Is Troi ethical?

[Unimatrix Q]

The thing is, Troi doesn't read minds as such. What she does is sense emotions. That's not scanning anyone's brains so to speak. I don't think she'd be a parft of Starfleet if she was in any way unethical. Think about it. She's an officer on the flagship of the federation commanded by the most moralistic and ethical captain in Jean Luc Picard. If she was unethical in anway she'd have been reprimanded on more than one occasion.

You're right, Deanna most of the time is a very ethical person, but her mom isn't. I still wonder why her mother can act like she does, without needing to fear any consequences. How she specifically acts around Jean Luc borders on stalking and how she treats Worf is (almost) bullying.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

She's just one of those people who can say anything and get away with it, I guess. Though she should have gotten a visit from Betazoid HR or something.

Imagine someone arresting Lwaxana for harassment and Deanna having to bail her out and help with legal issues stemming from the complaint.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

She's just one of those people who can say anything and get away with it, I guess. Though she should have gotten a visit from Betazoid HR or something.

Imagine someone arresting Lwaxana for harassment and Deanna having to bail her out and help with legal issues stemming from the complaint.

That's true.

That would also have had a lot of potential for a great TNG episode!

 

[fireproof78]

The thing is, Troi doesn't read minds as such. What she does is sense emotions. That's not scanning anyone's brains so to speak. I don't think she'd be a parft of Starfleet if she was in any way unethical. Think about it. She's an officer on the flagship of the federation commanded by the most moralistic and ethical captain in Jean Luc Picard. If she was unethical in anway she'd have been reprimanded on more than one occasion.

Maybe she should have.

Lack of consequences doesn't make one ethical.

 

[Ragitsu]

TTBOMK, we are unaware of Mama Troi's record elsewhere; it is possible that she is a diplomat par excellence when not entangled with Enterprise's plot-of-the-week.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Perhaps the Enterprise-D is her escape valve, a release of pressure from the normally harrowing duties of avoiding the stepping on of toes. She knows they won't pursue it.

 

[Kor]

You're right, Deanna most of the time is a very ethical person, but her mom isn't. I still wonder why her mother can act like she does, without needing to fear any consequences. How she specifically acts around Jean Luc borders on stalking and how she treats Worf is (almost) bullying.

Lwaxana comes from some kind of privileged heredity class (as she frequently likes to remind everyone), so there's that. It's stereotypical for people of that kind of background to act like they're above others, not unlike the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey.

Kor

 

[at Quark's]

^Those people certainly exist, but they can also be found among many 'self-made' men, and there are also enough people born in the upper classes that are kind and considerate. Deanna herself would share the same aristocratic background after all, so I suppose it's more a matter of character in the end.

 

[Kor]

^Those people certainly exist, but they can also be found among many 'self-made' men, and there are also enough people born in the upper classes that are kind and considerate. Deanna herself would share the same aristocratic background after all, so I suppose it's more a matter of character in the end.

I think Deanna's upbringing would have been 'tempered' by having a human father, as Earth is supposed to be more egalitarian in the 24th century. Also, Deanna had talked about how her grandfather, Lwaxana's father, was a Betazoid traditionalist who only communicated telepathically and refused to speak out loud, so Lwaxana could have had more of the crusty "old ways" in her own upbringing.

Just speculation, but maybe Lwaxana could have been one of those aristocrats in name only, like impoverished nobles who long ago lost any real riches or influence but still stuck with a crumbling estate and having to keep up appearances. She has a fancy title and the 'honor' of being the caretaker for the moldy old pot and the fancy-sounding rings, with enough of a public profile and ambition to get herself chosen as Betazed's ambassador. So she plays up her heredity out of some personal insecurity, in an attempt to make herself seem important.

Kor

 

[Bynar0110]

Mother Troi has diplomatic immunity.

 

[Ragitsu]

^Those people certainly exist, but they can also be found among many 'self-made' men, and there are also enough people born in the upper classes that are kind and considerate. Deanna herself would share the same aristocratic background after all, so I suppose it's more a matter of character in the end.

"many"

"enough"

Hm...

 

[at Quark's]

^That's because I can't give any exact numbers.

But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the stereotype is exaggerated. Like many stereotypes are.

 

[Ragitsu]

If you've an abundance of resources - enough to be set for life, say - you can afford (no pun intended) to be rude or at least indifferent to an extent that is likely unfeasible for someone residing on a lower strata who must cultivate a social safety net in order to ensure survival. Outliers exist (e.g., an individual who is abrasive or responsive no matter where they stand in their milieu), but if - on the nurture side of the equation - character is shaped by reactions to one's environment, then this perception holds true more often than not. What's curious is how the Trois' wealth (assuming it truly exists) meshes or clashes with The Federation. I cannot recall an instance when an invocation of Lwaxana's estate ever resulted in her gaining an advantageous position during an interaction.

 

[BillJ]

Is Troi ethical? I guess, as this thread proves, it depends on your point of view.

 

[Ragitsu]

Is Troi ethical? I guess, as this thread proves, it depends on your point of view.

From my point of view, the Jedi are evil.