Romulan

Romulan
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Romulan Star Empire
The Romulans from Balance of Terror, played by Mark Lenard (left) and Lawrence Montaigne
Founded
circa 5th century A.D
Homeworld
Romulus and Remus
Capital
Romulus
Official language
Romulan (see: universal translator)
Romulans are an alien species in the Star Trek universe that are related to the Vulcans and are at war or in an uneasy truce with the United Federation of Planets, of which Earth is a member, throughout most of the Star Trek series and films. They are characterized as passionate, cunning, and opportunistic, and were usually cast as villains or adversaries in the various series. They are the dominant race of the Romulan Star Empire, one of the larger empires in the Beta Quadrant of the Milky Way galaxy.
They made their first appearance in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror" and were eventually featured in all five Star Trek series. The Romulans were created by Paul Schneider, who said "it was a matter of developing a good Romanesque set of admirable antagonists... an extension of the Roman civilization to the point of space travel". There are some differences in their history and the way they are portrayed on television, in the motion pictures and in several books by Diane Duane, called the Rihannsu series.
Contents[hide]
1 Biology
2 Culture
2.1 Cuisine
2.2 Fashion
2.3 Design
2.4 Society and government
2.4.1 Leadership
2.4.2 Military
3 Homeworld
3.1 Romulus (ch'Rihan)
3.2 Remus (ch'Havran)
3.2.1 Remus in the Alternate Star Fleet Universe
4 Technology
5 History
5.1 Origins
5.2 22nd century
5.3 23rd century
5.4 24th century
5.4.1 Isolation
5.4.2 Attempted conquests
5.4.3 Dominion War
5.4.4 "Reman" coup
6 Romulan Star Empire
7 Books
8 Romulans in the Mirror Universe
8.1 Apocrypha
9 Romulans in the Alternate Star Fleet Universe
10 Connection to Roman Mythology
11 References
11.1 Digital
11.2 Print
//

[edit] Biology
The Romulans are a distant branch of the Vulcan species. One of three theories regarding how the Romulans arrived at the stellar system that includes Romulus and Remus involves Sargon's people mentioned in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Return to Tomorrow". Sargon claimed that his people had seeded their species throughout the galaxy, and Spock said that could explain some enigmas of Vulcan pre-history. Hanoch, one of Sargon's people and a rival, further claimed that Spock's hybrid Vulcan body was a "good fit" for his alien physiology. If these claims are true, the Aretians may have been the antecedents for the Romulans (and may have also been the species known as the Preservers). The inhabitants of Mintaka III ("Who Watches the Watchers") seem to support this theory.
Another theory says that Vulcan colonization efforts led to a split, or schism, between factions favoring the school of logic espoused by the philosopher Surak and opposition groups which ended up leaving Vulcan. (However, there is no explicit canon evidence that the group which left Vulcan was in rebellion against Surak; they may have indeed been opposed to him, or even acted with his blessings in leaving Vulcan. Conversely, the Star Trek Enterprise Episode "Awakening" has a line from the long deceased Surak saying of the enemies of logic in his time that they are "beneath the raptor's wing" which would appear to be a reference to the symbol of the Romulan Empire.) They arrived on Romulus and founded what would become the Romulan Star Empire. This theory is supported by a reference within the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "United": Senator Vrax refers to Vulcans as "our distant brothers" during the first part of the episode.
Information from "Balance of Terror" suggests yet a different theory. While Spock makes it clear that the events during the period of Surak are well documented ("The Savage Curtain"), he is completely uncertain in regard to the origin of the Romulans: "If the Romulans are an offshoot of my Vulcan blood, then attack becomes even more imperative. Vulcan, like Earth, had its aggressive, colonizing period."
Romulans have pointed ears, upswept eyebrows, and copper-based blood that is green when oxygenated in the arteries and copper or rust colored when deoxygenated in the veins. The Romulan heart is said to be gray, though this may only be a poetic image. Many Romulans have a V-shaped ridge above the bridge of their nose, which was not shown in TOS, but introduced in the later series and films. Since Ambassador Spock was able to move freely among the citizens of Romulus, presumably the lack of this ridge is not viewed with prejudice by Romulans. Like Vulcans, Romulans are almost always portrayed as having dark or black hair. Exceptions include the half-human Commander Sela who, like her mother Tasha Yar, has blonde hair. Brown haired examples have also been seen in various media.
In TOS, Romulans were depicted as of the same look as Vulcans but more emotional, very violent, and extremely motivated by honor and protocol.
Romulans share the longevity common to their Vulcan cousins. In "Unification", the Romulan Senator Pardek shared a friendship with Ambassador Spock lasting at least 80 years. Romulans can be expected to have similar life spans as their Vulcan brothers. Romulans past 300 have been documented.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Cuisine
Romulan ale is a popular blue alcoholic beverage which was illegal because of a Federation trade embargo (and possibly also due to extremely intoxicating effects) in the late 23rd century (per Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) through the late 24th century (per Star Trek Nemesis). Despite this, it was often traded openly. During the alliance with the Federation because of the Dominion War, Romulan ale was legalized (although it was later made illegal again after the war, as stated by Geordi LaForge in Star Trek Nemesis)
Other Romulan drinks include Kali-fal, a blue drink with an aroma that should "forcibly open one's frontal sinuses before the first sip." (However, some sources believe "Kali-fal" to be the proper name for Romulan ale due to their similar appearance.)
Romulan foods include Ossoul twist, a tart churro-like dessert, and Viinerine. A simple Romulan broth, though popular in the Romulan First City, is considered distasteful to both Vulcans and humans, especially Jean-Luc Picard. Romulans do not eat seafood.

