ok, lots to say here. first, Sirtis was ok as an actress, but her character didnt make much sense. (get it - SENSE!) HAR HAR! i never liked that there was not a full telepath on the freaking flagship. also, 2 telepaths would be far more useful in certain situations working as a team. i also hated that she wore something that looked even more like pajamas then the standard uniform. did it look hot? sure. did it look strikingly out of place? you bet. also, it would have been an interesting twist to make her a bit flawed. what if she was a bit of a lush, or if she used her abilities to help her win the poker games?!! now that would be interesting. luwaxana was supposed to be annoying, and you know what, she had loads more personality than her str8 edge daughter. i loved watching the mighty picard squirm at her presence, and mr. holm seemed like he kept himself constantly stoned in order to tolerate her. i always got a kick out of that at least, which is more then deanna ever gave me. as far as the first 2 seasons go, i liked them because of characters like the traveller and for the cool places they visited. but im sorry, this series got better with age. the romulans, klingons, cardassians and borg added an element of urgency and continuity to the series, much like how the gem hadar recessitated the lifeless ds9. the series never lost its deeper philosophical lessons either, as some have claimed ("damok", mark twain's obversations on the future, "i borg", piccard saying "I DO NOT FIRE ON DEFENCELESS PEOPLE!" ect.) hey folks, it could have been so much worse. imagine an episode involving neelix, major kira and dr crusher. wow. ------------------------------------------------------------ - "what is the name of your vessel?" Riker - "The Lollipop. She's a good ship."
I really enjoyed Troi as Major Rakal of the Romulan Talshiar. That was when we got to see Sirtis act from a different angle. I enjoyed seeing the command and military side of her.
Those poker games must've been interesting... Troi could sense when you're bluffing, Data could count cards and stack the deck, La Forge could both see your cards and sense when you're bluffing by watching your electrochemical changes, and Crusher, being a doctor, would be observant enough to pick up on your unconscious habits that suggest you might be bluffing. Worf and Riker must've had the poorest winning records of the group.
oh, forgot to mention "menage a troi" was a pretty good episode with the trois, and "dark page" was actually one of my favorites, since it played on expectations so well. i wonder how many fans never bothered to watch dark page because they knew luwaxanna was in it. also, go to you tube and type in picard song in the search box for a good laugh.
Actually, back in the day, Lwaxana Troi was quite a popular character. That's why she appeared in nearly every season - and several times on DS9. And entertaining she was. Deanna? Well, she never bothered me either, but in retrospect, she was useless for the first few years. I was only when they started putting her in unusual situations (like Disaster or Face of the Enemy) that they managed to mine her for the potential she had...
I never really had a problem with Deanna, but it's always amused me how people seem entirely incapable of spelling her mother's name.
Her line in Encounter @ Farpoint (the one where she looks like a cheerleader whod been crying all night because her boyfriend broke up with her and didnt have time to brush her hair before beaming down) "PAAIIN" That line sums up her first few years perfectly. However she did grow on me and when she put on the Starfleet uniform (as one should) she really went up from there. As for Lwaxana - I loved her character, she made me laugh.