Actress Marina Sirtis played the role of the half-Betazoid counselor Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation. An empath and psychologist, Troi is an important part of the USS Enterprise-D and helps Captain Jean-Luc Picard in his adventures. Sirtis also reprised her role in other spinoff shows such as Star Trek: Picard and Voyager.
While Deanna Troi became one of the most revered characters in the Star Trek universe, she was reportedly conceived by the creators to be less brainy and more of a s*xual attraction in the initial seasons. One of her early designs reportedly floated around the idea of her having three br*asts. However, the idea was quickly shot down by writer Dorothy Fontana.
Star Trek Writer Shot Down Idea For Deanna Troi To Have Three Br*asts
The Star Trek franchise took its time to gain its fans, unlike its competitor Star Wars, which became a global phenomenon immediately upon release. The sci-fi show was released in the ‘60s and showed a Utopian vision for the future, with more representation and unorthodox social rules. By the ‘80s, the show became a cultural phenomenon.
After the success of the original series, creator Gene Roddenberry was reportedly commissioned to develop a new series. Roddenberry started working on a sequel with a more diplomatic captain and set in the 24th Century. Roddenberry finally came up with the beloved series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
While characters like Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard became a global phenomenon, other characters too had their own fan following. One such character that grew on audiences was the USS Enterprise-D’s counselor, Deanna Troi. Played by Marina Sirtis, Troi reportedly first had a design that made her way more s*xual than she was initially portrayed.
Roddenberry reportedly wanted Deanna Troi to have three br*asts. However, writer Dorothy Fontana reportedly shut down the idea early in the ideation stage. She said to EW,
I objected to Troi having three b*easts. I felt women have enough trouble with two. And how are you going to line them up? Vertically, horizontally, or what? I was like, please, don’t go there. And they didn’t, fortunately.
One can only imagine the logistical issues that the production would have to go through if the show were to have a three-br*easted Betazoid in every episode for seven seasons.
Marina Sirtis Was Glad To Be Less S*xualized In Later Seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Actress Marina Sirtis became famous for the role of Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Along with the rest of the cast, Sirtis reprised her role in four films and returned to the new generation series Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard, and more. Troi has often been regarded as one of the most important Star Trek characters once she began to lead more episodes.
However, the character was reportedly first meant to be more of an ‘eye candy’ in the show. Apart from the trashed idea of giving her three br*sts, Marina Sirtis’ character was often put into a revealing outfit and was less ‘brainy’ in the initial seasons. However, after a while, the writers finally began to develop her more as an empath and she began to lead some episodes.
According to Screen Rant, Sirtis was relieved to be finally getting some depth in her character. She said,
I was thrilled when I got my regulation Starfleet uniform… it covered up my cl*avage and I got all my brains back because when you have cl*avage you can’t have brains in Hollywood… I was allowed to do things that I hadn’t been allowed to do for five or six years. I went on away teams, I was in charge of staff, I had my pips back, I had phasers, I had all the equipment again, and it was fabulous.
Deanna Troi appeared on many ‘best-of’ Star Trek lists, with Wired naming her as the 24th most important character in the show’s universe.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.