[edit] Fashion
Romulan fashion of the late 24th century had distinctive squared shoulders. Hair is generally cut straight across the forehead close to the eyebrows, with longer locks framing the face, cut following the cheekbones; this style resembles a helmet.
In Star Trek: The Original Series, Romulan military uniforms consisted of a gray tunic with varying kinds of decorative sashes. Commanders wore red sashes, senior officers wore blue sashes, and most soldiers wore no sash at all. In subsequent series, such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Romulan uniforms were of a different style, with varying kinds of patterns and colors. The dominant uniform style thereafter was gray under a pattern of squares. These did not seem to have anything to do with the Romulans' position or rank. The rank insignia on the Next Generation-era Romulan uniform consisted of a series of diamond and crescent shapes, worn on the left collar.
As of Star Trek Nemesis, Romulan uniforms were more standardized. Episodes of the fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise depicted the 22nd century Romulans wearing exactly the same uniforms as those of the 24th century Nemesis.
Romulan Military Uniforms follow a distinct pattern through the 23 and 24th century. When one allows for the change in technology in the TV industry and increased budgets, its easy to see how uniforms from the 23rd century (TOS) evolved into the uniforms seen in the 24th century (TNG). Male hairstyles do not appear to change greatly, although 24th century hairstyles seem more distinct from Vulcan hairstyles. Females in the 23rd century wore long hair in a variety of styles. By the 24th century, females wear a style similar to males.

[edit] Design
Romulans make generous use of the colors green and grey (lesser-used colors are black and blue, pastel green and pastel orange), and often use materials resembling limestone for construction. The emblem of the Romulan Star Empire depicts a large bird of prey clutching the worlds of Romulus and Remus. The avian motif also appears on their Warbird starships, and may have cultural significance. Those who rejected the teachings of Surak were said to be "beneath the raptor's wing".
Designer Herman F. Zimmerman has said regarding interior design, "the Romulans have possessed advanced technology a lot longer than the Federation, so the look was a combination of art deco and medievalism meets high tech. Most of the designs were inspired by Italian designer Carlo Scarpa."
Regarding exterior design of the Senate area, designer Syd Dutton said director "Stuart Baird wanted us to think about Albert Speer, the architect who did all the conceptual drawings for Hitler. Speer took that national socialist idea to a ridiculous extreme where everything was huge and classical.
"The Romulans are a people who live in a marshy area. They had little houses on stilts around mudwork. The mudwork became part of this central core and that was where the old part of the city – the Forum and Senate buildings – was located. As the city expanded going away from that, the buildings became bigger and more technological."

