Romulan: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:42, 31 March 2021

Romulan characters in Star Trek: Theurgy:

The Romulans were a humanoid race from the planet Romulus. The Romulans were biological cousins of Vulcans, as they were descended from those who rejected Surak's reforms during the Time of Awakening. The Romulan Star Empire was the Romulan state and one of the major powers known in the galaxy.

Physiology

Due to their shared ancestry, Vulcans and Romulans possessed very similar physiology, including varied skin color. Romulans had pointed ears, eyebrows that were arched and up-swept, and copper-based blood that appeared green when oxygenated in the arteries, or copper or rust-colored when deoxygenated in the veins. The Romulan heart was also gray in color, and they had a much faster heart rate than humans, at an average rate of 240 beats per minute. Most Romulans had two brow ridges above the bridge of their nose, forming a V-shape on the forehead. However, a minority of Romulans lack these ridges, making them outwardly indistinguishable from Vulcans. In addition, like their biological cousins, Romulans did possess greater physical strength than that of a Human.

Despite their common ancestry there were also many subtle internal physiological differences between Vulcans and Romulans. Their life signs registered distinctly enough on the scanners of the USS Enterprise in 2268 that officer Pavel Chekov was able to distinguish his crewmate Spock from the crew complement of a Romulan starship, though he did note the difficulty of the task.

The physical differences between Romulans and Vulcans were evidenced in Dr. Beverly Crusher's failed attempt to treat a Romulan, Patahk, who had suffered advanced synaptic breakdown, with the methods used to treat Vulcans. In fact, it was later determined that the genetic similarities between Romulans and Klingons allowed for the two species to have a compatible ribosome match to effect treatment. Like many Vulcanoid species, the Romulans also required a daily diet of Kelassium in order to avoid intestinal scarring.

In addition to this, the Romulans did not undergo the affects of Pon farr, due to not repressing their normal sexual urges unlike their Vulcan cousins. Despite this, certain Romulans are telepathically receptive to this condition. Vulcans and Romulans are genetically compatible for breeding purposes, although for many years the Romulan government denied this was a possibility, to avoid the consequences of being forced to pay reparations for any such offspring should they occur. According to Saavik, a practice of the 23rd century Romulans was to sire children with Vulcan females by rape, forcing the women to remain alive only long enough to give birth to the child. This could also be forced on a Vulcan man coerced to impregnate a Romulan woman, and in both cases the situation was seen as a great coup of social status for the Romulan. Romulans would also establish dominance among prisoners by taking wives from other species and fathering children with them, although the marriages were rarely harmonious.

Romulans were also known to be interfertile with Humans and Klingons, which was evident in the existence of both Nathaniel Isley and Devyrie Okhala (even though she latter was made fully human by the Savi).

Finally, the Romulan lifespan is noted to be still prodigious and it's not uncommon for certain members of the species to pass two centuries of age.

Psychology

Romulans lacked the rigorous mental disciplines developed by the followers of Surak. They were a passionate people, easily moved to extreme emotions.

The totalitarian nature of Romulan society, in which dissent was often a crime and Romulan security officers masqueraded as citizens, led many Romulans to be extremely paranoid. Paranoia was so etched into the Romulan psyche and character that the Romulan Senate's floor held a picture of the Romulan Neutral Zone, a symbol of everything that inhibits and threatens the Empire. Romulans also tended to be highly xenophobic, engaging in extended periods of isolationism, and could be perceived as outright racist to other species, believing themselves to be superior. At least some Romulans believed that, one day, the Romulan Star Empire would rule the entire galaxy and that Humans would be extinct.

Pride was important to Romulans as well. According to Miles O'Brien, there was no piece of technology in existence that the Romulans didn't claim they invented before everyone else. Among the Romulan people, the race also developed the concept of "Final Honor" which was something that required a Romulan to sacrifice their life to prevent them from being captured, or for their honor being taken from them.

