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| The [[Romulan]] Star Empire (or simply [[Romulan]] Empire) was a major interstellar state encompassing the [[Romulan]] people and their subject worlds and species. The Empire was known for its xenophobic character and policies of extreme secrecy, subterfuge, and territorial expansionism. By the late 23rd century, the Empire counted among the great powers in its region of the [[Milky Way Galaxy]]. | | The [[Romulan]] Star Empire (or simply [[Romulan]] Empire) was a major interstellar state encompassing the [[Romulan]] people and their subject worlds and species. The Empire was known for its xenophobic character and policies of extreme secrecy, subterfuge, and territorial expansionism. By the late 23rd century, the Empire counted among the great powers in its region of the [[Milky Way Galaxy]]. |
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| == History ==
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| 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.
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| 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]].
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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 war's aftermath, Shinzon seized control of the Empire and attempted to launch a genocidal attack on Earth, only to be stopped by the [[USS Enterprise-E]]. It was hoped, by members of both sides, that a lasting peace between the Romulans and the [[Federation]] would follow. In 2387, the Empire suffered a major setback when the supernova of a nearby star destroyed Romulus.
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| == Territory ==
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| The [[Romulan]] Star Empire had borders with the [[United Federation of Planets]], the [[Klingon]] Empire, and the [[Cardassian]] Union. The [[Federation]]-[[Romulan]] border was defined by a fixed border known as the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]]. There was also a distant [[Romulan]] border near the outer edges of the [[Alpha Quadrant]], in a region of space where [[Federation]] starships operated on deep space missions in the 2370s. | | The [[Romulan]] Star Empire had borders with the [[United Federation of Planets]], the [[Klingon]] Empire, and the [[Cardassian]] Union. The [[Federation]]-[[Romulan]] border was defined by a fixed border known as the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]]. There was also a distant [[Romulan]] border near the outer edges of the [[Alpha Quadrant]], in a region of space where [[Federation]] starships operated on deep space missions in the 2370s. |
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| 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]].
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| == Government ==
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| 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. In 2373, Q contemplated producing a child with the [[Romulan]] empress.
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| The [[Romulan]] Senate dispatched ambassadors from time to time, for example Caithlin Dar to [[Nimbus III]] and Nanclus to the [[United Federation of Planets]].
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| == Foreign Relations & Military ==
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| [[Romulan]] military [[operations]] were supported by the War Plans Council, a high-level government agency.
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| 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.
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| == Romulan Technology ==
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| [[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.
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| ==== Cloaking Technology ====
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| 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.
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| 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. (TNG: "Redemption II")
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| 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.
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| ==== Disruptors ====
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| [[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.
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| ====Plasma Torpedoes====
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| 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]].
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| ====Shields====
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| 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.
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| ====Self-Repair Technology====
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| 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.
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| ==== Quantum Singularity Propulsion====
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| 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.
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| [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Romulan_technology Source 1: Memory Alpha] | | [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Romulan_technology Source 1: Memory Alpha] |
| [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Romulan_Star_Empire Source 2: Memory Alpha] | | [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Romulan_Star_Empire Source 2: Memory Alpha] |
