6.14 Face of the Enemy

Rating: 2.5

Troi awakens to find herself made up as a Romulan. She has been cast in the role of a feared Tal Shiar officer, to aid in the defection of a high-ranking Romulan official – the first in what Commander Spock hopes will be a long series of Romulan defections.

Comments

After Troi’s only line in the previous episode was, "Concerned", it was nice that she got a starring role in this episode. Marina Sirtis handles it well, appearing believable as a tough Romulan secret agent, yet showing compassion to Nvek when they speak privately.

Nits

If the underground could enter Federation space (at the conference) and kidnap Troi, why didn’t they just use this opportunity to drop the dissidents off as well?

Rather than jeopardize the entire mission by kidnapping a possibly unwilling Federation officer, why not send some kind of coded message from Spock to Starfleet first, explaining the mission and requesting a volunteer?

It’s perhaps unbelievable on some level that the sensitive Counselor could truly be tough enough to pull off this mission.

Memorable Moments

•    The evocative music in the opening scene, filmed almost in darkness, as Troi slowly moves toward a mirror and a light.

•    The appearance of Troi as a Romulan, and the reaction of the bridge crew to this sudden surprise.

Quotable Quotes

Romulan Commander: Why should we go to the Caleb sector? It’s virtually deserted!
Troi: Because those are your orders!