It was a curiosity to many as to why the Romulans did not possess the same psionic talents as their parent race. Numerous debates on the subject meant that there was no certainty about the reason, with arguments ranging from it being a factor of genetics to a result of societal upbringing. Some even believe that, due to the Romulans' desire to retain their aggression, they never found the inner strength of the mind that the Vulcans possessed, thus denying them any form of potential telepathic powers. LoBrutto's historical text The Romulan Way stated that Vulcan psionic abilities died out during the Romulan migration following the Sundering because many adepts died on the journey, and new adepts could not be taught without "laying on of hands" by circles of trained adepts.

Romulan children born with physical deformities or attributes that impeded their ability to serve their society were not allowed to live, which meant that the Romulans practiced euthanasia. The development of the child was monitored closely until the age of 5. If the child was fit then they entered a rigorous training program of schooling, cultural indoctrination and physical training for 15 years. During this time, the child was regularly tested as the Romulans were reluctant to spend resources on a child that is unable to compete; such children are forever left behind.

Until the age of 20, the child was judged on whether they are physically and mentally fit by Romulan standards. If they were not, then they had to prove that they had the right to live by fighting a youth of the same approximate age. This trial by combat was to the death with the winner proving their worthiness while the loser being shown to be unsuitable to become a Romulan citizen. Once this was complete, it was compulsory for all Romulans to spend at least 5 years in the military with both sexes serving equally which provided the bulk of the Empire's military forces. After completion of this tour of duty, the Romulan was accepted as a citizen and may marry.

Language

The Romulan alphabet developed from an alphabet called Kzhad. Rihannsu was the name of the language, and it was divided into two dialects, Low Rihan and High Rihan (also known as High Rihannsu).

External Romulan Dictionary & Grammar Page

A handy website for Romulan linguistic needs:

Imperial Romulan Language Institute

Customs & Culture

In Romulan society, military/political rank influences social standing. Because Romulans were members of a militaristic civilization, who considered defending the Romulan Empire and their own personal honor of foremost importance, military service and its accompanying rank were decisive factors in determining social eminence. However, while the military played an important role in Romulan society, it was the Romulan Senate that controlled the government. Both males and females could command warships, obtain high political positions, and could be members of the Tal Shiar, the Romulan secret police and intelligence agency.

Romulan society was based upon a highly structured caste system. Unlike most of the highly evolved species in the Alpha/Beta Quadrant, Romulans still practiced slavery, in this case of the Remans, which they used for slave labor and as shock troops.

Like the Vulcans, the Romulans gave up unrestrained violence as a way of life. However, in the case of the Romulans, this was replaced with a controlled deviousness: as a species, the Romulans were generally thought of as duplicitous, a reputation reinforced by the actions of their government over time. During the 23rd century, Romulans practiced the death penalty on criminals by means both painful and unpleasant. Prior to the presenting of the charges, the Romulans allowed the accused a Right of Statement.

Reluctance to rely on overt hostility generally led the Romulans to play a waiting game with their opponents, attempting to manipulate an adversary into breaking – or appearing to break – an agreement so as to give them a solid justification for striking. They were also well-known for fearing disgrace over death. With this frame of mind, Romulan parents disposed of any newborn carrying birth defects, as the alternative would mean a waste of resources.

A common Romulan courtesy was the saying "Jolan Tru", although what exactly this meant is unclear, as it was used in the context of both a greeting and farewell, much like the word "Aloha" on Earth's Hawaiian Islands.

Food and beverages

Kali-fal was a very aromatic Romulan beverage that was said to forcibly open one's sinuses well before the first sip. In 2374, Captain Benjamin Sisko offered Senator Vreenak a glass of replicated kali-fal, which the Senator found to be a "fair approximation" but "somewhat lacking in aroma."

The jumbo Romulan mollusk was a gourmet delicacy from Romulus which was unavailable on Vulcan. Quark served jumbo Romulan mollusks to the Vulcan gun runner Sakonna in 2370 during a "business meal".

An osol twist was a Romulan confection that was said to be very tart. In 2375, Romulan Senator Cretak suggested that Kira Nerys try an osol twist when she had remarked that jumja sticks were too sweet for her liking.

Romulan ale was a highly intoxicating alcoholic beverage of Romulan origin with a characteristic blue color (ranging from a pale sky blue to a dark midnight blue). It took a while to ferment and Doctor Leonard McCoy joked that he used it for "medicinal purposes." Romulan ale was a challenge even for species as stout as the Klingons, who were usually quite resistant to the effects of alcohol.

