lol Let it be known I have nothing against Majel Barrett. I immensely appreciate the endless work she put into keeping Trek going over the years, I love that her computer voice is omnipresent, I dig her as Nurse Chapel, and I think she would’ve been great as #1 on TOS, had she continued the role.
Personally, I just think the writers pushed the earlier Lwaxana character too far into purposefully annoying territory, and without enough redeeming qualities to balance it out. She embodied some highly dislikable characteristics – a narcissistic sense of entitlement, being rudely dismissive, ignoring boundaries and being seemingly oblivious to others’ feelings – which never made sense to me, her being a telepath. Either she’s a Betazoid lacking in telepathy, or she’s well aware her impositions and advances are unwanted and make people uncomfortable, but doesn’t care and proceeds anyway. But any blame, I put solely on the writers, not Majel. And I definitely softened to her when they started giving her some character development, later in TNG and esp in DS9 with the Odo plotline. The elevator scene completely won me over.
See, now I think early Lwaxana is key to understanding Betazoids. It is a society of telepaths and empaths, and as a result they have an EXTREMELY strong sense of self that can actually lean into the narcissistic, they don’t understand boundaries, and they do not have that filter that lies between thought and speech because everyone can tell what everyone is thinking anyway. They are so aware of people’s feelings that they don’t feel a need to cater to passing comfort, knowing that annoyance is just a thing that happens and will pass and that it’s better to focus on the more important hurts–which is why she goes out of her way to counsel Alexander and Odo but just rolls her eyes at Picard’s discomfort.
This really strong sense of self is so ingrained in the species that even Lon Suder, who doesn’t have these abilities, is still such a strong personality that he TAKES OVER Tuvok during a Vulcan mind meld, and Tuvok is no slouch in telepathy.
I think it was an amazing idea to portray a telepath or an empath like this, let alone both, and it indicates a unique and interesting society in the Federation. Star Trek has a (criminally underused) race of telepaths that is unlike any other race of telepaths and that is all because of Gene Roddenberry’s Auntie Mame joke.
I mean, just stop and think about what Aunties and Moms can be like. Now stop and think about them in a matriarchal culture where men are still traditionally masculine and women are traditionally feminine. Now consider them in a culture where NOBODY CAN LIE.
That’s the key to Betazed. Nobody can lie, so you may as well be yourself even if you’re annoying and overbearing.
Going by Lwaxana, Lon Suder, Tam Elbrum (“Tin Man”) and even Deanna Troi when she lets her Betazoid half out a bit, Betzoids are an extremely impulsive and hedonistic species but also the premier telepaths of the Star Trek Universe and that is just unlike any other portrayal of telepaths but it still makes so much sense when you think about it.
lol Let it be known I have nothing against Majel Barrett. I immensely appreciate the endless work she put into keeping Trek going over the years, I love that her computer voice is omnipresent, I dig her as Nurse Chapel, and I think she would’ve been great as #1 on TOS, had she continued the role. Personally, I just think the writers pushed the earlier Lwaxana character too far into purposefully annoying territory, and without enough redeeming qualities to balance it out. She embodied some highly dislikable characteristics – a narcissistic sense of entitlement, being rudely dismissive, ignoring boundaries and being seemingly oblivious to others’ feelings – which never made sense to me, her being a telepath. Either she’s a Betazoid lacking in telepathy, or she’s well aware her impositions and advances are unwanted and make people uncomfortable, but doesn’t care and proceeds anyway. But any blame, I put solely on the writers, not Majel. And I definitely softened to her when they started giving her some character development, later in TNG and esp in DS9 with the Odo plotline. The elevator scene completely won me over.
See, now I think early Lwaxana is key to understanding Betazoids. It is a society of telepaths and empaths, and as a result they have an EXTREMELY strong sense of self that can actually lean into the narcissistic, they don’t understand boundaries, and they do not have that filter that lies between thought and speech because everyone can tell what everyone is thinking anyway. They are so aware of people’s feelings that they don’t feel a need to cater to passing comfort, knowing that annoyance is just a thing that happens and will pass and that it’s better to focus on the more important hurts–which is why she goes out of her way to counsel Alexander and Odo but just rolls her eyes at Picard’s discomfort.
This really strong sense of self is so ingrained in the species that even Lon Suder, who doesn’t have these abilities, is still such a strong personality that he TAKES OVER Tuvok during a Vulcan mind meld, and Tuvok is no slouch in telepathy.
I think it was an amazing idea to portray a telepath or an empath like this, let alone both, and it indicates a unique and interesting society in the Federation. Star Trek has a (criminally underused) race of telepaths that is unlike any other race of telepaths and that is all because of Gene Roddenberry’s Auntie Mame joke.
I mean, just stop and think about what Aunties and Moms can be like. Now stop and think about them in a matriarchal culture where men are still traditionally masculine and women are traditionally feminine. Now consider them in a culture where NOBODY CAN LIE.
That’s the key to Betazed. Nobody can lie, so you may as well be yourself even if you’re annoying and overbearing.
Going by Lwaxana, Lon Suder, Tam Elbrum (“Tin Man”) and even Deanna Troi when she lets her Betazoid half out a bit, Betzoids are an extremely impulsive and hedonistic species but also the premier telepaths of the Star Trek Universe and that is just unlike any other portrayal of telepaths but it still makes so much sense when you think about it.