Stefan DeSeve Stefan DeSeve was a Human male who served as a Starfleet officer during the mid - 24th century , prior to his defection to the Romulan Star Empire in 2349 . History . Defection . At the time of his defection , DeSeve held the Starfleet rank of Ensign . He was motivated by his belief that the Romulans had clear moral values and an absolute certainty about the purpose of life , something he referred to as a " strict moral compass " . However , after living on Romulus for twenty year s , he became disillusioned with their way of life . The Romulan desire for conquest and the deception employed to that end did not sit well with him . ( ) Return to the Federation . By the late 2360s , DeSeve began to sympathize with the Romulan underground movement , and decided , in part , to return to the Federation in order to deliver a message from Ambassador Spock . In 2369 , DeSeve was picked up by the at Research Station 75 , where he was summarily arrest ed for treason , which DeSeve both expected and accepted . Following his arrest , DeSeve insisted on speaking to Captain Jean - Luc Picard on an urgent matter . Picard agreed to meet with him , and relayed the message from Spock , explaining that a Corvallen freighter would arrive shortly in the Kaleb sector , carrying an important cargo that was to be transported back into Federation space . Picard considered DeSeve ' s request , after making a request of his own , to uncover DeSeve ' s motives for defecting back to the Federation . After due consideration , Picard ultimately agreed to DeSeve ' s request and set a course for the Kaleb sector . Unknown at the time , however , the Corvallen freighter , which was transporting the cargo , was destroyed during its rendezvous with the Romulan warbird . When the freighter did not arrive at its designated coordinates , Picard became suspicious of DeSeve once again , who himself did not understand why the freighter had not arrived . Picard pried DeSeve for more information , only to learn that DeSeve had neglected to mention the type of ship to expect , what the cargo was , nor that he had not in fact received his information directly from Spock as he had earlier alluded to . DeSeve explained that , at the time , the information " didn ' t seem necessary , " and that on " Romulus you learn not to volunteer information , " describing it as " a hard habit to break . " Lieutenant Worf expressed his dislike for DeSeve suggesting that the defector may be leading the crew into a trap . Fortunately for DeSeve , Picard elected to continue with the mission . After efforts to locate the freighter resulted in the discovery of its debris , and an anomalous polarized magnetic distortion . DeSeve speculated that the distortion may very well be a cloaked Warbird , and once the anomaly was discovered to be fact , revealed what he knew of Romulan tactics in these types of situations . When the Warbird finally revealed itself to the " Enterprise " , and transported three Romulans to the bridge via a disruptor beam , DeSeve was able to quickly identify the " cargo " as Romulan Vice - proconsul M ' ret and his two aides . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " Ensign DeSeve , by order of Starfleet Command I am placing you under arrest for treason . " " < br > " " I understand . " " < br > " " After Doctor Crusher declares you medically fit , you will be confined to your quarters until a court martial can be convened . Find some civilian clothes . I don ' t want to see you in that uniform . " " < br > " " The Romulans are very moral , Captain . They have an absolute certainty about what is right and what is wrong , who is a friend and who is an enemy , a strict moral compass which provides them with a clarity of purpose . At one time I found their sense of purpose , their passion and commitment , to be very compelling . " " < br > " " But not any more ? " " < br > " " As I ' ve grown older , I realise that clarity of purpose is a more ambiguous matter than I had thought in my youth . " " < br > " " You said that the message came directly from Ambassador Spock . " " < br > " " Yes . Well , not exactly . " " < br > " " What does that mean ? " " < br > " " Someone else relayed the message to me , but he said Spock spoke directly to him . I trust the man who spoke to me . He would not have lied . " " < br > " " Was he a Romulan ? " " < br > " " Why didn ' t you mention this earlier ? " " < br > " " It didn ' t seem necessary . And on Romulus you learn not to volunteer information . It ' s a hard habit to break . " " < br > " " Well , maybe now would be a good time to start . " " < br > Appendices . Background information . Stefan DeSeve was played by actor Barry Lynch . The character ' s first name comes from the script of which also describes DeSeve as , " " in his late forties , but his face is lined and worn beyond his years . He wears the unadorned uniform of an enlisted Romulan soldier . " " It goes on to describe his introductory scene as , " " The moment he sees Riker , he comes stiffly to attention . Riker reacts to the sight of the uniform ; he doesn ' t like seeing DeSeve in it . " " Several of DeSeve ' s lines were also cut from the finished episode , notably a scene in which he attempts to order a cup of " Vorcha ' ak " before realizing he should say " coffee " , references to him being disoriented and alone after his return to the Federation and a line in which he apologizes to Captain Picard for referring to him as " Commander " , stating , " " Captains , not Commanders . . . it ' s been so long since I ' ve . . . I ' ll remember . " " ( " " ; ) DeSeve ' s mention of the term " cowboy diplomacy " is a reference to Picard ' s use of the term during conversation with Spock in the episode . He is also the first character to mention the Romulan use of artificial quantum singularities on their ships , a point that will be picked up in a number of future episodes . In his review of " Face of the Enemy " , " Star Trek " author Keith R . A . DeCandido praised the character , writing , " " What I especially admire about this episode is the way that DeSeve ’ s internal conflict mirrors that of the episode . He refers to a moral certainty that was appealing to him as a youth , but as he grew older he realized that it was far more complicated than that . " " Apocrypha . In the " The Sky ' s the Limit " short story " Turncoats " , which takes place shortly after his defection , DeSeve redeems himself by retrieving and de - activating a Romulan radiation grenade that has been placed aboard the " Enterprise - D " , an action which ultimately leads to his death . Picard recommends him for a posthumous commendation and requests a funeral with full military honors for the ensign . DeSeve also has a card in the " Star Trek Customizable Card Game " .