Synopsis: The Enterprise comes in contact with a life force entity that impregnates Counselor Troi.
In “The Child” a life force entity, which appears as a comet-like light, comes in close proximity to the Enterprise as it passes it on her way to ‘audit IX. The life force entity becomes curious about the humanoid species aboard her. To satisfy its curiosity, it decides to become humanoid for a time, to understand what that is like. I offer that this is much like the empathy that psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut felt was important in the analytical process.
Perhaps Counselor Deanna Troi was the natural choice in whom to impregnate because not only is she female, and therefore able to give birth, but also because she is half Betazoid and therefore empathic. While many of the male crewmembers aboard the Enterprise initially felt the only option was to abort the alien fetus growing inside Troi, she alone knew that it was not harmful and told Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the other senior officers: “Know this, I’m going to have this baby” (Summers et al., 1988).
That Troi was correct in her assessment of the life force entity child is seen at the end of the episode, when the entity, in the body of the child Ian, tells Troi and Picard that it realizes that it is a cause of danger on the ship and ends his existence as a humanoid child, but leaves Troi with a feeling of gratitude for the encounter.
Reference:
Summers, J., Povill, J., Hurley, M. (Writers), & Bowman, R. (Director). (1988, November 21). The child (Season 2, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In G. Roddenberry (Executive Producer), Star trek: The next generation. Paramount Television.
Original post created 7 June 2021
mydailysoultrek 