Television Review: Face of the Enemy (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S6x14, 1993)

Face of the Enemy (S06E14)

Airdate: 8 February 1993

Written by: Naren Shankar
Directed by: Gabrielle Beaumont

Running Time: 46 minutes

The Cold War may have formally concluded by the early 1990s, but it continued to cast a long and potent shadow over the landscape of American popular culture, not least within the Star Trek franchise. Its fictional universe, for decades, has served as a fertile ground for allegorical narratives where the United Federation of Planets routinely stands in for the United States and its Western allies, confronting various alien races that embody the perceived threats of the 20th century’s Soviet bloc. The Romulan Star Empire, with its secretive, militaristic, and expansionist ethos, has been the most persistent and successful of these analogues. The Next Generation frequently employed this paradigm. "Face of the Enemy", an episode from the show’s penultimate season, stands as one of the more sophisticated and successful examples of this approach, weaving espionage thriller tropes with nuanced character work and pointed political commentary.

The episode functions as a direct sequel to the notable two-part story "Unification", which featured the final appearance of the iconic Mr. Spock. That narrative provided a heroic send-off for the character, positioning him as the leader of a Romulan underground movement dedicated to bridging the generational divide between the bellicose Romulans and their Vulcan cousins. "Face of the Enemy" cleverly builds upon this foundation, exploring the practical, dangerous, and morally ambiguous work of that resistance from a fresh perspective.

It begins with a genuinely arresting teaser: Counsellor Deanna Troi awakens in a strange bed, her reflection in a mirror revealing the horrifying sight of her face surgically altered to appear Romulan. The disorientation is palpable and effectively communicated. She soon discovers she is aboard the Romulan warbird Khazara, having been kidnapped. Subcommander N’vek (Scott MacDonald) introduces himself as a member of the Romulan resistance and informs her she must assume the identity of Major Rakal, a high-ranking officer in the feared Tal Shiar secret police, as part of a delicate, top-secret mission. The stakes are established with brutal efficiency: the real Rakal was killed to enable the deception, and Troi herself was kept in the dark to preserve operational security. Her immediate objective is to use her assumed Tai Shan authority to manipulate the ship’s commander, Toreth (Carolyn Seymour), into diverting to the Kaleb sector.

Parallel to this, the USS Enterprise-D brings aboard a startling visitor: Steven DeSeve (Barry Lynch), a former Starfleet ensign who defected to the Romulans two decades prior. Immediately arrested for treason, he explains that his prolonged immersion in Romulan society led him to see the error of his ways and make contact with Spock’s movement. His return is a courier mission; he carries a message from Spock instructing Captain Picard to bring the Enterprise to the Kaleb sector to retrieve a group of high-value defectors.

Aboard the Khazara, the full scope of the mission is revealed. Troi, in her guise as Major Rakal, is to facilitate the defection of three prominent Romulan officials. The original exfiltration plan, involving a rendezvous with Corvellian cargo ships, goes awry when Troi’s empathic senses detect duplicity in the freighter’s captain. N’vek’s response is swift and ruthless: he destroys the vessel. The plan pivots to convincing Commander Toreth to secretly cross into Federation territory. The arrival of the Enterprise complicates matters, forcing Toreth to cloak her warbird. The Enterprise’s ability to maintain a track on the cloaked ship +arouses Toreth’s suspicions. A brief, calculated skirmish after decloaking provides the necessary distraction for N’vek to beam the defectors to safety aboard the Enterprise. In a final act of sacrifice, N’vek ensures Troi’s escape before meeting his own end. The episode closes on a quiet, human note, with Troi in sickbay expressing profound relief to Dr. Crusher at having her own face restored.

The most obvious narrative model for Face of the Enemy is The Original Series classic The Enterprise Incident. The episode featured Captain Kirk undergoing surgical alteration to appear Romulan in order to infiltrate a warbird and steal its cloaking device. The production team for Face of the Enemy initially toyed with the idea of bringing back Joanne Linville, who originated the role of the Romulan Commander in "The Enterprise Incident". Her unavailability led to the casting of Carolyn Seymour, an actress who had previously played the Romulan Sub-Commander Taris in the TNG episode Contagion. This recasting created a minor but noticeable point of confusion for dedicated viewers, as Seymour was now playing a second, distinct Romulan officer. Nevertheless, her performance as the shrewd, duty-bound Toreth is a standout, capturing the complex pride and paranoia of the Romulan military mind.

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of Face of the Enemy is its transformative use of Deanna Troi as an active, driving protagonist. For much of the series, Troi’s role as ship’s counsellor confined her to reactive, supportive positions. Here, she is chosen explicitly for her unique empathic abilities, which become vital tools for deception and survival. The episode forces her to inhabit the persona of a harsh, cruel Tal Shiar official—the polar opposite of her Starfleet ethos. Marina Sirtis rises to the occasion magnificently, delivering one of the strongest performances of her TNG tenure. She conveys the terror, determination, and growing competence of a civilian thrust into a deadly game of espionage, and rightly considers this episode a career highlight.

The script, written by Naren Shankar, uses this high-concept premise as an opportunity for rich worldbuilding. It adds welcome complexity and nuance to the often-monolithic portrayal of the Romulan Star Empire. The episode deftly explores the internal tensions between the traditional military hierarchy, represented by Commander Toreth, and the omnipresent, politically powerful Tal Shiar. This internal division creates a landscape of suspicion and shifting loyalties that feels authentically totalitarian, moving the Romulans beyond simple cartoon villains.

The character of Steven DeSeve provides another layer of Cold War verisimilitude. His story is a reminder that defections were never a one-way street from East to West. Like real-life Western intellectuals who defected to the Soviet Union, DeSeve was driven by ideology, initially seeing Romulan society as one built on "moral clarity" and strength. The episode subtly suggests that his return, much like that of many ageing Baby Boomer radicals, stems from a political evolution where youthful idealism hardens into disillusionment or a more conservative worldview, prompting a return to the societal fold.

This moral ambiguity is perfectly embodied in Subcommander N’vek. As portrayed with intense conviction by Scott MacDonald (who, in a neat piece of scheduling, had played the hunted alien Tosk in Deep Space Nine’s Captive Pursuit just the week before), N’vek is a fascinating figure. He is a resistance operative whose methods are as ruthless and coldly logical as the government he opposes. He murders the Corvellian captain and the real Major Rakal without hesitation, all for the "greater good" of the cause. He represents the post-Roddenberry evolution of Star Trek into a universe of shades of grey, where the line between hero and antagonist is deliberately blurred.

Face of the Enemy continues The Next Generation’s admirable tradition of striking dramatic gold when dealing with Romulan themes. It synthesises a taut spy thriller plot with intelligent political allegory and a long-overdue showcase for one of its core characters. It is one of the more sophisticated and memorable entries of the series’ penultimate season.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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