Editing Deanna Troi (section)

==Development and casting==
[[File:Marina Sirtis in 2005 Netherlands.jpg|thumb|Marina Sirtis is cast as Deanna Troi, a half-Betazoid Starfleet officer that uses her telepathic abilities to navigate her duties and personal life.]] 
[[Marina Sirtis]] at first read for the role that would become [[Tasha Yar]] in 1986. She had, in total, five readings, all with [[Gene Roddenberry]] and other executives. Roddenberry took a liking to her almost immediately.<ref>{{cite book|first=Adam|last=Schrager|chapter=Marina Sirtis: From Hoi Polloi to Counsellor Troi|title=The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation's Cast On Screen and Off|publisher=Wolf Valley Books|location=New York City|date=1997|isbn=978-1888149036|page=147|quote=She landed a guest role on the series ''Hunter''. Other small television roles followed, but no steady work came her way during her short stay. Just before she was to return home&nbsp;– broke, credit cards "maxed out", and depressed&nbsp;– Sirtis auditioned for the role of the chief security officer aboard the USS ''Enterprise'', Lieutenant Macha Hernandez (later changed to Natasha Yar).}}</ref> [[Denise Crosby]], who eventually won the role of Tasha, auditioned for the role of Deanna Troi. Sirtis was said to have had a more "exotic" feel about her.<ref>As stated in the DVD extras found on a bonus ''Star Trek'' TNG DVD</ref>

She was just about to return home, in debt and jobless, when she received the phone call alerting her that she had the role of Deanna Troi. She said she would have missed the call and been on her way to England if it had been an hour later. Sirtis' [[visa policy of the United States|US visa]] was expiring that day, and if [[Illegal immigration to the United States#Visa overstay|she had stayed any longer]], she could have run into legal trouble.

For Sirtis, ''Star Trek'' was her first big break. Prior to Deanna Troi, her acting career was going nowhere: "What they told us about ''The Next Generation'' when we started was that we were guaranteed 26 episodes. So that was the longest job I've ever had."

Series creator [[Gene Roddenberry]] initially intended Troi to be "eye candy": beautiful, sexy, and not very bright.<ref name="sirtis">{{cite web|first=Kieron|last=Moore|url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-deanna-troi-next-generation-facts-trivia/|title=Star Trek: 15 Things You Never Knew About Deanna Troi|website=[[Screen Rant]]|date=July 24, 2017|accessdate=April 6, 2021|archive-date=April 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424215523/https://screenrant.com/star-trek-deanna-troi-next-generation-facts-trivia/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also conceptualized her as [[Breast fetishism|having four breasts]], before his wife told him this was a bad idea.<ref name=engel>{{cite book|last=Engel|first=Joel|title=Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek|url=https://archive.org/details/generoddenberrym00enge|url-access=registration|date=1994|publisher=[[Hachette Books|Hyperion Books]]|location=New York City|isbn= 978-0786860043}}</ref> Prior to filming, Sirtis was told to lose {{convert|5|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, but she thought that she had to drop even more and was often wearing plunging necklines and form-fitting dresses. After six years, the producers decided to drop the "sexy and brainless" Troi and make her a stronger character, represented by changing her outfit to a standard crew uniform: <blockquote>I was thrilled when I got my regulation Starfleet uniform... it covered up my cleavage and I got all my brains back, because when you have cleavage, you can't have brains in Hollywood... I was allowed to do things that I hadn't been allowed to do for five or six years. I went on away teams, I was in charge of staff, I had my pips back, I had phasers, I had all the equipment again, and it was fabulous. I was absolutely thrilled.{{r|sirtis}}</blockquote>