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[–] 120 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Starfleet’s top therapist when she loses emotion reading and actually has to do therapy: “Oh god, oh fuck.”

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  • [–] 64 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    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?

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  • [–] 45 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 30 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 67 points 2 years ago (21 children)

    Like 10 seconds away from her in First Contact and he's down there with a Tommy Gun blazing away.

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    [–] 47 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 43 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    "She is here for your protection"

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  • [–] 40 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and these are the other two members of my non-sexual throuple."

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  • [–] 33 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    Guinan shoulda replaced Troi. She’s 1000% better at helping you solve your problems.

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    [–] 20 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    Honestly, I never understood why a counselor would be on that spot. A linguist? Why not. Historian? Absolutely biologist/chemist? Understandable. Counselor? Nah-uh

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  • [–] 42 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    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!

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago

    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

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  • [–] [S] 31 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I think there's a lot of value in quickly profiling enemies and anyone else you deal with.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Ah yes valuable skills like sensing that the romulans may be hiding something.

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  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago

    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.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    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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    [–] 9 points 2 years ago*

    Woooooo Saaaaaaaaaa RUBS EARLOBES

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago

    Literal "HOLD ME BACK" energy.

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