[edit] Society and government
The Romulan government is very similar to that of the Roman Republic before it became the Roman Empire. The Romulan government consists of at least two parts:
The Senate is the main governing and legislative body that meets in a large chamber in the capital city on Romulus. The Senate is headed by the Praetor, followed by the Proconsul. The Senate does not sit on the third day of the Romulan week.
The Continuing Committee is composed of nine members. Only the Praetor, who heads the Committee, is guaranteed a seat; others, even the chairman of the Tal Shiar, must compete to be allowed in. The Committee's exact function is unknown, but in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges," the Continuing Committee convened to hear evidence of treason on the part of Senator Kimara Cretak.
It has been implied that Romulans use a caste system. The Romulan contempt for Vulcans, their treatment of other sentient species, such as the Remans, and their need for strict conformity, suggests that Romulan society is racist/speciesist.
The Romulan Star Empire once had an empress. A member of the Q Continuum informed Kathryn Janeway that he had considered having a child with the Romulan Empress ("The Q and the Grey"). However, it is unclear when the Romulans possessed this system of government, or how it functioned in relation to the Romulan Senate, or even if they have abandoned the monarchy.
The Romulan term for their mythological place of creation is "Vorta Vor."
It is generally accepted canon that Romulan females are equal to males, both having equal ability to rise through the ranks of the military. Notable females include Sela (Tasha Yar's daughter), Caithlin Dar (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), Donatra (Star Trek Nemesis), Taris, and Toreth (TNG: "Contagion" and "Face of the Enemy", both played by Carolyn Seymour) and the Romulan Commander in the TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident," who is never referred to by name (in Star Trek CCG and some noncanon novels, she is called "Commander Charvanek").

[edit] Leadership
Praetors
Neral
Hiren
Shinzon (Human clone, Reman-raised)
Tal'Aura
Senators
Kimara Cretak
Letant
Pardek
Tal'Aura
Valdore
Vrax
Vreenak
Proconsuls
Merrok
Vice Proconsul M'ret
Neral
Notable Military Officers
Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu, khre'Riov of the Bloodwing (from Rihannsu books)
Commander Tomalak
Commander Sela
Admiral Valdore
Commander Donatra

[edit] Military
In Star Trek canon, the Romulan military appears to be a "combined" service, like Starfleet. Its version of "joint chiefs of staffs" is the "High Command" (TNG's "The Defector"), an institution most likely carried over from and modeled on the Vulcan High Command (Star Trek: Enterprise).
Some Romulan military ranks are recognizable army and navy versions, while others are either carried over from the Vulcan High Command or entirely new. It's possible that army-specific ranks are reserved for the Tal Shiar.
One lowly rank in the Romulan Guard is "uhlan" (TNG's "Unification II"). This actually derives from an in-joke in an early fanzine, Tricorder Readings circa 1970. A fan wrote in explaining who the original Uhlans were, and wisecracked that because regiments of uhlans existed in the armies of many countries, Roman uhlans could be "Rom Uhlans". The joke was probably reprinted in a number of other fanzines. The real meaning of uhlan is "lancer".
The lowest comissioned military rank appears to be "sublieutenant." In TNG's "The Defector," Adm. Alidar Jarok initially used the cover name "Sublieutenant Setal", a mere "logistics clerk".
"Sublieutenant" presupposes the next-higher rank of "lieutenant," but this is speculation because no Romulan character has had that rank.
"Centurion" is the next-highest rank and probably the most common. In TNG's "The Enemy," Centurion Bochra appears to be an ordinary, midlevel officer. However, the nameless Centurion in TOS's "Balance of Terror" seems to be a senior officer who holds sway with his commander, having served on more than 100 campaigns with him.
"Subcommander" may be a holdover rank from the Vulcan High Command (T'Pol initially holds it in Star Trek: Enterprise). It's usually reserved for executive officers on Romulan ships (Tal in TOS's "The Enterprise Incident" and N'Vek in TNG's "Face of the Enemy"), but in rare cases, subcommanders may captain their own Warbirds (Taris in TNG's "Contagion"). In addition, some subcommanders have served in exchange-officer roles (T'Rul in DS9's "The Search, Parts I & II") or as government attaches (Velal in DS9's "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges").
"Commander" is the rank usually reserved for individual Warbird COs (Toreth in TNG's "Face of the Enemy," Sirol in "The Pegasus," and Tomalak in "The Enemy" and "The Defector"). However, some commanders have had charge over fleets of Warbirds (the unnamed Commander in TOS's "The Enterprise Incident" and Sela in TNG's "Redemption II").
"Admiral" is the highest naval-style rank and is accorded to sector commanders (Jarok in TNG's "The Defector") or fleet commanders (Mendak in TNG's "Data's Day").
Other senior officer ranks, such as major, colonel and general, are army-style and may often be reserved for members of the Tal Shiar. Deanna Troi impersonated "Major Rakal" in TNG's "Face of the Enemy" and served as a kind of "political officer." A Founder impersonated "Colonel Lovok" in DS9's "The Die Is Cast" and commanded a fleet of Warbirds.
The two Romulan generals mentioned in Star Trek canon may or may not have been Tal Shiar operatives. Velal, elevated from subcommander to general as of DS9's "When It Rains …" and "The Dogs of War", probably wasn't. However, it's possible that the unnamed Romulan general who rescued Tasha Yar and fathered Sela (TNG's "Redemption II") was with the Tal Shiar.
- A system used by the Romulans in several Star Tek novels (where they are called Rihannsu, is as follows:
eredh -- Cadet
khre'eredh -- Senior Cadet
erein -- Ante-Centurion, Ensign. Lowest officer rank. Second Lieutenant in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
erei'arrain -- Sub-Centurion, Lieutenant junior grade. in ground forces/Tal Shiar. Lieutenant in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
arrain -- Centurion, Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander. Captain in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
khre'arrain -- Senior Centurion, Commander. The third officer on most vessels and second officer on smaller vessel. This is more a title than a rank and there will only be one per vessel under all but extraordinary circumstances. Major in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
erei'riov -- Sub-Commander, Commander/Captain. Lowest rank at which command of a ship maybe held, in exceptional circumstances may be First officer on a mjor vessel. Major in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
riov -- Commander, Captain. Usual rank of a ship's commanding officer. Colonel in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
khre'riov -- Commander-General, commodore/rear admiral. Brigadier in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
erei'enriov -- Sub-Senior commander, Rear admiral. Lieutenant General in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
enriov -- Senior Commander, Vice Admiral. General in ground forces/Tal Shiar.
khre'enriov -- Senior Commander-General, Fleet Admiral. Field Marshall in ground forces/ Tal Shiar.

