Alidar Jarok Alidar Jarok was a male Romulan who served in the Romulan military during the late - 24th century . History . Personal life . In the mid - 2360s , Jarok ' s home on Romulus was located near the Apnex Sea , where he lived with his wife and daughter . The experience of the birth of his child changed his character and made him reconsider his views on war . ( ) Military career . During his military career , Jarok commanded the Romulan forces in the Norkan Campaign , or what was known to the Federation as the massacre of the Norkan outposts . In 2366 , with Romulan - Federation tensions once again on the rise , Jarok became convinced that another war would destroy the Empire . For months , he argued his viewpoint futilely with the Romulan High Command , until he was censured and dismissed to command a distant sector . His loyalty now in doubt , Jarok became the target of a deliberate misinformation program by Romulan Command . He was sent false communiques , records , and orders concerning the establishment of a secret base on Nelvana III , in the Neutral Zone , in preparation for a massive invasion of Federation space . Unwilling to allow a war that would devastate both sides , Jarok stole a Romulan scout ship and crossed the Neutral Zone , seeking refuge aboard the . Claiming himself to be " Sublieutenant Setal , " he informed Captain Jean - Luc Picard of the offensive . However , Picard was skeptical , given Jarok ' s reluctance to reveal any Romulan military intelligence beyond the buildup at Nelvana III , which included the self - destruction of his ship . Only after Jarok revealed his true identity and provided the disposition of the Romulan fleet along the Neutral Zone , did Picard order the " Enterprise " - D to Nelvana III . When the " Enterprise " - D reached Nelvana III , they found no evidence of a base whatsoever – only a probe designed to send out a subspace signal and ionization disturbances . Realizing that they had fallen into a trap , the " Enterprise " - D attempted to retreat , only to be stopped by two Romulan warbird s commanded by Tomalak . Tomalak revealed the deception , and announced his intention to take the " Enterprise " - D back to Romulus as a trophy . Fortunately , Picard had planned ahead and arranged for substantial Klingon forces to follow them under cloak . Suddenly finding himself outgunned , Tomalak withdrew . Jarok , realizing that he had sacrificed everything for nothing , committed suicide by ingesting a felodesine chip . He left only a letter for his family , and the memory of his courage . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " I am not a traitor . All you can see is the opportunity to exploit me . The Federation credo , exploitation . You couldn ' t get aboard my ship fast enough . Strip it down . What secrets might it reveal that we can use ? You ' re a short sighted people . Can ' t you understand ? I came to stop a war . " " < br > " " What a fool I ' ve been . To come looking for courage in a lair of cowards . " " < br > " " Am I correct in assuming you regret your decision to come here ? " " < br > " " What I did had to be done . But to never again see the firefalls of Gath Gal ' thong , and the spires of my home as they rise above the Apnex Sea at dawn . It ' s a bitter thing to be exiled from your home . " " < br > " " I cannot betray my people . " " < br > " " You ' ve already betrayed your people , Admiral . You ' ve made your choices , sir . You ' re a traitor . Now , if the bitter taste of that is unpalatable to you , I am truly sorry . But I will not risk the lives of my crew because you think you can dance on the edge of the Neutral Zone . You ' ve crossed over , admiral . You make yourself comfortable with that . " " < br > " " There comes a time in a man ' s life that you cannot know . When he looks down at the first smile of his baby girl and realizes he must change the world for her . For all children . It is for her that I am here . Not to destroy the Romulan Empire , but to save it . For months , I tried desperately to persuade the High Command that another war would destroy the Empire . They got tired of my arguments . Finally , I was censured , sent off to command some distant sector . This was my only recourse . I will never see my child smile again . She will grow up believing that her father is a traitor . But she will grow up . If you act , Picard . If we stop the war before it begins . " " < br > " " Nelvana III , Admiral ! No base , no weapons , no sign of any life at all ! < br > But I … I