Viinerine was a traditional Romulan food served in the military. It was served aboard the IRW Khazara in 2369, during an officers' meal attended by Deanna Troi, who was posing as Major Rakal of the Tal Shiar. When it was offered to her by Commander Toreth, Troi picked up a different dish, not knowing which contained viinerine. When the Khazara's commander told her she should have tried it, Troi said that she had "smelled better viinerine on prison ships."

History

The Romulans originated from dissident Vulcans who rejected Surak's philosophy of peace, during the Time of Awakening and emigrated from their homeworld around the 4th century. They settled on the planets Romulus and Remus, subjugating the native Remans in the process. The development of warp drive enabled the Romulans to expand their state into a Star Empire.

In 2152, the Romulans came into contact with the Human starship Enterprise. Relations between the Empire and United Earth deteriorated as the Enterprise crew thwarted a Romulan plot to subvert the Vulcan High Command. Recognizing the growing threat posed by Earth, the Romulans attempted to incite war in the region by attacking civilian shipping using disguised drones. The effort, however, backfired, as their involvement was exposed by Enterprise and spurred the formation of an alliance between the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites, the nucleus of what would become the United Federation of Planets.

Open war erupted between Earth and the Romulans in 2156, ending four years later with a humiliating Romulan defeat at the Battle of Cheron. An ensuing peace treaty established the Romulan Neutral Zone, after which the Romulans had no substantial contact with Humans for a century. In 2266, the Romulans tested Federation resolve by sending a Bird-of-Prey to attack Federation outposts along the Neutral Zone. The defeat of the Bird-of-Prey by the USS Enterprise averted war. During this period, the Romulans experienced a short-lived break in their enmity with the Klingons, resulting in a technological exchange between the two.

The Romulans viewed the 2293 Khitomer Accords between the Federation and the Klingon Empire unfavorably, as it shifted the balance of power against them. Escalating hostilities between the Star Empire and the Federation culminated in the Tomed Incident of 2311 and the Treaty of Algeron. The Romulans again ceased meaningful contact with the Federation, though they continued to war intermittently with the Klingons. In 2364, the Empire began to engage once more with the Federation, following a series of mysterious attacks on their Neutral Zone outposts.

For the latter part of the 2360s, the Romulans were locked in a cold war with the Federation, launching repeated probes of Federation space and subversive actions. Most significantly, they attempted to break the Federation-Klingon alliance, resulting in the Klingon Civil War, and to exploit the Vulcan reunification movement to invade Vulcan. Both plans were unsuccessful. The Empire's position shifted when violent contact with the Dominion in 2370 presented a common threat to all Alpha Quadrant powers. The Romulans collaborated with Starfleet in a limited fashion to counter the Dominion threat, though ultimately they opted to sign a nonaggression pact with the Dominion in late 2373.

In mid-2374, the Romulans were brought into the Dominion War on the Allied side through an act of subterfuge by Benjamin Sisko and Elim Garak. Romulan participation marked a turning point in the war and was critical to the defeat of the Dominion, the following year.

In the 24th century, a dissident movement began to gain momentum, based on the desire to learn about Vulcan and their ideals. The movement's ultimate goal was the reunification of Romulus and Vulcan. Ambassador Spock was deeply involved in this movement.

In the war's aftermath,in a failed plot to destroy the Federation, Romulan Praetor Shinzon was defeated at the Battle of the Bassen Rift, leaving Senator Tal’aura to take the reigns as the new Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire, with the support of Fleet Commander Tomalak. Commander Donatra of the Warbird Valdore had openly opposed the new Praetor, and began a rebellion backed by the strength of the Romulan 3rd and 5th Fleets. Additionally, the Reman people openly demanded a continent on Romulus and reparations for hundreds of years of slavery, which was denied them.

A Romulan blockade of Remus was the Praetor’s reply, as well as cutting food and medical supplies to the sister planet. Affairs within Romulan space have deteriorated quickly for the Federation; with the continued Reman upheaval and skirmishes with Donatra’s opposition fleet. Open Civil War began in 2380 when Donatra was able to capture and hold a number of key agricultural worlds, establishing the Imperial Romulan State.

