The Star Trek universe is full of iconic characters, but some have had more challenges than others. Deanna Troi, from Star Trek: The Next Generation, faced some issues!
The Troi Problem
Troi was a counselor with some pretty amazing skills! She had half-Betazoid empathic abilities and was part of the senior staff on the USS Enterprise-D. While she had a lot of potential for powerful and moving storylines, it didn’t always happen!
She often wore form-fitting clothing which made her look more like a “sexy lady” rather than a qualified, important Starfleet officer.
Her stories usually weren’t about her! They were about being someone else’s love interest, her mom Lwaxana Troi or someone who got used for her empathic abilities. Basically, she was given very weak storylines.
Voyager and Seven of Nine
When Star Trek: Voyager needed some help with ratings, they introduced Seven of Nine (played by Jeri Ryan) a sexy ex-Borg who often appeared in tight outfits. It could have been a repeat of what happened to Troi.
Luckily, they made sure this didn’t happen. Seven of Nine became more of a compelling character!
- She had a very deep and rich story, evolving from being a drone to finding out more about her humanity!
Jeri Ryan talked about this and explained how Seven of Nine’s costume was fine, because her story made the character more compelling. It wasn't just a gimmick.
The same thing didn’t happen with Deanna Troi on TNG. That is because the costume and storylines made her character feel empty.
Fixing The Troi Mistake
Luckily, Star Trek: The Next Generation fixed their Troi problem!
- In TNG season 6, episode 10, Captain Edward Jellico makes Troi wear a Starfleet uniform.
- Then Troi gets better storylines about being a competent professional and Starfleet officer. (See episode 14 and 16).
- Troi gets promoted to Commander in TNG season 7.
It came too late for TNG, but Star Trek learned from the Troi issue. It also impacted the series:
- Star Trek: Voyager had Seven of Nine be more than eye candy
- Star Trek: Enterprise made T'Pol a nuanced character.
- When Marina Sirtis returned to the role in Star Trek: Picard, Troi was even better than in TNG, proving that Star Trek fixed their Troi problem for good!
This demonstrates how Star Trek grew and improved by focusing on well-developed characters, no matter their gender!