[edit] Homeworld
Romulus and Remus
Romulus (top) and Remus (bottom) from orbit
Class
Class M planet
First episode appearance
Balance of Terror
Major episode appearances
UnificationThe Defector
Affiliation
Romulan Star Empire
Romulus and Remus are the two Romulan homeworlds. Although both planets orbit their central star (as depicted in Star Trek: Nemesis), Romulus and Remus are often referred to as twin planets.
Romulus had no sentient species until a revolutionary Vulcan movement colonized it around 400 AD. These revolutionaries over time became the Romulans. A sapient species called the Remans developed on Remus and was conquered by the Romulans later becoming a lower class in Romulan society (although it is unknown whether Remans are truly native to their world, or are simply mutated Vulcanoids).
The original colonization group of Rihannsu came to this system after they fled their homeworld in rebellion against the philosophy of peace and logic proposed by Surak. As Mr. Spock would later point out, if the Romulans retained the passions and expansionist outlook that the pre-Surak Vulcans once had, it would make them an extremely dangerous race.

[edit] Romulus (ch'Rihan)
The Romulan government resembles the Roman Republic before it became the Roman Empire. The Romulan government consists of several parts: the Romulan Senate, the main governing and legislative body in a large chamber on Romulus. The Senate is headed by the Praetor, followed by the Proconsul. The Senate does not sit on the third day of the Romulan week. The Romulan Senate also has the Continuing Committee, which is composed of senators and the chairman of the Tal Shiar and confirms the new praetor.
The Romulan military and government also have positions very similar to those of the Roman Republic: Proconsul, Praetor, Senator. (See this article under the heading "Roman Republic" for more on these offices.)
In the Pocket Books novels by Diane Duane, the Romulan name for the planet is ch'Rihan, hence the self-name for the people is Rihannsu.

