Top 300 Quotes From Counselor Deanna Troi

[first lines]
Counselor: Counselor Deanna Troi, personal log, stardate 44805.3 - My mother is on board.

Counselor: [referring to K'Ehleyr] It would be very normal to be angry with her - angry because she died and left you alone with a son you never knew you had. Being angry doesn't mean you loved her any less, Worf. But you can't hide from your feelings. Just as Alexander can't hide from his. You both have a lot of healing to do. Perhaps you should think about doing it together.

Doctor: I can't find anything unusual in any of the tricorder readings they sent over, Captain.
Capt. Picard: Give me a theory, Doctor. Anything. Madness. Mass hysteria. Delusion?
Counselor: Any or all, Captain.
Capt. Picard: All right, let's bring the away team back. Set the transporter to maximum decontamination and then full examination and observation when they're here.

Counselor: Data has created an offspring - a new life out of his own being. To me, that suggests a child. If he wishes to call Lal his child, then who are we to argue?
Captain: Well, if he must. But I fail to understand how a five-foot android with heuristic learning systems and the strength of ten men can be called a child.
Counselor: You've never been a parent.

Counselor: I've learned to remind myself that my mother and I are two separate individuals.
Jev: M-hm. And have you enjoyed much success with this approach, Counselor?
Counselor: ...No. But I do keep reminding myself.

Lore: Look at what I've helped them become. They're no longer mindless automatons. They're passionate! Alive!
Counselor: Are you saying that you caused them to become individuals?
Lore: No. You did that, you and your friends. All I did was clean up the mess you made when that Borg you befriended returned to his ship.
Lt. Commander Data: Hugh interfaced with the others and transferred his sense of individuality to them. It nearly destroyed them.

[last lines]
Counselor: Looking back on the past few days, it's as though I'm looking at a holodeck projection... of someone else.
Commander William T. Riker: That's how it seemed to all of us.
Counselor: Thanks for sticking by me.
Commander William T. Riker: I always will... even when you're old and gray.

Doctor: If you were anyone else, you know the first thing I'd do? I'd send you to Counselor Troi.
Counselor: Well, then I have an advantage, don't I? I see her quite often.

[last lines]
Counselor: It'll take time, Geordi. A long time. But we will reconstruct your memory. Together.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: I'm just not sure. About anything.
Counselor: Believe it or not, that's a good sign. A beginning. Now, let's go back to the shuttlecraft. There was a Romulan ship, and the first thing you did was...?

[last lines]
Barclay: As far as Moriarty and the Countess know, they're halfway to Meles II by now. This enhancement module contains enough active memory to provide them with experiences for a lifetime
Captain: They will live their lives and never know any difference.
Counselor: In a sense, you did give Moriarty what he wanted.
Captain: In a sense. But who knows? Our reality may be very much like theirs, and all this might just be an elaborate simulation, running inside a little device sitting on someone's table.
[everyone walks off, except Barclay]
Barclay: [tentatively] Computer, end program.

[in an outburst of rage, K'Ehleyr has smashed a glass table to pieces, when Troi enters her quarters]
Counselor: You're upset.
K'Ehleyr: Your finely honed Betazoid sense tell you that?
Counselor: Well - that, and the table.

[Riker has given a rather mediocre performance on his trombone at his birthday party]
Counselor: [after Riker has blown out the candles on his cake] So, what did you wish for, Will?
Commander William T. Riker: Music lessons!

Commander William T. Riker: Hi. It's that time again... The dreaded crew evaluation reports?
Counselor: [groans] Does it have to be today?
Commander William T. Riker: It's not going to be any easier tomorrow.
Counselor: [more hoping than convinced] It might.

Captain: [reading "Hotel Royale" in his ready room] "It was a dark and stormy night..."
[pauses and sighs]
Captain: That's not a promising beginning.
Counselor: It may get better.

[Barclay is back to his old self]
Counselor: So how much do you remember?
Barclay: I - I remember doing everything. I just don't remember how or why.
Counselor: How do you feel now?
Barclay: Smaller.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Just plain old Barclay, huh?
Barclay: Always seems to come back to that, doesn't it?

Lt. Commander Data: I now realize that my life aboard the Enterprise was a waste. My quest to become human misguided. An evolutionary step in the wrong direction.
Counselor: Data, all I'm sensing from you is anger and hatred. Have you felt any other emotions?
Lt. Commander Data: There are no other emotions.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Data, just because you haven't experienced certain emotions doesn't mean they don't exist. Lore is only feeding you the negative ones.

Captain: Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher has expressed his desire to remain on the Enterprise.
Commander William T. Riker: I see. And, how did you respond?
Captain: I haven't yet, Number One, I didn't feel it was my decision alone. His remaining, will have effects on all of us.
Commander William T. Riker: Good point, with his mother gone, who will see to his studies?
Captain: That's true. Of course, that responsibility would fall to Commander Data.
Commander William T. Riker: And, who will tuck him in at night?
Wesley: [embarrassed] Come on, Commander!
Lieutenant: [somewhat reluctant] I will accept that responsibility.
Counselor: Well, we know he'll get his sleep
[looks to Worf and smiles]
Counselor: .
Captain: [looks to Riker, put his hand on his chin in thought] You know, Number One? It seems to me that you would be best suited for these responsibilities. Are you willing to serve?
Commander William T. Riker: Difficult decision.
[Riker looks to Wesley, who looks back in quiet anticipation. Riker grins]
Commander William T. Riker: Yes, I can do that.
Captain: [looks to Wesley] Very well, Mr. Crusher, contact your mother at Starfleet Medical, give her my regards, and tell her that you have my permission to remain on the Enterprise. But
[points to Wesley]
Captain: I will abide by her wishes.
Wesley: [grins] Yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir! I know she'll agree!
Captain: Now, do you have course and speed laid in?
Wesley: Yes Sir, they are!
Captain: Very well, Mr. Crusher. Engage.
[Wesley grins, and sets the Enterprise's next course]

Lt. Daniel Kwan,12585: [respectively] I know what I have to do.

Counselor: I don't think you need an empath to sense that woman's feelings.

Counselor: [referring to Timothy] His world is gone, Data. We're gonna have to help him build a new one.

Counselor: [as Major Rakal] I don't need your devotion, Commander. Just your obedience.
Commander: And that's all you have.

[the Enterprise is contacting a local starship depot regarding the destroyed Vulcan ship]
Lt. Worf: I have made contact, Commander.
Commander William T. Riker: On screen. I'm Commander William Riker from the Federation Starship Enterprise.
Klim: Klim Dokachin, Quartermaster, Surplus Depot Zed One Five.
Commander William T. Riker: I need some information about a Vulcan ship, the T'Pau. It was sent to you a few years ago.
Klim: Did you arrange an appointment?
Commander William T. Riker: An appointment? No.
Klim: Then I will be unable to help you. You may communicate with scheduling.
[transmission ends]
Commander William T. Riker: Who does he think he is?
Counselor: The Quartermaster of the supply yard, with information you need.
Commander William T. Riker: Right. Mr. Worf, re-establish communication.
Lt. Worf: Aye, sir.
Commander William T. Riker: Mister Dokaychin?
Klim: Dokachin. Klim Dokachin.
Commander William T. Riker: Mister Dokachin, the information I need involves a matter of major importance to the Federation. I'll need access to your logs, your files. My people can do the work.
Klim: I don't allow outsiders into my computer system..
Commander William T. Riker: All right, one of your people can do the work.
Klim: I wish I had the people to spare. I don't.
Commander William T. Riker: [becoming indignant] Well, sir, what would you suggest?
Klim: I don't know. Contact me when you reach orbit.
[transmission ends]
Commander William T. Riker: I don't believe this.
Counselor: He's king of his particular hill, Commander. You'll have to treat him that way.
Commander William T. Riker: [smiles at Troi] Counsellor, this feels like a perfect job for you.

Counselor: Captain, when the treaty was first negotiated, the Federation sent 372 legal experts. What do we have?
Captain: Thee and me.

[Riker refuses to attend Captain Picard's memorial service]
Counselor: Will, a memorial service helps to give everyone a sense of completion, helps them begin the healing process.
Commander William T. Riker: That's exactly the point. I don't want to heal!
Counselor: Will...
Commander William T. Riker: [pointing at his chest] I've an open wound. Right here, it hurts like hell. I don't want it to get better, and I *don't* want to pretend that everything's all right.
Counselor: I know you're angry.
Commander William T. Riker: You're damn right! And I intend to stay angry until I find whoever is responsible for the Captain's death.

Lt. Thomas Riker: Sometimes, I would look up into the sky and I'd think, if I tried hard enough, I could make you feel my presence - that if I could let you know that I was alive, maybe you'd wait for me. I know, it sounds... crazy, but there were times when I could've sw...
[he looks at Deanna, who has become somewhat melancholic]
Lt. Thomas Riker: [dismissively] What am I talking about?
Counselor: The other day when I told you about how... Commander Riker and I didn't meet on Risa... What I didn't say was how disappointed I was.
Lt. Thomas Riker: You didn't have to. I knew.
Counselor: I started to hear from him less and less. I knew his career was taking him away from me, but... I didn't want to believe it was over. I spent a lot of time thinking about him - wondering where he was, what he was doing. Sometimes, I'd look into the sky and imagine that he knew, and that... somehow, he could sense me thinking about him. So, who knows? Maybe one night, we were looking up at the same star and... you were thinking about me... and, in a way... I was thinking about you.

Counselor: [her empathic sense of the Borg] We're not dealing with an individual mind. They don't have a single leader. It's the collective minds of all of them.
Capt. Picard: That would have definite advantages.
Counselor: Yes, a single leader can make mistakes which is far less likely in the combined whole.

Lt. Cmdr. Data: [on his 'other' emotion] It was just after I had killed the Borg. I looked down at his body... I felt something.
Counselor: If you had to give this... feeling a name - what would you call it?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: I believe... it was... pleasure...

Counselor: [Data encounters Counselor Troi in the corridor, breathing heavily and holding her stomach] Data? Would you help me to Sickbay?
[Data acknowledges and takes Deanna by the arm, helping her]
Counselor: [the doors open to Sickbay, Data and Deanna enter] It's time!
Dr. Kate Pulaski: [runs up] Oh, you bet it is! Let's get you to maternity!
[takes Deanna by the arm]
Lt. Commander Data: [clicks his combadge] Security team to sickbay.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: Is that really necessary?
Lt. Commander Data: Yes, Doctor. Captain's orders.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: I don't see the need for *armed guards* in the delivery room.
[shakes her head]
Dr. Kate Pulaski: . This way.

Counselor: Nothing feels right. This room, this ship... most of all this war we're fighting.
Commander William T. Riker: I don't imagine war ever feels right.
Counselor: I suppose that's true.

[Troi has lost her empathic powers]
Counselor: How do you people live like this?
Doctor: We get by pretty well, actually. And so will you, in time.
Counselor: You have no idea! No idea what this is like. How can you know what it's like to lose something you never had?

Counselor: Anticipation is fun.

[last lines]
[Barclay analyzes a chess game and makes the next move]
Barclay: Checkmate in nine moves.
[he rejoins Troi for a walk]
Counselor: I didn't know you played chess.
Barclay: I don't.

Counselor: I'm supposed to know how everyone feels, but... I can't read you right now.
Commander William T. Riker: Perhaps your own feelings are getting in the way.
Counselor: My job is to help others sort out *their* emotions. My own feelings are beside the point.
Commander William T. Riker: Not to me. Our feelings are what make us all human.

Counselor: [to Jev] It's not easy having an overbearing parent. Believe me, I know how you feel.

Counselor: [referring to Paul Manheim] I wanted to see how he was doing.
Doctor: The same. Nothing I do seems to make any difference.
[pause]
Doctor: That's not why you're here.
Counselor: I thought *I* was the empath.

Roga: I assume we are returning to Lunar V?
Counselor: That terrifies you.
Roga: I just killed three men to get out of there, Counselor. And I'm fully capable of killing you as well. That's a terrifying thought, isn't it? Even to me.
Counselor: Do they mistreat you there?
Roga: [chuckles] Not at all. I'm comfortable, well-fed and housed... No, no, the Angosians take good care of their prisoners. It's simply a matter of never being able to leave.

Counselor: [citing Milton] "Flowers of all hue - and without thorn the rose."

Counselor: Look, Jason. I just want to talk to you because I'm the ship's counselor. If you don't want to talk to me that way, then I should leave. You're welcome to make an appointment in my office whenever you're ready.
Jason: [smiles knowingly] I'll do just that.

[his shipmates sing a Klingon version of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" to Worf]
Lieutenant: [irritated] That was not a Klingon song!
Counselor: It wasn't easy to translate. There doesn't seem to be a Klingon word for "jolly".

Counselor: I'm glad you stopped by.
Maques: I'm glad to have stopped, also.

Counselor: Stop this petty bickering, all of you! Especially you, Mother!
[runs out of the dining room]
Lt. Cmdr. Data: [polite tone] Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.

[last lines]
Captain: What I didn't put in the report was that at the end, he gave me a choice - between a life of comfort... or more torture. All I had to do was to say that... I could see *five* lights, when in fact there were only four.
Counselor: You didn't say it?
Captain: No. No. But I was going to. I would have told him anything. Anything at all. But more than that - I believed that I could see... five lights.

