Series: Star Trek:TNG
Episode: 3.10 The Defector(01-01-1990)
Rating: 4/5
Redshirt Status: .5/1.5/23
Notable Guest Stars:
Andreas Katulas – Tomalok. This is Katulas second appearance of the show. He appeared earlier in the season when rescuing a crew from a planet that Geordi was stranded on.
S.A. Templemen – Bates
James Sloyan – Alidar Jarok. Sloyan would appear many more times, notably as Mora Pol in Deep Space Nine.
John Hancock – Admiral Haden. He would reappear in season 4.
James McElroy – a background actor who appears several times on Star Trek over the years. He appears in TNG and ENT.
Review:
WARNING/SPOILER: This episode includes an off screen suicide.
Can you guess whose idea it was to have Data doing Shakespeare in this first scene? I bet you won’t even need more then one try. I have never seen Henry V. I always plan to, as part of the Hallow Crown series that was just made a few years ago, but so far this scene is my only bit of it.
The main plot of this episode is that a Romulan officer has defected after learning his people were designing a base that would cause war to break out between the Federation and the Romulans. The Enterprise must decide if this is true information…or a deceitful plan by the Romulans to get the Federation to make the first move in a war.
This episode is good mostly because of the acting. James Soyan always seems to play very conflicted characters on Star Trek, leaving an impact on the crew. In this episode he plays Admiral Alidar Jarok, who has defected because he wants to change the universe for the better for his daughter. Unfortunately, Jarok isn’t quite successful. The actor does a great job expressing Jarok’s frustration and perhaps a bit of fear.
This episode for the over all show isn’t that important, but if you have an interest in Romulans, this episode gives a glimpse into how they work. It also is a showcase for both Patrick Stewart, who plays two characters, and James Soyan as Jarok.
I give this episode a 4/5. I think they could have made a better ending.
Interesting Notes:
- Written by Ronald D. Moore (a future producer)
- Directed by Robert Scheerer
- This is the first episode to air in the 1990s, oddly enough on the first day of the year. Just felt I should mention that.
- First episode exploring Shakespeare with Picard and Data. Patrick Stewart gets to be a secondary character in this episode as a holographic Micheal Williams in Henry V.
- This episode is lightly connected to Enterprise, as Jarok’s mention of the battle of Cheron is confirmed as part of the Earth-Romulan war in season 4 of the series
Pros:
- Romulans explored
Cons:
- The death at the end seemed oddly inconsequential.
CygnusX1.net is the creator of used screencap
Sokorra Lewis 