Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 140: Face Of The Enemy [VHS]

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As always, plots involving Romulans seem to turn on points of honor as well as action and treachery: FACE OF THE ENEMY has all of them.

A human defects -back- from the Romulan Star Empire at the behest of Ambassador Spock, with word that Vice Proconsul M'ret wishes to defect. A victory? Perhaps: but Counselor Deanna Troy has been kidnapped by Spock's Romulan insurgency and modified to resemble a Tal Shiar operative (murdered for the occasion) and placed on board the KHAZARA, commanded by Toreth, another Romulan commander with a grudge against the people who killed her father for treason.

In a twisty plot during which Troi's Betazoid empathy makes her put on an imitation of an unscrupulous Romulan that is too good to be comfortable, Spock takes another step toward Unification via "cowboy diplomacy" and STAR TREK creates the inside of a Romulan warbird and its crew's customs.

Superbly economical worldbuilding. And, incidentally, superb research material if you happen to be writing a book on Romulans.

This is a good episode for two reasons. Since much of it is set on a Romulan warbird, we get to see things from the Romulan perspective for a change. Personalising the enemy is a ploy that is handled very well in "Face of the Enemy".
The other reason this episode works so well is the change in Troi's role. Personally, I find the character not very interesting (admittedly, that's mainly the fault of the writers) and Marina Sirtis' acting range rather limited. But Troi/Sirtis does a good job here, playing up to her role as a member of the much-feared Tal Shiar for all she's worth. Watching her terrify those around her as a means of concealing her own fear is good TV - and it's even better TV when her Romulan captor/helper is forced to realise he's created a monster.
I don't buy the concept that more secret missions like that Troi is engaged in can proceed as a result of her efforts. But that's not so important. "Face of the Enemy" is an enjoyable, though-provoking episode, in which you see one of the usual suspects acting wildly out of character - and doing it surprisingly well.

I've never been fond of Picard's "left hand", Counselor Deanna Troi, nor am I a big fan of the Romulans. While the former is played by a barely adequate actress who's trying to play a cardboard character, the latter has a ton of potential but it is potential not yet realized. This fine episode succeeds because it finally makes both Troi and the Romulans interesting.

Troi is kidnapped in a complex plot by jaded Romulans who, with the aid of the Federation, are trying to help a few prominent Romulan politicians defect to the Federation. This would be a huge political victory for the Federation and a big blow to the Romulan Empire. Troi is forced to play the role of a Romulan intelligence officer on a Romulan warship. The story is intense as Troi clashes with the commander of the Romulan ship and she (Troi) is almost exposed as a fraud on several occasions (seems she was kidnapped for her empathic abilities and not her knowledge of Romulans--which is almost nil).

Marina Sirtis, who plays Deanna Troi, comes across as a very capable actress here and I come to the conclusion that she would have been better served by the creators and writers of TNG if they had fleshed out Troi more. Troi's inabilities are not the fault of Sirtis, at least so it seems here.

This is a strong episode and, at the time, was both my favorite Troi episode AND my favorite Romulan episode. Pretty cool, eh?