Face of the Enemy is a Troi episode. But actually, it isn’t all that bad. It may even be (gasp!) good. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some flaws and criticisms. But on the whole, it’s an entertaining episode that draws a couple of tidy connections back to the Unification episodes.

The story begins with Troi lurking about inside a darkened room. She makes her way to a sink, turns on the lights and we get our first surprise: Troi stares back at herself (and us) looking very much like a Romulan. In a way, it’s a kind of cheap gimmick to hook us into the episode. But even so, it works.

Troi quickly learns, from a sympathetic Romulan named N’Vek, that she is on board a Romulan Warbird and is impersonating Major Rakal of the Romulan secret police (called the Tal Shiar). N’Vek wants her to help deliver some mysterious cargo to a remote location near the Federation border. The rest of the episode details how Troi deals with her circumstances and, ultimately, manages to deliver the cargo.

Troi’s performance is actually serviceable. True, there are a few cringe worthy moments, particularly when she is shrieking at N’Vek, or posturing on the bridge of the Romulan Warbird. But aside from that, her disorientation and attempts to adapt to what are, clearly, difficult situations seem both plausible and sincere — if you ignore the fact that we so very rarely see any inner strength from Troi.

N’Vek’s performance is also serviceable. He must steer Troi through the treacherous waters of the ruse. And he manages to be convincing to her, and the audience, in his passionate dedication to the mission — which he reveals is the defection of a highly placed Romulan politician. As it turns out, N’Vek is a member of the Romulan underground in which Spock was going to continue to cultivate following Unification, Part II.

The Romulan Commander is a woman named Toreth who is notable in her seemingly paradoxical nature. She is a warrior, willing to destroy the Enterprise in a heartbeat — and yet, she deplores the unexpected deaths of a mere eighteen crew members on board a derelict freighter. She seems at once ruthless and enlightened. And I’m not so sure it was purely an attempt at a complex character, or perhaps a flaw from the writers — basically altering her character for expediency.

The second part of the story involves the Enterprise and the return of a Federation defector named DeSeve. DeSeve once thought highly of the Romulan Empire but, having lived there for some twenty years, has realized the error of his ways. He returns — but he also carries a message, from Spock. If there is a fault to this storyline it is that Picard seems too quick to accept DeSeve’s sincerity. The defector is sincere, but Picard seems to take his word on faith just a bit too much.

The two stories converge around the destroyed freighter, which was to be the means by which Troi, and the defectors, made their way back into Federation space. The Enterprise arrives on the scene, unaware of the cloaked Warbird nearby. Troi must think, and act, quickly in order to complete the mission and save both herself and the Enterprise. Her resourcefulness and assertiveness are notable. And she succeeds — with the help of N’Vek who sacrifices his life for the cause.

Face of the Enemy is well paced and adequately acted. The writing is a bit suspect in some areas, particularly where characters are concerned. And for a Troi episode, this one is surprisingly entertaining and engaging.

Topics: Romulans
Filed under: TNG Reviews