Deanna Troi was a female Betazoid–Human hybrid Starfleet officer. Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, she served as the counselor aboard the USS Enterprise-D and the USS Enterprise-E. In 2379, Troi transferred to the USS Titan (Star Trek: The Next Generation; Star Trek Nemesis). By 2399, she and her husband William T. Riker lived on the planet Nepenthe with their daughter, Kestra Troi-Riker. Their son, Thaddeus Troi-Riker, died of Mendaxic neurosclerosis soon after their arrival on Nepenthe. (PIC: "Nepenthe")
As a half-Betazoid, Troi was capable of extra-sensory empathy, but was incapable of reading aliens with brain structures dissimilar to Humans and other Betazoids, such as the Breen and the Ferengi. Like most Betazoids, Troi had telepathic abilities. Due to her half-Human heritage, however, the range of her telepathic abilities was limited compared to full-blooded Betazoids, and she could usually only read the thoughts of other Betazoids, most notably her mother. Troi's empathic skills made her an important asset to the Enterprise-D and her abilities were often particularly useful when dealing with hostile races. Since she could usually determine, through use of her abilities, whether others were lying, she repeatedly proved herself invaluable in many suspenseful situations. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Ménage à Troi", "The Loss"; VOY: "Inside Man")
