — of feeling for ourselves the fear, the grief, the joy of the character on screen, as if it were our own. Watching BlackKklansman fills me with rage and fear. Reading The Color Purple , I felt physically ill through the first half, unable to put the book down — and then was flooded with relief and joy as the protagonist found happiness. According to a meta-analysis of studies on reading and empathy, reading fiction improves our social cognition . It makes sense that the reaction for many to Black Lives Matter was to find books and movies about the Black experience — reading and watching lists were everywhere in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. It is also no coincidence that when the Nazi’s took power in Germany, they moved quickly to destroy art, films and books that humanised or celebrated the experiences of those they sought to demonise.

The Nazis weren’t the first or last to try and control the way we think and feel by controlling access to culture. In the UK, after our short-lived English Revolution, the reinstated powers burned thousands of books by groups such as the Levellers , a movement who wanted an end to political corruption and to extend voting rights. The hangman was frequently the person who would gather and burn the books. Inscribed in the memorial at the site of one of the Nazi’s most famous book burnings in Berlin are the words of the German Jewish writer Heinrich Heine: “Where they burn books, they will, in the end, burn human beings too."

Star Trek: The Next Generation -

The current alt-right movement is weaponizing this control over culture too — with Twitter threads and Prager-U videos devoted to the idea of declining artistic standards, that bear a strong resemblance to the Nazi ‘Degenerate Art’ exhibition of 1937, that aimed to ridicule non-representative styles of painting. The attacks on various television shows, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe or video games for ‘going woke’ is an attempt to control whose stories are allowed to be told in mainstream culture, and who the viewers should be encouraged to empathise with. Googling ‘ Star Trek goes woke’ brings up an astounding plethora of silly YouTube videos and right-wing think pieces. Star Trek , after all, was created by Gene Roddenberry to show a diverse crew — including a Russian crew member at the height of the Cold War. The creation of the character of Lieutenant Uhura meant there was a Black woman on screen, exploring the universe and treated with dignity, during the civil rights movement in America — just a year after the march from Selma to Montgomery and at the same time as Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. George Takei was imprisoned in an American internment camp during WW2, and his portrayal of a Sulu on the bridge of the Enterprise has been deeply impactful for many. Roddenberry was deliberately building a better world in fiction that we could live up to, and was trying to ensure that it would be open and inclusive of everyone. In short: Star Trek has always been "woke."

In that Hugo award-winning episode, “The Inner Light,” the machine the planet builds to spread their experiences seems to me to be a perfect metaphor for narrative media. A machine that beams us into the life of another, causing us to live and feel the experiences of someone else. That is what great television, film and fiction does. Empathy is the antidote to bigotry, as well as the callous dismissal of lives some deem as less important than the economy or their own comfort. We need as many empathy machines as possible, and I for one am going to go back and rewatch Next Generation to remind me that a better world is achievable.

My First Contact: Kendra James

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Screen Rant

Roddenberry's "no conflict" rule hurt riker father & son star trek: tng episode.

Roddenberry's "no conflict" rule prevented Star Trek: The Next Generation from fully exploring Will Riker's complicated relationship with his father.

  • Rule against conflict in TNG made Riker father-son reunion fall flat.
  • Director wanted more emotion in Riker father-son story but was overruled.
  • Conflict between Riker and his father resolved too quickly, lacking depth.

Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) reunites with his father, Kyle Riker (Mitchell Ryan), in Star Trek: The Next Generation , but Gene Roddenberry's insistence on avoiding conflict made the episode fall flat. When creating TNG , Roddenberry implemented a "rule" that there would be no conflict among the show's main characters, implying that they would have moved past that by the 24th century. Many of TNG's writers struggled to adapt to this rule, as it made crafting dramatic and interesting stories more difficult. Conflict is a major part of storytelling, after all, and it does not always come from an outside source.

Roddenberry's infamous rule becomes particularly apparent in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 14, "The Icarus Factor," in the relationship between Will Riker and his father. When Commander Riker gets offered his own command of the USS Aries, his father, Kyle, shows up to brief him on his new and potentially dangerous mission. Will Riker's mother passed away when he was only two years old, and Kyle raised his son alone until he abandoned Will when the boy was fifteen. While it's clear early on that Will wants nothing to do with his father, neither man shows much emotion, despite the fact that they have not spoken in fifteen years.

Commander Riker’s 10 Best Star Trek TNG Episodes, Ranked

Roddenberry overruled adding more emotion to star trek: tng's riker father & son story, the confrontation between will and his father falls flat..

According to Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , the director of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Icarus Factor," Robert Iscove, wanted to add more emotion but was overruled by Gene Roddenberry. Riker should be feeling fifteen years' worth of resentment and anger, but he barely even raises his voice at his father. When Will points out that he's been on his own since he was a boy, Kyle has the gall to say: "Please, spare me the pain of your childhood. I hung in for thirteen years. If that wasn't enough, it's just too bad." This is a terrible thing for a father to say to his son, but "The Icarus Factor" does not give moments like this the emotional depth they deserve.

