Star Trek The Next Generation
S3E10
· The Defector

Exile, Longing, and Data's Offer

In Ten-Forward Data crosses the boundary Setal erects around his grief and exile. The Romulan mourns lost landscapes, derides synthetic comforts, and exposes how the stars themselves feel stolen from him — a compact, human confession. Data’s clinical observations land like blows until, in a surprising conciliatory move, he promises to 'bring Romulus' to Setal by technological means. The beat deepens Setal’s vulnerability, showcases Data’s experimental empathy, and sets up the later holodeck sequence while raising questions about authenticity, agency, and what solace a simulated home can truly offer.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

4

Data attempts to engage Setal in conversation about the stars, provoking nostalgic despair about Romulus.

hostility to melancholy ['Ten-Forward viewport']

Setal expresses disdain for synthetic food and longs for Romulan ale, emphasizing his cultural displacement.

melancholy to resentment ['Ten-Forward lounge']

Data bluntly states Setal's irreversible exile, provoking raw emotion about lost Romulan landmarks.

resentment to despair ['Romulus (described)']

Data offers an unexpected solution—bringing Romulus to Setal through technology—creating momentary surprise.

despair to cautious intrigue ['Ten-Forward lounge']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Setal
Romulan Scout (hailing transmission)
 primary

Vulnerable grief masked by pride and irritation; alternates between restrained sorrow and sharp defensiveness to protect dignity.

Setal sits alone nursing an exotic drink and brooding at the viewport, alternately defensive and melancholic; he vocalizes exile, insults the ship's offerings, and recounts the irreplaceable landmarks of Romulus.

Goals in this moment
  • • To preserve personal dignity and test whether strangers will respect or exploit his grief
  • • To mourn and articulate the irreplaceable value of Romulus — to make the loss legible to an outsider
Active beliefs
  • • Romulus and its sights (Gath Gal'thong, Apnex Sea) are unique and cannot be authentically reproduced
  • • Others (especially Starfleet and androids) will misunderstand, trivialize, or seek to exploit his exile
Character traits
melancholic proud defensive nostalgic cynical about comforts
Follow Setal's journey
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Surface clinical detachment that shifts toward determined outreach; quietly driven to close an experiential gap through technological means.

Data sits at the adjacent table, watching and asking precise, probing questions; he registers Setal's reactions clinically yet persists until he offers a conciliatory technological solution—'bring Romulus to you.'

Goals in this moment
  • • To gather accurate observations about Setal's emotional state and Romulan experience
  • • To bridge understanding between species by applying technological problem-solving to an emotional problem
Active beliefs
  • • Understanding a person requires sustained, empirical observation and targeted questioning
  • • Technology can be used to recreate and thereby alleviate certain forms of exile or loneliness
Character traits
curious analytical persistent pragmatically empathetic socially experimental
Follow Data's journey

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 1
Emotional Echo

"Setal's longing for Romulan culture echoes Data's attempt to recreate Romulus on the holodeck."

Mask Off: Setal Declares Jarok
S3E10 · The Defector

Key Dialogue

"SETAL: I take it you've never seen a Romulan before."
"SETAL: I thought it would bring me comfort. But these are not my stars. Even the heavens are denied to me here."
"DATA: But perhaps we can bring Romulus to you."