Redshirts Always Die
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Happy Mother’s Day to one of my favorite Star Trek moms

By Adam Sokol

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Today is Mother’s Day. So, in addition to wishing all the mothers out there a very happy Mother’s Day, I want to talk about one of my favorite mothers from Star Trek.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we here at RSAD ran through a list of the best mom on Star Trek a couple years back. You can read that here. This year, I’m just gonna focus on one of my favorite Star Trek moms and that’s Lwaxana Troi. I love the character. She is, of course, the overbearing mother of Counselor Deanna Troi played by none other than Majel Barrett. For some reason, a lot of Trek fans seem to love to hate her. But honestly, I just love her.

Lwaxana Troi gets some grief in certain corners of the internet, but I have no idea why. I always thought she was great and usually provided a lot of fun episodes. I thought the relationship between her and Deanna was very authentic. This is of course helped by the fact that she and Marina Sirtis had great chemistry.

So, in honor of Mother’s Day, I decided to run through some of my favorite life lessons taught to me by everyone’s favorite Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed herself. 

In the episode Half a Life, she taught us that a difference of opinion doesn’t mean you can’t respect that person and their traditions. She develops a close friendship with a man who species engages in ritual suicide as they approach the age of sixty. Lwaxana tries to convince him not to, but his culture wins out and he chooses to go through with the ceremony. There’s a lesson that a lot of folks on the internet could stand to learn. Even though Lwaxana vehemently disagrees with his choice to end his life she respects his wishes and attends the ceremony anyway.

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I’m sure there’s also a lesson about accepting yourself and rocking your body at any age. 

The time she taught us to stand up for what we believe in, highlighted in the episode Cost of Living. When it was time to get married (again) and she wanted a traditional Betazoid wedding in the nude. Her husband was more of a fuddy-duddy and didn’t. She did what any strongwilled woman would do, and showed up naked. I’m sure there’s also a lesson about accepting yourself and rocking your body at any age. 

Dark Page is the episode where she taught us that letting go of the past can be difficult and that sometimes, we all need help. Devastated by the loss of her first child Lwaxana walled her memories off. To the point where Deanna was never even aware that she’d had a sister. This causes her to retreat to her metaconciousness and Deanna is forced to go in and help her let go. 

Last but not least is the episode Ménage à Troi where she teaches us that there’s little a mother wouldn’t do to protect her daughter. Even if it means staying aboard a Ferengi ship as a prisoner, so your daughter can go free.

Honorable mention to Manhunt, where Lwaxana taught us that it’s important to go after what you want, which in that case was Captain Picard. Say what you will about her, but above all else, Lwaxana is a woman who knows what she wants and will be damned before she apologizes for it. And there’s something to be said for that. 

So thanks, Lwaxana for all you taught us and happy Mother’s Day. And of course a happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there, but mostly the happiest of Mother’s Day to my mom, Denise Sokol.

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