Star Trek’s Marina Sirtis Wants Major Change For Deanna Troi Return
Although she gave a stellar performance in Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Marina Sirtis doesn’t believe it was her best work. The actress, who first played Counselor Deanna Troi in The Next Generation, would like to take her character in a different direction if given the opportunity. “Well, being that I am very dramatic, generally, I’d love to do more comedy, actually,” she said.
Marina Sirtis Wants Deanna Troi To Be More Comedic
“Because in real life, I’m funny, right? Ask my friends. And I never get to be funny. So I would like to do… like in First Contact, I got to be funny. But I’m not complaining. I’m an actress,” Marina Sirtis added during interviews at the 51st annual Saturn Awards. The actress also elaborated on why she believed Picard Season 3 wasn’t her best work, using Jonathan Frakes as a comparison.
She Doesn’t Think Picard Season 3 Was Her Best
“I think Jonathan said [Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was his best work] because he got to do stuff he’d never done before,” Marina Sirtis explained. “It was outside the box for him. I don’t think that it was my best work. I don’t think I was in it enough for it to be my best work. But it was fun. It was definitely fun,” the veteran actress added.
The actress was largely unavailable for the filming of Star Trek: Picard Season 3, as it was shot right after Season 2 in California during the Covid-19 pandemic. Having relocated to the U.K., returning to the U.S. for the entire series proved challenging for Marina Sirtis. Instead, showrunner Terry Matalas and the writing team crafted a story arc that explained her absence.
Troi’s Redemption
As such, Star Trek: Picard Season 3 saw Captain Will Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi go through a marital separation. This creative decision addressed Marina Sirtis’ logistical challenges and provided a poignant reunion for the Troi-Rikers in the latter part of the series. After Sirtis returned, Deanna Troi played a pivotal role in revealing Jack Crusher’s connection to the Borg.
Her skillful piloting of the USS Enterprise-D in a last-minute rescue mission for Riker, Worf, and Picard served as Troi’s long-awaited redemption, especially given that some fans had unfairly blamed her for the Enterprise-D crash in Star Trek: Generations. Additionally, Troi (Marina Sirtis) provided an outlet for Data to navigate the overwhelming human emotions he experienced after his resurrection.
Marina Sirtis Has Played Deanna Troi For Nearly Four Decades
Despite being a seasoned actress with roles in various films and television shows, Marina Sirtis is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi in the popular sci-fi series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Deanna Troi is a half-human, half-Betazoid character who serves as the counselor on the starship USS Enterprise. Marina Sirtis portrayed Troi in all seven seasons of the show, which ran from 1987 to 1994.
Marina Sirtis reprised her role as Counselor Troi in the Star Trek feature films that followed the television series, including Star Trek Generations in 1994, Star Trek: First Contact in 1996, Star Trek: Insurrection in 1998, and Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. Her performance as Troi earned her a dedicated fan base, and she became a beloved figure in the Star Trek community.
Marina Sirtis Outside Star Trek
In addition to her work in the Star Trek franchise, Marina Sirtis has appeared in various other television shows, films, and theater productions. She played a minor role in the 2004 Academy Award-winning ensemble film Crash, portraying the wife of a Persian shopkeeper. In 2005, she took on another Middle Eastern role in the television series The Closer.
Her involvement in the entertainment industry continued as she secured a three-episode recurring role as a love match-maker on Girlfriends in 2006, along with a guest-starring appearance in Without a Trace. Marina Sirtis has also continued participating in Star Trek conventions and events, maintaining a strong connection with the fan base.
Source: Trek Movie
