Episode complete credited cast: | |||
Patrick Stewart | ... | Capt. Jean-Luc Picard / Michael Williams | |
Jonathan Frakes | ... | Cmdr. William Riker | |
LeVar Burton | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge | |
Michael Dorn | ... | Lt. Worf | |
Gates McFadden | ... | Dr. Beverly Crusher | |
Marina Sirtis | ... | Counselor Deanna Troi | |
Brent Spiner | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Data | |
Wil Wheaton | ... | Wesley Crusher (credit only) | |
James Sloyan | ... | Setol / Adm. Alidar Jarok | |
Andreas Katsulas | ... | Cmdr. Tomalak | |
John Hancock | ... | Adm. Haden | |
Simon Templeman | ... | John Bates (as S.A. Templeman) |
Data was discovering the human condition by Shakespearian acting, when Picard gets informed a craft entered the Neutral Zone. It's identified as a Romulan scout, which claims to need urgently asylum from a persecutor. The wounded Setol gets it, and warns the Romulans nearly finished building a base on a planet in the Neutral Zone, in order to occupy it and from there strike 15 neighboring Federation zones with a fleet of war birds, which would mean another full war, but still remains rather defensive, at times hostile. Commander Riker and counselor Troi are charged with questioning him further, in case it's a ploy to lure them into the zone as a war pretext. The admiralty refuses the Empire's demand to return the defector, and orders Picard to find out if the threat is real. After technological means came to contradictory conclusions, Setol discloses his real identity, and that's not the last surprising twist... Written by KGF Vissers
Worth it for not only James Sloyan's incredible work as the title character, and the performances by the series regulars which met all their usual standards and then some, but for the incredible delivery of one of the best "promos" ever in Star Trek history by Andreas Katsulas on Picard and the Enterprise near the end. Just awesome, awesome, awesome... truly the crescendo of the episode. Watching Sloyan, Katsulas and Stewart in that scene is incredible. When I heard today that Mr. Katsulas had passed on, it was one of the first memories of his performances that came to mind. Cool, perfect, and utterly gripping.