Summary
- Deanna Troi had multiple romantic partners throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, but her best love story was with Commander Riker.
- Troi's ability to sense emotions helped her excel as the ship's counselor and also aided Captain Picard in his interactions with new alien species.
- Troi and Riker's on-again-off-again romance lasted all seven seasons of TNG and continued through the films, culminating in their marriage and continued presence in Star Trek: Picard.
Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) may always have been Imzadi to Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), but she had her fair share of other romances on Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of TNG's most underrated characters, Troi became the heart of the show over the course of its seven seasons. Half-Betazoid and half-human, Deanna could sense the emotions of those around her. This not only helped her perform her duties as the ship's counselor on the USS Enterprise-D, but also helped her aid Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) with introductions to new alien species.
Deanna's best love story was with Commander Riker, and their on-again-off-again romance lasted throughout all seven seasons of TNG and continued through the four films that followed the series. Since TNG's writers refused to put them permanently together on the show, both Deanna and Will cycled through various romantic partners. Deanna Troi did not always get the best storylines on TNG, but she was always a welcome presence on the show. Troi briefly returned to the franchise in Star Trek: Picard season 1, before playing a more significant role in Picard season 3, where she finally got to be the one to save the day.
