Stefan DeSeve was a Human Starfleet officer who defected to the Romulan Empire in 2349. He was an ensign at the time of his defection. He originally defected because he considered the Romulans to have clear moral values and an absolute certainty about the purpose of life, something he called a "strict moral compass". After living on Romulus for twenty years he became disillusioned with the Romulan system. Their desire for conquest and the deception used for this purpose did not sit well with him.