Government & Military

At one point in history, Romulus was a sovereign nation ruled by an Empress, as indicated by Q. By the 23rd century, the highest position of power was held by the Praetor, who presided over the Romulan Senate. The Praetor headed the Continuing Committee, which was comprised of the Empire's most elite individuals, who made decisions of the utmost importance.

By the 24th century, the government of Romulus was dependent upon the Tal Shiar to maintain order and stability among both civilians and the military. The Tal Shiar was known for its brutal tactics, which included routine kidnapping, torture, and assassination. Many Romulans feared even expressing dissenting opinions in order to not bring the attention of the Tal Shiar. There were also indications that tension existed between the military and the Tal Shiar.

The ruling body of the Romulan Star Empire was the Romulan Senate, with each senator representing a province. The Senate was led by the Praetor, followed by the Proconsul and then the Vice-proconsul. The Praetor also presided over the Continuing Committee, a powerful body that held authority over Senate members. Changes of government and attendant shifts in policy were not uncommon in the Empire.

The Romulan Senate dispatched ambassadors from time to time, for example Caithlin Dar to Nimbus III and Nanclus to the United Federation of Planets.

As an expansionist power, the Romulan Star Empire claimed vast tracts of space that were outside its effective authority, for example Sector 25434. These claims were not recognized by other governments. Romulans seldom gave up territory once they had seized it. In the mid-22nd century, the Romulans used cloaked mines to assert new territorial claims. The Romulans believed their destiny to be the domination of the entire Milky Way Galaxy.

In external application, Romulan political agendas appeared largely unified over the centuries. Their goals focused on maintaining Imperial security through vigilance, and negating the perceived advantages of their rivals. Both goals were accompanied by a near-paranoid reticence to reveal information, even facts as basic as their racial identity, that might illuminate other Romulan ambitions or motivations.

The Romulan military was a powerful and technologically advanced force encompassing both spacefaring and ground forces. Despite being defeated by Earth in the Earth-Romulan War of the 2150s, the Romulan Star Empire continued to be a powerful presence, not afraid to tempt Starfleet by entering the Neutral Zone. Romulan forces were a deciding factor in the Dominion War, whose entry in 2374 turned the tide of war in favor of the Allies.

Romulan military operations were supported by the War Plans Council, a high-level government agency.

Besides regular forces, the Romulan Tal Shiar also had its own fleet of starships, and were a ruthless and powerful organization within the Empire and beyond.

Tal Shiar

The Tal Shiar was the elite intelligence agency of the Romulan Star Empire. It was a highly-respected and feared force in the Alpha Quadrant and Beta Quadrant. Its purpose was guarding the security of the Empire, both from the Romulans' interstellar enemies - most notably the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire - as well as from traitors within the Romulan population itself. The covert, often invisible presence of the Tal Shiar kept the general populace in a constant state of paranoia. Dissent and dissatisfaction with the status quo were met with severe punishment and dissidents were often known to "disappear". The base of operations of the organization was on the Romulan homeworld itself, where it was situated in the capital in a building known as the Citadel Var'Theldun.

Though they made use of vessels from the Romulan fleet, the Tal Shiar also created a fleet of Shadow class warships for its own personal use and utilized special technology to provide them an edge in battle. This class of vessel was only present for the elite of the Romulan Star Empire's forces; namely the Tal Shiar who's operations required a vessel more suited for covert operations. Their secretive nature meant that the Shadow class cruisers contained the most advanced technology available, which was all classified to such an extent that members of the Romulan Senate were not 'officially' aware of the vessels existence. They were equipped with weapons to protect itself in battle. Considering who controls such class of vessels, the Shadow class were known to carry several experimental technology that were not available within the Romulan fleet. A psychonic generator was installed that would be fired from the deflector dish that was capable of piercing the shields of a ship and killing the crew within. While an efficient energy convertor was present within the ship that allowed it to convert the ships own energy reserves to reinforce the shields of friendly vessels. Furthermore, the ship showcased the Romulan attempts at holographic technology which was in the form of a holoemitter that was capable of altering the sensor profiles of enemy ships which would bring enemy ships firing on each other as they believed each other to be enemies. Finally, a working Interphase generator was present on the ship that allowed it to move, while cloaked, through matter by phasing by solid objects.

