The Enterprise intercepts a distress call from a Romulan scoutship, where the pilot hails them and requests asylum- and if that weren't enough, they see a Warbird right behind it in pursuit. After the scoutship enters Federation space, heavily damaged, Picard orders the Enterprise shields extended around it, and is then surprised to see the Warbird head back into the Neutral Zone without an argument. They take the ship in tow and beam over the defector, Sub-Lt. Setal, who claims to have vital information about a new Romulan offensive, and wants to stop a war before it starts.

Everyone is understandably skeptical of both Setal's claims and his status as a defector, particularly when faced with evidence such as his scoutship self-destructing. Data scans the Nelvana system (Setal claims there's a base on Nelvana Three, in the Zone), and finds nothing. Picard, after receiving a message from Starfleet Command saying it's his decision, calls in Worf. Later, as the ship reaches the closest point to Nelvana Three that's still in Federation space, Data launches a Class-1 probe.

While Picard asks Worf to take a communication from a Klingon ship, Setal's interrogation proceeds, ending with Riker convinced Setal's simply a spy. Then, after the probe finds unusual subspace emissions in the area, but nothing on the surface (could the entire base be cloaked?), Data shows Setal Romulus on the holodeck. He sadly says his home is now denied him, then tells Data to arrange a meeting with Picard, giving his true identity- as Admiral Jarok.

Picard, still not convinced, reminds Jarok of his past deeds (considered "butchery" by the Federation, but heroism by the Romulans) and demands proof. Even when Jarok tells him that he is doing this to save both sides and to let his baby daughter grow up, Picard only drives home that Jarok has crossed over, and demands proof again. Jarok, beaten, gives all the information he can, including the location of the Romulan fleet and information about cloaking technology. Picard informs his staff of this, and orders the ship to Nelvana Three.

At the Zone border, Riker is uneasy to find no "greeting party", and becomes still more uneasy when the ship reaches Nelvana Three and finds absolutely nothing. When Jarok is visibly shaken by this, Picard deduces that he was being fed disinformation, both to test Jarok's loyalty and to lure the Enterprise into a trap. As they try to withdraw, they are caught by two Warbirds, led by Commander Tomalak, who gloatingly addresses Picard as the aggressor and demands surrender. When Picard refuses and Tomalak says he expected "more than an empty threat", Picard says he shall then have it, and the three Klingon Birds of Prey who came with them decloak. Tomalak withdraws with as much grace as he can, but Jarok commits suicide, leaving only a letter to his daughter.

Highlight Listing:

"The Defector." A Romulan defector leads the crew into a showdown that could erupt into a full scale war.

Advertising Headline:

DEATH TRAP! Will Captain Picard be tricked into war by the Romulans?

TV log listing:

Can crew trust Romulan fugitive on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

Technical design, graphic design, interactive features, HTML & CGI programming by Andrew Tong. || All materials Copyright © 1987-1995 by their respective authors. || Document created: January 28, 1995 || Last Modified: July 12, 1999