Starfleet’s top therapist when she loses emotion reading and actually has to do therapy: “Oh god, oh fuck.”
this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2023
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I suspect she never learned how to read faces or tell tones of voice apart, which is why has so many problems when her empathic powers are supressed. She can sense sarcasm through an opaque soundproof wall, so why would she need to know that people sound different when they're being sarcastic?
The same episode also did show her in a session when she still had her powers. She was giving rote, generic advice to a crew member that was obviously not impressed.
The whole episode was her learning to do her job. Which is odd, the empathic power should have been a tool, not just something she sat around with.
In conclusion, Troi is an underwhelming therapist, and that’s concerning since she’s on the flagship of the fleet.
I don't think that any character got shittier writing than her, with the exception of maybe Yar's death, and even then I think you still have to give it to Troi because she's got many more episodes. But her episodes are the ones that are the most consistently bad. Data's are mostly great, Worf's also pretty solid, Geordi has some stinkers mostly because the only thing they could figure out to do with him is have him lust after an unavailable woman, Crusher only has a few that are hers and honorable mention for one of my bottom five TNG eps of all time, Sub Rosa, but Troi's are pretty much all stinkers. The only one that I can think of off of the top of my head that I like is the one where she decides to take the command test.
Troi counselling with her powers: Suck it up lean to live without.
Troi counselling without her powers: I don't know just get better or whatever... I'm a failure!
Her mom is an ambassador. Some things never change.
Great take. How many people who are not deaf or hard of hearing really read nonverbal communication as well as they do (excepting hearing kids raised in Deaf families).
She's got plenty of practice with Reg
Broccoli was definitely a workout.. really pushed the therapeutic envelope..
[off topic] In the comic version, evil Barclay was the most successful at infiltrating Star Fleet. People were so used to ignoring Reg that he could do just about anything.
Like 10 seconds away from her in First Contact and he's down there with a Tommy Gun blazing away.
And her response would be like "captain... im sensing anger" while he's actively mowing down borg that used to be red shirts...
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Hot take - the Consoler is just the Federation's Political Officer.
Space communists need their space commissars... no rank, they exist parallel to the military structure as a bullwork against wrong think.
Yeah, I'd put the empathic mediator on the bridge too. Seems like it would give a massive advantage all the time.
I'm all for some bullwork but it's bulwark.
No rank? She was a lieutenant commander. Wrong think? What scene did TNG enforce some sort kind of "right think"?
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"She is here for your protection"
"I'm not stuck here with her. She's stuck here with me!"
"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and these are the other two members of my non-sexual throuple."
"They've had it going on, I'm just stuck in the middle. Shit's awkward."
(Why have I never realized that until now.)
Guinan shoulda replaced Troi. She’s 1000% better at helping you solve your problems.
They should've had an episode where they go to the Mirror Universe and for the rest of the series Troi would be replaced by her mirrorverse counterpart which would basically be Marina Sirtis playing herself.
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Troi is there for the tiddies tho
Yeah but no one knows what she's all about. One moment she's on familiar terms with Q, the next she's popping up in 19th century San Francisco . Like who the heck is this bartender?
She's a near immortal. She was alive in the 19th Century and eventually met Picard later. She's a bartender because she likes people, and people talk in bars.
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The Mad Man strategy
Stay back! Got a mad man here!
Honestly, I never understood why a counselor would be on that spot. A linguist? Why not. Historian? Absolutely biologist/chemist? Understandable. Counselor? Nah-uh
Regular counselor? Sure, doesn't need to be on the bridge.
Mind-reading empath, though? Massive strategic advantage in any encounter, friend or foe! Put her on the bridge!
Indeed. It doesn't happen too often, but the writers occasionally remembered to do something useful with her empath powers, like in the Samaritan ep where she's the first one to clock that the Pakled's are up to something. Ofc this comes a few minutes after Worf says something like "bro we really want to send Geordi over there?" and Riker's like "look at these dipshits he's gonna be fine" and then Troi is the one that figures it out. So must have been opposite day in the writer's room or something.
To be fair, stating the obvious, which she does quite a lot, is also quite advantageous. Like, sure, that Klingon Captain seems angry and insulted, but what if he's just a really good actor trying to deceive a Federation ship? When Troi goes "Yup, he's angry and insulted" that would basically be the go ahead to assume he's telling the truth and act accordingly.
But TNG writers usually only seemed to remember there was an empath on the bridge at the last second, so they just wrote in she can't sense anything
I think there's a lot of value in quickly profiling enemies and anyone else you deal with.
Ah yes valuable skills like sensing that the romulans may be hiding something.
And that the alien who is yelling seems angry
And the Ferengi is scheming. Oh, wait, she can't read Ferengi.
Show was written in a time before streaming, before people could record TV. She was there to explain to the audience, who were assumed to not be aware of the previous episodes, who the bad guys are.
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Uh what? Historian? The history of...where no man has gone before? Why would a biologist/chemist be on the bridge? They would be in a lab where they could actually employ their skills. Not saying Counselor is the best, but it's pretty obvious it's because of her abilities, not her title.
One would think that it is important for a ship's counselor to remain pretty detached from the day-to-day decision-making of the crew. That it would be a very bad idea for the counselor to be regularly fraternizing with what are basically her patients.
I wonder how this works in, for example, the Navy.
Same goes for doctors and such, seems a bit awkward for the enterprise crew to be friends with their doctor. Imagine having a drink with your gynecologist, or in case of riker, someone who most likely has treated him for at least one alien VD.
Or just the more general awkwardness of having your therapist and doctor around all the time, always aware of your lifestyle. Like, getting scolded by Beverly for your shitty eating habits during checkup and then she runs into you in 10 forward while you are trying to inhale a piece of cake.
Well, they're all basically locked in a submarine, but way worse. You're in a sealed box hurtling through space. You need a doctor on board, and you need a counselor on board. If you don't want both of them to go completely insane, both of them also need friends and social interaction.
While I agree that Starfleet levels of general fraternization are a lot looser than in modern military, I also think it's just kind of something you learn to live with when you serve on a ship.
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Everyone is living authentically so there isn't the friction you imagine. Riker isn't shamed for liking sex. Troi isn't shamed for liking sweets. People are done shaming each other for being themselves. At least that was the idea.
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i've never served in the Navy or even been on board ship, but fraternization between officers and enlisted in all services is pretty strictly forbidden.. and counselors and therapists would probably be officers in most cases.. but casual socialization is normally totally off limits.. simple reason being, officers have to order enlisted people into danger, so there can't be appearance of favorites..
fraternization among the officers is normal, though and has been part of life aboard ships forever
She's psychic though.
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Woooooo Saaaaaaaaaa RUBS EARLOBES
Literal "HOLD ME BACK" energy.
like a kettle of some hot liquid, ready to boil
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