The purpose of Deanna Troi

[Solarbaby]

Troi definatly has a purpose, she went through Starfleet Academy, although she was attached to the Sciences Department, she would have had all the Tactical and Starship Operations Training like everyone else serving aboard, as a LT Commander, she would have earned that rank and even though people often joke about her crashing the Enterprise :P she obviously had piloting skills to take over at the helm in the first place

We also saw Troi take the Bridge Officers test, qualifying her as a full Commander (and perhaps allowing her the option to pursue Starship Command in the future)

Obviously people in the 24th century still require a Councellor, especially on Starships that carry families, Troi's purpose was to liase with the senior staff (since the senior staff were also department heads) about the officers and crewmen under their command

So in hindsight, Troi did have an important purpose

I agree totally. And this brings me back to the point I made earlier about Troi not knowing what an antimatter breach was. Even though she had graduated the academy. Sometimes her purpose was to act stupid so the crew could explain it to her and the audience. Ordinarily they wouldnt need to explain it to crew members because they would know.

Troi also had a really bad habit of stating the obvious to a point where Sigourneys Weavers character in Galaxy Quest seems to have more purpose on that bridge. I can't think of an example right now but next time I watch TNG and spot one i'll post it.

 

[Arpy]

Sentimentality makes me want to defend Troi.

I saw her more of a Foundation Trilogy "psychologist" though using real world Psychology rather than mathematics. Her natural gifts only enhancing her vocation and giving her an exotic alien mystique.

And no obviously she wasn't Cate Blanchett. More using the latest in mental science to help people.

Unfortunately her purpose was never fully realized during the series. It was a creative decision made early on...like the comfort of the bridge and the organic design of the ship - precocious concepts they couldn't maintain and tried to work around as the show progressed.

Still, comfort matters, technology will become more sophisticated, and the mind needs a doctor - just like the body. It's all cogs in the greater machine that is life, the universe, and everything.

Instead of making the most of the character...with some exceptions: credit where due...they basically did give her the role of explaining stuff to the audience and displaying some of the wonders of human genetics. She was stationed on the bridge for the same reason there was no chief-engineer cast member the first season and Crusher and even her civilian teenage kid was on the bridge - to keep from having to cut to other locations. And if you think TOS was any better, notice how often the ships doctor just appeared on the bridge for no reason...on DS9 they got rid of engineering altogether, and on nBSG you saw it once in the series finale.

 

[VBurd2128]

Why has no one proposed the purpose of Troi on the Starship was for the purpose of good television & just being hot. From a Star Treck Next Gen perspective, she helped in many eposides w/ her telepathy & her famous "hes not being 100% honest" quotes.

 

[Myasishchev]

I still want to know what the deal was with the counselor being part of personnel evaluations.

That's all kinds of messed up. That's like calling the defense attorney as a witness.

 

[Penta]

I still want to know what the deal was with the counselor being part of personnel evaluations.

That's all kinds of messed up. That's like calling the defense attorney as a witness.

A brief, quickly-rescinded policy from Starfleet Command. Rescinded after counselors pointed out the obvious issues with privileged info and ethics.

Or so I guess. It was a one-episode throwaway line.

 

[WillsBabe]

Or so I guess. It was a one-episode throwaway line.

There's at least 2 episodes where Troi's involved in crew evaluations: Lower Decks and Man of the People. There might be a third that I can't bring to mind.

 

[Whill]

Deanna was not telepathic per se. She could feel emotions, detect dishonesty and sometimes sense motivations. She was pointedly only half-betazoid (not full-blooded which do have full telepathy). Besides counselling the CO in these area, she also serves some diplomatic functions advising him on cutlural and sociological concerns as well. As the ship's counselor, she also was reponsible for the mental and emotional well-being of the ship's crew, families and guests. And yes her other purpose for a while was to be the hot chick in the space-cheerleader outfit.

Regarding performance reviews, it doesn't have to be so all or nothing. There can be more than one person contributing to the review of most individuals on the ship.

It is extremely appropriate for Troi's position to be involved in personel performance reviews. Being considered a senior staff member, no, she would not be involved in reviewing her superiors and immediate peers (the other main characters that attend Picard's staff meetings to discuss the story's plot).

Senior staff would undoubtedly be primarily reviewed by Picard. Picard has referred to putting incident reports into the performance files of Worf, etc. Riker would probably solely be reviewed by Picard because Picard is his direct superior and Riker outranks everyone else on the ship. But Riker would probably also be involved (along with Picard) in the reviews of the other senior staff, including of Deanna herself.

And the senior staff would be involved in the reviews of the junior officers under them in their departments. Riker would be involved in the reviews of the junior officers of the Command division. Data would be involved in the reviews of some of the junior Operations officers. Geordi would be involved in the reviews of the junior Engineering officers and Worf would be involved in the reviews of the junior Tactical officers. Crusher would be involved in the reviews of the Medical staff. Deanna would also be involved in these reviews along with the appropriate senior officers.

For non-commissioned personel, the performance reviews would involve both the superior they report to and the ship's counselor. The counselor is the ship's HR department.

 

[RAMA]

Roddenberry consciously separated the two jobs McCoy essentially filled in TOS...because he felt "human engineering was as important as technological engineering". I dont think it has anything to do with 80s PC..and he is most certainly right.

RAMA

 

[Jeri]

I don't want to start a thread for this question, but I've been curious about Deanna's surname.

Ian Andrew Troi: what's his ancestry? The character was supposed to have been born in London. When I check the etymology of the surname "Troi," some places give a derivation of the city of Troy. (Greek = Troia)

Troy is located in northwest Turkey, and in Turkish is called "Truva."

 

[Alrik]

^
Well that makes all the sense in the world Jeri, Ian may have been born in London, but he must have had Greek lineage. I mean just take a good look at Deanna.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

^ I agree, Troi looks very Greek to me. I still maintain her empathic "abilities" were rather laughable. A fairly observant human picking up on body language cues and facial expressions could probably read emotions just as well as she could with her "empathy." I know she had some telepathic ability but it seemed to be limited to mental communication with close family (her mother, grandfather, etc.), the love of her life/Imzadi (Riker) and IIRC, sometimes other telepaths.

 

[Jeri]

^
Well that makes all the sense in the world Jeri, Ian may have been born in London, but he must have had Greek lineage. I mean just take a good look at Deanna.

Marina has Greek heritage. That would be the actress, not the counselor.

 

[Cepstrum]

I still don't understand two things:

1. Why wouldn't Picard insist on having a full-Betazoid? I'd think a telepath would be a tremendous advantage in all encounters.

2. I think she'd have been far more useful if they made her a psychiatrist, not a mere therapist. That way she could augment the CMO's role as a medical specialist as well as therapist, confidante, and surreptitious information-gatherer during alien encounters.

 

[AJHalliwell]

1. Why wouldn't Picard insist on having a full-Betazoid? I'd think a telepath would be a tremendous advantage in all encounters.

I've always imagined her telepathy as being something she kinda had to get past and work around more than a useful skill. If I was telepathic and went into psychology, I imagine everyone would just assume I had it easier and used my powers all the time. But she was an academy graduate, on top of being able to read emotions she also was trained in the classic aspects of psychology. So I imagine she wasn't selected because of her empathy, but also because she was the best and happened to be empathic.

 

[Whill]

Why wouldn't Picard insist on having a full-Betazoid? I'd think a telepath would be a tremendous advantage in all encounters.

Maybe there weren't any qualified full-betazoid ship counselors in Starfleet at the time? The real-world answer is that would have lessened the drama if you could read the minds of every enemy you came across.

 

[Neutral Zone]

Deanna was okay when she had all her powers, that of a Betazoid. But she proved to be crap as an ordinary counsellor, remember when she lost her powers? She fell to pieces. What happened to her fantastic words of wisdom then?

 

[Nerd unRage]

The more episodes of TNG I watch, the more puzzled I am as to Troi's purpose. I like that there's a female on the bridge however, given it was the 1980s/1990s, it seems like she was just there to just have a female on the bridge. At least Uhura actually provided more of an intergal part of the ship's function. Maybe they need a good looking chick on board, I don't know.

I can appreciate her abilities and her role as counselor but again, I think it was made out to be a bigger role than it really should have been. She shouldn't have been on the bridge since she was a counsleor. Surely a group of intelligent officers can figure out if someone is lying or not. You don't need to be empathetic to figure that one out. I think given her abilities, it would have been better to make her more of an Ambassdor. It would have presented more of a purpose to be as heavily invovled with issues and missions.

Plus, her dialogue could have been more intersting than "I sense you are [insert obvious emotion here]."

 

[Nerys Myk]

^
Well that makes all the sense in the world Jeri, Ian may have been born in London, but he must have had Greek lineage. I mean just take a good look at Deanna.

Marina has Greek heritage. That would be the actress, not the counselor.

Why cant both be of Anglo-Greek heritage?

 

[T'Mar]

I still don't understand two things:

1. Why wouldn't Picard insist on having a full-Betazoid? I'd think a telepath would be a tremendous advantage in all encounters.

2. I think she'd have been far more useful if they made her a psychiatrist, not a mere therapist. That way she could augment the CMO's role as a medical specialist as well as therapist, confidante, and surreptitious information-gatherer during alien encounters.

Grumble grumble grumble...as a psychologist-in-training, I say noooooooooooo! </darth vader>

Psychiatrists, in general, are not therapists. They are not trained as therapists. Their specialty is prescribing medications for psychological issues. So, if 23rd century psychiatry is anything like 21st century psychiatry, having her be a psychiatrist would not make any more useful. Then you might as well merge her and Dr. Crusher.

Also, I bristle -- bristle I tell you! -- at being called a "mere" therapist.



Ok, so this is obviously a pet peeve of mine. That said, I really can't see any reason for a psychologist to have a special seat on the bridge. An empath yes (maybe...a real empath, but not Troi), a psychologist, no.

 

[Alrik]

^
Well that makes all the sense in the world Jeri, Ian may have been born in London, but he must have had Greek lineage. I mean just take a good look at Deanna.

Marina has Greek heritage. That would be the actress, not the counselor.

Wow. Tough room. That was supposed to be a joke spacifically because Marina has Greek heritage.


And good point N.M., nothing stating that Ian wasn't Anglo-Greek.