An ageing Starfleet Admiral boards Enterprise for a mission of hostage negotiation.
This episode is based on a strong idea and story for a character and large parts of it are quite thought provoking, however the visuals and aspects of the guest star performances are weaknesses.
I love the story of Admiral Jameson, particularly his history with Mordan IV and (to a point) the main sci-fi concept surrounding his condition. This contains some fascinating points on these types of negotiations between opposing factions, the compromises made and the long lasting ramifications. The age reversal idea is a good one and fits in well with the main plot and the desire to turn back the clock and do things differently.
Unfortunately, the gripes that many reviewers have about the make-up effects are legitimate and you only have to read about the production history of this episode to find out that the effort to make Clayton Rohner look old was something the crew were disappointed with. For a story told by film it is distracting.
Rohner is the main star and the quality of his performance is a mixed bag. At times he is excellent, but he has the tendency to stray over the top and this sadly makes the character too unlikeable for someone who has so much screen time. Marsha Hunt is okay, but her character is not particularly inspired. Michael Pataki is good, but his character is not written in a likeable or sympathetic way, which makes his performance and much of the scene annoying.
The show regulars are solid, especially Patrick Stewart who raises the standard of the episode so that can be enjoyed.