Troi Season 1

[Pauln6]

I was watching TNG on CBS Action last week and, although the TNG stories improve greatly as we head into season 3, I rather liked Troi in these early episodes.

She acts as a fairly decent advisor, directing Picard to the T'Kon planet when he had been focused on the Ferengi. She applies her 'practical' betazoid blood to coldly put Tasha forward in a fight to the death. She was much more versatile and useful than the later, touchy-feely Troi with the country & western wig.

Would other people have preferred to see this more alien Troi developed more fully? For example, would it have been better to see practical betazoid blood arguing to cut loose the wounded crew in Disaster while passionate Ro argues to give them a chance? I would certainly have less of a problem viewing season 1 Troi as a full commander.

What do other people think?

 

[TroiFan4ever]

I liked the rough chemistry between Troi and Ro in "Disaster" and would love to have seen their relationship in the future episodes. This is why I wish Troi had more scenes in "Preemptive Strike" than just the Ten Forward reception.

 

[SchwEnt]

From her manner of speaking and accent and other factors, Troi became less the Betazoid "alien" from the first season and more "Marina Sirtis" towards the end of the series.

 

[NextGen123]

I was watching TNG on CBS Action last week and, although the TNG stories improve greatly as we head into season 3, I rather liked Troi in these early episodes.

She acts as a fairly decent advisor, directing Picard to the T'Kon planet when he had been focused on the Ferengi. She applies her 'practical' betazoid blood to coldly put Tasha forward in a fight to the death. She was much more versatile and useful than the later, touchy-feely Troi with the country & western wig.

Would other people have preferred to see this more alien Troi developed more fully? For example, would it have been better to see practical betazoid blood arguing to cut loose the wounded crew in Disaster while passionate Ro argues to give them a chance? I would certainly have less of a problem viewing season 1 Troi as a full commander.

What do other people think?

I remember Marina Sirtis saying in an interview that the first season version of her character was not clearly defined. I can see that too. The character would have been better if the writers defined her powers clearly from the start. It looks like she was a mind reader and the writers got away from that only for her character to read other's feelings.

 

[Amaris]

I'm a big fan of Marina's, and consider her latter series work to be the best, particularly when she was finally in a Starfleet uniform.

 

[Jedi_Master]

I'm a big fan of Marina's, and consider her latter series work to be the best, particularly when she was finally in a Starfleet uniform.

Yes. I agree. Her character gained more solid footing, and she got rid of those rather over the top costumes.

 

[Pauln6]

Marina has commented that she felt that the writers were getting the hang of Troi by season 6 but if the character had developed to be more like Sirtis, she woud have been fist-fighting, gun-slinging, and sword-fighting. Most people remember the irony of Gates & Marina, the only two cast members with fencing experience, wielding clay pots while the male cast members got to sword fight in the Robin Hood episode. I think this symbolises Troi's plight. She took a step back to give Picard more room to emote. He's the Captain, why does he need to keep asking her for advice? She could only look effective if he looked less smart. I can see their dilemma.

Even so, I think if they had built on Season one Troi, the character would have been much better much sooner. She could have been a telepath more akin to Miranda Jones from TOS or more like Talia Winters from B5 and she would have been far more interesting as well.

 

[MikeS]

It looks like she was a mind reader and the writers got away from that only for her character to read other's feelings.

She says to Zorn in the very first episode "I am only half-betazoid and can only read feelings"

 

[Pauln6]

It looks like she was a mind reader and the writers got away from that only for her character to read other's feelings.

She says to Zorn in the very first episode "I am only half-betazoid and can only read feelings"

I think she actually says 'strong emotions' although that soon turned into any emotion when it served the plot. In where no one has gone before she describes her abilities in more detail. She says with most people she feels something, even if only a presence. She often doesn't understand what she feels. The Traveller doesn't register at all (and neither do androids or holograms). We also later learn that Ferengi are resistant to telepathy. They had plenty to work with but the mistake was reducing her to little more than an emotion-detectng plot device or love interest.

 

[Jedi_Master]

It looks like she was a mind reader and the writers got away from that only for her character to read other's feelings.

She says to Zorn in the very first episode "I am only half-betazoid and can only read feelings"

I think she actually says 'strong emotions' although that soon turned into any emotion when it served the plot. In where no one has gone before she describes her abilities in more detail. She says with most people she feels something, even if only a presence. She often doesn't understand what she feels. The Traveller doesn't register at all (and neither do androids or holograms). We also later learn that Ferengi are resistant to telepathy. They had plenty to work with but the mistake was reducing her to little more than an emotion-detectng plot device or love interest.

