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Even though she wasn't a Captain of the Enterprise or even the First Officer, Counselor Deanna Troi was one of the most important characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as the subsequent Star Trek movies. Deanna was a half-human, half-Betazoid, which allowed her to read the emotions and intentions of others, both humans and alien species.
This power not only made her an excellent Counselor who understood the crew's feelings, but also helped save the Enterprise on more than one occasion. When somebody had evil plans, Troi often noticed. Despite her popularity, there are still some things that fans might not know about Deanna Troi.
6 She Could Have Had A Very Different Face
These days, it's difficult to imagine anybody else than Marina Sirtis playing Deanna Troi. But back in the 1980s when Star Trek: The Next Generation was casting the main characters, Marina Sirtis wasn't originally interested in playing Deanna Troi. Instead, she auditioned for another role, that of the security officer Lieutenant Tasha Yar.
As all Star Trek fans will know, Denise Crosby was eventually cast as Tasha Yar and Sirtis got the role of Troi. But Sirtis wasn't so happy with her audition for Deanna, and thought she wouldn't get the role. It turned out she was being too critical of herself as the casting directors liked her audition, gave her the part, and the rest is history.
5 Her Early Life
Unlike other Star Trek characters, a fair amount of information is available about Deanna Troi's early life. She was born on the planet Betazed on March 29, 2336. She originally had an older sister, Kestra, who was born in 2330. But Kestra drowned when Deanna was still very young, and Deanna's mother Lwaxana hid all traces of her existence.
Another loss followed the family in 2343 when Deanna's father, Ian Andrew Troi, died. He and his daughter were very close, so Deanna had a hard time coming to terms with his death and continued to think of her father even years later. Deanna joined the Starfleet Academy in 2355 and successfully finished her studies after four years.
4 Her Family Life And Hobbies
Of all the crew members of the Enterprise, Deanna Troi had the closest bond with First Officer William Riker. They dated for two years before Troi joined the ship, and eventually rekindled their romance. They went on to get married in 2379 and had two children together, Thaddeus Troi-Riker and Kestra Troi-Riker. Unfortunately, Thaddeus later succumbed to his illness.
Just like her colleagues, Deanna Troi was busy most of the time while serving on the Enterprise, but that doesn't mean she didn't find time for her hobbies. She was very fond of swimming but preferred swimming in a real ocean to swimming in a holographic chamber. She liked to exercise in other ways as well. At the same time, she loved chocolate, which helped her relax. Troi regularly joined her friends in playing poker and was proficient at the game. She could also play 3D chess and was good enough at the game to defeat even Data.
3 Other Romantic Relationships
The biggest love of Troi's life was William Riker, but doesn't mean she didn't have other romantic relationships. She and Worf dated briefly in 2370, and even though their relationship didn't last, they parted on good terms and remained close friends. They could have made it work, though, as they were married in two other alternate universes that Worf visited at one point. In one of the universes, they even had a son Eric-Christopher and a daughter Shannara together.
Deanna was also genetically bonded to Wyatt Miller, a son of her parents' acquaintances, but they didn't get married in the end. As they barely knew each other, there was no love lost between them. Still, they were friendly to each other when they met as adults for the first time, and even shared a few kisses.
2 She Died Multiple Times
While two alternate timelines saw Deanna get together with Worf, she wasn't always as fortunate. She's one of the few Star Trek characters who died multiple times in alternate timelines. One timeline saw the Klingons waging a war against the Federation, and Deanna died when the Klingons destroyed her home world Betazed.
In the novel Q&A, Klingons are once again responsible for Troi's death. And yet another time, she died on Enterprise-F when the ship got destroyed. Fortunately for Troi, she led a much more peaceful life in the main timeline.
1 She Could Have Starred In An Action Scene
Compared to most of the other characters, Deanna Troi didn't participate as often in action sequences. Instead, she used her intelligence and Betazoid powers to solve problems. But one episode in the third season of TNG could have had Troi star in an epic action scene.
In the episode, Troi and Geordi LaForge were originally trapped in an alien world together and met a Romulan. Deanna fought him and won. It proved that Troi was just as proficient at fighting as at being the ship's Counselor. Unfortunately, the script later got changed, so Troi never went to the planet. Instead, Geordi was the one who met the Romulan there.