[edit] Remus (ch'Havran)
Remus was first mentioned in the dialogue of original series episode, "Balance of Terror", the first episode to feature the Romulans. Although, the star map that accompanied Spock's overview of Romulan space did not include Remus but a nearby planet or system instead, named Romii. This is often interpreted as an alternate name for Remus: Rom II, or Romulus II.[citation needed] Remus' inhabitants, however, were not revealed until the 2002 feature film, Star Trek Nemesis. (Two Remans appear in background in an episode of Star Trek Enterprise which while set two hundred years before the events of Star Trek Nemesis, was filmed after the movie's release.)
The planet's inhabitants are the Remans, who were subjugated ever since the Romulans staked their claim and set up their new homeworld in the system. It is unclear whether the Remans are native to Remus, or whether they are another Vulcanoid-offshoot race. Because the planet is tidally locked to its sun, one side of the planet is in constant darkness. Living on this dark side, the Remans are extremely sensitive to light.
The Remans were treated as second class citizens within the Romulan Star Empire. Remus is the prime planet of dilithium mining and as such many Remans are forced into slave labor.
Much about Remus remains a mystery, including the source of its humanoid population: there is no onscreen proof, one way or the other, to suggest whether Remans come from Remus itself or are mutated descendants of the original Vulcan colonists. Hope for a more cooperative future between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire was strengthened after Shinzon's fall.
In the Pocket Books novels by Diane Duane, the Romulan name for the planet is ch'Havran.

[edit] Remus in the Alternate Star Fleet Universe
In the alternate Star Fleet Universe, Remus is a more naturally inhabitable planet in a neighbouring star system to Romulus, populated by Romulans (no distinct Reman sentient species seems to exist), as the game was created long before the separate Reman race was introduced in the primary Star Trek continuity. During the General War, during Operation Remus, launched by the Federation-led Alliance in Y181, the Reman system defences and military installations were destroyed by a raiding Alliance fleet, but the disastrous crash of the Federation capital ship MacArthur onto the capital city on the planet resulted in its warp reactors detonating and causing planet-wide devastation, reducing Remus to a state of nuclear winter for three years [1]. Incensed Reman officers on board pursuing Romulan ships ferociously attacked the retreating Alliance ships, nearly annihilating them.

[edit] Technology
Romulans are noted for their use of disruptor weapons, photon torpedoes, plasma torpedoes, and their signature cloaking technology, as well as having ships that are powered by artificial singularities (due to the nature of these engines, once activated, there is no way to shut them down). In the 22nd Century, they displayed advanced holotechnology and telepresence.
They are well-known and feared for their extensive use of the Plasma Torpedo. This weapon uses super-charged plasma to reduce the molecular bonding of the hulls of adversary ships, causing them to become fragile. However, it also has a huge power drain on a Romulan vessel, requiring the ship to de-cloak first before firing. Also, this torpedo has a limited range, requiring the ship to be in relatively close proximity to its target.

[edit] History

[edit] Origins
The Romulans began as a revolutionary group of Vulcans who called themselves "those who march beneath the Raptor's wings" and refused to accept the Vulcan philosopher Surak's teachings of complete suppression of emotions. Around 400 AD, the dissident group split off from Vulcan society and began the long journey to the planet Romulus. At some point, whether before or after reaching Romulus is unclear, dissidents developed among the Romulans themselves, and a faction of Romulans established a civilization later known as the Debrune.[2]

[edit] 22nd century
The goal of the Romulan Star Empire was conquest. When Senator Valdore questioned this policy, he was dismissed from the senate (although he later joined the military, and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming Admiral by 2154).
In 2152, Humans made first contact with the Romulans when the Enterprise NX-01 encountered a Romulan-laid minefield. Communication was via audio only. The Romulans saw that Humans fostered a spirit of cooperation among the long-belligerent Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites. Realizing that this would bring solidarity to the region and an obstacle to conquest, the Senate took steps to turn these species against each other.
In 2154, Romulans conspired with V'Las, head of the Vulcan High Command, to invade Andoria. V'Las' Romulan contact had the stated agenda of reunification with the Vulcans.
A few months later, the Empire sent prototype holoships remote-controlled from Romulus to disrupt a peace conference between Andorians and Tellarites. The Romulans piloted the ships using an abducted Aenar; however, their scheme was thwarted by the combined efforts of the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites, led by the Enterprise. This enraged the Romulans, who vowed revenge upon humanity.
About 2156, the Earth-Romulan War began. Both sides, for unknown reasons, used weapons of an atomic nature. These were still in the Romulan inventory a century later. The Romulan ships during the war were seen with birds-of-prey painted on them.
It has also been noted that no visual communication took place between the Humans and Romulans at that time. The war only ended after both sides had fought to the point of exhaustion, and realized that conflict would result in mutual destruction. It has been implied that the Earth-Romulan War reached Earth, heavily damaging it: two centuries later, it was remarked that Earth had not been subjected to the horrors of total war since the date of the Romulan Wars. Though the war ended in a stalemate, it closed with the Battle of Cheron, which was a decisive Earth victory.
In 2160, the Romulans and the humans signed a treaty ending the war and establishing a neutral zone one light year wide between their territories. The treaty was negotiated via subspace radio, again with no visual contact. In 2161, humans, along with Vulcans and several other species, founded the United Federation of Planets, which continued this wary peace.