Counselor: You were really surprised they came back.
Voice: Yes.
Counselor: Why? Because the others did not?
Voice: What others?
Counselor: You can't hide the emptiness from me. The others - the ones who hurt you, who left you alone, rejected. The ones who make you so angry.
Voice: What do you know of them?
Counselor: Only what you tell me.
Voice: I will tell you nothing!
Counselor: Not now, but soon.

Counselor: I'm sorry, and I didn't mean to get so upset with you at the reception.
Lwaxana: Oh, no. Deanna, try to understand. You're all I have. My only concern is for your happiness.
Counselor: I am happy. Why can't you believe that?
Lwaxana: Oh, I wish I could, but how much happiness is there in always being there for someone else and never being there for yourself?

Counselor: Lutan is such... such a basic male image. And having him say he wants you...
Lieutenant: Yes, of course it made me feel good when he...
[stops short]
Lieutenant: Troi, I'm your friend and you tricked me!

Counselor: [to her holographic look-alike] Muzzle it!

Counselor: I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all day.
[they kiss]
Devinoni: You must have had a nice day.

Counselor: Tell me one thing - is there a solution? Or is this simply a test of my ability to handle a no-win situation?
Commander William T. Riker: There is a solution.
Counselor: Then give me time to find it!
Commander William T. Riker: I can't. As much as I care about you, my first duty is to the ship.

Captain: So, while we still have some power left, it's time for difficult decisions. Opinions, please?
Lieutenant: I say put all available power into a full-out, combined phaser and photon torpedo salvo. Destroy their ability to sustain this force field, sir.
Lieutenant: Yes! Hit them hard and hit them fast.
Captain: Impractical. And provocative. Even assuming that we have the power to sustain such a tactic.
Lieutenant: But, Captain, isn't firing on us an act of war?
Counselor: The facts are the Ferengi did fire on us, but we were chasing them. Since then, all they've done is search our computers trying to learn who and what we are.
Captain: Your point, Counselor?
Counselor: Let's talk to them.
Captain: It's been tried. No response.
Counselor: But did we tell them anything they wanted to hear?

[the Enterprise is faced with a cloud-like distortion]
Captain: Back us off, Ensign. Nice and slow.
Ensign: Aye, sir. Captain, maneuvering thrusters are not responding.
Lt. Commander Data: The distortion field is fluctuating.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: All main systems just went down. Power levels are dropping rapidly.
Commander William T. Riker: Red alert.
Lt. Commander Data: There is an energy build-up in the distortion field.
Counselor: We have to get out of here, now.
Lt. Commander Data: Captain, something is emerging.
[another starship is coming out of the cloud]
Commander William T. Riker: Shields up. Evasive maneuvers.
Lieutenant: Shields inoperative.
Ensign: The helm is not responding.
Lt. Commander Data: The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in 36 seconds.
Captain: Hail them.
Lieutenant: No response.
Captain: Suggestions?
Commander William T. Riker: Decompress main shuttlebay. The explosive reaction may blow us out of the way.
Lt. Commander Data: Captain, I suggest we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory.
Captain: Make it so, Mr. Worf.
Lieutenant: Engaging tractor beam.
[the two ships collide]

Counselor: Have a second childhood - without the pain of growing up again.

[Data has tried with various methods to evoke different emotions in himself, without success]
Counselor: I'm curious. Why're you ignoring the one emotion you've already experienced? Why aren't you trying to make yourself angry again?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Anger is a negative emotion. I wanted to concentrate on something more positive.
Counselor: Data - feelings aren't positive and negative. They simply exist. It's what we do with those feelings that becomes good or bad.

[Liko intends to comply with "the Picard's" wishes]
Counselor: Are you sure you know what he wants? That's the problem with believing in a supernatural being - trying to determine what he wants.

[first lines]
Counselor: How's it going, Data?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: I have finished. The dimensions are accurate to within 1.3%.
Counselor: I'm sure they are.
[pause]
Counselor: Data, you obviously don't have a problem with realism. But, you're here to work on your imagination. Maybe you should try something a little more... abstract. Here.
[takes his work from the table]
Counselor: I want you to start a new piece. I'd like you to sculpt...
[sighs]
Counselor: Music.
Counselor: Counselor, music is a collection of acoustic vibrations. How can I reproduce a sound with clay?
Counselor: Well, think of the effects that sounds have on people. The images that music brings to your mind. And then give it a form.
[Data makes some faces and behinds constructing at a high speed and Deanna's face changes to one not of approval as he finishes a treble clef and he looks at her with a small smile]
Counselor: [smiles] It's a start.
Commander William T. Riker: [over communicator] Riker to Data. Please report to the bridge.
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Acknowledged, Sir. On my way.

Counselor: [to Riker, who would rather hunt down Picard's alleged killers than hold a memorial service for him] Do you think you're the only one in pain? That you have a monopoly on loss? Well, I've got news for you.
[shouting now]
Counselor: We're all hurting... we're all angry. And like it or not, you've got a responsibility to this crew. And you can't just indulge your personal desire for revenge.

Counselor: All life is beautiful.

[the away team has found the survivors of the Odin, but is greeted with some reservation]
Counselor: Seven years on an alien planet, and I sense no anticipation, no excitement at being rescued?
Ramsey: What is it that you think that you're rescuing me from? My shipmates and I have all taken wives, a few even have children. You can't rescue a man from a place that he calls his home.

Lieutenant: Jewels! Look at these jewels!
Counselor: They're bonding gifts - what you would call wedding presents.
Commander William T. Riker: Who's getting married?
Counselor: I am.

Counselor: [citing Sigmund Freud] Dreams are the royal road to the knowledge of the mind.

[Troi and Worf have lost all their chips to Riker and Data at poker]
Counselor: You two have successfully divided the evening between you.
Lieutenant: [leaning over to her] I suspect conspiracy.

[Data and Troi are watching Timothy playing with other children]
Lt. Commander Data: He laughed!
Counselor: Yes. It's nice to see, isn't it?
Lt. Commander Data: It is certainly not consistent with his android persona.
Counselor: I'd say he's beginning the process of letting go of that fantasy.
Lt. Commander Data: Hm. Then my work with him is done.
Counselor: No, I... I don't think it is, Data. A laugh is one step in the right direction. We need to help him take a few more steps.

[Worf is back in his own reality and quarters]
Counselor: Welcome home, Worf. I hope you don't mind I let myself in. I promised Alexander I'd feed his Dalvin hissing beetle while you were both away.
Lieutenant: So, you do not live here?
Counselor: What's that supposed to mean?
Lieutenant: It is a long story.

Counselor: We deal with our pain in many different ways. But over the years, I've discovered it's in joy that the uniqueness of each individual is revealed. If I can help a person back to a state of joy... well, my role has its rewards.

Aaron: [citing a nursery rhyme as a metaphor for his society's situation] Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Aaron: [together] All the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again.

Captain: [referring to his future self] You still convinced he's me?
Counselor: Yes, but you're not convinced.
Captain: Not in the slightest. Except for his features, there is nothing about him that I find familiar!

Counselor: It's just an illusion. It's not real.

Lt. Selar,: I am a doctor. Lieutenant Selar.
Dr. Ira Graves: Uh, no offense, but I don't want you touching me in any way. It's no secret that I don't like people much, and I like doctors even less.
Counselor: That's funny. I thought most doctors *were* people.
Dr. Ira Graves: Then you're wrong. Ask any patient.

Counselor: In our dealings with other non-humanoid races, there's always been some point of reference. Not so with the Shelliac.
Capt. Picard: But, we must have something in common. We communicate.
Counselor: Barely. They have learned several Federation languages, but theirs continues to elude us.
Capt. Picard: Telepaths?
Counselor: Attempted and failed. Actually, the fact that any alien race communicates with another is quite remarkable.
[Troi picks up Picard's cup of tea]
Counselor: We are stranded on a planet. We have no language in common, but I want to teach you mine.
[She holds out the cup]
Counselor: Zasmareth. What did I just say?
Capt. Picard: Cup.
[pause]
Capt. Picard: Glass?
Counselor: Are you sure? I may have meant liquid, clear, brown, hot.
[sets tea down]
Counselor: We conceptualize a universe in relatively the same way.
Capt. Picard: Point taken.
Counselor: In your talks, you must be extremely accurate.

[Deanna tries to take the brick from the Hitman]
The: [holds her off] Hey! Getja hand off of that.
Counselor: Is that why you killed the engineer? To get this brick?
The: I had to get it back! You know what it's worth, lady? Plenty! And I got to get it to Keystone City.
Counselor: Why, what's Keystone City?
The: It's where everything begins!

Sev: [referring to Alkar] Have you mated with him yet?
Counselor: What?
Sev: That's what you want, isn't it?
Ambassador: Mother. Please, come in.
Sev: I can always tell. The ones with a certain look in their eye.
Counselor: [uncomfortable] I'd better go.
Sev: And I'll tell you this: if you do, you'll regret it the rest of your life!

Counselor: Mintakan emotions are quite interesting. Like the Vulcans, they have highly ordered minds. A very sensible people. For example, Mintakan women precede their mates. It's a signal to other women.
Commander William T. Riker: "This man's taken, get your own"?
Counselor: Not precisely. More like, "If you want his services, I'm the one you have to negotiate with".
Commander William T. Riker: What kind of services?
Counselor: All kinds.
Commander William T. Riker: They *are* a sensible race.

Captain: Mr. La Forge, how long before the baryon sweep begins on the Enterprise?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: About 25 minutes, sir.
Captain: Then I have enough time to go back to the ship and get my saddle.
Counselor: Your saddle?
Captain: Yes, a saddle is a, a very... personal... thing. It has to be, er... broken in, used, cared for.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: You keep a saddle on board the Enterprise?
Captain: Oh, yes. Yes, er, I never know when I will have the opportunity to ride.
Counselor: I see.
Captain: It's perfectly normal. You know, most, er, most serious riders do have their own saddles.
Counselor: Of course.
Cmdr. Hutchinson: Absolutely!

Captain: Ian, could you tell us why you're here?
Ian: Because Mommy said it was time to eat.
Captain: No, I mean, why're you here on this ship?
Ian: I live here.
Counselor: Ian, I think the Captain wants to know if you are ready to tell us why you came here.
Ian: No. Not yet.
Counselor: The answer is within him. When his cognitive powers have sufficiently developed, he may be able to articulate it.
Captain: I hope he will tell us soon.

Gul: [sitting in the Enterprise's Observation Lounge displeased when Jellico suddenly walks in, followed by Riker and Troi; he gets to his feet] What is going on? I've been waiting here for over an hour...
Captain: [talking over him] I'm Captain Jellico. I believe you know Commander Riker and this is Lt Commander Troi. Let's get to it, shall we?
Gul: [with great disdain] This treatment is a deliberate insult to the Cardassian Union! I have been kept waiting here for over an hour!
Captain: Then I'm sure you're ready to talk.
Gul: [Jellico, Riker and Troi sit but Lemec is suddenly uncertain] I did not agree to allow others into this meeting.
Captain: If it alarms you, I can ask them to leave.
Gul: [defiant] I am not alarmed, but we did agree...
Captain: [interrupts again] A great many people are depending on our efforts here, Gul Lemec. We don't need to quibble over minutiae.
Gul: [leaning in, inches from Jellico's face] I have come to negotiate a Federation withdrawal from the borders... not to be dictated to by some mere Captain.
Captain: [suddenly gets to his feet and locks eyes with Lemec] I can see you're not serious about these talks.
[Lemec narrows his eyes at Jellico's]
Captain: If the Cardassion Union truly wishes to discuss peace... they can send someone who can negotiate in a civilised manner!
[Jellico storms out, followed by Riker and Troi, leaving behind Lemec, more uncertain than ever]
Lt. Commander Data: [announcing Jellico's presence when he sees the three of them] Captain on the Bridge.
Captain: [amused, but also businesslike] Let him stew for a few minutes, then go in and tell him that you've convinced me to meet with him one more time. Tell him I'm a loose cannon and that he needs to be more reasonable because I'm such an unreasonable man. Lemec will want to bring his own aides on board. Pretend to be worried that I'll object and then give grudging permission for two aides... no more. Understood?
Commander William T. Riker,12585: Aye, Sir.
Commander William T. Riker: [Jellico heads off for the Ready Room] Well, I'll say this for him... he's sure of himself.
Counselor: No, he's not.

Counselor: Your self-portrait is so practiced, so polished.
Dr. Paul Stubbs: Yes. Isn't it, though?
Counselor: It's stretched so tight, the tension fills this room. And if you finally fail - I fear it will snap.
Dr. Paul Stubbs: A good try, Counselor. But sometimes, when you reach beneath a man's self-portrait - as you so eloquently put it - deep down inside, what you find... is nothing at all.

Counselor: Who deserted you?
Voice: Creatures whose beauty now dazzles all who see them. They would not exist without me.
Counselor: You were together?
Voice: They perfected a means of bringing to the surface all that was evil and negative within, erupting, spreading, connecting. In time, it formed a second skin, dank and vile.
Counselor: You.
Voice: Yes.

Counselor: I know Klingons like to be alone on their birthdays. You probably want to meditate or hit yourself with a pain stick or something.

Counselor: [as Major Rakal] In order to defeat your enemy, you must first understand them. The Federation wishes to avoid war at all costs. So - I will offer them a diplomatic solution, get them to lower their shields, and then... destroy them!

