Marina Sirtis Says Watching Troi In Star Trek: TNG Premiere Was “Difficult”
Marina Sirtis appreciates the ways Deanna Troi changed after the premiere episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Summary
- Marina Sirtis, the actress who played Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation, found it "difficult" to watch the pilot episode because she felt the character was too intense and lacked range.
- Troi's Betazoid abilities, which allow her to sense emotions, were emphasized in the series premiere but became less intense in later episodes. Sirtis focused on developing the human side of Troi, as she found it more interesting to play.
- Sirtis believes that both the characters of Deanna Troi and Will Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes) have more stories to tell and should continue to play a role in the future of Star Trek, either in a proposed spin-off or in cameo/supporting roles in other projects.
Counselor Deanna Troi changed a lot throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, and actress Marina Sirtis finds it "difficult" to watch Troi in TNG's premiere. Along with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest of the core TNG crew, Deanna Troi made her debut in the feature-length TNG premiere, "Encounter at Farpoint." As Picard and his crew investigate Farpoint Station, Troi begins experiencing strong bursts of emotion with her Betazoid powers. This eventually leads to the reveal that the station is actually a powerful lifeform that has been subjugated by the Bandi people.
Star Trek: The Next Generation's series premiere emphasizes Troi's Betazoid ability to sense the emotions of those around her, but the emotions she senses affect her more than they will in later episodes. Troi still has her empathic abilities after TNG's pilot, but she doesn't experience the emotions of others quite as intensely. In the Star Trek oral history, The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Marina Sirtis discusses how Deanna Troi changed after "Encounter at Farpoint." Read her quote below:
The characterization and look changed after the pilot; we felt the character was a little bit too intense and there wasn’t enough range in Troi. Basically, we were concentrating on her Betazoid abilities; I worked more on developing the human side of her, which is far more interesting to play. It was difficult to watch the pilot with my hands over my eyes; I didn’t feel it was working really well. Personally, knowing what I can do as an actress and seeing what was up there, I wasn’t happy.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: The Next Generation has one of the most beloved cast of characters in all of science fiction. Here are the major characters of the classic.Deanna Troi Returned In Star Trek: Picard, And She Still Has More Stories To Tell
Will Deanna Troi and Will Riker make another Star Trek return?
Counselor Deanna Troi briefly returned in Star Trek: Picard season 1, when Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) visited her and her husband, Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) . This episode, aptly titled "Nepenthe," offered an update on the life of the Troi/Rikers, introducing their daughter Kestra (Lulu Wilson), as well as the tragic death of their son, Thad. Will and Deanna reunite with their old USS Enterprise-D crewmates in Picard season 3, in which they both play a more significant role. Although Troi does not appear until the latter half of the season, Deanna becomes instrumental in saving her husband and friends from the attacking Borg cube.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 contains some lovely moments between Will and Deanna, and while it brings about a satisfying end to their story, it also proves that both characters have more stories to tell. Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis are better than ever in Picard season 3, and their characters have grown and changed significantly in the last 20 years. Whether or not the proposed Picard spin-off Star Trek: Legacy ever sees the light of day, Deanna Troi and Will Riker should continue to play a role in Star Trek's future. The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation got a proper goodbye in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but the characters could still pop up in cameos or supporting roles in future Star Trek projects.
Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Picard are available to stream on Paramount+.
Source: The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross
