Counselor Troi’s Complete Star Trek: TNG & Picard Timeline Explained

Deanna Troi was born on the planet Betazed in 2336 to Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi and human Starfleet officer Ian Andrew Troi (Amick Byram). Lwaxana and Ian had a previous daughter named Kestra Troi, but she tragically drowned when Deanna was a baby. Overcome by her grief, Lwaxana repressed her memories of Kestra and removed all evidence of her existence from the Troi household. Because of this, Deanna did not learn about her sister until 2370, in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Dark Page," when Lwaxana's memories began returning.

Deanna's father shared elements of human culture with her as a child, but he passed away in 2343 when Deanna was only seven years old. Sometime in the 2350s, Deanna began studying psychology at the University of Betazed, and she entered Starfleet Academy in 2355. Troi graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2359 with a major in psychology. Sometime between 2357 and 2361, Troi was involved in a romantic relationship with Lt. Will Riker while he was stationed on Betazed. However, Will later chose to prioritize his career over this romance and the two eventually lost contact with one another.

Deanna Troi Was USS Enterprise-D’s Counselor On Star Trek: TNG (2364-2371)

Troi Served As The Ship's Counselor & An Advisor To Captain Picard

Counselor Troi made her Star Trek debut in Star Trek: The Next Generation's series premiere, and her empathic abilities quickly came in handy during the Farpoint mission in 2364. Troi's empathic abilities were altered somewhat after "Encounter at Farpoint," but nevertheless proved vital on numerous occasions throughout the series. Deanna's mother, Lwaxana, was introduced in TNG season 1, episode 11, "Haven," when she visited the Enterprise to celebrate her daughter's prearranged marriage to Wyatt Miller (Rob Knepper). Wyatt, however, fell in love with another woman, saving Deanna from having to marry a man she barely knew.

At the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, in early 2365, an alien entity wishing to learn more about humanity impregnated Deanna with a child who aged extremely quickly. Over the next several years, Deanna had a few romances with TNG guest stars and a brief relationship with Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn). She also lost her empathic powers and gained them back, and later went undercover disguised as a Romulan. Troi did not begin wearing a Starfleet uniform until TNG season 6, and she later took the Bridge Officer's Test in 2370, becoming a full commander. Deanna Troi sometimes deserved better on TNG, but she ultimately became an integral member of the Enterprise crew.

Troi In Star Trek: TNG’s Movies (2371-2379)

Troi Remained On The Enterprise Throughout The TNG Films

In Star Trek Generations, Counselor Troi piloted the USS Enterprise-D during the Battle of Veridian III and was forced to crash-land the saucer section. Troi was the first Enterprise crew member to encounter Dr. Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) in Star Trek: First Contact after the ship traveled back in time to stop the Borg. Troi ran into Cochrane at a bar, where he bought her several drinks. Troi passed out soon after Commander Riker found them, and she later helped convince Cochrane to go through with his historic warp flight.

In 2376, between the events of Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis, Troi helped Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) with Project Pathfinder, the mission to communicate with USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant.

Troi helped evacuate the Ba'ku in Star Trek: Insurrection and rekindled her romance with Riker in the process. Troi and Riker finally married in Star Trek: Nemesis and joined the USS Enterprise-E for one final mission to Romulus. Praetor Shinzon (Tom Hardy) became obsessed with Troi and telepathically took advantage of her. Troi later used their residual connection against Shinzon, crashing the Enterprise into Shinzon's warbird, the Scimitar.

 

Troi After Star Trek: TNG (2380-2399)

Riker & Troi Appeared In Animated Form On Star Trek: Lower Decks

Counselor Troi briefly popped up in Star Trek: Lower Decks, serving alongside her husband on the USS Titan in 2380. About a year after the Titan saved the USS Cerritos from the Pakleds, Troi gave birth to her and Riker's first child, Thaddeus Troi-Riker, in 2381. As a child, Thad was diagnosed with mendaxic neurosclerosis and the Troi-Riker family moved to Nepenthe due to the regenerative properties of the planet's soil.

Although Thad's illness could have been cured with an active positronic matrix, all synthetic life had been banned after the attack on Mars in 2385, and Thad tragically passed away. Troi and Riker also had a daughter named Kestra (Lulu Wilson), born sometime after Thaddeus.

 

Counselor Troi In Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Troi Saved The Day In Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Marina Sirtis returned to portray Counselor Troi briefly in Star Trek: Picard season 1 before making a more substantial return for the show's third and final season. In Picard season 1, episode 7, "Nepenthe," Admiral Picard and Soji Asha (Isa Briones) visited Troi and Riker, who were living on Nepenthe with their daughter, Kestra. In Picard season 3, Picard and Riker commandeered the USS Titan-A after Jean-Luc received a distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). In the latter half of the season, Troi was kidnapped by the Changeling Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and held aboard her warship, the Shrike.

After the events of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Troi puts her counseling skills to good use to help Data (Brent Spiner) adjust to his newfound humanity.

Vadic soon captured Riker as well, and he and Deanna talked through some of their marital problems as they waited for rescue. Before long, Captain Worf arrived to free his old friends (with a particularly warm welcome for Deanna), and the entire TNG crew then reunited aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D. Troi's empathic abilities not only allowed her to discover the residual Borg DNA in Jack Crusher's (Ed Speleers) mind, but also helped her locate her husband in the heart of a Borg cube. In the end, Troi got to be a true hero in Star Trek: Picard in a way she rarely did on Star Trek: The Next Generation.