Summary
- Lwaxana Troi is a polarizing character on Star Trek, known for her flamboyant outfits and personality.
- She brings levity to the show and contrasts with the more serious characters on the Enterprise-D.
- Lwaxana's best episode is "Half a Life," which explores serious themes and showcases her depth as a character.
With her flamboyant outfits and even more flamboyant personality, Majel Barrett's Lwaxana Troi has long been one of Star Trek's most polarizing characters. As the mother of Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Lwaxana appears most often on Star Trek: The Next Generation, gracing six episodes with her presence. With her sexual innuendo and flirtatiousness, Lwaxana is one of the few people who can make even Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) squirm. She takes a liking to Picard in her first appearance on TNG and never es up an opportunity to poke fun at him.
As a Star Trek guest star, Lwanxana Troi works not just because of Majel Barrett's wonderful performances, but also because she is so different from the majority of Star Trek characters. In her appearances on TNG and in three episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lwaxana brings levity to a crew of characters who can be overly serious. Over the course of her nine appearances, she grows into a compelling and comionate character. If nothing else, Lwaxana Troi inspired strong opinions, and she would likely have it no other way. Here are all 9 Star Trek episodes in which Lwaxana appears, ranked from worst to best.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: The Next Generation has one of the most beloved cast of characters in all of science fiction. Here are the major characters of the classic.
9 "Manhunt" - Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 2, Episode 19)
Lwaxana Troi's antics sometimes cross the line from simply silly to cringe-worthy, and none more so than in TNG season 2, episode 19, "Manhunt." When Lwaxana arrives on the USS Enterprise-D for transportation to a conference, the crew discovers that she has entered the Betazoid equivalent of menopause known as the Phase. While in the Phase, middle-aged Betazoid women experience an extremely heightened sex drive, which causes Lwaxana to throw herself at every man on the Enterprise. Lwaxana does not come across particularly well in this episode and none of the plots come to any kind of satisfactory conclusions.
8 "Haven" - Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 1, Episode 11)
Lwaxana Troi's first appearance in Star Trek comes in a lackluster episode in TNG's rocky first season. Majel Barrett's performance as Lwaxana is actually one of the highlights of the episode, as the plot involving Deanna's arranged marriage mostly fails. Lwaxana has some nice moments with her daughter, and it's always fun watching her make the usually unflappable Picard feel awkward. Barrett seems to be having a lot of fun in the role and Lwaxana contrasts sharply with the other more serious personalities on the Enterprise-D.
7 "Ménage à Troi" - Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 3, Episode 24)
When the Ferengi are invited to a trade agreement on Betazed, the Ferengi DaiMon Tog (Frank Corsentino) becomes obsessed with Lwaxana Troi. He then kidnaps Lwaxana, Deanna, and Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), prompting Lwaxana to play along with the Ferengi to keep her daughter from being harmed. Tog eventually beams Troi and Riker back to the Enterprise after Lwaxana promises to stay with him. The best part of TNG season 3, episode 24 comes when Captain Picard has to pretend to be in love with Lwaxana in order to win her back. Patrick Stewart gives his all in the scene, delivering a mash-up of Shakespeare quotes on love, much to the amusement of the bridge crew.
6 "Cost of Living" - Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 5, Episode 20)
Lwaxana Troi arrives on the Enterprise-D announcing that she is about to get married to a man she has never met, and she wants to have the wedding on the Enterprise. When Lwaxana first arrives, she finds Deanna trying to help Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) and his son, Alexander (Brian Bonsall), work through their differences. Lwaxana takes Alexander to a fun holodeck program to help him relax. The scenes between Lwaxana and Alexander are mostly sweet, if occasionally a bit weird (they share a mudbath for some reason). Tragically, Majel Barrett's husband and creator Gene Roddenberry ed away a few months before this episode was filmed, lending more weight to Lwaxana's fears about being alone.
5 "Fascination" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 3, Episode 10)
Soon after Lwaxana Troi arrives on space station Deep Space 9, the people on the station begin celebrating the Bajoran Gratitude Festival. Before long, many of the station's crew begin uncharacteristically flirting with one another. Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) eventually diagnoses Lwaxana with Zanthi Fever, a Betazoid condition that causes infected Betazoids to project their emotions onto those around them. As Lwaxana has begun developing feelings for Constable Odo (René Auberjonois), she has been broadcasting those feelings to anyone who gets too close to her. Lwaxana perceives that Odo has feelings for Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), but she promises not to tell anyone.
4 "The Muse" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 4, Episode 21)
This time, Lwaxana Troi arrives on Deep Space 9 pregnant with the son of a Tavnian man named Jeyal (Michael Ansara) she had married. Because of his people's customs, he insists that he will take Lwaxana's son from her to raise him alone. Lwaxana then runs away to seek out the help of her friend Odo. Odo begins scouring Tavnian law and finds a loophole that would allow Lwaxana to keep her child. If Odo and Lwaxana marry, her marriage to Jeyal will be annulled and he will have no claim on their child. The friendship between Lwaxana and Odo is truly wonderful, although she has real feelings for him while he remains in love with Kira.
3 "Dark Page" - Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 7, Episode 7)
In TNG season 7, episode 7, "Dark Page," Lwaxana arrives on the Enterprise appearing much more subdued than she has in the past. After Lwaxana falls mysteriously into a coma, a member of a visiting telepathic species helps Deanna enter her mother's mind. She discovers that her mother has a dark secret that she has suppressed within her memory. In a surprisingly tragic turn, Deanna discovers that she once had an older sister named Kestra, who drowned as a young girl. Lwaxana was so grief-stricken that she effectively erased all memories of her eldest child. Decades later, Deanna and Will Riker would name their only daughter Kestra (Lulu Wilson).
2 "The Forsaken" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 1, Episode 17)
When Lwaxana Troi first visits Deep Space 9 as a Betazed diplomat, she sets her sights on Constable Odo. After Lwaxana and Odo get trapped in a turbolift together, Odo opens up to her a bit about his past. Before long, Odo begins to convert back to his liquid form, and he tries to hide from Lwaxana, saying that no one but the Bajoran scientist who found him has seen him like that. She responds by removing her wig and pointing out that no one has seen her like that. It's a sweet moment showing the big heart Lwaxana keeps hidden behind her over-the-top outfits and personality. When Odo can no longer hold his physical shape, Lwaxana catches his liquid form in the folds of her dress.
1 "Half a Life" - Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 4, Episode 22)
TNG season 4, episode 22, "Half a Life," is not only Lwaxana Troi's best episode, but it's also a genuinely great episode of Star Trek. Dr. Timicin (David Ogden Stiers), a scientist from a reclusive world, beams aboard the Enterprise to find a solution to reignite the dying sun of his planet. Lwaxana immediately makes it her mission to entertain the subdued scientist, and he proves to be receptive to her flirtations. The two fall for one another over the course of the episode, but Timicin laments that he had not met Lwaxana sooner. The inhabitants of his planet, Kaelon II, perform a ceremony known as the Resolution when they reach the age of 60 which ends with the person's suicide.
When Timicin tells Lwaxana this, she is heartbroken and angry. Although she tries to encourage him to leave his planet and live, she eventually realizes that the Resolution is an extremely important tradition for him and his people. In the end, she accompanies him down to the surface for his Resolution ceremony, after he reveals that he loves her. "Half a Life" finally gives Lwaxana more depth as a character and addresses serious topics with nuance and intelligent insight. Star Trek fans may have mixed feelings about Lwaxana Troi, but Majel Barrett embued the character with real heart and will always remain Star Trek royalty.