Counselor: I don't think that an exploration of anger need necessarily lead to hatred or malice.
Lt. Cmdr. Data: But what if it does, Counselor? What if those are the only emotions I am capable of experiencing? Would that not make me a bad person?
Counselor: We've served together for a long time; and I think I've come to know you pretty well. I have to believe, if you ever reach your goal of becoming human... you won't become a bad one.

Counselor: [of Danar] He's intelligent, thoughtful - typically Angosian. I know what he's done. But when I'm with him, I cannot believe that he is randomly and deliberately violent. In fact, inherently, he has a non-violent personality.
Capt. Picard: Counselor, it took five men to restrain him. And he took apart half the transporter room in the process.

Troi/"Shumar": Once we almost escaped, on board the Essex. But that ship was incapable of eluding this moon's electromagnetic storms.
Captain: D'you really think that using their identities would gain our sympathy?
Troi/"Shumar": It was a better approach than asking you to allow hundreds of condemned prisoners on board.

Counselor: You can't be open to love if you don't risk pain.

Counselor: You know, Captain - almost no one is born being a good parent. Most people just have to muddle through and do the best that they can.
Captain: Are you saying that's what I'm gonna have to do?
Counselor: Yes. And you might be surprised at just how good you can be.

Counselor: [about Lwaxana] I was all set for another round of arguing when all of a sudden, she just fell apart.
Commander William T. Riker: She's under a lot of stress. She's preparing the Cairn to meet with the Federation Council.
Counselor: It's more than that. I'm sensing some very erratic emotions from her. Even the clothes she's wearing are unusual. They're so subdued.
Commander William T. Riker: [takes Deanna's wrist] Maybe you just need sit and talk with her for a minute.
Lwaxana: Commander! Take your hands off her!
[Takes his hand off Deanna]
Commander William T. Riker: [Surprised] Mrs. Troi...
Lwaxana: Don't you "Mrs. Troi" me!
Counselor: Mother!
Lwaxana: Why don't you leave her alone? If it weren't for you, she'd be married by now!
Counselor: That's enough!
Lwaxana: Now, I am warning you - stay away from my daughter!
Counselor: You're coming with me.

[first lines]
Counselor: You're worried.
Capt. Picard: With reason.
Counselor: About Worf or Commander Riker?
Capt. Picard: Both. I think it is perhaps best to be ignorant of certain elements of Klingon psyche.

Counselor: [explaining desserts] It's something we eat after the main course. It's usually very sweet, it's usually very bad for you, um... We eat it purely for pleasure. If you ask me, it's the best part of any meal.

Counselor: They made you human as part of your punishment?
Q: No, it was my request. I could have chosen to exist as a Markoffian sea lizard, or a Belzoidian flea - anything I wished, as long as it was mortal. And since I had only a fraction of a second to mull, I chose this, and asked them to bring me here.
Counselor: Why?
Q: [to Picard] Because in all the universe, you're the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc.

Counselor: We stayed in Ten Forward talking for hours.
Doctor: Then what happened?
Counselor: He walked me to my quarters.
Doctor: Then what happened?
Counselor: Beverly!
Doctor: I'm just asking.

Counselor: [possessed by a Paxan] You are a most unusual species - worthy of a second chance.

[last lines]
Lt. Commander Data: Counselor - have you been promoted in my absence?
Counselor: That's right. Which means, from now on you can call me 'sir'.
Lt. Commander Data: Yes, sir.

Counselor: [nursing Riker's wound] I thought you were just going to talk to him.
Commander William T. Riker: I did. He just didn't like what I had to say.

Counselor: What would you like your father to promise, Alexander?
Alexander: No yelling.
Lieutenant: I DO N... - I do not yell.

Devinoni: I had to do it, Troi. Bhavani was ready to go with the Federation. I sensed it. I'd used up every card in the deck. I needed to change the rules.
Counselor: You must have known I couldn't allow you to do that.
Devinoni: My Human physical response must have been blocking my Betazoid senses.

Counselor: [as Major Rakal, addressing the Romulan crew] If any one of you defies the Tal Shiar, you will not bear the punishment alone. Your families - all of them - will be there beside you.

Counselor: I never met a chocolate I didn't like.

[the Enterprise goes through a series of system failures while facing a Romulan battle cruiser]
Wesley: Sir, the shields are back up.
Commander William T. Riker: Impeccable timing!
Wesley: Sir, the shields are back down.
Ensign: Phaser banks are down.
Wesley: Shields are back up.
Counselor: In another time and place, this could be funny.
Commander William T. Riker: Status of torpedo banks?
Ensign: They're down too.
Commander William T. Riker: [frustrated] If it should become necessary to fight, could you arrange to find me some rocks to throw at them?

Counselor: You have no idea how frightening it is to... to just be here, without sensing you, without sharing your feelings.
Commander William T. Riker: That's it, isn't it? We're on equal footing now.
Counselor: What?
Commander William T. Riker: You always had an advantage, a little bit of control of every situation. That must have been a very safe position to be in. To be honest, I'd always thought there was something a little too... aristocratic about your Betazoid heritage, as if your Human side wasn't quite good enough for you.
Counselor: That isn't true.
Commander William T. Riker: Isn't it?

Wyatt: I very much respected what you did tonight.
Counselor: All I did was lose my temper.

Counselor: It's so like my mother to do the unexpected.

Alternate: Worf... from what I understand, there's a good chance my Worf won't return. I guess it's just hard for me to accept that... there's a reality out there where... you never loved me.

Counselor: Poverty was eliminated on Earth, a long time ago. And a lot of other things disappeared with it - hopelessness, despair, cruelty...
Samuel: Young lady, I come from a time when men achieve power and wealth by standing on the backs of the poor, where prejudice and intolerance are commonplace and power is an end unto itself. And you're telling me that isn't how it is anymore?
Counselor: That's right.
Samuel: Hmmm... Well... maybe... it's worth giving up cigars for, after all.

[last lines]
Commander William T. Riker: I've only been there once, but they've got this great club - I don't remember the name of it. They serve those blue concoctions.
Counselor: It's across the square from the Zanza Men's Dance Palace.
Captain: It's called the Blue Parrot Cafe - and you're buying.

Guinan: I get so tired of people coming in with their problems. They come in, they want a shoulder to cry on, and generally it turns out to be mine.
Counselor: You'd make a good counselor.
Guinan: I think so too. So I'm going to talk to Picard about it.
Counselor: About what? You becoming counselor?
Guinan: Well, yes, you are leaving. That means there won't be a counselor on board. And I suppose I'll have a very long line at that bar. It would be nice to have a nice office, too.

[Deanna is talking to Danar in the holding cell]
Counselor: I want to help, if I can.
Roga: [sarcastic] Unlock the door.

Counselor: I hear it. It's still there! It's so loud!
Doctor: Take her to sickbay!
Counselor: No! I want to stay in my quarters.
Doctor: I can get you to sleep.
Counselor: I don't want to sleep. The music will only follow me.
Doctor: I can induce delta sleep, lock out even your deepest dreams.
Counselor: It's not a dream. It's real!

Lt. Commander Data: Captain, I think you had better see this.
Captain: What's wrong?
Lt. Commander Data: Someone is reading every file, every bit of information stored in the Enterprise memory banks.
Lt. Geordi La Forge: They can do that?
Lt. Commander Data: And more, perhaps.
Counselor: Captain, if I may recommend. With our attention on the Ferengi vessel, we have ignored the planet.
Captain: Data, consult the charts on this planet. See what we've got on it.

[Worf asks Troi to become his son's 'SoH-chim']
Lieutenant: You would become his surrogate mother. In case anything ever happened to me, you would be responsible for him.
Counselor: I don't know what to say. It's a great honor. So, um... that would make me your...?
Lieutenant: The closest analogy is... step-sister.
Counselor: [smiles] That would make my mother your step-mother.
Lieutenant: [looks aghast] I had not considered that.
[thinks it over]
Lieutenant: It is a risk I am willing to take.

[Picard is consulting Troi about his relationship with Lt. Cmdr. Daren]
Captain: You see, I've always believed that becoming involved with someone under my command would compromise my objectivity. And yet...
Counselor: Captain, are you asking my permission?
Captain: If I were, would you give it?
Counselor: Yes.

Counselor: Are we at war with the Ferengi yet?

Counselor: I find the exercise programs on the holodeck rigorous enough to take my mind off most frustrations.
K'Ehleyr: And it'll keep me from wrecking the ship.
Counselor: That too.

Counselor: You know what the worst part of this is? And I've seen it happen to so many patients.
Commander William T. Riker: What?
Counselor: The way other people change. How they start to treat you differently. They walk on eggshells around you. Sometimes they avoid you altogether. Sometimes they become overbearing - "reach out a helping hand to the blind woman".
Commander William T. Riker: I'm sorry if I...
Counselor: I will not be treated that way!

Counselor: [entering Ten Forward with Crusher and sighting Ro] Do you mind if we join you?
Ensign: Yes.

Counselor: [on Ardra] She has an incredibly focused mind. It was virtually impossible to sense any deception - or anything else, for that matter.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: The best magicians will never let you see what's up their sleeve, Counselor.

Counselor: It's imprinted on us. It thinks the Enterprise is its mother.

[last lines]
Lwaxana: [looking at picture of Ian, Kestra, and Deanna; sadly] I remember the day I took this.
Counselor: Mr. Homn said he saved it, in case someday you wanted to remember her.
Lwaxana: [sighs; referring to Kestra] I wish you could have known her, Deanna. I wish you two could've grown up together.
Counselor: Tell me about her. I want to know everything.
[they hug]

Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher: [Dr. Crusher, in unexplained bout of irrational anger has slapped her son, Wesley. She is deeply shocked and hurt by what she had just done] ... And then I just slapped him. Really hard. *I* slapped Wesley.
Counselor: Do you know why you did it?
Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher: [heartbroken] I've NEVER hit my son in his life.
Counselor: [serious] Beverly, This is important. What were you thinking when you hit Wesley.
Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher: I wasn't thinking anything. I was... just angry.
Counselor: And Weseley didn't provoke you in any way? It wasn't anything he said, or anything he did?
Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher: [at a loss] No, that was just it. It was a sudden burst of anger. I still can't believe I did it.
Counselor: I don't know why you did it either. But I can tell you that I've heard the same kind of story from ten different people in the last two days.

Counselor: Have you ever heard Data define friendship?
Commander William T. Riker: No.
Counselor: How did he put it? "As I experience certain sensory input patterns, my mental pathways become accustomed to them. The inputs eventually are anticipated and even missed when absent."

Counselor: Whatever happened to Mr. Xelo?
Lwaxana: Oh, I was forced to terminate his employment. Xelo was strongly attracted to me; his thoughts became truly pornographic!

[Troi undergoes a completely painless delivery]
Dr. Kate Pulaski: Are easy births the norm for Betazoids?
Counselor: Not according to my mother.

Ro: I was wrong, Counselor.
Counselor: You could have easily been right.

Counselor: I know this is difficult for you. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: No.
Counselor: Have you ever been to a counselor before?
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: Yes. No.
Counselor: Which one?
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: Yes, but she, it wasn't. It wasn't really a counselor.
Counselor: Most people find a counselor intimidating at first. It's okay if you feel that way toward me.
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: Not at all.
Counselor: Now, lean back, close your eyes.
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: Why?
Counselor: I want to make you more comfortable.
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: You do?
Counselor: Yes.
[She dims the lights and sits next to him]
Counselor: It's okay. Close your eyes.
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: What are you going to do?
Counselor: Just listen to the sound of my voice. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth just as slowly. That's better, isn't it?
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: [standing up] Much better. Oh, yes. Oh, yes, that's, that's much better. That is extremely helpful. Thank you for your time.
Counselor: But...
Lt. Reginald 'Reg' Barclay III: Really. That's very helpful. In through the nose, out through the mouth. I'm going to practice that and I'll let you know. Thank you again.
[He rushes out of the room]

Counselor: [right before giving birth] You don't have to do anything, Data. Just be with me.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: There's nothing to be nervous about.
Lt. Commander Data: Nervous? I find this very interesting.

Prime: You were programed to survive. You can survive at the Lunar V settlement.
Roga: To survive is not enough. To simply exist... is not enough!
Counselor: Roga, tell them what you want.
Roga: We want our lives back. We want to come home.
Prime: I am not prepared to negotiate under threat, Danar. But if you will put down your weapons and return peaceably to Lunar V... I would be willing.
Roga: Mr. Prime Minister, with all due respect, you will have to force us. Or at least try.

[Riker and Troi are discussing crew evaluations]
Commander William T. Riker: Why don't we just give everybody a promotion and call it a night - 'Commander'?
Counselor: Fine with me, 'Captain'.

Counselor: We are going to be together a long time.
Wyatt: Yes... That is the point of marriage, I suppose.

Counselor: What happened, Mother? What happened next?
Lwaxana: [crying] I don't remember.
Counselor: You have to. You can't hold it back. It's killing you.

Lieutenant: [showing Lursa and B'Etor a knife] This was dropped by one of the assassins. It bears the crest of your house.
Lursa: Someone must have given it to the assassins to implicate us.
Counselor: Why would someone do that?
B'Etor: In order to tarnish our good name.
Lieutenant: You cannot tarnish a rusted blade.

