The space opera franchiseStar Trekhas been diligently building its fan base since 1966, introducing and developing more and more complex characters who embody its philosophy of inclusivity, diversity, and humanism. The captains of starships and space stations may have gotten the most attention, but their crew members are an integral part of their peregrinations, joys, and tragedies and have also left their mark. One such beloved officer isDeanna Troi, infamous leotard included.
Portrayed byMarina Sirtis, the character debuted inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s (TNG) pilot episode,Encounter at Far Point, as Lieutenant Commander and Counselor aboard theUSS Enterprise-D, the United Federation of Planets’ latest flagship. She is half-human, half-Betazoid, a humanoid species with large black irises from the planet Betazed, in the Alpha Quadrant, whosesuperpowers include telepathy and empathy.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Deanna is the daughter of Lwaxana Troi (played by Majel Barrett), a verbose and eccentric Federation Ambassador with an exasperating tendency to meddle in people’s personal affairs; therefore, themother-daughter dynamic is generally tenseand complex in many episodes, but it also provides much-needed comedic relief, and the chemistry between the actresses is on point.
BesidesTNGand its subsequent films,Star Trek Generations,First Contact,Insurrection, andNemesis, Sirtis reprised her role in three episodes ofVoyager(VOY), inEnterprise’s (ENT) finale, and inPicard(PIC) andLower Decks(LD). Here are some of Deanna Troi’s most memorable quotes from the franchise that best demonstrate her empathy, willfulness, determination, spontaneity, sarcasm, and playfulness.
16"You know, there’s nothing wrong with a healthy fantasy life, as long as you don’t let it take over."
Star Trek: The Next Generation- “Hollow Pursuits” - Season 3, Episode 21
The 21st chapter ofTNG’s third season is among thefunniestStar Trekepisodes. It centers on the socially inept Lieutenant Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz), who has created a special Holodeck program as an outlet to ridicule the officers he is intimidated by and embellish and glorify the ones he is attracted to in various exaggerated simulations. Counselor Troi is among the characters Barclay obviously likes, as she has been treating his issues professionally.
In a classic case of transference, Barclay has highly sexualized Troi’s fantasy version, which shocks the unsuspecting officer as soon as she walks into the program. But, true to her mindful and empathetic nature, she gently tries to explain to her patient that a little fantasy is acceptable and even needed, as long as it doesn’t consume him and borders on obsession and disrespect.
15"Timeline? Now is not the time to argue about time! We don’t have the time! What was I saying?"
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
The Borg, a cybernetic army controlled by a manipulative Queen, are among the franchise’s most formidable opponents, abducting people from various species to assimilate them as their own and add their technology and knowledge to their collective hive mind. In the 1996 filmFirst Contact, directed by Jonathan Frakes, who also plays First Officer William Riker, the crew of theUSS Enterprise-Etravels from the 24th to the 21st century through a temporal vortex to stop the Borg from assimilating Earth. They land on the day before the legendary Dr. Zefram Cochrane creates and operates a warp drive that grants starships super speed, thus enabling humans to come in contact with alien life.
Given her abilities, Troi is obviously among the landing party, and in her attempt to blend in with Cochrane and get him to trust her and spill information, she agrees to have some tequila with him, “the good stuff.”Riker finds them both drunk, and she tells him that they must clue Cochrane in about the Borg’s plan to stop him from achieving first contact. When Riker protests that in doing so, they would alter history and disturb the timeline, she argues with the aforementioned quote, one of the funniest in the franchise.
14"If you’re looking for my professional opinion as ship’s counselor: he’s nuts!"
Still in that same scene, Riker seems both amused and shocked by Troi’s uncharacteristic inebriety, but she asks him not to criticize her “counseling technique,” especially because Cochrane got a little too handsy with her.
When Riker wonders out loud whether Cochrane would be able to handle the truth, should they tell him what is really going on,she labels the eccentric genius “nuts”(something she would never normally do!), prompting Riker’s sarcastic reply, “I’ll be sure to note that in my log.”
Related:Star Trek: William Riker’s 12 Best Quotes, Ranked
Star Trek: The Next Generation- “Phantasms” - Season 7, Episode 6
InTNG’s sixth episode from the seventh season,“Phantasms,”Lieutenant Commander Data, a synthetic lifeform with an impressive positronic brain played by Brent Spiner, starts experiencing strangenightmares straight out of a horror movie.
Citing Sigmund Freud, the Austrian neurologist who wrote “The Interpretation of Dreams,” Counselor Troi patiently explains to Data that dreams in general reflect the unconscious mind through symbolism and that he should embrace the experience. In doing so, she not only attempts to reassure the puzzled android, but also validates his sentience, as he has always aspired to emulate human behavior and customs.
In typical Troi insight, kindness, and levelheadedness, she also advises Data not to overanalyze every element in his nightmares, though.
Data:Perhaps Dr. Freud was correct. The knife I dreamed about is the embodiment of my unconscious desire to inflict violence.
