Why was the Romulan spy put down by Tomalak, and banished from the Romulan Empire? Was he not acting on behalf of the Romulans? On orders?
Jarok wasn't a spy. He legitimately did defect to try and stop a war. The only thing was the whole invasion story was a fabrication to test Jarok's loyalty after he had spoken out against Romulan expansionism. This is a pretty good Xanatos gambit really. If Jarok was loyal, they'd be sure of it. But since he isn't they get a chance to ambush the Federation and rid themselves of a disloyal voice all in one stroke. Gotta love Romulan politics.
The question was pretty much answered, but I'll just add that this was a wonderful episode. I loved how Jarok was a three dimensional character. He didn't see himself as a traitor who wanted to cause harm to the Empire. In his eyes, he was taking the only action he could that would have the best outcome for his family, and his people.
probably my favorite romulan episode ever. This is a great followup to "The Enemy", as it takes place a couple months later and Jarok references the events of "The Enemy" and Geordi's part in it. Both include Tomolak as well.
Absolutely good episode all the way around - the story, the acting, the music, action, etc. and definitely a good follow-up to "The Enemy." I love when the two warbirds decloak and the Romulan theme music starts. It was great to see Tomalak too... "It seems this time you are the one who has made an aggressive move across the Neutral Zone..." -- his smirk was priceless.
That's the one great advantage of the Romulan cloak: at an encounter, it always allows them to claim they were only the second ones to violate the Zone... Perhaps navigating when cloaked is also difficult, lending credence to all those times the Romulans claim "navigation error" for their presence in UFP space? Timo Saloniemi