[Riker takes Troi in his arms to console her]
Counselor: Is this how you handle all your personnel problems?
Commander William T. Riker: Sure. You'd be surprised how far a hug goes with Geordi - or Worf.

[Troi aims a bow at a tree, but shoots her arrow into Data's chest]
Counselor: Data! Are you all right?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: [pulls the arrow out] The arrow impacted just above my sixth intercostal support, penetrating my secondary subprocessor.
[wiggles his fingers]
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Fortunately, none of my bio-functions seem affected. Do not be concerned, Counselor. I believe your aim is improving.

Deanna: I was just leaving the reception when this Ktarian walks up to me and says...
Deanna: [impersonating Dr. Mizan] "Hello, Diane. I understand you're an empath. I'm a very
[winks]
Deanna: sensitive man myself. I'm doing a thesis on interspecies mating rituals. Would you care to join me in some empirical research?"
Lt. Commander Data: [after La Forge has commented on Dr. Mizan, the Ktarian] Did you help him with his research, Counselor?
Deanna: Absolutely not!
Lt. Commander Data: I thought it was a topic you were interested in.

Counselor: [to Worf after his encounter with Frank Hollander] My God, you've been shot!

[last lines]
Lieutenant: Captain - you keep a saddle on board?
Commander William T. Riker: Mr. Worf, I'm surprised at you.
Doctor: Anyone who is an experienced rider naturally has his own saddle.
Counselor: It's perfectly normal.
Captain: Actually it came in handy. I only wish I'd had the opportunity to use it on a horse.
Lieutenant: [confused] Of course...

[Data and Troi are analyzing Riker's tactical abilities]
Lt. Commander Data: The weaker his position, the more aggressive will be his posture.
Counselor: And he won't give up.
Lt. Commander Data: Then, despite whatever... options he is given, he must be...
Counselor: ...the man that he is, exactly.
Lt. Commander Data: Hm... Is that a failing in humans?
Counselor: You'll have to decide that for yourself.

Counselor: This is my favorite: Ktarian chocolate puff! I don't know exactly what's inside, but I think it's made with seventeen varieties of chocolate.
[she gives Ambassador Loquel some of it to taste]
Ambassador: That is... that is...
Counselor: Delicious?
Ambassador: Delicious.
Counselor: Ambassador, I think we're going to get along very well.

[Dr. Crusher has suggested introducing a destructive breed of nanites into the Borg]
Captain William T. Riker: How long would it take to execute that?
Doctor: That's the problem. Two to three weeks.
Counselor: In two or three weeks, nanites may be all that's left of the Federation.

Chief: [a quantum filament has caused severe damage to the Enterprise, leaving Troi in command of the Bridge] If the containment field strength continues to drop at its present rate, we still have at least two hours before it becomes critical.
Ro: But you're ignoring the fact that the power coupling is also damaged. If that coupling overheats the field strength could drop a lot faster. We could have a containment breach in a matter of minutes.
Counselor: What do you suggest?
Ro: We should separate the saucer now and put as much distance as possible between us and the drive section.
Chief: [to Troi] Excuse me, Sir, but that's damn cold-blooded. What about the people down there?
Ro: There's no evidence that anyone is still alive in the drive section.
Chief: No evidence they're dead either. If you were trapped down there would you like us to cut you loose and just leave?
Ro: [sighs] No, of course not. But I also wouldn't expect the Bridge crew to risk the safety of the ship and hundreds of lives in a futile effort to rescue me.
Counselor: [after a long pause she turns to O'Brien] You said there was no way to stabilise the containment field from the Bridge. Could it be done from Engineering?
Chief: Yes, but my readings indicate there's no power down there. They don't even have monitors to tell them there's a problem.
Counselor: Could we divert energy from the Bridge to those monitors?
Chief: Yes Sir.
Ro: [knowing where they're going with this] I will say it again there is no reason to believe that anyone is still alive in Engineering. We're wasting time even talking about this - we have to separate the ship now.
Counselor: [looking more confident then she really felt] I believe there are still people alive down there and I'm going to give them every chance. Assuming they're alive they'll be hoping there's someone up here who can help them... so we'll help them.
[to O'Brien]
Counselor: Chief, divert the necessary power to Engineering.
Chief: Aye Sir.
[leaves the Observation Lounge]
Ro: [Ro stands up] I remind you, Counsellor... that power coupling could overheat at any moment. By not separating the ship now you could be responsible for all our deaths.
Counselor: Thank you, Ensign. Proceed.
[after Ro leaves Troi sinks back into her chair, really feeling the burdens of command]

Counselor: Congratulations, Data. It's a girl!

[Riker prevents Deanna from telling her mother off]
Counselor: Why did you stop me? Somebody needs to set her straight.
Commander William T. Riker: I think I'll leave that to the Captain.
Counselor: Coward.

Lwaxana: [crying] Every morning, she woke up with a smile.
Counselor: Isn't it better to remember her like that? I just found out I had a sister I never knew. I'd like to learn what was good and joyous about her - to celebrate her life, not mourn it.
Lwaxana: [crying] How? How can I do that?
Counselor: Kestra was here a few moments ago. Talk to her.
Lwaxana: [scared] No. No.

Commander: I have been ordered to take on cargo, but its contents are unknown to me. Does that seem wise? I am responsible for the safety of this ship and its crew. How do I know this cargo is safe to transport?
Counselor: [as Major Rakal] I'm sure it is safe, otherwise it would not have been loaded.
Commander: [sarcastically] Aah! The Tal Shiar is *deeply* concerned for the safety and the well-being of the military! I'm sure that every person on the bridge of this ship could offer testimony about personal experiences with the Tal Shiar. But I doubt that many could recall those encounters as tender and caring. So I must ask you to forgive me, Major, if I hesitate to accept your assurances that that cargo presents no danger to my crew!

Counselor: It's really hard for me to separate my feelings for them.
Doctor: Deanna - just because things turned out the way they did between you and *Commander* Riker doesn't mean you shouldn't let things between you and *Lieutenant* Riker take their own course.
Counselor: I knew you'd encourage me.

[Geordi tells Deanna about his experiences on Risa]
Counselor: And that's all?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Yeah. Well, there was this...
Counselor: [anticipating] Yes?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Her name is Jonek.
Counselor: Ah!
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: But, er... you wouldn't wanna hear about that. Better get ready for duty. Nice talking to you, Counselor.
[leaves quickly, leaving Deanna somewhat disenchanted]

Barclay: Wouldn't you like to take a walk with me through the arboretum? The zalnias should be in bloom.
Counselor: Reg, as your former counselor, I don't think it would be appropriate.
Barclay: I don't need a counselor. What I need is the company of a charming, intelligent woman.
Counselor: [indulgent] Good night, Mr. Barclay.

Counselor: Mother.
Lwaxana: GET AWAY FROM HERE!

Captain: Counselor Deanna Troi is pregnant. She... she is going to have a baby.
Commander William T. Riker: Baby?
[everyone looks at Deanna]
Commander William T. Riker: This is a surprise.
Counselor: More so for me.

[Data is taking on Sirna Kolrami in a game of Strategema and getting some last-minute advice from Dr. Pulaski]
Lt. Commander Data: In the present context, what did she mean by "bust him up"?
Counselor: In her own way, Dr. Pulaski was instructing you to take the shortest route to victory.
Lt. Commander Data: As opposed to what?

Counselor: [in Ten Forward] So, what would you like?
Timothy: Androids do not need to eat or drink.
[he sees a waiter with a tray filled with sundaes pass by]
Timothy: However, we sometimes like to taste things. A Tamarin frost, please.

Counselor: [playing her role as the mysterious stranger] Durango! I'm called Durango!
Lieutenant: Yes, er - Counselor Durango...

Lt. Commander Data: Their ability to abstract is highly unusual. They seem to communicate through narrative imagery, a reference to the individuals and places which appear in their mytho-historical accounts.
Counselor: It's as if I were to say to you... "Juliet on her balcony."
Doctor: An image of romance.
Counselor: Exactly. Imagery is everything to the Tamarians. It embodies their emotional states, their very thought processes. It's how they communicate, and it's how they think.
Commander William T. Riker: If we know how they think, shouldn't we be able to get something across to them?
Lt. Commander Data: No, sir. The situation is analogous to understanding the grammar of a language, but none of the vocabulary.
Doctor: If I didn't know who Juliet was or what she was doing on that balcony, the image alone wouldn't have any meaning.
Counselor: That's correct. For instance, we know that Darmok was a great hero, a hunter, and that Tanagra was an island. But that's it. Without the details, there's no understanding.

Counselor: I should warn you, sir - my mother is a little... eccentric.

Lt. J.G. Jean: [in an alternate timeline, as Junior Lt. Picard] Excuse me, am I interrupting?
Commander William T. Riker: No, not at all. Have a seat.
Lt. J.G. Jean: Thank you. I'd like to talk to you for a moment about my future on the Enterprise.
Commander William T. Riker: Of course, Lieutenant. Jean-Luc, is it?
Counselor: Maybe I should go.
Lt. J.G. Jean: No, please, Counselor, I would very much like to hear your thoughts. First of all, and I would like you to be absolutely straightforward with me... how would you rate me as an officer?
Counselor: Well, um... your performance records have always been good. You're thorough, dedicated...
Commander William T. Riker: [searching desperately] Steady, reliable... punctual...
Lt. J.G. Jean: I see. What would you say if I told you that I believed that I was capable of being very much more?
Commander William T. Riker: Perhaps we should discuss this at your next evaluation.
Lt. J.G. Jean: I would appreciate it if we could discuss it now. You see, I feel that I would like to move beyond astrophysics to engineering or security, something that might even lead to command.
Commander William T. Riker: Frankly, Lieutenant... I don't think that's realistic.
Lt. J.G. Jean: Why?
Counselor: I really don't think this is the place to be discussing this.
Lt. J.G. Jean: Please. This is important to me. I believe that I can do *more*.
Counselor: Hasn't that been the problem all along? Throughout your career you've had lofty goals, but... you've never been willing to do what's necessary to attain them.
Lt. J.G. Jean: Would that be your evaluation as well, Commander?
Commander William T. Riker: I think I have to agree with the Counselor. If you want to get ahead, you have to take chances. Stand out in a crowd. Get noticed.
Lt. J.G. Jean: [dismayed] I see.
Commander William T. Riker: Now, we don't want to lose you. You're a very good officer.
Lt. J.G. Jean: Just not one who stands out.
Commander William T. Riker: Why don't I talk to Commander LaForge in engineering and see what we can do?
Lt. J.G. Jean: But... command?
Commander William T. Riker: [smiles sympathetically] Well... we'll see.

Counselor: You're feeling very vulnerable - very mortal, if I may say so. But I know you, Mother. And believe me, you will never be one of those who dies before they die.

Counselor: Milton was speculating that in heaven, roses wouldn't have thorns.
Hedril: Heaven?
Counselor: Oh. Oh, uh, heaven is, well, it's um... how can I put it?
Maques: [after Lwaxana explains telepathically] Yes, I see. Thank you. "Heaven."
Counselor: Mother, you're supposed to be avoiding telepathy.
Lwaxana: I'm only trying to help, dear.
Counselor: You don't look well.
Lwaxana: I'm just tired. Maybe I'll sit down.
[Sits and watches Hedril play]

[Riker, Troi and La Forge are looking for Barclay in his holo-fantasy]
Commander William T. Riker: You want us to search through all this to find him?
Counselor: It could provide us with valuable information about what's troubling him. You know, there's nothing wrong with a healthy fantasy life, as long as you don't let it take over.
Commander William T. Riker: You call this healthy?
Counselor: You're taking it so seriously. It's not without its element of humor.
[they come across another, Troi look-alike character]
Holo: I am the Goddess of Empathy. Cast off your inhibitions and embrace love, truth, joy...
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Oh - my - God.
Holo: Discard your façades, and reveal your true being to me.
Counselor: [indignantly] Computer, discontinue...
Commander William T. Riker: Computer, belay that order!
Commander William T. Riker: [to Troi] We want to get more insight into what's been troubling this poor man, remember?
Commander William T. Riker: [to La Forge] Quite a healthy fantasy life - wouldn't you say?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: [agreeing] Mm.

Counselor: [about her mother] She has decided to focus all her sexual energy on one male, who will, of course, eventually become her husband. It seems, Captain, that... you are the early favorite.
Commander William T. Riker: Congratulations, sir!

Counselor: [listening to Mickey D. and the bellboy] I don't believe this dialogue. Did humans really talk like that?
Captain: Not in real life. Remember, everything that's going on down there is taken from what Colonel Richey calls "a second-rate novel".

Counselor: [to Riker, when he would rather hunt for Picard's alleged killers than hold a memorial service for him] Do you think you're the only one in pain? That you have a monopoly on loss?
[getting upset]
Counselor: Well, I've got news for you. We're all hurting... we're all angry! And like it or not, you've got a responsibility to this crew! And you can't just indulge your personal desire for revenge!

[first lines]
Clara: I like to cook all kinds of stuff, like yogurt and raisin salad, chocolate chip pancakes and... purple omelets.
Counselor: [disgusted] Purple omelets?
Clara: You put grape juice in the eggs. Isabella doesn't like it very much. She says it tastes funny.
Counselor: I can see her point.