Troi:Data, even Freud said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
12"It must be like staring in a mirror at a reflection you don’t want to remember."
Star Trek: Voyager- “Life Line” - Season 6, Episode 24
The Emergency Medical Hologram, simply known as The Doctor aboard the starshipUSS Voyager, is truly a one-of-a-kind digital creation. He thinks very highly of his medical abilities, has an acerbic sense of humor, and aspires to better himself by adding disciplines like opera and the theater to his features.
Played by Robert Picardo, a prolificcharacter actor who doesn’t get enough credit, The Doctor came from the genius mind of Dr. Zimmerman, who made sure he looked exactly like him. Unfortunately, they both share a highly inflated ego, so it’s no wonder they butt heads inVOY’s 24th episode from the sixth season,“Life Line.”
The Doctor asks to be sent 30,000 light years away to the Alpha Quadrant to treat his dying “father” and is horrified to find out that the latter considers his holographic model, the Mark I, only good enough for cleaning plasma conduits. They constantly argue and mock each other; consequently, Counselor Troi is asked to impart her professional wisdom on them. When she witnesses their obstinacy in person, she reminds Zimmerman, who is old and sick, that his anger and bitterness must stem from facing a younger and “healthier” version of himself in a model he considers obsolete and a failure.
Star Trek: Voyager
11"I never met a chocolate I didn’t like."
Star Trek: The Next Generation- “The Game” - Season 5, Episode 6
In the sixth episode of the fifth season, amid an alien infiltration of the ship, Riker catches Troi digging into a bowl of “chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, and chocolate chips,” and asks her if she is depressed and if she’d like him to leave them alone. His familiarity stems from their romantic feelings for each other; naturally, her next move is naturally to hand him a spoonful of her dessert, which he declines, as he doesn’t like fudge. To which she retorts by expressing her unconditional love for all types of chocolate.
This scene makes her particularly relatable to viewers. Between the alien hostility she has to help manage and the therapy sessions with other crew members, Troi is bound to tap into her human side by indulging in the comforting decadence of chocolate and chocolate-based desserts, whether digitally replicated or not.
10"Do whatever you feel is necessary to protect the ship and the crew. But know this: I’m going to have this baby!"
Star Trek: The Next Generation- “The Child” - Season 2, Episode 1
The season-two premiere ofTNGis considered one ofStar Trek’s most controversial episodes, as it features a non-corporeal entity impregnating an unsuspecting Troi in an attempt to experience an accelerated material life from gestation to maturity and death. Concerned about this new type of alien infiltration and the security risk it may pose, the crew proposes she terminates her pregnancy.
Though she didn’t give consent, her maternal instinct kicks in, and she refuses to comply, all the while acknowledging that the ship’s wellbeing is indeed primordial. She puts her foot down and firmly retorts that she will first see this pregnancy through, and only then will they decide what to do.
9"Confidence is faith in oneself. It can’t easily be given by another."
Star Trek: The Next Generation- “Loud as a Whisper” - Season 2, Episode 5
InTNG’s fifth episode from the second season, “Loud as a Whisper,”theEnterprisetransports Riva, a deaf and telepathic mediator, and his loyal team of three interpreters to the war-torn planet Solais V to help with peace negotiations.
When the interpreters are killed, Data quickly learns sign language to communicate with Riva, but it’s obviously harder for the rest of the crew. Throughout the episode, Troi is particularly patient and understanding, remarking that any type of dialogue should be encouraged, and that people should have more faith in themselves first, in order to build a good rapport with others.
8"That’s the problem with believing in a supernatural being… trying to determine what he wants."
Star Trek: The Next Generation- “Who Watches the Watchers?” - Season 3, Episode 4
InTNG’s “Who Watches the Watchers,” the fourth episode of the third season, the crew travels to the planet Mintaka III to repair a Federation outpost meant to observe the primitive locals. They’re unfortunately discovered by them, and as is customary with remote races who aren’t familiar with technology, mistaken for all-powerful gods.
This quote echoes the franchise creator Gene Roddenberry’s own advocacy of secular humanism. Divine messages and religious beliefs are subject to interpretation and often divisive, and shouldn’t those in power and divine beings also be held accountable for their actions anyway?
7"To admit that you’re afraid gives you strength."
Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Night Terrors” - Season 4, Episode 17
InTNG’s 17th episode from the fourth season, theEnterprisegets trapped in a special anomaly that causes hallucinations in everyone except Data, Troi, and the wise El-Aurian barkeep, Guinan.Worf, the iconic honorable Klingon, is plagued with fear.
Worf:I am no longer a warrior. I’m no longer strong. I… I feel…
Troi:What? What do you feel?
Worf:I feel fear.
After which, Troi reassures him that the first step to strength is acknowledging one’s apprehension, doubt, and limitations. Real courage isn’t blind; it’s being aware of the risks and seeing a task through anyway.
