Empathy

Empathy was the capacity to understand and feel the feelings and emotions of another person from their perspective or point of view. It could also refer to a type of extrasensory perception in which one can directly detect the emotions of another; such an individual was known as an empath. Empathic powers were often associated with telepathy.

Species[]

Species in which empathic abilities were normal included the Betazoids (and Betazoid hybrids), Deltans, Haliians, Kwejians, Lumerians, and Napeans. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture; TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Man Of The People", "Aquiel", "Eye of the Beholder"; DIS: "The Sanctuary")

Gem's species was empathic, and further possessed the ability to transfer the wounds of others onto themselves. (TOS: "The Empath") In Kelpiens, empathy was a defining trait hard-wired in their DNA, linked to their ganglia responding to shifts in their environment. (DIS: "An Obol for Charon")

History[]

In 2259, La'an Noonien-Singh noted that the Federation taught that if a way was found to empathize with an enemy then one day they could become friends. She considered this wrong, because she believed some things in the universe, such as the Gorn, were evil. (SNW: "Memento Mori")

In 2365, Deanna Troi described Doctor Katherine Pulaski's greatest medical skill to be her empathy. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")

In 2366, Reginald Barclay created a hologram of Deanna Troi, named the "Goddess of Empathy". (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits")

Berlinghoff Rasmussen claimed to Deanna Troi in 2368 that some of his closest friends were empaths. (TNG: "A Matter Of Time")

In 2373, Kes told The Doctor, who was malfunctioning, that empathy and kindness were basic to all forms of life. (VOY: "Darkling")

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

This list is for empathic abilities, not for basic empathy. All the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes listed here with empathy is done by Deanna Troi, unless otherwise stated. Troi uses her empathic abilities in roughly half (49 percent) of TNG's 178 episodes.

See also[]

• Empathic metamorph
• Mind meld
• Radical empathy

External link[]

• Empathy at Wikipedia