Lwaxana: You've been slack, little one - allowed your mental powers to rust.
Counselor: Only to avoid confusion, Mother. Humans constantly think one thing and say another.
Lwaxana: Yes, they do, don't they?

[last lines]
Counselor: Was it a relaxing trip, Captain?
Captain: Uh-huh.
[and heads off to his ready room]
Commander William T. Riker: I knew he'd have a great time!

Doctor: No matter what I do, no one can reach REM sleep, no one can dream. Except for you.
Counselor: Except me. And... all I have is nightmares. I can hardly sleep at all anymore.
[she looks at Hagan who is lethargically lying on the sickbed]
Counselor: In the end, I'll be like him. Just like him.

Counselor: I'd book my next vacation at your hotel, if you had one.
Aaron: Well, in that case, I shall have to have them build one.

Counselor: [to Riker] Wouldn't you rather be alone with me? With me in your mind?

Ro: [the ship is in danger of exploding unless the Bridge crew separate from the stardrive section] You can't let wishful thinking guide your decision, Counsellor. It's time to leave.
Counselor: [firmly] We will separate the ship when I decide that it's time and not before. Is that clear, Ensign?
Ro: [Ro doesn't like it but relents] Yes, perfectly.
[Troi sits in the Captain's chair with a new resolve]

[Kyle Riker has challenged Will to an anbo-jyutsu match]
Counselor: In spite of human evolution, there are still some traits that are endemic to gender.
Doctor: You think that they're going to knock each other's brains out because they're men?
Counselor: Human males are unique. Fathers continue to regard their sons as children even into adulthood, and sons continue to chafe against what they perceive as their fathers' expectations of them.
Doctor: It's almost as if they never really grow up at all, isn't it?
Counselor: Perhaps that's part of their charm, and why we find them so attractive.

Captain: Serving on a starship means accepting certain risks... certain dangers. Did Jeremy Aster make that choice?
Counselor: Death and loss are an integral part of life everywhere. Leaving him on Earth would not have protected him.
Captain: No, but the Earth isn't likely to be ordered to the Neutral Zone or to repel a Romulan attack. It was my command which sent his mother to her death. She understood her mission and my duty. Will he?
Counselor: In time. And with help. Wesley Crusher does. He does. And so will Jeremy.

Counselor: The secondary plasma vent... has a triple redundant bypass... which means that the primary access junction is routed through...
[doorbell bleeps]
Counselor: Come in.
[Riker enters]
Counselor: ...would be routed through the port transducer... matrix!

[the spirits of the convicts are caught in a containment field]
Troi/"Shumar": Nooo!
Troi/"Shumar": [threatens Picard with her phaser] Let them go or you will all die!
Captain: Your threats are meaningless now.
O'Brien/"Kelly": We are still in control of these three bodies. We will not let them go.
Captain: Have you prepared to sacrifice the lives of these others? They'll all die when the cargo bay hatch is blown.
Data/"Mullen": You will die too, Picard!
Keiko: I would die to save the life of my child.
Lieutenant: To die defending one's ship is the hope of every Klingon.
Captain: If you each know the officers you inhabit, then you know they're equally ready to give their lives for this ship. Free them now - and I will return you to the moon's surface.
[after a long pause, Troi slowly backs off]
Troi/"Shumar": I advise you, Picard, not to pass our way again.

Counselor: I never fully appreciated how difficult, and how rewarding it is to be Human. But I had a lot of help.

K'Ehleyr: Sometimes, I feel there's a monster inside of me, fighting to get out.
Counselor: And it frightens you?
K'Ehleyr: Of course, it does. My Klingon side can be... terrifying - even to me.
Counselor: It gives you strength. It's a part of you.
K'Ehleyr: That doesn't mean I have to like it.

[Troi contacts Data over comm]
Counselor: How're you doing?
Lt. Commander Data: I encountered a minor difficulty, Counselor. But it has been dealt with.
[camera switches to Data holding off a cab that tries to run him over]

Lwaxana: Oh, I don't know what got into me. Ohh... please, tell Will how sorry I am.
Dr. Beverly Crusher: You're fine, but you're psilosynine levels are a little low.
Lwaxana: Psilo... wha - hmm?
Counselor: It's a neurotransmitter involved in telepathy.

Wyatt: They've decided that the joining will be half Betazed, half Earth. The Captain will do the ceremony, and Mr. Homn will be my best man.
Counselor: And we'll take half our clothes off?
Wyatt: Some of us still go naked. You do, I do; your mother, my father, but - not my mother or the guests.
Counselor: Captain Picard will be very relieved. How did you manage it?
Wyatt: Your mother relented. And I just caught my father practicing naked in front of his mirror!

Guinan: I knew, as long as that razor beast was around, nothing could hurt me. You know, over the years, his body kind of faded away, but the idea stayed, and I just don't seem to talk to him as often as I used to.
Counselor: You still talk to it?
Guinan: Oh, yeah. When I'm afraid or... I get confused or a little scared. I just don't think you should have to give up an imaginary friend.

Counselor: Mother, I'm trying to help the boy learn the value of responsibility. You're not helping by giving him a lot of mixed messages.
Lwaxana: I exposed you to all sorts of mixed messages when you were that age. You still turned out deadly dull. What are you so worried about?
Counselor: Among other things, his relationship with his father.
Lwaxana: Oh!
Counselor: No more holodeck, Mother.
Lwaxana: Oh...
Counselor: Please. Anyway, why aren't you all absorbed in your wedding plans? It's only three days away.
Lwaxana: I'm letting Mr. Homn handle all the mundane details. He knows my tastes.
Counselor: Mother...
Lwaxana: Deanna, there is absolutely nothing to do, you nosy little girl. Campio's already sent me his mother's wedding gown, which Mr. Homn is now altering for me. Outside of that, there really isn't anything else that I...
Counselor: Wedding gown? Mother, stop. You're telling me you're not going to be naked at your own wedding?
Lwaxana: Campio is from a different planet with different traditions. He would not approve of a traditional Betazoid wedding, so I am happily adapting. Now, it's as simple as that, and I need some tea.
Counselor: I can't believe I'm hearing this from the heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx.
Lwaxana: Oh! Oh, why can't I ever work this replicator?
Counselor: Mother, I think it's time to talk about this mysterious marriage to a man you've never met.
Lwaxana: Computer, some Jestral tea, please.
[turns from replicator to Deanna]
Lwaxana: Oh, anyway, why shouldn't I get married if I choose to? You make everything into such a mystery. There is no mystery, Deanna,
[turns to get tea]
Lwaxana: except about this... this Petrokian sausage. The tea - all I wanted was a cup of tea.
[takes sausage out of cup]
Lwaxana: Oh, dear, I think you're replicator's having a... a nervous collapse. Oh...
[takes a drink of tea]

[first lines]
Counselor: [exiting the holodeck] That was an incredible program!
Lieutenant: I am glad you approve. I have always found the Black Sea at night to be a most stimulating experience.
Counselor: Worf - we were walking barefoot on the beach, with balalaika music in the air, ocean breeze washing over us, stars in the sky, a full moon rising - and the most you can say is "stimulating"?
Lieutenant: It was... *very* stimulating.

Dr. Ira Graves: Well, well, well, what have we got here? Another lovely specimen of womanhood.
Counselor: I thought you didn't like people.
Dr. Ira Graves: Women aren't people - they're women.

Counselor: All our technology and experience - our universal translator, our years in space, contact with more alien cultures than I can even remember...
Lt. Commander Data: I have encountered 1,754 non-Human races during my tenure in Starfleet.
Counselor: And we still can't even say hello to these people.

Capt. Picard: And my understanding is that these men are programed to survive, is that correct?
Counselor: Yes, Captain.
Capt. Picard: And that they will not kill unless their survival is at stake?
Lt. Commander Data: It is against their nature to do so, Captain.
Capt. Picard: Then let us hope they do not believe their survival is at stake.

Counselor: Mr. Dokachin, we must find this ship, and you're the only one who can help us.
Klim: Who are you?
Counselor: Deanna Troi, ship's counselor.
Klim: [referring to Riker] He probably figures that we don't get to see a lot of handsome women out this way. And someone like you might get a little more cooperation from me... He's probably right.

Ian: [being tucked into bed by Deanna] I can feel that some of the people are very worried.
Counselor: Yes, I feel it too. But don't you worry
[smiles and lovingly strokes Ian's hair]
Counselor: .
Ian: It's me, Mommy! I'm the reason.
Counselor: What?
Ian: It's me.
Counselor: You?
Ian: Yes. I have to leave you now, or it will be very bad for everyone.
Counselor: Leave? You're going to die! No, you can't!
[shakes her head no in desparation, and clicks her combadge]
Counselor: Sickbay, this is Counselor Troi! I need a doctor in my quarters, NOW!
[Ian has stopped breathing, Troi leans down and begins to shake Ian trying to bring him out of it]
Counselor: Ian! Ian, No Ian!

Counselor: [about Data and "Hutch"] They're still at it.
Commander William T. Riker: Non-stop. I have to admit, it has a sort of strange fascination. How long can two people talk about nothing?

Captain: You're probably not aware of this, but I've never been particularly comfortable around children.
Counselor: Really.

Counselor: Troi to bridge. Data has made first contact with Captain Picard.

Commander: Commander Konsab believes that in order to function, military officers have to trust each other. The Tal Shiar, on the other hand, trust no one. They expect deception, so they always find it.
Counselor: [as Major Rakal; menacingly] Your opinion of the Tal Shiar is quite clear, Commander.
Commander: [smugly] I hope so.

[Troi explains to Riker that Manua Apgar hasn't been lying during her account of events]
Commander William T. Riker: We can't both be telling the truth.
Counselor: It is the truth as each of you remembers it.
Commander William T. Riker: But her version puts a noose around my neck.

Guinan: Human intuition and instinct are not always right. But they do make life interesting.
Counselor: So I'm discovering.

[Lwuxana Troi and the Millers are arguing at the table]
Counselor: [shouts; angry and embarressed] STOP THIS PETTY BICKERING ALL OF YOU! Especially YOU, Mother!
[Troi leaves the room in tears; Lwuxana and the Millers are startled and shamefaced. Picard, Wyatt, Dr. Crusher and Lt. Yar look worried]
Lt. Cmdr. Data: [politely] Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it very intriguing.

Counselor: [Jev has made a strange comment and starts to evade her memories, revealing his identity as the serial memory violator; in shock] It was you... It was you all along!
[Counselor Troi goes in self-defense mode, fending off Jev's attacks]

Dr. Kate Pulaski: [Pulaski rushes in and begins to examine Ian] What happened? Did he eat anything, did he fall?
Counselor: [shakes her head] No!
Lt. Commander Data: [reads the readout on his tricorder] Commander, the child is the source of the unusual radiation.
Counselor: Ian said he was the reason the ship was in danger.
Lt. Commander Data: That analysis is correct.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: [continues to try to bring Ian around] I'm losing life signs.
Counselor: [holds Ian's lifeless hand] You must save him!
Dr. Kate Pulaski: [Pulaski continues to work, but to no success. She runs her scanner over Ian again, then bows her head] I'm sorry.
[Troi kneels down and begins to weep over the loss of her son. Suddenly, Ian's body disappears and becomes a small, radiant star of energy. The energy star floats into Troi's open hands and Deanna cups her hands around it. Her weeping slowly subsides, then she smiles. Finally, like releasing a dove, she opens her hands and the energy star floats up and through the bulkhead into space]
Lieutenant: [Riker's combadge beeps] Riker here.
Lieutenant: Commander, the containment field has... stabilized!
Commander William T. Riker: Thank you, Lieutenant.
Counselor: Then Ian was right. He was the cause.
Commander William T. Riker: Apparently so.
Counselor: [Deanna shakes her head and looks down for a moment, then looks back up at everyone] He is a life force entity. When we passed each other in space, he was curious about us, so he thought the best way to learn, was to go through the process. To be born, to live as one of us, and in that way, to understand us. He never meant any harm.
Commander William T. Riker: There was a moment, when you smiled.
Counselor: He said "Thank you". I told him, we will miss him.
[looks down again]
Counselor: And, I will.

[Lwaxana Troi is beamed aboard in a kneeling position]
Lwaxana: [looking down] Legs! Where are the legs?
Counselor: Where they belong, Mother - right under you.

Commander William T. Riker: You just can't stay away from the big chair, can you?
Counselor: I don't think I'm cut out to be Captain. First Officer, maybe. I understand there aren't many qualifications.

Captain: Counselor, can you hear me?
Counselor: [looking around] Captain?
Captain: Deanna, Dr. Crusher has become concerned that your paracortical readings have become erratic.
Counselor: Are you talking to me from Sick Bay?
Captain: Yes. I want you to sever your connection to your mother.
Counselor: Why don't you ask Maques to do it?
Captain: I'm asking you. That is an order, Counselor.
Counselor: You're not Captain Picard.
Lwaxana: [through Picard; begging] Leave me alone, please.
[Deanna leaves]

Counselor: Interesting.
Captain: Counselor...
Counselor: I just find it interesting. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the man who couldn't be pried out of his seat for a vacation for three years!
Captain: It's Earth. It's home. Do I need another reason?
Counselor: I don't know, what do you think?
Captain: Your help has been invaluable during my recovery, but... look, I'm, uh... I'm better! The injuries are healing.
Counselor: Those you can see in the mirror.
Captain: The nightmares have ended. All I need now is a little time to myself.
Counselor: I agree. In fact, I'm delighted you're going. It's just that... the choice of where you're going could stand some scrutiny.
Captain: If you wish to believe my going home is a direct result of being held captive by the Borg, be my guest.
Counselor: Is that what you believe?
Captain: I hate it when you do that.
Counselor: Captain, you do need time. You cannot achieve complete recovery so quickly. And it's perfectly normal, after what you've been through, to spend a great deal of time trying to find yourself again.
Captain: And what better place to find oneself than on the streets of one's home village.
Counselor: Interesting.

