Royalston | Lwaxana Troi “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”

“Lwaxana Troi never ceases to put a smile on my face whenever she arrives on screen. As first appearances go, she is eccentric, flamboyant and flirtatious, but she is far more than what meets the eye. Underneath she is vulnerable, caring and intelligent. Underestimate her at your peril, as DaiMon Tog did in “Menage a Troi”, which leads to one of the greatest scenes between her and Picard where she manipulates her kidnapper into letting her escape. My favourite Lwaxana moment however, is in DS9 “The Forsaken”. Her and Odo (a shapeshifter) are stuck in a lift but Odo is struggling to maintain his form as he can only hold it for so long. No one has ever seen him revert to his natural liquid state and he always does it in private. He’s barely holding on when Lwaxana opens herself up to him by taking off her wig, something no one has ever seen before either. This beautiful gesture allows Odo to let go as he trusts her to take care of him in his most vulnerable state. For me, that encompasses who Lwaxana truly is. Her flamboyant exterior is her shield. In her own words she “doesn’t care to be ordinary”, yet she is prepared to embrace her vulnerability in order to help someone she cares for. I hope my artwork has done her character justice.”

— Royalston