Romulan Star Empire (Star Fleet Universe)
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This is an article about the Romulans as they exist in the Star Fleet Universe and not as they appear in various canon Star Trek sources. If you are seeking information about mainstream Star Trek, see the above link.
In the fictional Star Fleet Universe, the Romulan Star Empire is a large interstellar state based off the material presented in Star Trek: The Original Series. It is a consistent enemy of the Gorn Confederation and United Federation of Planets, and eventually joins the Coalition with the Klingon Empire and Lyran Star Empire in the General War.
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[edit] History
The birth of the Romulan Star Empire began nearly 2400 years before Y1 (the year Humans contacted the Vulcans) on one of the core worlds of the Federation, Vulcan. At the time, Vulcan was torn by repeated wars and came close on a number of occasions to self destruction. Near the end of one of these world wars, a growing movement was born to find a better way. Soon, two philosophies rose above the rest. The best know was Surak's path of "Kya-yai," commonly translated as "logic." But not all agreed with this extreme regulation of emotion and action. One of Surak's former students, Taneak, sought instead to channel Vulcan energies into expansion and empire building. "Kiay ri-ha-nai," "unifying duty," attracted many from areas of the planet less devastated by the recent wars. At first, the followers of Kiay ri-ha-nai believed that Vulcans would come to their view, but as Kya-yai became more and more dominant, they became more militant and desperate, eventually becoming a terrorist movement.
In the end, the followers of Kiay ri-ha-nai were defeated and given a choice of conversion to the principles of Kya-yai or exile. 9,000 chose to stay, but 35,000 accepted the offer of exile. Using early FTL technology that the Vulcans had already possessed, they packed into 30 to 35 colony ships equipped for a forty year voyage away from Vulcan. They headed to the galactic east, knowing that strong signals came from the west (probably the Old Kings, previous masters of the Klingons), and had been warned from interfering in the affairs of nearby worlds already detected (Andor, Earth, Alpha Centauri, et. al.). As for the Vulcans, they tried to forget a troubling remnant of their more barbaric past.
The journey ended up taking just over forty years, but eventually the Exodus found a suitable planet, and signs of a second a short distance (on galactic scale) away. Eventually eight surviving ships would travel to that second star and find a suitable world, to be called Romulus. While 7,000 skilled and eager souls landed (backed up with a large number of preserved embryos to help jumpstart their new nation), things did not go as smoothly as they had hoped. The extended time on the ships resulted in factionalism, and soon each ship was the core of a separate state. Over the next centuries, the population boomed, but the stresses of survival and competition over resources led to many hardships, and most space technology was 'forgotten.'
Eventually, violence between the nation-states, each led by a 'noble house,' eased and more cooperation began. When several states had problems with uprisings from the houseless, the various noble houses created a committee, the "Council for the Maintenance of Order" (called "Senate" by the Federation) to provide a unifying and stabilizing front. Soon, this temporary body became the permanent governing body for the planet. The Senate was lead by a "Praetor" chosen from their own ranks, and sometimes empowered a "Dictator" for limited times of emergency.
This system worked well, but corruption and other problems dogged the system. Eventually a series of large scale revolts had to be put down. The "Dictator" charged with the final revolt's suppression would turn the system on its ear, though. Austus Tal was a talented leader and had a strong strategic mind (and the sense to leave tactical matters to those who knew more), but he also could see the viewpoint of the houseless. As a result, as he put down the revolts, he treated the followers of the rebels with respect, earning strong support from them. In the end, this, coupled with strong political maneuvering within the Senate, forced that body to make his Dictorial powers permanent. Soon, he was declared the first Emperor.
Under Austus's strong leadership, the Romulan space program was reinitiated. Quickly, a 'lost colony' on another planet in the system was recontacted and smoothly absorbed. As soon as they could recreate the lost FTL technology, they returned to the first planet they nearly surveyed and made contact with those Romulans who had stopped on Remus. While not all Remans were ready to be reasimilated, soon the Romulans won out, but they declared Remus to be the Second Capital to reinforce unity.
The Romulans quickly spread out from there, finding few resource rich worlds and no other intelligent life until they encountered the Gorn in Y33. War soon erupted as the Romulans tried to conquer the 'inferior' race before them. The Romulans won this war in Y36, but skirmishes would continue until the General War, but little change occurred.