Counselor: Data, you must be the first person who's come into my office and been excited at the prospect of a new neurosis.

[Picard has introduced Riker and Troi to each other]
Captain: Have the two of you met before?
Commander William T. Riker: We have, sir.
Captain: Excellent. I consider it important for my key officers to know each other's abilities.
Counselor: We do, sir. We do.

Counselor: I had a Betazoid kitten once. My mother and the cat reacted... badly to one another.

Counselor: [as Major Rakal] We ensure the loyalty of the people. Do you believe the Empire would be better off without our protection?
Commander: Protection? From what? How was the Empire threatened by the words of an old man? A devoted citizen who merely tried to speak his mind? How did the Tal Shiar protect the Empire by dragging him, my father, out of his home in the middle of the night?
Counselor: [as Major Rakal] Clearly your father was a traitor.
Commander: No. He was just an idealistic old man. I never saw him again.

Counselor: [while talking to the imprisoned Roga Danar] Why do you have all this anger toward me?
Roga: A girl with long dark hair broke my heart a long time ago. Out of bitterness and resentment, I turned to crime.
[laughs it off]
Roga: How about this one? My mother abandoned me when I was a little boy. I never got the guidance that a wild young man needed.
Counselor: Why are you doing this?
Roga: Playing games? Isn't that what you do, Counsellor? Isn't that what all of you mind control experts do?
Counselor: I am not a mind control expert. I came here because I sensed you were in pain.
Roga: And what do you sense now?
Counselor: The pain is gone.
Roga: It's interesting, isn't it?

Kyle: Why do I get the feeling that this is a set-up?
Counselor: Because you're intelligent, wise and quite correct.
Kyle: Well, I've never been set up better, that's for sure.

Counselor: The best thing we can do right now is let Timothy take us where he wants to go. We should support the process and even encourage it.
Captain: Data, I would like you to make Timothy the best android he can possibly be.

[last lines]
[Data explains his strategy during his rematch of Strategema against Kolrami]
Lt. Commander Data: I was playing for a standoff, a draw. While Kolrami was dedicated to winning, I was able to pass up obvious avenues of advancement, then settle for a balance. Theoretically, I should be able to challenge him indefinitely.
Doctor: Then you *have* beaten him.
Lt. Commander Data: It is a matter of perspective, Doctor. In the strictest sense, I did not win.
Counselor: Data!
Lt. Commander Data: I busted him up.

Counselor: The bartender is an artificial life form.
Lt. Commander Data: Can I get you something? A beverage?

Lwaxana: [telepathically, of Riker] Is he still yours?
Counselor: [telepathically] Humans no longer own each other that way, Mother.
Lwaxana: Really? That's a custom we may have to introduce again.

Counselor: What stage is it in?
Lwaxana: Oh, I have it completely under control.
Counselor: What stage is it in?
Lwaxana: Well, far enough along for me to enjoy it, little one.
Counselor: Now I know why you wore that dress.
Lwaxana: Wha...? Don't be ridiculous. This simple little dress? Nothing provocative about it.
Counselor: What are we going to do?
Lwaxana: Well, I'm going to do the only honorable thing there is to do - and I'd say your captain has the inside track.
Counselor: Mother, don't even think it.
Lwaxana: Why not? He was thinking about it all through dinner.
Captain: [Lwaxana walks off. Deanna sighs and follows. Cut to minutes later in Picard's ready room] I was what? I tell you, Deanna, for a telepath, your mother's accuracy leaves much to be desired.

Counselor: Are you all right?
Doctor: Why wouldn't I be? I've got one of the medical wonders of the galaxy dying in my sickbay.
Counselor: That's not what I meant.
Doctor: I don't think I wanna talk about what I think you mean.
Counselor: Captain Picard...
Doctor: I can't compete with a ghost from his past. No one could.
Counselor: She's not a ghost. She's here right now.
Doctor: She may be in the here and now, but it's the ghost he sees.

Counselor: [Telepathically] Mother? Can you hear me? Please come back to me. Please.
Lwaxana: [Weakly] Help me...
Counselor: Mother?
Lwaxana: Help... me.
Counselor: How? How can I help you?
[Speaking]
Counselor: Tell me, Mother. Please.

[Picard has suggested to Troi that she try a little horse-riding]
Counselor: No, I prefer a mode of transportation that doesn't have a mind of its own.
Captain: Strange. I would expect Betazoids to be outstanding animal trainers.
Counselor: We become too involved in the thoughts and shifting passions of the beast. We lose our way and get swept up in the emotion.
Captain: [indicating himself] I would have thought the shifting passions of this beast would be far more terrifying.

Commander William T. Riker: Facing death is the ultimate test of character. I don't wanna die, but if I have to - I'd like to do it with a little pride.
Counselor: And a lot of impudence.
Commander William T. Riker: You bet.

Kyle: I may have something of a reputation for excellence.
Counselor: And false humility.
Kyle: My guess is that Will finds you pretty fascinating. Candor seems to be a trait he admires.
Counselor: Honesty is the trait he admires most. And you should honestly consider why you're so competitive with your own son.

Ensign: He goes out of his way to criticize me.
Counselor: Do you know any reason he might do that?
Ensign: No, that's why I'm here.
Counselor: Well. Maybe he's just tired of hearing you complain.
Ensign: Pardon me?
Counselor: I know I'm certainly tired of it. How do you think it feels to listen to someone whine about themselves all the time?
Ensign: Well, I didn't realize I was...
Counselor: This isn't Star Fleet Acadamy. You're not going to be caudled. If you can't take it here, you might think about a transport ship. There is a lot less pressure there.
Ensign: But I love being on the Enterprise. I don't want to be anywhere else.
Counselor: If you're not up to it, you don't deserve to be here. Isn't that right?
Ensign: I guess so.
Counselor: So you better take a hold of yourself or be prepared for transfer.
Ensign: I will, counsellor, thank you.
Counselor: Glad I could help.

Lwaxana: [arguing with Deanna about getting married] You had your chance with Commander Riker. Look how you ruined that.
Counselor: I did not ruin anything! We've become very good friends.
Lwaxana: Well, all the better; you certainly wouldn't wanna marry an enemy.

Counselor: Respect is earned, not bestowed.

Barclay: The idea of being... deconstructed molecule by molecule, it's more than I can stand. Even when I was... a child, I always had a dreadful fear that, if ever I was dematerialized, that I would... never come back again whole. I know, sounds crazy, but...
Counselor: It's not crazy at all. You *are* being taken apart molecule by molecule.

[Troi has confessed her fling with Conor to Picard]
Counselor: I should have walked away as soon as I saw what was happening.
Captain: But you didn't, and that's human. We make mistakes. Genetic manipulation or not, nobody's perfect.

Counselor: How're you feeling?
Timothy: I am functioning within established parameters.
Counselor: [amused] "Established parameters"? You sound like Data.
Timothy: I am an android.

Commander William T. Riker: [to Picard] Have I mentioned how imaginative the Risian women are, sir?
Counselor: Too often, Commander.

Voice: [referring to Riker] Should I let him go?
Counselor: You only ask to torment me!
Voice: Perhaps.
Counselor: How should I answer? What can I offer except myself?
Voice: And would you give yourself for him? Would you give that much?
Counselor: Yes. Without hesitation!
Voice: Just for him?
Counselor: No, not just for him. I would do the same for any of the others.

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: If this works the way I think it will, once the invasive program starts spreading, it'll only be a matter of months before the Borg suffer total systems failure.
Captain: Comments?
Doctor: A question. What exactly is "total systems failure"?
Lt. Commander Data: The Borg are extremely computer-dependent. A systems failure will destroy them.
Doctor: I just think we should be clear about that. We're talking about annihilating an entire race.
Captain: Which under most circumstances would be unconscionable. But as I see it, the Borg leave us with little choice.
Commander William T. Riker: I agree. We're at war.
Doctor: There's been no formal declaration of war.
Counselor: Not from us, but certainly from them. They've attacked us at every encounter.
Captain: They've declared war on our way of life. We're to be assimilated.
Doctor: But even in war, there are rules. You don't kill civilians indiscriminately.
Commander William T. Riker: There are no civilians among the Borg.
Captain: Think of them as a single collective being. There's no one Borg who is more an individual than your arm or your leg.
Doctor: How convenient.
Captain: Your point, Doctor?
Doctor: When I look at my patient, I don't see a collective consciousness, I don't see a hive. I see a living, breathing boy who has been hurt and who needs our help. And we're talking about sending him back to his people as an instrument of destruction.
Captain: It comes down to this: we're faced with an enemy who are determined to destroy us, and we have no hope of negotiating a peace. Unless that changes, we're justified in doing anything we can to survive.

Subcommander: You are a Starfleet officer disguised as a Romulan. Unless you trust me and do exactly as I have said, Toreth will discover you, and you will be killed.
Counselor: How do I know I won't be killed anyway?
Subcommander: Your only chance to get off this ship alive is to do as I say. You are an empath. You would know if I am lying. Am I?
Counselor: [after some hesitation] No.
Subcommander: Then let us go see the Commander.

Counselor: It's only at midlife that a Betazoid female becomes... well... fully sexual, if you know what I mean.
Doctor: Yes, I, I think I do. I also think that I saw the Captain on his way to her quarters.
Counselor: I wonder if I shouldn't warn him.
Doctor: No! As ship's doctor, I consider it an excellent exercise for his reflexes and agility.

[after coming to the conclusion that Timothy is not being fully honest about the Vico's destruction, Captain Picard has the boy taken into his ready room, with Counselor Troi and Lt. Commander Data present, for questioning]
Capt. Jean: Timothy, can you tell us what happened to your ship?
Timothy: [firmly] I did tell you!
Counselor: Tell us again,
Timothy: We were attacked.
Lt. Cmdr. Data: That is very unlikely, our investigation concludes that...
Timothy: [interrupting; shouting] We were attacked, we were attacked!
Lt. Cmdr. Data: [conciliating] Timothy... Androids do not lie.
[pause]
Timothy: It... It was... me.
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Please, explain.
Timothy: [his voice breaking] It was me... I did it. I killed them all.

Counselor: Sometimes, even when a victim has dealt with his assault, there are residual effects of the event that linger. You were treated violently by the Borg - kidnapped, assaulted, mutilated...
Captain: [interrupting] Counselor. Counselor, I very much appreciate your concern for me, but I can assure you, it is quite misplaced. I have carefully considered the implications of having a Borg on this ship. I have weighed the possible risks. And I'm convinced that we are doing the right thing. Now, I am quite comfortable with my decision.

Commander William T. Riker: I don't mean to be indelicate,
[turns to Troi]
Commander William T. Riker: but who's the father?
Counselor: Last night, *while I slept*, something, that I can only describe as a presence, entered my body.
Captain: A life form of unknown origin and intent, is *breeding*, right now, inside of Counselor Troi. Our purpose here today is determine what course of action we need to take.
Lieutenant: The decision is clear. The pregnancy must be terminated to protect the ship.
Commander William T. Riker: [as the bridge crew is discussing the issue, Troi hears a heartbeat within her mind, and looks down at her stomach, then back up to the conference room screen which shows a gestating fetus. The crew's voices are muffled, but can still be clearly heard as Troi is focusing on the baby growing inside her] This situation presents a danger to us and the counselor. It's an invasion, of what, I don't know.
Lt. Commander Data: Captain, this is a life form. Denying it the right to survive, takes away our opportunity to study it.

Counselor: Is that the colognite astringent you have on your eyes?
Doctor: Yes. I guess so.
Counselor: I've never tried it.
Doctor: Someone... just put it on... me.

[last lines]
Lieutenant: Counselor... When I pulled you from the plasma stream, you seemed... surprised I was alive.
Counselor: Well, actually - in my hallucination, you were killed.
Lieutenant: May I ask by whom?
Counselor: Well, you know what they say, Mr. Worf: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Captain: Lemec is a Cardassian, and Cardassians are like... timber wolves, predators - bold in large numbers, cautious by themselves, and with an instinctive need to establish a dominant position in any social gathering.
Counselor: So you're trying to establish a dominant position by making him wait for *you*?
[Jellico makes an affirmative gesture]
Counselor: The trouble with wolves is that... sometimes in the fight for dominance, one of them ends up dead.
Captain: In that case, the trick is... to be the wolf that's still standing at the end.

Captain: Data!
Counselor: That's not Data.
Captain: What?
Lore: You should listen to her, Captain. She's way ahead of you.
Captain: Lore!
Lore: Right! But I am not alone.
[Data stands next to Lore]
Lt. Cmdr. Data: The sons of Soong have joined together; and together... we will *destroy* the Federation!