Actually in the series she becomes much more, and that is why I prefer the later seasons Troi to the first season Troi.

 

[Anji]

Yeah, to develop Troi as she started in Season One would have been interesting, especially how her Betazed abilities helped her in her line of work and or personal life. But to develop a character as alien as a Betazed would've taken a lot out of the writers.

As is with most television, it is easier to turn the women into someone's girlfriend rather than to give her her own identity. Afterall,look what they did to Beverly Crusher???

 

[thetibettour]

Haven't seen

support !!

 

[TroiFan4ever]

I'm a big fan of Marina's, and consider her latter series work to be the best, particularly when she was finally in a Starfleet uniform.

YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only person who thinks so! She looks better in a Starfleet science uniform because she actually looks like the Starfleet officer that she is and she blends in with the Enterprise crew and secondly, she's been wearing those jumpsuits for seven years now. The burgundy one looks better than the gray one, but they're so... worn out! I just wish she would've lost the bangs in Generations.

 

[Pauln6]

I think the writers seriously underestimated the appeal of a woman in uniform... plus the trousered blue and black uniform really suited her. It was as if the penny finally dropped and they suddenly realised that she wasn't just an empath and psychologist and that she'd had the same starfleet officer training as Riker. Maybe the writers of the day felt threatened by powerful women? Yar was such a girl to the extent that they killed her off to make way for more macho Worf. Troi was sidelined. Crusher was sent to Starfleet Medical. They often seem more comfortable featuring women outside the chain of command. If she'd been in uniform and been given the lead on more diplomatic missions instead of just standing at Picard's or Riker's elbow she could have been greater sooner. And she makes a great spy. Counselor? Bah!

 

[Amaris]

I'm a big fan of Marina's, and consider her latter series work to be the best, particularly when she was finally in a Starfleet uniform.

Yes. I agree. Her character gained more solid footing, and she got rid of those rather over the top costumes.

Yeah, I was definitely not a fan of the jumpsuits. They irritated me because it would be like having a military uniform code requirement, but there's always one guy who wears a Hawaiian shirt instead of the proper attire for service duty, and no one seems to care.

I'm a big fan of Marina's, and consider her latter series work to be the best, particularly when she was finally in a Starfleet uniform.

YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only person who thinks so! She looks better in a Starfleet science uniform because she actually looks like the Starfleet officer that she is and she blends in with the Enterprise crew and secondly, she's been wearing those jumpsuits for seven years now. The burgundy one looks better than the gray one, but they're so... worn out! I just wish she would've lost the bangs in Generations.

I wanted Troi to be taken seriously, and I just couldn't see it with those jumpsuits. When it does come to her appearance, though, I think she looked her best in First Contact.

 

[Python Trek]

Seasons 6 & 7, Marina was HAWT! I'll echo what someone said about a "woman in uniform". I never understood why Troi and Seven had to wear civilian catsuits, when numerous Trek women, from Uhura in her micromini, to Yar in her security uni, to Jadzi in her DS9 uni, looked absolutely smashing.

 

[Amaris]

Amen to that. I also get annoyed with the whole idea behind it. I mean, look at Gates McFadden. She always wore the uniform/doctor's coat and was highly professional in the series, and if I may say so, Gates McFadden was simply gorgeous, so why the need to put Marina in a skintight jumpsuit when she was just as great looking in a traditional uniform? I think they had the wrong priorities going into the whole thing when they were casting for Troi's part.

 

[Doug Otte]

I did like Troi in the Starfleet uniform, but I also liked all the previous outfits she wore, too. It's strange - I remember remarking to a friend during the 1st or 2nd season that it was jarring to have 24th Century women wearing so much makeup. I had a vague idea that, in that future where humans are more socially evolved, women wouldn't wear so much makeup. He wisely pointed out that things like makeup and fashion are cyclical and not necessarily related to how "advanced" we are. But, for some reason, I never thought Troi's outfits were degrading.

However, I did enjoy her early 1st season character - more alien, counselling Picard more directly, etc.. I also enjoyed her in later seasons, where we got to see her counselling other crewmembers, etc. It was frustrating that she often had such a limited role and didn't get any fight scenes or many "assertive" aspects.

Doug