[edit] 23rd century
Using a cloaked ship, the Romulans broke the treaty of 2160 by attacking several Federation outposts, circa stardate 1709.21, in the year 2266 ("Balance of Terror"). In response, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 tracked down the cloaked Romulan ship and destroyed it. This was also the first time Humans saw what the Romulans looked like physically, and Spock surmised a common ancestry.
In 2267, it is thought that the Romulans entered a treaty with the Klingon Empire: in exchange for cloaking technology, the Romulans received D7-class battlecruisers, which were upgraded into extremely deadly war machines (the script of "The Enterprise Incident" called for a Romulan ship to appear, but the original model was not available; rather than go to the expense of building a new one, the Klingon D7 model was substituted). Spock mentioned intelligence about this treaty when the Klingon ship appeared on the viewscreen, at the outset of "The Enterprise Incident." The Romulan commander further implies the common ancestry when she confronts Kirk about violation of Romulan space. The events of 2154 suggest the Vulcans withheld from Humans their prior knowledge of Romulan kinship with Vulcans.
In 2272, Klingon forces led by Kor had a victory over some Romulan opponents in the Battle of Klach D'Kel Brakt.
In 2293, the Romulan ambassador to the Federation, Nanclus, took part in a conspiracy to sabotage peace talks between the Klingons and the Federation. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Nanclus was arrested on Khitomer, along with several other conspirators. During the Khitomer conference, the Romulans signed a treaty with the Federation and the Klingons. Notably, Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan sat with his Romulan cousins during the conference, indicating a dialogue, or at least a display of goodwill between the two nations.

[edit] 24th century

[edit] Isolation
In 2311, an event known as the Tomed Incident occurred between the Romulans and the Federation, costing thousands of lives. The details of the Tomed Incident are never revealed canonically, but it is referred to by Enterprise crew members in the "Next Generation" episode "The Neutral Zone" as "disastrous";[3] it resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Algeron, which reaffirmed the Neutral Zone as a no fly zone and prohibited the Federation from developing cloaking technology.[4]
[2]
For the next fifty years, the Neutral Zone was quiet. There was no direct contact between the Federation and the Empire, nor were there any further Romulan incursions.
In 2344, four Romulan Warbirds attacked the Klingon outpost at Narendra III. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) responded to the outpost's distress call and engaged the Romulan ships, but was defeated and taken with its survivors (among them a version of Lieutenant Tasha Yar from the future of an alternate timeline) 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 fleet academy students. The Klingons considered this action dishonorable, in contrast to the honor they saw in the Starfleet ship's attempt to defend Narendra III. As a result, relations strengthened between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
Also circa 2344 the Romulans covertly assisted by a Klingon traitor, Ja'rod, attacked another Klingon planet, Khitomer and killed or captured all but two of the planet's population. These incursions led to a Romulan-Klingon war around the 2350s.
Circa stardate 41986.0 (December 26, 2364), the Romulan Star Empire ended its five decades of isolation when the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) intercepted a Romulan warbird. Several Romulan outposts had been destroyed by a then unknown force (later revealed to be the Borg). The Romulans opened communications to see if they could glean the information from the Federation, who had suffered similar losses. The Romulan Commander Tebok then explained that the Romulans had decided to concentrate on their own internal affairs for the past fifty years and said "We are back," indicating that Romulans would again be active in galactic affairs.
In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Past Tense, Part One," after Earth's history was inadvertently altered so that the Federation was never formed, the Romulans had established a presence in the Alpha Centauri system by the 24th century. Since Alpha Centauri is the star system closest to Earth, it indicates that, in the altered timeline, the Romulans invaded Earth's stellar region, despite not even being prompted by Earth's role in the encouragement of interplanetary cooperation.