Kyle Riker is, to put it simply, a jerk with no consideration for his son's feelings. He is condescending and self-centered, making excuses for himself even in the big confrontation scene, which, again, lacks any real emotional depth. Will and Kyle finally have a real conversion during an anbo-jyutsu match (which is supposed to be "the ultimate evolution of the martial arts," but really just looks ridiculous). At one point Will says, without much inflection or emotion: "You should have been the one to die, not her," regarding his mother, which garners little response from his father. Jonathan Frakes is a skilled actor , as is Mitchell Ryan as Kyle, but it's as if they were told not to show much emotion.

Thankfully, modern Star Trek shows have mostly abandoned Roddenberry's "no conflict" rule, and Star Trek: Picard gave Jonathan Frakes the chance to show much more emotional range as Captain Riker.

Will Riker's Conflict With His Father Should've Lasted More Than One TNG Episode

The conflict between will and his father is resolved way too quickly..

As Will and Kyle continue their fight, Kyle reveals that he cheated every time he and Will did anbo-jyutsu, which leads to a moment that's meant to be cathartic for both men. Kyle says he loves his son, and Will says he's glad his father visited him, and a conflict that has supposedly lasted for fifteen years is resolved with a five-minute conversation. This aligns with another "rule" of Roddenberry's, who wanted everything to return to the established status quo at the end of each Star Trek: The Next Generation episode . So Riker resolves the conflict with his father (who, incidentally, never makes another appearance on the show) and turns down the promotion.

"The Icarus Factor" does have an entertaining B-plot as Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) recreate an important Klingon ceremony to cheer up their friend Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn).

Will's relationship with his father could have been an ongoing storyline that ran through several episodes or even seasons, but it's barely mentioned again. By the end of "The Icarus Factor," Will Riker is back to his old self and takes his place alongside Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as the First Officer of the Enterprise-D. From the beginning, it's apparent that Riker won't be leaving the Enterprise, which removes any stakes from that particular storyline. All in all, "The Icarus Factor" would have been a better episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation with a little more conflict, a lot more emotion, and a deeper exploration of Will Riker's complicated relationship with his father.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

IMAGES

  1. Star Trek-The Next Generation Photo: Counselor Deanna Troi

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  2. Counselor Deanna Troi

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  3. The Radical Empathy of Deanna Troi

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  4. Tools for Empaths: Part 1

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  5. Deanna Troi

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COMMENTS

  1. Deanna Troi

    Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis.Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid, and has the psionic ability to sense emotions.She serves as the ship's counsellor on USS Enterprise-D.Throughout most of the series, she holds the rank of lieutenant commander.

  2. The Radical Empathy of Deanna Troi

    Of all Star Trek: The Next Generation's top-notch, all-thriller, no-filler cast of characters, Deanna Troi is perhaps one of the more under-appreciated, despite appearing in all seven seasons, the TNG films, and even a few Star Trek: Voyager episodes. Though she was omnipresent through much of the series, the focus seldom fell on her. Yet, when it did, her cultivation of radical empathy ...

  3. Deanna Troi Paved the Way For Those of Us Who Never Felt ...

    Ship's counselor Deanna Troi hailed from two distinct worlds — Betazed and Earth. She utilized her Betazoid abilities as an empath, both personally and professionally, and yet, her mannerisms, pursuits, and hobbies all seemed decidedly human. What appealed to me about her character was that, in a sense, Deanna was in a similar situation as ...

  4. Deanna Troi

    Deanna Troi was a female Betazoid-Human hybrid Starfleet officer.Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, she served as the counselor aboard the USS Enterprise-D and the USS Enterprise-E.In 2379, Troi transferred to the USS Titan (Star Trek: The Next Generation; Star Trek Nemesis).By 2399, she and her husband William T. Riker lived on the planet Nepenthe with their daughter, Kestra Troi ...

  5. Who is Deanna Troi? 10 of the Most-Asked Questions About Her

    What is an empath? An empath is someone who can sense and understand the emotions of others. Deanna's empathic abilities allow her to sense emotions at a much deeper level than most humans can. Who did Deanna Troi marry? Deanna married Commander William Riker in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Nemesis."

  6. Why Star Trek: TNG Changed Counselor Troi's Betazoid Powers & How They

    The character of Deanna Troi was originally meant to be very intellectual and cerebral, with early concepts for the character even likening Deanna to Leonard Nimoy's Spock from Star Trek: The Original Series.However, over the course of TNG, Deanna Troi would become more the heart of the show than the brain.After the pilot, Troi becomes less outwardly emotional, but the character did not truly ...

  7. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" The Perfect Mate (TV Episode 1992)

    The Perfect Mate: Directed by Cliff Bole. With Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn. Ferengi machinations unleash a diplomatic gift aboard the Enterprise - the rare, empathic perfect mate, ready to bond with any male around her.

  8. Star Trek TNG: 10 Questions About Deanna Troi, Answered

    Deanna Troi was born on Betazed, to Starfleet officer Ian Andrew Troi and Betazed Ambassador Lwaxana Troi. Her family lived near Lake El'nar, of which she has both happy and tragic memories. Kestra, her older sister, drowned in the lake when Deanna was just a baby. Her mother attempted to erase all memories of the incident, but they resurfaced ...

