Tal Shiar

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Tal Shiar Insignia

In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Tal Shiar is a Romulan intelligence organization, comparable to the KGB. The name possibly refers to the Tal Shaya, a method of execution (involving breaking the neck with a swift stroke, viewed as a quick and merciful form of death) as seen on the original Star Trek series. Tal Shiar members, even the juniors, hold higher rank than starship captains. The organization has its own fleet of ships and generally works afar from the military, with which it frequently competes. Tal Shiar operatives have been known to make the enemies of the Romulan Star Empire simply disappear, and are greatly feared.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Cardassian counterpart to the Tal Shiar is the Obsidian Order. Prior to the Dominion War, the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order secretly worked together to launch a pre-emptive strike on the Founder homeworld. The attacking force was destroyed and it was later revealed that the head of the Tal Shiar, the man who initiated this plan of action, was a changeling. Soon after, the Cardassian Union joined the Dominion while the Romulan Star Empire entered a pact of neutrality with them.

The Federation counterpart to the Tal Shiar is Section 31, a secret intelligence organization (although unlike the Tal Shiar, Section 31 is not involved in internal Federation matters and does not exist to punish traitors or enforce state policy). Given the intense state of tension and competition between the two great powers, it is not surprising that both agencies have had considerable run-ins in the past. For instance, Section 31 detected attempts by the Tal Shiar to sway democratic elections on a Federation planet in hopes that the result would favour their interests. Section 31 intervened in the electoral process and averted the threat. The Tal Shiar has also been accused of assassinating a high ranking Starfleet admiral, in what operative Luther Sloan declared to be "crossing the line". The Tal Shiar currently poses a much lesser threat to Federation interests as Section 31 successfully infiltrated the organization at the highest of levels by recruiting Chairman Koval, the head of the Tal Shiar, to be a Federation agent (although, given Romulans' tendency towards deviousness, Koval's true loyalties may be a mystery or he could be a double agent). The status of the Tal Shiar post-Nemesis is unknown.

In the TNG season 6 episode "Face of the Enemy," Counselor Deanna Troi was surgically altered by a Romulan underground organization to impersonate a Tal Shiar officer Major Rakal.

In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6 episode "In the Pale Moonlight," Garak successfully fools the Tal Shiar into concluding that the assassination of Senator Vreenak was carried out by the Dominion.