Seeking the path back to Vulcan, the Romulans first encountered the Federation in Y40. The Romulans had a vague idea of who they fought from pre-Exodus survey records, but managed prevent their enemy from learning anything about them. It is thought that the Vulcans might have suspected the origin of the Romulans, but did not act on their suspicions. The war ended in Y46 more out of economic exhastion than any sign of victory.
In the Y70's, several Romulan vessels were lost near the galactic edge of the Federation neutral zone. Eventually, the Romulans encountered the Tholians and blamed them, but for the most part, left them alone. The truth was that the Tholians had just arrived and had inadvertently saved the Empire. The lost ships were from Klingon probes who were preparing to conquor the weaker nation.
Overall, the Romulans entered a stagnant period after the war with the Federation. Skirmishes continued with the Gorn, and a second invasion of the Federation ended in Y154 when one of the primary ships was defeated by a single Federation cruiser demonstrating their technological disadvantage. With that war, the Federation finally learned who they faced across the Neutral Zone. On the other hand, this ended some of the Romulans isolation, and some relations opened with the Federation and other nations, notably the Klingons.
Technologically, the Romulans were at a disadvanatage to their neighbors. House politics interfered with technological development as each occasionally resorted to sabotage. Tactical Warp technology was one such casualty, a weakness a Gorn commando raid enforced. As a result, while the Romulans had slow Faster than Light technology, their combat technology was limited to sublight speeds (others could actively fight at speeds up to Warp 3.1, which the Romulans could target, but not match themselves).
This ended with the Treaty of Smarba. The Federation had been threatening to interfere in the Four Powers War in Y159. The Klingons, knowing that even minor support to the Kzintis could turn the war, gifted the Romulans with Tactical Warp technology, advanced technologies (transporters, tractors and phasers), and even some older hulls. Quickly, the Federation had to rearrange it's defenses to watch this suddenly deadlier enemy.
When the Klingons invaded the Federation in Y171, touching off the next escalation of the General War, they called for the Romulans to invade too. The Romulans were hesisant at first, but knew that there would be no better opertunity to retake Vulcan. Besides, the winner might take it's frustrations out on them if they did not join. After a final round of fleet preparations, the Romulans invaded in Y174. While they did enjoy great success at first, the Federation's stronger economic base allowed them to harden their defenses, and the Gorns soon joined the Federation's side. Soon, even direct contact with the Klingons was not possible.
In Y181, the Alliance launched Operation Remus, trying to cut off the head of Romulan efforts. The operation was bloody, but finally culminated with a battle in orbit over the planet. The Romulans launched desperate defenses, and in the climax of the battle managed to knock the Heavy Carrier, USS MacArthur, from orbit. Unfortunately, the Big Mac tumbled into the atmosphere and detonated above the capital city, triggering the destruction of several power plants. The result was the utter destruction of the city, and devastation of the entire planet's ecosystem. While the Alliance was pushed back out of Romulan space, the Romulans were broken as an offensive power, but remained in the war as a vicious sideline. In the end, all sides were exhasted when the Organians ended the war in Y185.
The failures of the General War resulted in a revolt within the Empire. In Y186, a group of military officers seized the capital, overthrew the Emperor and Preator, and declared the Romulan Republic. The nephew of the Emperor, Proconsul Rolandus, declared himself Emperor and began to resist the new Republic. The military split generally in half, but most combat was skirmishes as neither wanted to destabilize the nation too much. In the end, the Civil War ended due to the ISC invasion. Rolandus and one of the lead Republicans declared a truce to push back an ISC incusion, but Rolandus was betrayed by his countryman who fired on his ship from behind. Instead of coming home in triumph, the Republican faction came back to anger at the betrayal in the face of an enemy. In the end, Rolandus's daughter, Rolindra, was put on the throne as a constitutional monarch. While inneffective at first, a mere 12 years old, she soon became a strong, charismatic leader.
By the time the Andromedan Invasion kicked into high gear in Y189, the Romulans were regaining strength and would be a major player in Operation Unity.
[edit] Culture
It is a mistake to think the Romulans are barbaric oppisites of the Vulcans. While capable of extreme cruelty when the need presents itself, the Romulans can be just as warm and caring as any human.
One of the core aspects of Romulan Culture is their devotion to their Code of Honor:
- 1. Defend the honor, territory, and property of the Empire from all enemies, internal and external.
- 2. Always be prepared to give your life for the Empire, but never give it frivolously.
- 3. In all your actions, be honest and courageous. Display integrity at all times and in all things.