In 2371, the Tal Shiar formed a secret coalition with the Cardassian Obsidian Order, to carry out a preemptive strike against the Founders' homeworld in the Dominion. As part of this operation, they carried out the assassinations of several former Obsidian Order operatives, including (unsuccessfully) Elim Garak. However, the Tal Shiar itself had been infiltrated by the Founders, and their combined fleet of twenty ships was ambushed and annihilated at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula. Unlike the Obsidian Order, the Tal Shiar was able to be rebuilt after the attack on the Founder homeworld. In 2374, operatives of the Romulan Military hijacked the prototype Prometheus-class starship and attempted to bring it to the Empire. They were supposed to bring it to the Military but received orders during the operation to deliver it to the Tal Shiar's fleet instead.

It was common practice for the chairman of the Tal Shiar to be a member of the Continuing Committee. This was initially not the case for Chairman Koval, who was kept off the Committee, as he had often displayed anti-Federation sentiment and was opposed to the Federation Alliance against the Dominion. Senator Vreenak was the Vice-Chairman of the Tal Shiar during the 2370s, up until his untimely death in 2374. The Tal Shiar reported only to the highest levels of the Romulan government, and even so they undertook many missions without the direct knowledge of the Romulan Senate, conducting operations with virtual impunity throughout the Empire. Their authority superseded that of most Romulan military commanders, resulting in a mutual distrust and hatred between the two organizations. The Tal Shiar operated their own fleet, often to their own aims. The next chairman of the Tal Shiar during the Dominion War, Koval, was in fact a Federation collaborator who was planted in preparation for feared hostilities following the war. Following covert maneuvering orchestrated by Section 31, Koval became a member of the Continuing Committee from which he had been previously excluded.

In the aftermath of Shinzon of Remus' death and his slaying of the Imperial Romulan Senate, the Tal Shiar would be one of the many factions seeking dominance of the Star Empire. It would be led by Director Rehaek at the time and worked secretly in order to secure a power base in the new government that struggling to form during the Romulan Civil War.

Tal Shiar Sub Divisions

The Tal Shiar was divided into numerous sub divisions each of which performed a different function. It was noted that there was some elements of competitions between these bodies but agents often were transferred from one branch to another in order to discourage competition. This was to encourage its members to work as a unified whole in order to fulfill their mutual goal which was the protection of the Star Empire. The security clearance of an agent determined how much they knew about ongoing operations with some being known to all whilst others being so secretive that only the Chairman and a select few were aware of their existence.

Internal Security Division

This branch of the Tal Shiar is one that is often encountered and is tasked with monitoring the population in order to ferret out signs of disloyalty and arrest those who prove to be a threat to the Romulan Star Empire. Its agents have broad discretionary powers in determining what is disloyal and is a threat though they do occasionally allow some of these individuals to escape in order to locate their co-conspirators. This makes their enemies unaware of when or where the Internal Security Division will strike which creates an atmosphere of fear or paranoia which keeps many citizens in line.

Though they make extensive use of their agents, the Internal Security Divisions greatest resource is the people themselves. Loyal Romulan citizens are asked to keep watch for suspicious behavior and report it to the Tal Shiar. This allows Internal Security to take action where they round up the traitor, his accomplices, family and even friends. Those that challenge these arrests are seen as collaborators and are also taken away where they are placed in re-education camps in order to be conditioned to remove their disloyalty after which they are returned as productive members of society. This differs amongst the more radical elements who are taken away and simply disappear where they are never seen again.

Some within the Romulan Star Empire believe that the Internal Security Division has too much power allowing them to arrest loyal citizens who speak their mind or conduct political "witch hunts". Their interrogation methods are known to be brutal from torture to the use of holographic environments to deceive the "traitor". Some say that this was a necessary action when the Empire was young and needed to enforce authority as well as suppress rebellions. However, these words fall on deaf ears as the Internal Security Division has little desire to end their methods which they see as efficient. In turn, critics keep their opinions to themselves for fear of being rounded up by the Tal Shiar as retribution as its commonly see that those who challenge the intelligence agency are traitors that need to be removed.

