The Defector

The episode is by all means ok, not terribly good or awful. James Sloyan who plays the Romulan defector often has the same approach for all his characters which doesnt mean its a bad performance but its more like he is playing himself. The episode is mostly mind games until the very end of course.

Perhaps the only episode in which Stewart plays a second character, not as Jean-Luc. In the introductory scene, Data is on the holodek enacting a scene from Henry V, One of the two commoners interacting with Data, as the King Henry, in commoner guise, is Stewart, playing Michael Williams (presumably as a holodek-generated character). Stewart as Captain Jean Luc Picard looks on, in appreciation of Data's performance.

Enterprise gives asylum to a Romulan defector.

This is a classic episode that has an excellent story and a number of great character moments.

The plot works on a number of levels, presenting aspects of a political thriller alongside a focus on command responsibilities in a volatile conflict situation. There is an inspiration from the Cuban missile crisis, some nice tributes to Shakespeare's Henry V and a clear anti-war message.

I cannot go into detail without spoiling key areas of the plot, but it's safe to say that the opening holodeck sequence sets the tone for what is to come and every character exchange that follows is memorable. Picard, Riker, Data, Worf and all the Romulan characters have many strong scenes of dialogue and for me it has one of the most effective endings to a Star Trek show.

'The Defector' is one of the definitive Romulan episodes and thoroughly establishes their deceptive nature and desire for conquest, whilst at the same time adding layers of depth with the portrayal of the title character.

Visually it works well with a number of nicely filmed sequences. The opening scene in particular is very atmospheric. Everything is edited in a way to keep the pace ticking over in an interesting way, especially with so much dialogue.

All performances are great with Patrick Stewart leading the cast brilliantly with great support by Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn and LeVar Burton. Andreas Katsulas has another excellent cameo. The star of the show though is guest actor James Sloyan with a fantastic turn as the defector.

This for me is the first Star Trek episode to compare favourably to the similarly themed original series classic 'The Balance Of Terror'.

There are some minor plot holes but nothing that distracts from the entertainment, so I think it's a 9.5/10 and round upwards.

The Enterprise rescues an apparent defector from the Romulan Empire, who claims to have knowledge of a secret base covertly constructed within Federation territory. Is this the start of a new era of Romulan aggression or is this traitor spinning too many lies to be believed?

A fantastic episode that's full of tension and drama. The story is great, weaving one way then the next as the stakes get higher and the performances of Sloyan and a returning Katsulas are far better than TNG's usual standard of supporting cast. It's also nice to see Trek being a bit more action-orientated instead of endlessly discovering allegorical metaphors or improbable and ill-advised romance angles.

This is one of my favorite ST-TNG episodes. I found the script flawless and the premise gripping. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The climax and ending are brilliant. In my opinion, the writers did their best work here. It's a match of wits in this story, highlighting the core traits of the main characters and of the intergalactic races. Guest star Sloyan is excellent. Stewart does some of his best work as Picard. {Though this episode is of a serious nature, Data has some humorous and endearing moments.} Burton, as LaForge, has thoughtful commentary on analytical thinking. The visuals and special-effects are superb, as only ST can do. I've seen this episode several times in reruns and I don't tire of it. If you are a Star-Trek fan, but haven't yet seen this one, you should. It's one of the most celebrated episodes of the series.