Admiral Jarok as Noble Traitor :: Star Trek Traitor Essays Papers

Admiral Jarok was a traitor, especially in the eyes of his countrymen. The very principles that define the Romulans are honor and loyalty and in no way can his actions be seen as loyal. Although some could argue his actions were those of a defector, his actions as Romulan official in this particular situation make him a traitor. A traitor is defined as a "person who betrays his or her country, cause, friends, etc. " (Webster) The true meaning of traitor is not found in this definition, but rather in the definition of the word betray. There are several meanings, but the most important ones are "2. to break faith with, fail to meet the hopes of" and " 6. to disclose ( secret information, confidential plans etc.)" The Romulans are seen as "moral people with very clear ideas of right and wrong" (Cornelius.) For them, right means honoring and serving the Romulan people. Federation space is seen as an ominous enemy and giving helpful strategic information to them, would be considered treason. Obviously Tomalak, the Romulan leader, feels this way when he demands, with contempt in his voice, for Picard and crew to release "traitor Jarok" For Tomalak, who represents all Romulans, Jarok broke faith to his people. "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." (Tong) Jarok's actions perfectly correspond with sixth dictionary entry of betray. Even though it is assumed that the documents were a trap to catch the faltering loyalty of Jarok, a faithful Romulan would have kept them secret, even if it jeopardized their own family. Jarok did not know the documents were false or else he would not have risked all that he did in going over to Federation Space. To the Romulans, support for all the people came first. Jarok's actions might have seemed noble to those aboard Federation Space, but to the Romulans the most noble actions were those that were loyal to the Romulan cause. Tomalak would not have cared that Jarok did not want to go into any wars for the sake of his daughter. Tomalak wanted all members of his family to be safe, as well, but Tomalek stayed true to the Romulans, which he saw as the most important thing.