Jump to content

Romulan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jxg (talk | contribs) at 01:45, 18 March 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Romulans are a fictional race in the Star Trek universe that are descended from Vulcans. This group split off from the main Vulcan race before Vulcans were able to master the ability to control their innate tendency toward rashness and emotional outbursts. Romulans are therefore characterized as being deceitful, cunning, and brutal.

Template:Spoiler

The Romulan homeworld is Romulus, which, with several other systems, comprises the political organization known as the Romulan Star Empire. The Romulan Empire is one of the largest nations in the Beta Quadrant of our galaxy. Planets known to be under Romulan jurisdiction include Romulus, Remus, Regulus and Nimbus III. Very little is known about the Empire, largely because of the Romulans have frequently been at war with the United Federation of Planets during the past several centuries, and because the two powers have been separated by the Romulan Neutral Zone in times of peace.

This race was first seen on the screen in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Balance of Terror".

The Romulan species is actually a splinter group of Vulcans who refused to accept the Vulcan philosopher Surak's teachings of complete suppression of emotions. Around 400 CE the group split off from Vulcan society and established colonies in the Romulus system on the planets Romulus and Remus.

In the mid 1900s the Romulans and Vulcans entered into a war, which lasted until 2044. Later, in 2150, humans made first contact with the Romulans; four years later, the Earth-Romulan war began.

In 2160 the Romulans and the humans signed a treaty establishing a neutral zone one light-year wide between their territories. In 2161 humans, along with Vulcans and several other species, founded the United Federation of Planets, which continued this wary peace.

About a century later the Romulans invented a new technology, called a cloaking device, which made their ships invisible to sensors. Using a cloaked ship, the Romulans broke the treaty of 2160 by attacking several Federation outposts. In response, the Starship Enterprise tracked down the cloaked Romulan ship and destroyed it.

Several years later, in 2267, the Romulans entered a treaty with the Klingon Empire: in exchange for cloaking technology, the Romulans received several D7 battlecruisers, which were upgraded into extremely deadly war machines. (The basis for this alliance was grounded in real-world economics: the script of the episode "The Enterprise Incident" called for a Romulan ship to appear, but the original Romulan ship model was not available; rather than go to the expense of building a new one, the Klingon D7 model was substituted.)

In 2293 the Klingon moon Praxis exploded and the Klingons entered into a treaty with the Federation. This infuriated the Romulans who, in 2311, attacked the Federation. Following some brief skirmishes the Romulans and the Federation signed a new treaty, the Treaty of Algeron, which reestablished the neutral zone and prohibited the Federation from developing cloaking technology. There were no further incidents for fifty years.

In 2344 four of the new Romulan Warbirds attacked the Klingon outpost at Narendra III. The Enterprise-C responded to the outpost's distress call and engaged the Romulan ships, but was defeated and taken with its survivors (among them Tasha Yar) back to Romulan territory. Rumors circulated in the Federation that the Enterprise's broken hull was displayed on Romulus, to boost the morale of Romulan Academy students. The Klingons considered this action dishonorable, which strengthened relations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, and also initiated a Romulan-Klingon war, which lasted several years. The Romulans eventually launched a raid on Qo'nos and destroyed 5 K'vort class birds of prey, 10 Vorch'a Battle Cruisers, and 7 B'rel class birds of prey while only losing 5 Warbirds.

In 2366 the Romulans attempted to trick the Enterprise-D into crossing the neutral zone, where two Romulan Warbirds were waiting to destroy the Enterprise. Captain Picard, however, was assisted by three Klingon Birds of Prey (K'vort class); the Romulans, evenly matched, decided that the price of the Enterprise's destruction was too high and retreated. ("The Defector")

In 2367, the Romulans brainwashed Federation lieutenant commander Geordi LaForge in an attempt to incite Federation-Klingon war, but the plan was exposed and failed. ("The Mind's Eye")

Later in 2367, during the Klingon Civil War, the Romulans secretly backed the House of Duras. Federation Captain Picard, discovering this, convinced Federation-friendly Gowron to attack Duras's forces in order to draw Romulan reinforcements out of hiding; when the Romulans attempted to enter the fray, they were revealed by a Federation blockade, and Duras, exposed as a traitor, lost all support. ("Redemption, Part I")

Around 2368, the Vulcan Ambassador Spock was on Romulus, working with an underground movement for the reunification of the divided races. The Romulans saw this as a chance to conquer the Vulcans and sent a fleet of ships toward Vulcan, but their intent was discovered and the fleet destroyed. ("Unification")

In 2371 the Federation obtained a Romulan cloaking device, under the condition that it be used exclusively in the Gamma Quadrant against the emerging threat of the Jem'Hadar and the Dominion. ("The Search")

Several months later the Romulan Tal Shiar intelligence agency and their Cardassian counterparts, the Obsidian Order, launched a preemptive strike against the Dominion; their entire fleet of 20 Warbirds and 20 Kelvan class Cardassian vessels, however, was destroyed, and it was revealed that the Tal Shiar officer leading the attack was actually a Dominion agent. ("The Die Is Cast")

Soon after, as the Dominion War began,

The Romulans entered the Dominion War allied with the Federation and Klingons, but soon after signed a nonaggression treaty with the Dominion and withdrew.

In 2374 Federation Captain Sisko and Garak tried to trick the Romulans into joining the war against the Dominion by creating fake recordings of a Dominion strategy meeting in which the Dominion revealed their intention to conquer the Romulans along with the Klingons and Federation, and showing them to a high-ranking Romulan Senator, Vreenak. Vreenak discovered the deception and attempted to leave to inform his government, but Garak sabotaged his shuttle and he was killed. When the Romulans examined the wreckage, they discovered the recordings; assuming the incriminating defects to have been caused by the explosion, the Romulan Star Empire entered the war against the Dominion. ("In the Pale Moonlight")

In 2375, after joining the Klingon-Federation alliance, the Romulans established a presence on Deep Space Nine and secretly began stockpiling weapons on a Bajoran moon. However, Bajoran Colonel Kira, with the assistance of Starfleet Admiral Ross, forced the Romulans to back down and remove their weapons. ("Shadows and Symbols")

In 2375 Section 31 attempted to assassinate Koval, the new head of the Tal Shiar. This plot was foiled by Julian Bashir, who was being used by Section 31 as a spy, with the assistance of Romulan Senator Cretak. ("Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")

Later in 2375 the Federation-Romulan-Klingon fleet broke through Dominion lines and headed for the Dominion high command on Cardassia Prime. The fight went badly, however, until a Cardassian uprising headed by the former leader Damar turned the Cardassian fleet against the Dominion. After this, the Dominion was defeated and the devastating Dominion War was ended. ("What You Leave Behind")

In 2379 the Romulan Senate was briefly overthrown in a Reman uprising led by Shinzon. After the Praetor and senators were killed, Shinzon became Praetor and the Remans took over the Senate; he was, however, overthrown by Captain Picard, who returned the government to the Romulans. Relations between the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets improved somewhat because of Picard's assistance. ("Star Trek: Nemesis")

Other than this brief history, not much is known about the Romulans. Data did imply in Nemesis that the Romulans use a caste system, but little else has been revealed about Romulan society, government, or culture.

Books

The author Diane Duane has written a number of novels about the genesis and culture of the Romulan people, chief among which are The Romulan Way and My Enemy, My Ally. Duane developed a Romulan language in these novels, but it has not been used in any of the Star Trek series or films.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romulan&oldid=2821198"