Military Affairs Division

The Military Affairs division works in a similar manner as the Internal Affairs Division but its charges are the military itself. As such, this division works to ensure loyalty among military personnel from its lowest ranks to the Admirals themselves. The agents of the Military Affairs Division constantly keep tab on officers throughout the fleet and armed forces. In fact, it has agents within the military who maintain cover identities while reporting everything they see or hear to their superiors in the Tal Shiar. Members of the military have even more to fear from these agents then civilians and are accustomed to being watched by such agents with many worrying that a single word from such officers of the Tal Shiar will end their prosperous career.

This division act as liaisons from the Tal Shiar to the military where they can re-acquisition ships or troops for various operations and can even order these assets across the Romulan Neutral Zone. They are not required to explain their actions other than the fact that its for a Tal Shiar mission. Though they make use of the military for these tasks, the intelligence agency sees them nothing more then pawns. This has resulted in a great deal of resentment from the military namely from the Romulan Star Navy and the Tal Diann. This is because they see the very nature of the Military Affairs Division as an affront to their oath to the Romulan Star Empire and believe that while they sneak or spy on them, the military is dying in service for the greater glory of the state. Like civilians, the officers within the military rarely speak their mind in public in regards to the Tal Shiar as they know that the agency has the habit of ruining careers.

Special Operations Division

Among the Tal Shiar, the Special Operations Division is known to officially handle emergency situations and serious threats to the Romulan Star Empire though unofficially it controls all operations outside the government, namely missions directed at other interstellar states. This makes it one of the more secretive branches of the Tal Shiar as many of its operations are illegal under the treaties with other governments. Its primary goal is gathering information on species that lie outside the Romulan Star Empire. As such, it has numerous agents with some being surgically altered to appear as non-Romulans. Some are perfectly capable of acting as Vulcans though this requires considerable training in order to forsake the passionate Romulan way in favor of the cold logical attitudes of the Vulcans. Beyond these approaches, its known that they use their data gathering methods to blackmail officials on other worlds in order for them to compromise their planet's security in some way or use them to gather more important information.

The information gathered by this division is used to plan military operations as its the nature of the Romulan Star Empire to test their enemies before engaging in open conflict. This means that the Special Operations Division often tests other civilizations in order to determine whether they are capable of challenging the Romulan state. They also work to destabilize threats such as the Federation/Klingon alliance which is done so through covert means such as "sleeper" agents that are created through brainwashing or undercover operations. The techniques of the Tal Shiar often aim to sow mistrust and paranoia within the Star Empire's enemies.

Intelligence Analysis Division

This division works to study all the information gathered by the other divisions and determine conclusions from them. This makes them experts in code breaking and decryption procedures which make use of highly advanced computer algorithms. It is the encryption experts from the Intelligence Analysis Division who maintain the extensive security systems of the Romulan Information Network. This divisions makes regular reports to the Chairman and to the Romulan Senate keeping both appraised of information both internal and external the Romulan Star Empire. These reports are the most accurate and up-to-date information available to the Romulan government though some believe that the Chairman censors certain pieces of data for reasons of public safety and security.

Among the duties of the Intelligence Analysis Division also include compiling information on the more serious threats to the Romulan Star Empire such as those represented by the Borg Collective and the Taurhai Unity.

Research and Development Division

Through the Research and Development Division, the Tal Shiar make constant attempts at developing new technology for use in its work. The purpose of the division was to design and test new devices for use by the agents of the Tal Shiar. Its been known to analyze scientific data gathered by agents which includes the technologies of other civilizations in order to determine their usefulness to both the organization and the Romulan Star Empire.

