Denise Crosby was the first choice to play Deanna Troi

By: H&I Staff     Posted: April 2, 2021, 10:19AM   

Despite her tenure on Star Trek: The Next Generation was short lived, fans still love Tasha Yar. Denise Crosby made the decision to leave the series at the end of the first season due to her not being happy with the role, feeling it had little character development or room to grow. Both the series and Crosby parted on good terms with her making guest appearances in episodes following her departure.

While she made a name for herself as Tasha Yar, Crosby was actually the initial choice for Deanna Troi. According to a memo from 1987 on the initial casting for The Next Generation, Roddennbery had listed Crosby as the ideal choice for the ship's counselor.

Looking further into the memo a note also reads "Denise Crosby seems to be the only possibility for the role of "Troi" at this point."

Another interesting note in this letter is that Wesley Snipes, star of the Blade franchise, was considered for the role Geordi La Forge.

 Marina Sirtis, who was ultimately cast as the Enterprise counselor, is surprisingly nowhere to be found in the letter. Despite the notes' assurance on Crosby she was instead given the role of Tasha Yar. At some point prior to filming the first season Roddenberry's mind had been changed for reasons unknown.

Sirtis would go on to be the conscious of the crew and a fan favorite amongst Trekkies. While we're grateful for her contributions to the Trek franchise it is still interesting to think about what could have been with Crosby as Troi instead.

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