Jarok as a Traitor :: Star Trek Defector Essays Papers

Jarok as a Traitor A creator of a web page has good intentions to display to the viewer the correct information, but there is no way to tell if the creator gives an accurate representation of the information. In the episode "The Defector", Jarok does not appear to be a traitor through his actions, but the way he represents himself clearly makes him a traitor. A traitor, as defined by Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty. A defector is defined as one who leaves a situation often to go over to a rival one. During the course of the episode, Jarok is a traitor to the Romulans, the Federation, and his daughter, although he is labeled in the title of the episode as a defector. During the episode, Jarok physically joins with the Federation, which can lead one to believe he is a defector. He may have crossed over for the good of everyone, but he betrayed his country at an ideological level. He gave information to the Federation, including details of the Romulan fleet, technology, and offensive. "Jarok said that he had seen reports, fee receipts, and work orders for the construction of a military base." (Smith 30 Jan. 1996) He, also, stole a ship and claimed he had no other option, but there were, most likely, other options he could have resorted to. Tomalak, the head of the Romulans remarked at the end of the episode, " You see, Picard, after we dissect your enterprise for every precious bit of information, I intend to display its broken hull in the center of the Romulan capitol as a symbol of our victory. It will inspire our armies for generations to come. And serve as a warning to any other traitor who would create ripples of disloyalty." ("The Defector" 1 4 Jan. 1990) The Romulans planted misinformation knowing Jarok might betray their trust. Jarok believed he had valid information, which placed even greater value on these top secrets he shouldn't have revealed to the Federation. When one obtains information from a web page, the information may not be the truth. After betraying his own country, he could have come over to the rival to act as a defector; instead he represented himself as a traitor to the Federation. By using a false name, it seemed he wanted to conceal his true identity to the Federation.