Captain, remember your breathing exercises. They're not worth it.

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

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.
- 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...
My greatest apologies, but I have had to downvote your comment due to the unauthorized promotion of illegal content such as firearms. Ergo, I recommend you do not promote firearms in the future unless you are authorized to own one per se, and that it is permitted in the subreddit. If you write an apology as an edit in your post, then I will retaliate and remove the downvote

Edit: So, we're gonna downdoot me for disclaiming that you shouldn't break the law? Alas, henceforth, you leave me with no option but to report to the proper authoreties
- ...and that it is permitted in the subreddit.
  
  Dude, where do you think you are right now?
- Edgy, using tragedy for a joke. Bet the other 11th graders think you're pretty funny.
- This isn't Reddit. Don't make comments like that.
- I can't tell if troll or not. Good job.

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"?
- I totally blanked on her rank, I honestly thought she didn't have one. Thanks for pointing that out

"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.
- I'd assume the the Mirror Universe version of a counselor is a psychological torture expert; someone who can brainwash any subject.
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.
- She's from Sting's home planet my dude
- God?

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.
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.
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.
- 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.
Once upon a time this was a subject that came up on the bridges of Navy ships.
She gotta handle the very high achievers of the flagship- they all have neuroses. It would be like managing a class of potential CEOs. Riker has typical dad issues, La Forge has anxiety, Crusher has.....french and scottish issues....