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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!
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.
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!
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.
Luckily, Star Trek: The Next Generation fixed their Troi problem!
It came too late for TNG, but Star Trek learned from the Troi issue. It also impacted the series:
This demonstrates how Star Trek grew and improved by focusing on well-developed characters, no matter their gender!