10 Things You Learn Revisiting Star Trek: First Contact For First Contact Day
9. Troi Gets Drunk
Marina Sirtis was arguably one of the more underused actors on the series. While many of the rest of the cast got their stand out, defining moments, Troi was somewhat hampered by the need to be the one in control of their emotions and supportive to others. Obviously that is not to say that there weren't episodes that veered away from this portrayal, but suffice to say Troi was never the most exciting character on the Next Generation.
With the arrival of the movies, the writers were now faced with a finite amount of time to give each character their moment. Thankfully, they decided to offer Sirtis the chance to show off her comedy skills. The usually straight-laced, controlled Troi got to enjoy tequila with Cochrane, leading to the funniest scene of the film. She struggles to stay upright in front of Riker, expressing her frustration with the new man as she can barely express her words.
It is a short scene but it's brilliant, finally giving Sirtis the chance to break away from the stuffy character of the last seven years and give Troi a bit more to do. This would continue on into Insurrection before taking a backseat in Nemesis unfortunately. However, her latest return to the role in Picard offers Sirtis at her best, showing a fully rounded character that can, in part, be traced back to this film.