saw the tactical communiques , the records , timetables for completion . An entire legion was assigned to this section ! < br > Is it possible they could have been feeding you disinformation ? You said that you had been censured , reassigned four months ago , they knew of your dissatisfaction . Could all this have been to test your loyalty ? < br > No ! No , it ' s impossible ! < br > They let you escape , with an arsenal of worthless secrets . What other explanation is there ? " " < br > " " A letter to his wife and daughter . " " < br > " " Sir , he must have known it would be impossible for us to deliver this . " " < br > " " Today , perhaps . But if there are others with the courage of Admiral Jarok , we may hope to see a day of peace when we can take his letter home . " " < br > Appendices . Background information . Alidar Jarok was played by recurring " Star Trek " guest actor James Sloyan . Whereas Jarok uses the name " Setal " as a pseudonym in the final version of , that was originally to have actually been his name . At the same early stage in the episode ' s development , Setal was envisaged as being " about 38 human years of age . " He was described that way in an early story outline for " The Defector " . Also in that document , the first things he did upon being beamed aboard the " Enterprise " were requesting asylum and then collapsing in the transporter room , whereas , in the final version of the episode , he comes aboard the ship demanding to speak with the ship ' s captain , believing he has information which is urgent and vital to the " Enterprise " - D crew . The original script for " The Defector " had Jarok becoming romantically involved with Beverly Crusher but this was later dropped . ( " " , p . 111 ) The final script gave the pronunciation of Jarok ' s name as " JAH - rock " and went on to describe the character as " " a Romulan male of about fifty ( human ) years of age . " " In his review of the episode , " Star Trek " author Keith R . A . DeCandido described Sloyan ' s performance as both " memorable " and " letter - perfect . " Apocrypha . Alidar Jarok appears in a number of non - canon works . According to the " " novel " Watching the Clock " , the Norkan Campaign that Jarok commanded took place in 2307 . In " " novel " Catalyst of Sorrows " , Jarok and his long - time friend Tal visit a jewelers in order to find a naming day gift in 2360 . While looking for the gift , the two officers speak about the futility of war and a hope for peace . These words are heard by a young spy named Zetha , who is apprenticing at the jewelers by the arrangement of her " Lord " , because military officers often frequent the shop . Despite the content of Jarok ' s conversation , Zetha does not report it to the " Lord " . Jarok is also mentioned in " A Singular Destiny " , in which the Federation character of Professor Sonek Pran writes a monograph on Admiral Jarok in 2364 , concluding he is a patriot of the highest order . One of the sources Pran uses is an officially sanctioned biography of Jarok , which had been published earlier , and smuggled into the Federation . In " The Sky ' s the Limit " short story " Suicide Note " , Captain Picard hand delivers Jarok ' s suicide note to Romulus in the year 2374 , after the Federation and the Romulan Empire have become reluctant allies in the Dominion War . In the story , Jarok ' s wife is named Ai ' lara and his daughter is named Tiaru , aged about ten or twelve at the time of Picard ' s visit . His note takes the form of a video recording , sending his love to his family and warning his daughter against the evils of paranoia and militarism , that have already damaged the Romulan Empire so much . He also stuns them by revealing that they have been under the secret protection of General Koval , one of Jarok ' s sympathizers within the Tal Shiar . The message also gives Picard the secret codes needed to reactivate Koval as an agent for Federation Intelligence . After leaving the Jarok residence , Picard signals Will Riker in the capital city , and is pleasantly surprised to learn that Koval is now the head of the entire Tal Shiar . Jarok ' s daughter Tiaru is also prominently featured in the video game " Star Trek Online " . By 2409 - 2410 , she is the commander of the warbird " Lleiset " , the flagship of the Romulan Republic , a breakaway faction from the Romulan Empire led by unificationist leader D ' Tan . Jarok also has a card in the " Star Trek Customizable Card Game " , which describes him as a " Conscientious Admiral " .