Depiction
Deanna Troi was born on March 29, 2336, near Lake El-Nar, Betazed. Deanna's parents are Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi (portrayed by Majel Barrett), and deceased human Starfleet officer Lt. Ian Andrew Troi (portrayed by Amick Byram). An older sister, Kestra, was accidentally drowned during Deanna's infancy (see "Dark Page"). Although Deanna Troi has little exposure to Earth culture, she attended Starfleet Academy from 2355 to 2359, as well as the University on Betazed, and earned an advanced degree in psychology.
Deanna Troi serves as the ship's counselor aboard the Starfleet starships USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) Enterprise-E under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In Star Trek: Nemesis, Troi leaves the Enterprise with her husband William Riker, who has just been promoted to captain of the USS Titan.
The Betazoid race has telepathic abilities. Due to her half-human heritage, Deanna Troi has only partial telepathic abilities and is an extra-sensory empath with clairsentience. In Star Trek: Nemesis, Troi is able to connect to another psychic and follow that empathic bond to its source. In this instance, her ability enables Enterprise-E to target and hit the Reman vessel Scimitar, despite the fact that it is cloaked. She is also able to communicate telepathically with her mother and other telepathic Betazoids. There are several species who are resistant to the telepathy and empathy of Betazoids, however, such as the Ferengi, the Breen and the Ulians.
Early in the series, Troi finds herself working with a former lover, the newly assigned First Officer to USS Enterprise, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes). In later episodes, Troi has romantic involvements with several others, including a brief relationship with Klingon Starfleet officer Lieutenant Worf (portrayed by actor Michael Dorn).
She is addressed in various ways by fellow officers. Captain Picard calls her "Counselor", but when he is concerned about her, or in emergencies, he calls her Deanna. Picard also refers to her as "Commander" in the pilot episode ("Encounter at Farpoint"), which is consistent with her uniform's rank pips. Riker addresses her as "Lieutenant" a single time in the pilot episode; her service rank is not referred to again for several seasons. Doctor Crusher (one of her most noted female friends) usually calls her "Troi". Data very rarely calls her by her first name, usually calling her "Counselor Troi". Depending on the situation, Commander Riker will call her "Deanna", or "Imzadi", which means "beloved" in the Betazoid language.
On many episodes, Deanna Troi falls victim to aliens. She is usually targeted by aliens that can take control of her mind then talk through her body. In a key episode of Season 4 ("Clues") the Enterprise’s crew lose a day's memory. As events unfold, Deanna is taken over by an entity in order to communicate with the crew. She temporarily gains "super-human" strength and effortlessly tosses Worf across the bridge, breaking his wrist. In the season 5 episode "Violations", Enterprise encounters an alien species who are telepathic and specialize in being able to bring back lost memories. One of the aliens mentally assaults Deanna and also tries to physically assault her in her quarters. She is saved by Worf and one of his security teams. In the film Star Trek Nemesis, she is mentally violated by Shinzon's viceroy who is also telepathic. This occurs in her quarters when she is with her new husband Commander Riker; it also occurs in the Star Trek Nemesis bonus deleted scenes, where she is attacked in the turbolift.
Troi is an avid connoisseur of chocolate, a fact that is significant in multiple episodes, including one in which she tells another member of the crew how to properly enjoy eating it. In the episode "Remember Me", Beverly Crusher briefly describes Troi to Captain Picard to jog his memory and mentions that she "loves chocolate".
Read more about this topic: Deanna Troi