There were rumors that the Research and Development Division were more concerned with getting results then in producing safety or testing procedures for the technology it was developing. This combined with the classified nature of their work meant that the R&D facilities were often located in deep space stations or on distant planetary bodies. The location of these assets were known only to a select few as they were considered a state secret with only members of the Tal Shiar along with certain members of the Romulan Star Navy knowing of them. In case of the latter of the two, these members of the fleet were often the officers in command of the supply ships sent to the outposts and even these individuals were not privy to the details of the nature or purpose of the facilities they visit.

The technology this division were known to work on were weapon, defensive and cloaking systems along with tools for use during espionage missions. This division often sought to create more powerful disruptor weaponry and were even known to create miniaturized versions that could be disguised as ordinary tools that were shielded from conventional scans. They also worked on the applications of offshoot disruptor technology such as the Veron-T type disruptor which tore its enemies apart on a molecule by molecule basis from the inside out. Furthermore, they were known to have produced perfect replicas of Federation, Klingon and Cardassian weapons for covert missions leading others to believe that the Tal Shiar had procured illegal copies sold to them. There was, however, a flaw in these replica weapons was the fact that they required Romulan energy sources to recharge them which meant that Romulan energy signatures were capable of being detected upon closer examination.

The Research and Development Division were also involved in the development of better cloaking technology and have attempted to find a practical means of cloaking entire planets. Recent creations include cloaks for space stations as well as a small scale personal cloak camouflage suit which possessed holographic properties that were capable of hiding an individual Humanoid from visual as well as sensor based scans. There have, however, been a number of difficulties as the Tal Shiar research branches have been unable to mask the distortion effect of the cloak within a planetary atmosphere along with the high power requirements for even smaller personal cloaking devices. Largely, these problems appeared to have been solved but the technology remains experimental and not for public use.

In addition, the division produced miniaturized and concealed sensors, computer devices, surveillance equipment, explosives, concealed personal armor, incapacitating drugs and other chemicals along with many other types of items. The Research and Development Division was responsible for the creation of the Shadow-class warships.

Mind War Division

This division was devoted to developing as well as the refinement of new technologies and techniques for interrogation, brainwashing, intelligence gathering and psionic warfare. Similar to the Research and Development Division, Mind War at times crossed the lines between the other branches and sometimes affected all parts of the Tal Shiar with its discoveries as well as its methods. It was originally a sub division of R&D but grew rapidly to the point that was eventually given its own separate division. Despite this being the case, Mind War and R&D often worked closely on the development of new technologies.

It was the Mind War Division that was responsible for the experiments preformed on Drauc T'Laus and his brother.

Temporal Assessment Group

This sub-branch within the Tal Shiar works in a similar capacity as the Federation's Department of Temporal Investigations.

Romulan Technology

Romulan technology was often cited as one of the reasons why the Romulan Star Empire was regarded as such a dangerous foe in times of war. The Romulan Ministry of Science oversaw the scientific research of the Romulan Star Empire. The Romulan Astrophysical Academy was a division within the Romulan science community. The Romulans were known to have developed a multitude of different technologies that are either the first of their kind or unique to the Romulan Star Empire.

Cloaking Technology

The Romulans were the first known race to develop the cloaking device stealth technology, first observed on Romulan mines and the Romulan Bird-of-Prey in 2152.

The Romulans and the Federation long engaged in a tech war of cloak and cloak detection. In 2152, a quantum beacon proved an effective counter measure for detecting less advanced cloaks such as those found on Romulan mines, but not those on early Romulan Birds-of-Prey. In 2368, the Federation developed the tachyon detection grid, a technique that allowed for the detection of Romulan vessels of the day.

By 2379, the Star Empire had perfected the cloaking technology. The cloak of the Reman Warbird Scimitar produced no tachyon emissions and left no residual antiproton traces for detection. The Scimitar was the only vessel in the Star Empire known to have overcome the long standing problem of not being able to raise shields or fire weapons when the cloaking device was active. The only known way to counter these latest cloaks involved the use of telepathic races such as Betazoids to detect an enemy crew by sensing their thoughts.

Disruptors

Romulan energy weapons were described by Spock in 2266 as being superior to those of the Federation. The Romulans were one of three races, along with the Klingons and the Breen, who were known to use the type 3 disruptor. When fired, a Romulan disruptor left behind residual antiproton particles that remained for several hours.

