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.
I don’t think that any character got shittier writing than her, with the exception of maybe Yar’s death, and even then I think you still have to give it to Troi because she’s got many more episodes. But her episodes are the ones that are the most consistently bad. Data’s are mostly great, Worf’s also pretty solid, Geordi has some stinkers mostly because the only thing they could figure out to do with him is have him lust after an unavailable woman, Crusher only has a few that are hers and honorable mention for one of my bottom five TNG eps of all time, Sub Rosa, but Troi’s are pretty much all stinkers. The only one that I can think of off of the top of my head that I like is the one where she decides to take the command test.
Yeahhhhhh, historically, the original Treks just did NOT understand how to properly utilize FEEEMAALE characters, from the writers to ahem the producers. coughfuckbermancough
TNG: awful writing for the women
DS9 and VOY: amazing writing, some of the best women characters in TV history
ENT: nosedive back to awful writing for women
DSC: awful writing for everyone
PIC: tiny bit of redemption for the women mistreated in TNG
LD&SNW: modern and consistently non-terronly writing
Troi counselling with her powers: Suck it up lean to live without.
Troi counselling without her powers: I don’t know just get better or whatever… I’m a failure!
