Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 3, Episode 10
Original Air Date: January 1, 1990
 |
| via Memory Alpha |
Data and Picard are interrupted during a holodeck rehearsal of Henry V by the news of an unidentified craft entering Federation space from the Neutral Zone. Romulan Admiral Alidar Jarok has defected and offers information regarding a secret installation on Nelvana III which, if true, would constitute a major treaty breach. Our heroes may be on the brink of war.
I know the Borg will ultimately emerge as the primary adversary on TNG (indeed, rather soon) but I still find the Romulans more interesting. They were initially introduced in "Balance of Terror," quite possible the best TOS episode of all. Every Romulan story afterward echoes (with varying levels of success) the mental chess match of the original. We never get the thorough world-building for the Romulans that we do for the Klingons (largely thanks to Worf) but there are meaningful drips and drops with each new tale. When Jarok requests water from the replicator, he does so in onkians, the Romulan temperature measurement. We also get a view of the Valley of Chula on Romulus, via the holodeck.
With new Star Trek series springing up all of the time, it would be great to see one set in a non-human culture. Vulcan, Klingon and Romulan characters have been prominent throughout Trek-dom and any one of those cultures would be prime for deeper exploration. For a franchise built on the idea of tolerance, it's well past time to move past the Federation.
Acting Notes
James Sloyan (Jarok) was born February 24, 1940 in Indianapolis, Indiana. After spending much of his youth abroad, he received a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His career was put on hiatus when he was drafted into the Army in 1962.
"The Defector" is the first of five Trek appearances for Sloyan, including four characters in three different series. He's made frequent guest appearances on sci-fi television, including Buck Rodgers, Quantum Leap and The X-Files. His most significant big screen role was Mottola in The Sting. Also a successful voice actor, his is the current voice on Mitsubishi commercials.
I really like this episode and this character was truly brought to life by this actor. He shows his racist contempt for Worf but changes his ways and ends up really respecting Worf. This is a sad episode and yet, hopeful. I like the old way they showed the Romulans and absolutely hate the newer looks. Balance of Terror is just one of the best episodes shown on TV period.
ReplyDeleteNo argument with your last point. Especially as I re-watched my Top 10 from TOS with my daughter, Balance of Terror was the one that stood out. Others are strong. That one is a knockout.
DeleteRomulans are center stage in Picard. I don't know how I feel about some of what they did in that show, but it may be that I just don't know enough background to appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteCurious as I am, it's likely to be a while before I get around to Picard.
DeleteOh, if it's a James Sloyan episode of Trek (TNG, DS9, or Voyager) you know it's going to be a tearjerker. Without fail. His acting was great, but I think he also inspired the writers to dig deep, too.
ReplyDeleteAs a family, we just recently watched "Firstborn," his season 7 appearance...
DeleteArguably the first great episode of the season.
ReplyDeleteYou think so? I preferred "The Enemy." The Worf dilemma in that one is quite compelling.
DeleteAbsolutely. There’s no question for me which episode pulls off the compelling Romulan. Anytime a story can center on a guest character and still have the regular cast remain compelling around them, it’s a hugely rewarding experience. “Enemy” works best in that subplot. “Defector” is compelling as a whole, and organically makes you care about “the enemy,” which is a story we all could use more of, especially in hyper-charged days like this one.
DeleteFair enough.
DeleteOverall, TNG definitely hits its stride in Season 3, though the really good stuff is yet to come.
I loved the twist that Admiral Jarok's sacrifice in defecting was just a ploy. It would be interesting to see how other species look at the Federation. I tend to doubt such a premise could carry a long-term series, but it definitely could work as a mini-series.
ReplyDeleteHow about a non-human lead character, at least?
DeleteDiscovery has a non-human captain.
DeleteRight. But the lead character is still human.
DeleteAnd really, the more I think about it, that wouldn't be enough - still tokenism.
Klingon is probably the best-developed non-human culture. Let's start there. Maybe this is my fan fiction angle...
Yeah, Discovery has a pretty diverse cast, but it's still almost completely human.
DeleteThe other idea on my spin-off wish list is a Starfleet Academy based series, a la Hogwarts, Sky High, etc.
Delete