Q; Surely the fact that Troi taps her comm. badge before and after making her emergency call to Beverly is evidence that, given the seriousness of her situation, they were intended to be used in this fashion?
A; I wouldn't have thought so as it could be argued that the pain in her head so disoriented her that she clean forgot that she didn't need to tap her comm. badge. The only remotely plausible answer to the great comm. badge dilemma, to tap or not to tap, is in my opinion to suggest that the badge technology was under constant review. This could explain why in some episodes they do tap the badges both before and after communicating to each other and in other episodes they mouth a name into the empty air and the person addressed hears them. This still doesn't explain how Guinan communicates while wearing no badge at all but hey! what can you do?
Once again Data states coolly that the Ferengi are undetectable to empaths, despite Troi appearing to have achieved this very thing in various other episodes.
The Best of Both Worlds Part
Two Family Brothers Suddenly
Human Remember Me Legacy Reunion Future Imperfect Final
Mission The Loss Data's Day The Wounded Devil's Due Clues
First Contact Galaxy's Child
Night Terrors Identity Crisis
The Nth Degree Qpid
The Drumhead Half a Life The
Host The Mind's Eye In Theory
Redemption