Lwaxana: Can you imagine that dreadful little creature talking to me like that? Doesn't he realize that I am the daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed? Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx?
Counselor: The Sacred Chalice of Rixx is an old clay pot with mold growing inside it.
Lwaxana: Oh, well, perhaps one day, when you're older and wiser, you'll understand.

Counselor: Terraformers are often obsessive. It frequently goes with the career profile.

Counselor: The first man I ever loved was my father. He was strong and tall. He carried me when the ground was muddy. He chased away the monsters that hid under my bed at night. And he sang to me, and kept me safe. And he went away. What I wouldn't give to hear those songs again - to feel his arms protect me. I never will. But I can still feel his warmth and his love, as though he were here with me. If you can feel those things, from the man we know as Will Riker, accept them. Accept the love.

Captain: [after Picard's meeting with Keel about a possible Starfleet conspiracy] Friends, close friends, few and far between. Two of the oldest and closest were Jack Crusher, may he rest in peace and Walker Keel. Before various missions split us up we were virtually inseparable. I trust Keel completely. If he felt it necessary to violate regulations he must have had a very good reason.
Counselor: But you're putting your career at risk for him.
Captain: Friendship must dare to risk, Counsellor. Or it's not friendship.
Counselor: They illicitly use the emergency channel to draw you here. Then they ask you to keep secrets from your superiors. Effectively to disobey Starfleet regulations.
Captain: The people involved in this are of the highest calibre. If I didn't believe in they're loyalty I wouldn't have gone this far.
Counselor: Don't you think you should tell the rest of the crew?
Captain: No, I don't want to risk implicating them. Not until I have solid evidence that something really is wrong.

Counselor: [to her mother] You know, you're not just incorrigible. You're insatiable.

[last lines]
Doctor: I was about to be initiated into a very unusual relationship. You might call it a family tradition. But there's a part of me that's a little sad.
Counselor: How so?
Doctor: I reread the entries in my grandmother's journals. Whatever else he might have done, he made her very happy.

Commander William T. Riker: [about his alleged wife] What was she like?
Counselor: Min was... beautiful - of course - strong, intelligent, patient...
Commander William T. Riker: Well, she was married to me. She had to be patient.

Counselor: Beverly, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were seeing someone.
Doctor: Deanna.
Counselor: Now I *know* you're seeing someone.

Lieutenant: Captain, we are being hailed by a small transport vessel just coming into range.
Counselor: [horrified] Oh, my God.
Captain: What's the problem?
Counselor: What's she doing here?
Wesley: On screen, Captain.
Transporter: Starship Enterprise, come in.
Commander William T. Riker: We have you on viewer, pilot.
Transporter: Enterprise, I have a passenger, a VIP passenger who I more...
Lwaxana: [shoving the pilot aside] Oh, let me talk to them. I'm sure I'm more articulate than that.
Counselor: Mother.

Doctor: [treating Geordi] According to our medical readouts, there's still nothing wrong with him. He looks like he's running a temperature but every instrument we have says he's not.
Capt. Picard: Doctor, every person on that ship over there died. Is there any chance that whatever did it is loose on my ship?
Doctor: If you mean a disease, sir, I'd say there's no chance of it. We used full decontamination. We examined every team member very carefully.
Capt. Picard: The entire crew somehow managed to kill themselves, Doctor. If it's not a disease, what else made them do it?
Doctor: The obvious alternatives are in the areas of insanity and severe emotional upset. Troi, do you feel anything unusual in the Lieutenant?
Capt. Picard: Security just told me that he was longing for normal sight. That's a sudden yearning for that.
Counselor: Since his records show no previous mention of that, the fact that it happened now could be important. But all I sense from him is confusion. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was intoxicated.
Doctor: Our tests would have shown that; also any other signs of drugs, hallucinogens, or any other contaminants.

Counselor: They're coming... They're coming with the storm...

Samuel: Where are we? And when?
Commander William T. Riker: This is the 24th century, we're on Devidia II, and you're not supposed to be here.
Samuel: Well, it seems to me I have as much right to be in your time as you had to be in mine. I wanted to see how you've conducted my future affairs.
Counselor: Your future affairs?
Samuel: The affairs of mankind.
Commander William T. Riker: But the disappearance of Mark Twain, one of the most noted literary figures of the 19th century...
Samuel: Thank you.
Commander William T. Riker: That's not supposed to happen.
Samuel: I only took advantage of an irresistible opportunity, as any good writer would.

Doctor: [respectively] The Captain is a very private man.

Counselor: Reg, you've frightened all of us. I'm sure that wasn't your intent.
Barclay: Young children are sometimes frightened of the world. That doesn't mean that their parents should let them stay in their cribs.

[last lines]
Lt. Commander Data: I witnessed something... remarkable. Individually, they were both so...
Counselor: Wounded. Isolated.
Lt. Commander Data: Yes. But no longer. Through joining... they have been healed. Grief has been transmuted to joy, loneliness to... belonging.
Counselor: Data? You *do* understand?
Lt. Commander Data: Yes, Counselor. When Tin Man returned me to the Enterprise, I realized... this is where *I* belong.

[Picard is complaining about the odd spelling of the Jarada language]
Counselor: But you spell knife with a 'k'.
Captain: I spell knife with an 'n'. But then I never could spell.

Counselor: Captain, may I come with you to greet Tam?
Captain: You know him?
Counselor: I do. He was at the university on Betazed when I was studying psychology there.
Captain: Oh, I see, he was a colleague of yours?
Counselor: No - he was a patient.

Counselor: We're not playing it your way anymore, N'Vek. I've been kidnapped, surgically altered, put in danger. I've gone along with all your plans; now *you* are going to listen to me! You find a way to let the Enterprise track us, or I will go to Toreth and tell her I've discovered you're a traitor! I'll have you ejected into space, is that clear, Subcommander?

Voice: Do you want to know why I killed her?
Counselor: Your answer would be meaningless. That act had no reason.
Voice: Exactly! It had no meaning. I did it because I wanted to. It amused me.
Counselor: No. You thought it would amuse you; but it didn't.

Counselor: Sharing an orbit with God is no small experience.

[Troi has suggested passing on a message to the aliens in her dream]
Counselor: How do I tell them what to do?
Lt. Commander Data: If you are correct, Counselor, I believe they have already told us what to do, and are waiting for us to do it. When we are ready, the only message you should attempt to convey is: "Now!"

Counselor: I believe some will choose to risk death rather than leave.

Counselor: You're scheming something, Mother. Don't try to fool me, I can tell.
Lwaxana: You're always so melodramatic, little one. I'm not scheming. I'm deciding.

Captain: [at a senior staff meeting] Has Mr. Barclay done anything that could be considered... potentially threatening?
Counselor: [after a pause] Well... he did make a pass at me last night. A good one.

Commander William T. Riker: Ever since he came on board, I find myself thinking about the choice that you and I made.
Counselor: Me too.
Commander William T. Riker: Do me a favor. Be careful.
Counselor: Will, I know you and he have had some problems.
Commander William T. Riker: That's not what I'm talking about. If he had gotten off the planet instead of me, don't you think he would've made the same choices that I made? I just don't want you to be hurt again.

Lieutenant: [about the transformations on the Enterprise] We have been receiving reports from the rest of the ship. Part of deck 12 is now an aqueduct.
Counselor: What are we being transformed into?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: I'm not sure I want to find out.

Counselor: There's a gunfighter out there who has the speed and accuracy of an android. And in two hours, he's going to try to kill you.

Commander: [Riker's about to turn down a ship of his own to command for the third time and he doesn't even know why] What am I still doing here? Deanna, I pushed myself hard to get this far. I... I sacrificed a lot. I always said I wanted my own command and yet... something's holding me back. Is it wrong for me to want to stay?
Counselor: [a typical psychologist's response - answering a question with a question] What do you think?
Commander: [musing it over] Maybe I'm just afraid of the big chair?
Counselor: I don't think so.
Commander: [he doesn't think so either] The Captain says Shelby reminds him of the way that I used to be... and he's right. She comes in here full of drive and ambition... impatient... taking risks. I look at her and I wonder what happened to those things in me. I liked those things about me. I've lost something.
Counselor: You mean you're older... more experienced...
[chooses her next words with care]
Counselor: ... a little more... seasoned.
Commander: [but not careful enough for Riker's taste] Seasoned? That's a horrible thing to say to a man.
Counselor: I don't think you've lost a thing, and I think you've gained more than you realise. You're much more comfortable with yourself than you used to be.
Commander: [she may have hit on something there] Maybe that's the problem? I'm too comfortable here.
Counselor: I'm not sure I know what that means. You're happy here... happier than I've ever known you to be. So, it comes down to a simple question... what do you want Will Riker?
[what indeed?]

Lt. Commander Data: Angel One has evolved into a constitutional oligarchy. It is governed by a parliamentary body consisting of six elected mistresses and headed by a female they refer to as 'The Elected One'.
Counselor: It sounds like my own planet.

Counselor: It's ridiculous, and wonderful. I feel completely out of control - happy, terrified... But there's nothing rational about this.
Doctor: Who needs rational when your toes curl up?

[last lines]
Counselor: By the way - the next time you call me 'aristocratic'...

Counselor: Don't be afraid of your darker side. Have fun with it.

Counselor: We are stranded on a planet. We have no language in common, but I want to teach you mine.
[she holds up her tea glass]
Counselor: S'smarith. What did I just say?
Captain: Cup... Glass.
Counselor: Are you sure? I may have meant liquid. Clear. Brown. Hot. We conceptualize the universe in relatively the same way.
Captain: Point taken.

Counselor: [about Graves] He was working on bridging the gap between man and machine.
Capt. Picard: Seems he built that bridge. I may be forced to tear it down.

[last lines]
[after the crew's memories have been restored, Riker and Ensign Ro have to come to terms with their recent fling]
Ensign: The Counselor tells me that at times like that, we might do the things that we've always wanted to do.
Commander William T. Riker: She said that?
Counselor: It's psychologically valid.
Ensign: Commander, don't worry about it. As far as I'm concerned, you and I have shared something that we will treasure forever.
[gets up and leaves]
Commander William T. Riker: [flustered] Well... I'm a little confused.
Counselor: Well, if you're still confused tomorrow, you know where my office is.

Counselor: You have to let it go.
Lwaxana: [sobbing] How can I? I let her die!

[Troi walks in on Worf who has just smashed his glass table during an agitated mok'bara exercise]
Counselor: Did the table do something wrong?
Lieutenant: No.
Counselor: I'm glad you weren't that hard on Ensign Lopez.
Lieutenant: He made a mistake. The duty roster was inaccurate.
Counselor: Would you like to talk about what's bothering you, or would you like to break some more furniture?

Counselor: [to Picard] My mother is beginning a physiological phase. It's one that all Betazoid women must deal with as they enter midlife.
Commander William T. Riker: Yes, it's something Troi warned me about when we first started to see each other. A Betazoid woman, when she goes through this phase... quadruples her sex drive.
Counselor: Or more.
Commander William T. Riker: Or more? You never told me that.
Counselor: I didn't want to frighten you.

Cmdr. Ian Andrew Troi: Deanna?
Counselor: Daddy?
Cmdr. Ian Andrew Troi: Look at you. You've become a beautiful woman.
Counselor: [to her mother] Don't do this.

[Dr. Pulaski complains to Troi about not getting along with Captain Picard]
Doctor: He has such a consuming dedication to his ship, he doesn't seem to be able to step back to see the human side of the equation.
[Troi smiles]
Doctor: What's the matter?
Counselor: Kate, I don't think he'd be where he is if he couldn't see the human side of the equation. Perhaps the two of you aren't all that different.

Doctor: [Picard, Riker, Crusher, LaForge and Troi have assembled in the Observation Lounge to discuss Amanda Rogers, a new intern aboard the Enterprise, who mysteriously contained a warp core breach by sheer force of will alone] She's a little shaken up, but she's gonna be fine.
Commander William T. Riker: You said she was adopted. Could she be an alien?
Doctor: She's human. There's nothing more unusual about her. Not that my instruments can detect.
Captain: Commander, have you been able to determine the cause of the warp breach?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: No, Sir. Everything was normal and then suddenly it's like the laws of physics went right out the window.
Q: [Q materialises in one of the empty chairs wearing his usual Starfleet uniform] And why shouldn't they? They're so inconvenient.
Captain: [a collective air of dismay suddenly descends on the room] Q!
Q: Mon Capitan.
Captain: Are you responsible for this incident in Engineering?
Q: [surprisingly upfront about it] Of course. I needed to find out if what I suspected about the girl were true.
Captain: That being?
Q: That she's a Q.
Counselor: Amanda's a Q?
Doctor: How is that possible? Her, her parents... her biological parents were human.
Q: Well, not exactly. They had assumed human form in order to visit Earth, I suppose for... for amusement. But in vulgar human fashion they proceeded to conceive a child...
[he winks at Beverly who looks thoroughly insulted]
Q: ... and then like mawkish humans they became attached to it. What is it about these squirming little infants that you find so appealing?
Doctor: I'm sure that's beyond your comprehension, Q.
Q: I desperately hope so.
Counselor: What happened to Amanda's parents?
Q: They died in an accident.
[that gets Picard's attention but keeps it to himself for now]
Q: None of us knew whether she had inherited the capacities of the Q but recently they've begun to emerge and er... as an expert in humanity... I was sent to investigate.
Commander William T. Riker: You... an expert in humanity?
Q: Not a very challenging field of study, I grant you.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Are you saying that you created a core breach just to test this girl?
Q: Uh huh.
Counselor: What would have happened if she couldn't stop it?
Q: Then I would have known she wasn't a Q.
Doctor: And now that you know - what do you intend to do?
Q: Instruct her. If this child does not learn how to control her power she may accidentally destroy herself... or all of you... or perhaps your entire galaxy?
Captain: I find it hard to believe that you're here to do us a favour.
Q: You're quite right. I wouldn't. But there are those in the Continuum...
[raises his eyes skyward]
Q: ... who have an over exaggerated sense of responsibility. They think that we need to take precautions to keep the little dear from running amok.
Doctor: And once you've taught her... then you'll go away?
Q: And leave her here? Of course not. She'll come back to the Continuum where she belongs.
Doctor: Wait a minute! You, you can't just come in here and take her away from everything she's ever known.
Q: [laughs that off] I assure you I can.
Doctor: She has plans for herself. She wants to have a career and a family.
Q: I'm rescuing her from that miserable existence.
Doctor: That miserable existence is all she's known for the last eighteen years. You have no right to take her away from it!
Q: [bored with the direction this conversation has taken] Mon Capitan, I really think that we need to speak privately.
[Q transports them both to Picard's Ready Room]
Q: Well, there, that's better. Crusher gets more shrill with each passing year.