- 4. Defend the position of your House and its importance to the Empire.
The Houseless typically replace #4 with devotion to their family. How each Romulan upholds this Code may differ, and many place #4 at the top, believing the Good of their House equals the Good of the Empire.
While not codified into law, Politics is normally considered a men's game. On the other hand, women are considered equals in nearly every other aspect of Romulan society, and the Empire has the highest percentage of female starship captains in the known galaxy.
In general, the Romulans consider themselves to be superior to all others. They are convinced that one day they will rule the galaxy.
[edit] Navy
Unlike most navies in the Star Fleet Universe, the Romulans operate three distinct types or generations of ships with different characteristics. This is a result of their late acquisition of tactical warp technology. Early, or 'Eagle' series ships are the original non-tactical warp designs that were later upgraded with modern technology after the Treaty of Smarba. KR (Klingon-Romulan) or 'Kestral' designs are Klingon ships given to the Romulans and modified to use Romulan weapons and technology. The new, or 'Hawk' series ships are new ships meant to use warp and cloaking technology from the keel up.
[edit] Nomenclature
The SFB designations for Romulan ships do not follow the usual navy-style pattern. Romulan ship classes are given reporting names by Star Fleet intelligence analysts, which are turned into abbreviations for the general designation.
For instance, while there are a number of types cruisers in the Romulan navy, none of them use a traditional CA designation. The original War Bird cruiser (or War Eagle, after being refitted with tactical warp, phasers and transporters) is designated 'WB' (or 'WE'). The large number of D6's that the Klingons handed over to the Romulans are simply designated 'KR'. And the new Firehawk heavy cruiser is designated 'FH'.
It should also be noted that many Romulan designs don't fall exactly into any particular common class, even though the ships will often be referred to as if they did. For instance, the King Eagle is called a Command Cruiser because it has about the same capabilities as everyone else's; but the Romulans regarded it as the final version of the War Eagle class, not as a specialized variant of it, and planed to eventually upgrade all War Eagles to King Eagles.
[edit] Eagle series
These designs originally appeared early in SFU history, with the initial versions being introduced around Y40. Even though the Romulans failed to develop tactical warp drive, their technology did improve, and these ships benefited from the addition of shields and cloaking devices over the years. Two classes were built around the two available sizes plasma torpedo (the Snipe and the War Bird), while two rarer classes (the Hawk and the Vulture) carried two torpedo launchers. The Falcon class was also designed around the mauler cannon, but it proved to need too much power to be effective at the time.
With the Treaty of Smarba, tactical warp technology and transporters were added, while short ranged self-defense lasers were replaced with phasers, and the tractor beams were improved to current standards, making them much more dangerous ships. The original conversions were still not as capable as other ships their size in the galaxy, and this was later solved with the "King" (or "B") refits on some classes.
[edit] Kestrel series
The Kestrel or KR ships were Klingon hulls modified to Romulan technology. While as powerful as any ship in the galaxy, ton for ton, they were reliant on the Klingons for the hulls themselves and spare parts. In addition, the ships were not built for using cloaking devices, making them less efficient to use on most classes. (A note: In the Star Fleet Universe, the Klingons did not buy or use cloaking technology. It did not match their weapons technology or combat philosophy.)
Initially, only older ships, namely D6 (KR) and D4 cruisers and the F4 and F5 (K5R) frigates were provided to the Romulans. Eventually, some E4s (K4R) and newer D7s (K7R) and a single C9 (K9R) dreadnought were also provided. The Klingons also promised the Romulans the fifth B10 battleship hull, but it is unlikely that they ever planned to uphold this promise (and indeed, the Klingons never even started work on such a hull).
[edit] Hawk series
Rather than build their own KR hulls, the Romulans used their experience to build their own new designs. The Hawk series were Romulan from the keel up and built to use their technology to the top degree. A few things of note were that all cruisers, light cruisers and destroyers used the same warp engines, in addition to other components, easing production. In addition, the light cruisers and destroyers were build with large modular structures. These were meant to allow a ship to be quickly changed to a specialized variant, and allow for speedier construction of the new fleet, by limiting the number of variant parts. The heavy cruisers used some of the same modules, but due to increased stresses, they had to be "hard-welded" in place, so that changing them out took many weeks as compared to days.
[edit] References
- GURPS Romulans, 4th Edition
- (R4.1) Romulan Background. Star Fleet Battles Basic Set/Master Rulebook
- A Brief History of the General War
