Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Zoë Steiner On Following In Deanna Troi's Footsteps As Betazoid

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 2 - "Beta Test"

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Zoë Steiner discusses following in the footsteps of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) as a Betazoid. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiered with two episodes on Paramount+ and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1, episode 2, "Beta Test," introduces Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal, the daughter of the President of Betazed (Anthony Natale). Tarima's serene presence attracts Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), Starfleet Academy's "chaos boy," but the young Betazoid also has deeper issues regarding her psychic abilities.​​​​​​

ScreenRant's Liam Crowley interviewed Zoë Steiner, along with her co-stars Karim Diané and Bella Shepard, at Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's press junket. Steiner talked about embodying the first Betazoid main character since Marina Sirtis played Counselor Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read Zoë's quote below:

Liam Crowley: Zoe, you play the first Betazoid [main character] since Counselor Troi in TNG. How does that feel? And did you go back and watch TNG to kind of get inspiration for your character?

Zoë Steiner: Totally. It's a privilege, and it feels very exciting. And for sure, I went back and watched TNG, watched Marina Sirtis play the iconic Deanna Troi. It felt like an obligation, in a good way, to make sure I knew what had been established in the canon, what a Betazoid is capable of, how they show up, how they interact. But at the same time, we've said I wanted to also not feel restricted by that and make sure I brought myself to the role and brought myself to Tarima.

Watch ScreenRant's interview with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Zoë Steiner, Karim Diané, and Bella Shepard below:

As Counselor Deanna Troi, Marina Sirtis introduced Betazoids in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Betazoids appear identical to humans, but possess psychic and empathic abilities. Yet Betazoids have been rare in Star Trek after TNG's writers struggled with defining Troi's powers. No other Star Trek series has included a Betazoid main character until Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 2 revealed that Tarima Sadal wears a neural inhibitor on her neck. Tarima "feels more deeply" than other Betazoids, and if she loses control of her powers, people can get hurt. While Tarima's confession didn't scare off Caleb Mir, it hints at a possible trauma that Sadal carries. Tarima's dangerous powers are a very X-Men-like element in Starfleet Academy.

Tarima Sadal and Caleb Mir's burgeoning romance is also Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's spin on the love story between Counselor Deanna Troi and Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Riker and Troi also met when they were young, but broke up when Will chose his career. After years serving together on the USS Enterprise-D and E, Riker and Troi finally married and had children.

Tarima and Caleb have a long way to go if marriage is ever in the cards for Star Trek's newest human and Betazoid (potential) couple. Tarima's choice to join the War College instead of Starfleet Academy may complicate matters.

Meanwhile, Tarima Sadal in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy presents an intriguing new spin on Betazoids that builds upon what Marina Sirtis created with Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation.