Face of The Enemy

DVD, TNG S6 (Face of The Enemy)

The original, but not the best. That distinction goes to a 'DS9' episode, 'Second Skin.' It used the same idea of a character waking up in the guise of another race, but in that story it was Major Kira who became a Cardassian spy and had the commanding presence naturally, the fact that she had become her worst enemy making for a more dramatic variation. It also had further twists and was a bit more satisfying. With Troi as the character in another face it was less intense, her quiet and caring persona and job as a counsellor made it difficult to create the illusion of her being in control, made more difficult by Commander Toreth's strong presence and personal hatred of the Tal Shiar, meaning whenever there were scenes between them it was always the Commander who retained the authority even if she didn't get the last word. Troi warmed to the role and did a spectacular job under the circumstances, but it's a shame Marina Sirtis had to shout and bawl to show her authority. If it had been some other character their inherent strength and confidence would have come out naturally without volume.

I wouldn't complain too much however, for this is a proper Romulan story in the mould of 'Balance of Terror,' 'Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges,' 'Message In A Bottle' or 'Babel One/'The Aenar' from the other series'. It begins with a surprise, though it wasn't dark enough to hide that Troi looked like a Romulan, but if it was come to fresh with no knowledge and seen on an old TV or video at the time of release it probably was vague enough to maintain the mystery. It then turns into a spy adventure with Troi told she's on this mission, like it or not, and has to play out this other identity to survive. Oddly it made me think of the TV series 'BUGS' and the way they could be thrust into difficult situations like this and have to think on their feet and it had almost a similar feeling of tension to it. There's the constant threat Troi could be discovered and the way she handles each situation is a credit to her. Beverly had already had a play at black ops and now Deanna got to prove her mettle undercover in the same season. As her character had been somewhat lost in the shuffle so far this season it's refreshing to see her star in such a bold story.

That it incorporates intrigue from both Romulan and Federation perspectives makes it a rounded episode, even better when it becomes a link to Ambassador Spock and his continuing mission on Romulus. It would have been terrific if they could have had Leonard Nimoy back for a cameo, but he wouldn't have done it for a small role as he's mentioned before, so the mention of his name had to suffice. I think this is the first episode to reveal the Tal Shiar and though 'Second Skin' was the better episode it certainly stole a lot of ideas - that story was about a plot to reveal a prominent official as a member of the dissident movement by trapping him using Kira as his false daughter, and here it's about saving members of the Romulan dissident movement, so all these police state races have their underground movements opposed to the harsh rule of the government and secret services.

We've seen so much on the Obsidian Order and the enmity between the them and the Cardassian military so it was a treat to see into the Romulan version of the conflict. Commander Toreth was actually quite an honourable sort, bitter about the death or disappearance of her Father at Tal Shiar hands, but disapproving of destruction without proper cause, caring strongly about the safety of her ship and crew and her responsibilities to them. It helped to have the excellent Carolyn Seymour under the V-ridges. She'd previously played the first female Romulan seen on 'TNG' in Season 2 ('Contagion'), Mirasta Yale ('First Contact'), and would go on to the most chilling role of the holo-character Mrs. Templeton in Captain Janeway's Victorian holo-novel. She wasn't the only actor involved who had played multiple roles: Scott MacDonald was also in 'DS9' and 'Voyager' (most notably as the Jem'Hadar Goran'Agar) and does an admirable performance as the contact keeping Troi on her toes. I'd forgotten he gets blown away at the end as I felt sure his character came back on 'DS9,' but I'm thinking of Proconsul Neral of the 'Unification' two-parter.

Though we don't get as good a look round the majestic Warbird as we have on Klingon ships it was undoubtedly a treat to be aboard and the external views showed the model in its best light. The other side of the story was about a human who had defected to Romulus or at least blended in to live there, only coming to the realisation he belonged with the Federation later in life. I'd have liked that story to have been delved into far more as his situation was quite unique and compelling. It shows that there's more going on sometimes than we realise and that even humans can choose to live on the enemy's side, something that Worf would know all about. Not sure about those hair braids he's wearing this episode, though - they look far too girly, though the ponytail suited him down to the ground and would be his permanent style for the rest of his appearances.

This was another episode I saw on video years ago, long before I'd had the context of seeing the majority of the series in order, and the steady tension still impresses me as it did then. It's the kind of thing you really want to see in Trek, but so rarely do: spies and secret missions with instant death possible at any time, having to use wits to survive and adapting to the circumstances at a moment's notice. It doesn't have the pace of a modern spy thriller, but the characters are well defined and it's a strong starring role for Troi who gets to play out a completely different role than usual and proves herself an invaluable member of the Enterprise crew. If we didn't know that already.

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