Capt. Picard: I was concerned. I came to see if I could be of any help.
Counselor: [unconvincingly] I'm fine. There's nothing wrong; I'm just tired, that's all.
Capt. Picard: Now, I may not have your gifts at reading emotions, Counselor, but I can tell when someone is in pain, and hiding it.

[in a poker round]
Counselor: It seems to me that you and Lavelle are a lot alike.
Commander William T. Riker: What? We're not at all alike!
Doctor: You're bluffing.
[in another poker round]
Sam: You think so?
Ben: Yes. And I'm not gonna let you get away with it.

Troi/"Shumar": Picard, you are mine.

Counselor: There's life here... A child, an old woman... Dozens more, hundreds. Terrified.
Commander William T. Riker: Terrified?
Counselor: My God, Will, they're Human.

[Dr. Pulaski mentions that in her experience, the fathers were almost always present during their babies' delivery]
Counselor: Difficult under the circumstances.
Lt. Commander Data: Perhaps *I* could serve in that capacity.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: Counselor Troi is going to need the comfort of a human touch and not the cold hand of technology.
Counselor: Doctor, I think Commander Data will do very nicely.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: Your choice.

Counselor: Dr. Stubbs, I know how much this means to you...
Dr. Paul Stubbs: My dear Counselor. No insult intended; but please turn off your beam into my soul.

Counselor: [after Picard has been separated from the Borg Collective] How do you feel?
Jean: Almost human - with just a... bit of a headache.

Lieutenant: The Cardassians have no honor. I do not trust them.
Counselor: They're our allies now, Mr. Worf. We have to trust them.
Lieutenant: Trust is earned, not given away.

Captain: By our standards, the customs here, their... code of honor, is the same kind of pompous, strutting charades that endangered our own species a few centuries ago. We evolved out of it because no one tried to impose their own set of... I'm sorry, this is becoming a speech.
Counselor: You're the Captain, sir. You're entitled.
Captain: Hmm - not entitled to ramble on about something everyone knows. Carry on.

Counselor: Have you ever been for a real moonlight swim?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: One can swim in moonlight?
Counselor: How about you, Mr. Worf?
Lieutenant: [shakes his head] Swimming is too much like... bathing.

[Worf and Alexander enter to ask for Deanna's help in forming their father-son contract]
Counselor: Alexander, this is my mother.
Lwaxana: Alexander? What a wonderful name! You know, I once knew a tall, handsome warrior named Alexander. Oh, he utterly adored me and we went everywhere - simply everywhere. Have you been anywhere y... Contract? What contract?
Counselor: Between father and son, a fair and balanced way to achieve a mutual sense of order.
Lwaxana: [to Alexander] Well, how ghastly for you.
[to Worf]
Lwaxana: And you are doing this to your own child, Mr. Woof?
Counselor: Mother!
Lieutenant: It is "Worf," madam.
Lwaxana: Contracts are usually between people who don't really trust one another. A child who is trusted becomes worthy of that trust.

Lieutenant: We have played poker many times. I have never known you to bluff.
Counselor: Well, it wouldn't be much of a bluff if you knew, would it?

[last lines]
Devinoni: I'm very grateful for what you did, in a way. It's made me take a hard look at who I am. I don't like what I see. I once asked you to run away with me; and now I'm asking again. I need you. You could help me change, you could... you could be my conscience.
[he kisses her]
Counselor: I already have a job as counselor.

Counselor: An animal is always at its best when hunted.
Doctor: Or when hunting.

Captain: [on his way to go horse-riding on the holodeck] Are you sure you won't reconsider?
Counselor: No. I'll just watch you and be impressed.

[Ro has suggested sacrificing the drive section of the ship in order to save the saucer section]
Counselor: I believe there are still people alive down there. And I'm going to give them every chance. Assuming they're alive, they'll be hoping there's someone up here who can help them. So we'll help them.

Lwaxana: [begging] Go.
Counselor: Mother?
Lwaxana: [begging] Go away.
Counselor: No. I want to help you. Why did you delete parts of your journal? Did something happen to you you don't want me to know about?
Lwaxana: [begging] Leave me alone, please.
Counselor: Who's Hedril, Mother? Why is she here? Is Hedril me, when I was a little girl?
Lwaxana: [miserably] No. Oh, no. I'd never let anything happen to you. Never.
Counselor: Did you let something happen to someone?

Lt. Commander Data: [scanning the planet Minos] No signs of intelligent life forms. Vegetation and animal life only.
Counselor: What happened to all the people?
Lieutenant: War?
Lt. Commander Data: Disease?
Lieutenant: A dissatisfied customer?

[first lines]
Counselor: Computer, lights.

Kyle: I've come here to help Will prepare for his first task as captain.
Counselor: Are you sure he'll accept such a dangerous assignment?
Kyle: He'll accept it just because it is dangerous.
Counselor: How can you be so sure?
Kyle: Because I would. And we aren't so different, Will and I.

Counselor: I'm sensing nothing from them, sir. Which could mean they can shield their thoughts and emotions from others.
Captain: Which still makes it our move.
Counselor: Sir, they may know as little about us as we know about them.
Commander William T. Riker: Except that they know that they've got us in deep trouble.
Captain: If so, then the question becomes what do they do with that knowledge? Data, do you have any information touching this on any file?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: None, sir. Only hearsay and third-hand reports, most of which conflict.
Commander William T. Riker: Which reports do not conflict?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: That the Ferengi are... well, the best description may be "traders".
Captain: What kind of traders?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: A comparison modern scholars have drawn from Earth history likens the Ferengi to the ocean-going Yankee traders of 18th- and 19th-century America, sir.
Commander William T. Riker: From the history of my forebears; Yankee traders.
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Who, in this case, sail the galaxy in search of mercantile and territorial opportunity.
Commander William T. Riker: And are these scholars saying that the Ferengi may not be unlike us?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Hardly, sir. I believe the analogy refers to the worst quality of capitalists. The Ferengi are believed to conduct their affairs of commerce on the ancient principle caveat emptor: "let the buyer beware".

Aaron: I replay each step in my mind, looking for the wrong turn, mistake in judgment. I can find only one; and, as hard as I try, I cannot regret even that one. In fact, I'm quite certain that, given the opportunity, I would choose to make the same mistake again. I can only wonder why, with all the hundreds of genetically compatible women, I would fall in love with you.
Counselor: Don't say that.
Aaron: Perhaps it's your imperfections which make you so unique. But I am in love with you, Deanna Troi, and I will always be.

Counselor: Have you ever wondered how Alexander felt about being sent away?
Lieutenant: He was... very young. I am sure that he was confused.
Counselor: Do you think he felt abandoned? After all, he left very soon after K'Ehleyr's death. In a way, he not only lost his mother; he lost his father as well.

Lt. Commander Data: [on Troi's delivery of Ian] Thank you for allowing me to participate. It was remarkable.
Counselor: [Commander Riker approaches, smiling, Troi looks to him] Were you here all along?
Commander William T. Riker: Yes. He's beautiful, Deanna. Just like his mother.
[grins, leans in and kisses Deanna's cheek]
Dr. Kate Pulaski: How do you feel?
Counselor: Fine. Wonderful.
[looks to the baby in her arms, then back to Pulaski]
Counselor: Thank you, Doctor, for everything.
Dr. Kate Pulaski: Amazing.
Counselor: [Deanna looks back to the baby again, smiling. A tear of happiness and joy rolls down her cheek, as she sighs a deep breath]

DaiMon: Captain Picard, so good of you to meet us. We were on our way to Betazed to return our guests.
Captain: Of course you were, DaiMon. But you're still holding Lwaxana Troi.
Lwaxana: When will you get it through your thick head that it's over between us, Jean-Luc?
Counselor: [after having the transmission muted] I think I know what she's doing. You have to fight to get her back, Captain.
Captain: [Re-opening the transmission] Er, er. It's not over between us, Lwaxana. You're mine and I will not let you go. I insist you return to my side immediately.
Lwaxana: You mean, you still care?
Captain: My love is a fever, longing still for that which longer nurseth the disease.
Lwaxana: Tell me more.
Captain: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, for they in thee a thousand errors see. But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise, who in despite of view are please'd to dote. Shall I compare the to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
DaiMon: You didn't tell me that you and Captain Picard were...
Lwaxana: You said you didn't want to hear about my other romances.
Lwaxana: I have a new love, Jean-Luc. And you can't keep killing all my lovers. That simply has to stop.
DaiMon: Killing?
Lwaxana: Oh, he's insanely jealous.
Captain: Listen, Tog, I must possesses Lwaxana. And if that means destroying your ship in the process, so be it.
DaiMon: Captain, I had no idea Lwaxana was...
Lwaxana: Don't let him threaten you. You can defeat him.
Lwaxana: [to Picard] The only way you'll ever get me back is over Tog's dead body!
Captain: That can be arranged. Mister Worf, arm phaser banks and photon torpedoes. If Lwaxana Troi is not in my arms in ten seconds, throw everything you've got at the Krayton.
DaiMon: But you will destroy Lwaxana!
Captain: When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again. It needs must wither. Nine, eight. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Seven, six.
DaiMon: No, wait.
Captain: Five, four.
DaiMon: Beam her to their Bridge, now!
Captain: Two, one.

Commander William T. Riker: [at the poker game in Commander Riker's quarters] Come in.
Counselor: Ben, what are you doing here?
Ben: I just cleaned out some junior officers and I thought I'd do the same here.
Commander William T. Riker: You're welcome to give it a try.

[Troi, Data and O'Brien have been possessed, allegedly by spirits of the USS Essex crew, and are trying to commandeer the Enterprise]
Troi/"Shumar": You have thirty seconds to change your heading! Or additional members of your crew will require medical attention.

Counselor: [after a near-warp transport] This might sound crazy, but for a moment, I thought I was stuck in that wall.
Lieutenant: For a moment, you were.

[Troi eats a spoonful of ice cream]
Commander William T. Riker: Doesn't it taste good?
Counselor: Mm, of course it does, but... it's not just a matter of taste. It's the whole experience. First of all, you have to spoon the fudge around the rim, leaving only the ice cream in the middle. Then, you gently spoon the ice cream around the sides, like you're sculpting it. Relish every bite. Make every one an event. And then, with the last spoonful, close your eyes...
[eats another spoonful with her eyes closed and smiles]
Commander William T. Riker: I had no idea it was such a ritual.

Lieutenant: I am no longer a warrior. I'm no longer strong. I... I feel...
Counselor: What? What do you feel?
Lieutenant: I feel fear.
Counselor: To admit that you're afraid gives you strength.
Lieutenant: Something is waiting for us. I am not strong enough to fight it!

Commander William T. Riker: [Riker's about to turn down a ship of his own to command for the third time and he doesn't even know why] What am I still doing here? Deanna, I pushed myself hard to get this far. I... I sacrificed a lot. I always said I wanted my own command and yet... something's holding me back. Is it wrong for me to want to stay?
Counselor: [a typical psychologist's response - answering a question with a question] What do you think?
Commander William T. Riker: [musing it over] Maybe I'm just afraid of the big chair?
Counselor: I don't think so.
Commander William T. Riker: [he doesn't think so either] The Captain says Shelby reminds him of the way that I used to be... and he's right. She comes in here full of drive and ambition... impatient... taking risks. I look at her and I wonder what happened to those things in me. I liked those things about me. I've lost something.
Counselor: You mean you're older... more experienced...
[chooses her next words with care]
Counselor: ... a little more... seasoned.
Commander William T. Riker: [but not careful enough for Riker's taste] Seasoned? That's a horrible thing to say to a man.
Counselor: I don't think you've lost a thing, and I think you've gained more than you realise. You're much more comfortable with yourself than you used to be.
Commander William T. Riker: [she may have hit on something there] Maybe that's the problem. I'm too comfortable here.
Counselor: I'm not sure I know what that means. You're happy here... happier then I've ever known you to be. So, it comes down to a simple question... what do you want Will Riker?
[what indeed?]