Counselor Deanna Troi

Grew Up... on the planet Betazed. Troi was born to a Betazoid mother and a human father, who died when she was seven. While most Betazoids are fully telepathic, Troi’s mixed heritage means she has more limited abilities.  Like her father before her, Troi decided to enroll in Starfleet Academy and become a Starfleet officer.  

Living... onboard the USS Enterprise, the flagship of 23rd century Starfleet. One hundred years after Captain James Kirk led a five-year mission of exploration, Captain Jean Luc Picard commands a whole new crew as they boldly go where no one has gone before.  

Profession... ship’s counselor. Troi’s empathetic abilities make her an invaluable member of Picard’s crew. She sits beside him on the bridge to better aid with political negotiations and first contact with new alien races. She also provides counseling to the entire Enterprise crew, which is no small feat given how many stressful missions they’re sent on. As she once put it, “People come to talk to you about things they want to reveal. As ship’s counselor, you have to get them to talk about things they don’t want to reveal.”  

Interests... chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. As Troi once said, “I never met a chocolate I didn't like.” She also enjoys spending time with her best friend, Doctor Beverly Crusher, and the two frequently exercise together in the holodeck. Troi and Crusher also join the rest of the senior officers in a running poker game.  

Relationship Status... it’s complicated. Troi serves on Enterprise alongside her former boyfriend William Riker. But given their positions as senior officers, they both agree to maintain a close friendship but nothing more. That means Troi is single and ready to mingle with whatever new life and new civilizations Enterprise may come across. Just don’t tell her overbearing mother Lwaxana, who can’t wait for her daughter to get married.   

Challenge... fulfilling her Starfleet duties. While Troi’s empathetic abilities are an asset to Enterprise, they also make her uniquely vulnerable to attack. On multiple occasions she’s had her mind taken over by telepathic alien races. But more often than not, Troi is able to put her abilities to good use in both crises and high-stakes negotiations.   

Personality... calm, warm, and patient. It’s not just Troi’s emapthy that make her a good counselor, she also has the perfect temperament for listening to other people’s problems and guiding them towards solutions.