The Defector

TNG Season 3 Episode 10
Air Date: January 1st, 1990

Plot

The Enterprise receives a distress call from a Romulan scout ship crossing the neutral zone being chased by a warbird. The Enterprise successfully rescues the Romulan who claims to be a logistics officer and that the Romulans are building a base in the neutral zone and plan to use it to attack the Federation.

Picard is skeptical and believes this is a Romulan ploy. He eventually gets the truth and that this Romulan is actually Admiral Jarok but he still claims his intel is valid. Picard eventually determines that he has to investigate just in case Jarok is not lying. When he gets there, he finds no base but two Romulan warbirds decloak and demand that Picard surrender. The Romulan that is demanding the surrender is the same one from a few episodes ago.

After some back and forth witty remarks Picard reveals the ace in his pocket as 3 Klingon birds of prey decloak and surround the Romulans. The Romulan's revoke their request for Picards surrender and head back to Romulan space.

Commentary

I remember this episode but I don't think I appreciated the writing in it as much as I did this time. It reminds me a bit of The Original Series episode Balance of Terror where both sides are playing the other and it comes down to a question of which side plays better.

Quotes

"There is much to be done. We have less than 48 hours to prevent a war, or perhaps to start one." - Picard