  9. Star Trek: TNG's Marina Sirtis & Counselor Troi Explained

    Counselor Deanna Troi's return in Star Trek: Picard season 3 came a bit later in the season than many fans were expecting. Marina Sirtis lives in London and had scheduling conflicts with the filming of Picard season 3, meaning she was only available for certain episodes.After the first few episodes of Picard season 3 had aired, some fans took to social media to express their disappointment ...

  10. Creating Counselor Troi

    Creating Counselor Troi. The character of Deanna Troi, and her relationship with the ship's first officer, Will Riker, was modeled on Lieutenant Ilia. The bald Deltan had been intended as a permanent addition to the Enterprise crew in Star Trek: Phase II but appeared only once, when that series was turned into The Motion Picture.

  11. "Star Trek: T.N.G." empath Deanna Crossword Clue

    We have got the solution for the "Star Trek: T.N.G." empath Deanna crossword clue right here. This particular clue, with just 4 letters, was most recently seen in the Universal on August 20, 2022. And below are the possible answer from our database. "Star Trek: T.N.G." empath Deanna Answer is: TROI.

  12. Why Is Deanna Troi Important in Star Trek: The Next Generation?

    Story by Mathew Scheer. Deanna Troi has a popular romance with William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but she's fulfilled more important roles on the Enterprise-D.

  13. Star Trek: Marina Sirtis Reveals How a Deep Space Nine Actor Helped Her

    Marina Sirtis played ship's counselor Deanna Troi, the half-Betazed empath, throughout seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four movies. Now she's revealed that she may never have ...

  14. Star Trek: TNG

    As an empath, Deanna helps Worf with his emotional struggles concerning Alexander. "That worked for me, but Marina didn't, of course. She and Jonathan (Frakes) just go, 'Oh, that was stupid.

  15. "Star Trek" The Empath (TV Episode 1968)

    The Empath: Directed by John Erman. With William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Kathryn Hays. Trapped in an alien laboratory, Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments.

  16. Man Of The People (episode)

    As an ambassador mediates peace talks to end a fierce civil war, Deanna Troi begins to act erratically after spending some time with him. "Captain's log, Stardate 46071.6. We have been called to the aid of a transport ship which has been attacked near Rekag-Seronia. Hostilities between the two factions on that planet have intensified recently, threatening an important Federation shipping route ...

  17. The Empath

    The Empath. " The Empath " is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Joyce Muskat and directed by John Erman, it was first broadcast on December 6, 1968. In the episode, while visiting a doomed planet, the landing party is subjected to torturous experiments by powerful ...

  18. Every Counselor Troi Love Interest In Star Trek: TNG

    Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) may always have been Imzadi to Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), but she had her fair share of other romances on Star Trek: The Next Generation.One of TNG's most underrated characters, Troi became the heart of the show over the course of its seven seasons. Half-Betazoid and half-human, Deanna could sense the emotions of those around her.

  19. Feminist Enterprise? 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and the ...

    Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Occupation of Femininity by Lynne Joyrich Using the popular syndicated series, this essay explores the gendered connotations ... For in addition to being an empath, Deanna Troi is also the most conven-tionally "feminine" of all of Starfleet's female officers, noticeable for her extrava-

  20. Empathy

    Empathy was the capacity to understand and feel the feelings and emotions of another person from their perspective or point of view. It could also refer to a type of extrasensory perception in which one can directly detect the emotions of another; such an individual was known as an empath. Empathic powers were often associated with telepathy. Species in which empathic abilities were normal ...

  21. Spock is Just One Piece of a Vast Spectrum

    — Deanna Troi, to Riker. TNG's half Betazoid Counselor, Deanna Troi, is certainly not the first character you would associate with autism. After all, she is deeply intuitive, and fully in touch with the emotions. Indeed, she is a literal empath, able to read others' emotions telepathically.

  22. Troi Is The Real Winner of Tasha Yar's Last Star Trek: TNG Episode

    The Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 episode "Skin of Evil" is remembered for the death of Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby), but Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) is the episode's true hero. As established in the premiere episode of TNG, Troi can sense the emotions of those around her thanks to her Betazoid half.As the counselor aboard the USS Enterprise-D, Troi often helps Captain ...

  23. All 10 Star Trek: TNG Time Travel Episodes Ranked Worst To Best

    Throughout the seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D have several experiences involving time travel.Although time travel is technically possible in the ...

  24. What Can Star Trek Teach Us About Empathy in 2021?

    Both of these episodes are very much exploring the power of storytelling, too. Roger Ebert once wrote that film is a "machine that generates empathy". Many of us have experienced that sensation of loss of self when watching a piece of media — of feeling for ourselves the fear, the grief, the joy of the character on screen, as if it were ...

  25. Roddenberry's "No Conflict" Rule Hurt Riker Father & Son Star Trek: TNG

    Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) reunites with his father, Kyle Riker (Mitchell Ryan), in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but Gene Roddenberry's insistence on avoiding conflict made the episode fall flat.When creating TNG, Roddenberry implemented a "rule" that there would be no conflict among the show's main characters, implying that they would have moved past that by the 24th century.