Plasma Torpedoes

First known to have been used by the Romulans in 2266, plasma torpedoes were an extremely powerful but an energy-intensive weapon system. This type of high-energy plasma weapon was first encountered by Starfleet when a Romulan Bird-of-Prey destroyed several Federation outposts near the Romulan Neutral Zone.

Upon detonation, the torpedo unleashed an overpowering energy plasma that caused an implosion in the target. Even rodinium, the hardest material known to the Federation, could not withstand this kind of attack. A single torpedo was capable of catastrophic damage and its destructive potential against fortified targets was unmatched.

The torpedo was capable of going into warp, but the effective damage output decreased the longer it was in flight. If the torpedo had a flaw--it was limited by range, such as when the Bird-of-Prey fired on the USS Enterprise, the Starfleet vessel was able to maneuver out of its most effective range, so that when it did hit them, its effectiveness had dissipated and the damage to the Enterprise was fairly minor.

The only other races to have used plasma torpedoes are the Kazon and the Cardassians, but the first documented usage of plasma torpedoes by these races occurred more than a century after the Romulans, in the early 2370s.

Shields

Standard Romulan deflector shields were believed to be at least on par with those of the Federation. However, the most advanced example of shield technology in the Romulan Star Empire was present on the Scimitar, which was equipped with both primary and secondary shields. The ship endured at least thirty-two phaser hits, twenty disruptor strikes, and twenty torpedo impacts in a single engagement at the Battle of the Bassen Rift, exhausting the weapons complement of the Enterprise-E, and was still able to maintain 70% shield strength.

Self-Repair Technology

The Romulans were known to be able to equip their ships with a self-repair technology, principally used on the Romulan drone ship in 2154.

Quantum Singularity Propulsion

In the 24th century, an artificial quantum singularity served as the primary power source for large Romulan spacecraft, such as the D'deridex-class Warbird. Once activated, the singularity core could not be shut down.

Mythology

Romulan myths stated that their race was forged in Vorta Vor. Known as the Wellspring of Creation where the ancient Vhorani created their race.

Romulans believed in the Way of D'era which dictated that they were destined to rule the galaxy, which was perhaps the source of their arrogant views as well as their belief in their own superiority. It came from the teachings of Tellus, who stated that their people were the children of the Vhorani, who made the Vulcan race to become their inheritors to a great destiny of controlling the galaxy. Therefore, under these teachings, all other races were inferior to the Romulan people.

Some reports even indicated that Romulan writings that their ancestors were told by a race of great beings called the Great Brothers who were possibly the Preservers gave them a responsibility to build a Road to the Stars in order to join their gods at the end of their task. Furthermore, these stories stated that that they were given enough just to start the "Road" and that it was their duty to build upon it further, which made Romulan expansionism a religiously motivated behaviour. Their relationship with the Great Brothers was not entirely clear, but a shrine of them existed in each family temple. The dictates of D'era became the source of the Romulan concept of honor which differed greatly compared to the Klingons, for it was not a warrior-like concept, but a reflection of the accomplishments made by the individual on a family, personal and imperial level. Another concept that was viewed religiously by certain Romulans was a belief in the Elements which they believe embody the universe itself.

Interestingly, the Romulan had their own concept of a mythical creature that would die in fire and be reborn such as the Phoenix of Earth myths. It was known as Alth'Indor in the Romulan language. In addition to this, certain demons existed within Romulan beliefs. One such creature was a demon lord called Bettatan'ru who certain Romulans prayed to in order to achieve their goals. Statue representations of Bettatan'ru could be found within the Romulan Palace on Romulus where it appeared as a horned humanoid creature with cloven hooves and black fangs where red smoke emanated. It always possessed a smiling face that often portrayed it as gloating over those who approach it. Its arms were typically outstretched as if it were attempting to grab those that came before it.

Eitreih'hveinn, or the "Farmer's Festival", was one of nine major religious festivals on the Romulan calendar. This holiday was started to honor domestic produce. On this day, only priest-sanctioned food may be eaten.

Source 1: Memory Alpha
Source 2: Memory Alpha
Source 3: Memory Alpha
Source 4: Memory Beta