The Defector

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.

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.

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.

This is Star Trek at its finest. Superb plot, the writing is amazing and the performances are best in class.

The best thing here is the character reactions to Setols story, they plain don't believe him, they aren't naive, and most of the episode is spend trying to work out how much of his tale is a lie.

You just don't see stuff like this anymore. People just take what's said at face value, or maybe there's a blatant lie to be revealed but here there are so many layers. Sloyan is superb and as always Stewart is sublime.

I loved the twist at the end, on a rewatch the clues are obvious but they were perfectly written and directed to not give the game away.

I've loved this one since I was 8, and 34 years later it's still for me one of star treks finest hours.

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.