[edit] Attempted conquests
In 2366, the Romulans attempted to trick the Enterprise-D into crossing the Neutral Zone, where two Romulan Warbirds were waiting to capture -- or if necessary -- destroy it. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, however, foreseeing a possible trap, had quietly contacted the Klingons beforehand; as a result, the Enterprise was covertly accompanied into the Neutral Zone by three Birds-of-Prey. The Romulans, now evenly matched, decided that the price of the Enterprise's destruction was too high and retreated ("The Defector").
In 2367, the Romulans brainwashed Commander Geordi La Forge of the USS Enterprise in an attempt to incite a 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. Captain Picard, suspecting this, convinced pro-Federation leader Gowron to attack Duras' forces in order to draw Romulan reinforcements out of hiding; when the Romulans attempted to enter the fray, they were revealed by a Federation tachyon blockade, and the Duras family, exposed as traitors, lost all support. ("Redemption, Part 2")
Circa stardate 44995.3 (December 28, 2367), the Vulcan Ambassador Spock was discovered 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 by the Romulans themselves. Spock elected to remain underground on Romulus to teach the Vulcan heritage to those who might listen. These efforts facilitated the defection of Vice Proconsul M'Ret to the Federation. ("Unification", "Face of the Enemy")
Sometime in 2374, a 27 member Tal Shiar team commanded by Commander Rekar hijacked the USS Prometheus, an advanced prototype starship to be analyzed by the Tal Shiar. Two Emergency Medical Holograms, one from the USS Voyager, overthrew the Tal Shiar crew and the ship returned to Federation hands.

[edit] Dominion War
In the brief period before the war's outbreak, the Federation obtained a Romulan cloaking device (2371), under the condition that it be used exclusively in the Gamma Quadrant against the emerging threat of the Jem'Hadar and the Dominion and in return, Starfleet would forward all information regarding the Dominion immediately to the Romulans. ("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 approximately 10 Warbirds and 10 Keldon 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")
The Romulan Empire signed a non-aggression treaty with the Dominion, which had gained a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant in Cardassian space shortly before the Dominion War broke loose.
Circa stardate 51721.3 (September 20, 2374), Starfleet Captain Benjamin Sisko and Elim Garak tried to trick the Romulans into joining the war against the Dominion by faking recordings of a Dominion strategy meeting discussing the plan to conquer the Romulans along with the Klingons and Federation. They showed them to a high-ranking Romulan senator, Vreenak, who had negotiated the Romulan non-aggression treaty with the Dominion and was vice-chairman of the Tal Shiar, secretary of the War Plans Council, and one of Proconsul Neral's most trusted advisors. Vreenak discovered the deception and attempted to leave to inform his government, but died in his shuttle sabotaged by Garak. 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, joining the Klingon-Federation alliance. ("In the Pale Moonlight")
In 2375, after Proconsul Neral became praetor, the Romulans established a presence on Deep Space Nine and secretly began stockpiling weapons on a Bajoran moon. However, Bajoran Colonel Kira Nerys, with the assistance of Starfleet Admiral William Ross, forced the Romulans to back down and remove their weapons. ("Shadows and Symbols")
The rogue Federation agency, Section 31, had an agent in the Tal Shiar to safeguard Federation interests feeling that after the Dominion War, the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire would be the only two powers left in the region and would go to war.
Later that year, the allied 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 ended. ("What You Leave Behind")

[edit] "Reman" coup
Circa stardate 56844.9 (November 4, 2379), the Romulan Senate was briefly overthrown in a Reman uprising led by Shinzon. After the senior Romulan leadership was assassinated in the Romulan Senate, the Remans took over the Senate and Shinzon became Praetor; he was, however, dispatched by Captain Jean-Luc Picard shortly afterwards.
Relations between the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets improved somewhat as a result of Picard's assistance (Star Trek Nemesis).

[edit] Romulan Star Empire
The empire's exact size has never been declared. Star Trek writer/producer Ronald D. Moore has indicated that it is larger than the Klingon Empire but smaller than the Federation. However, in the Voyager computer game, Elite Force, the Romulan Star Empire is approximately two-thirds larger than the Klingon Empire, and is well over five times as large as the Federation, considering the Romulans' expansive nature. In the Star Trek Atlas, the Romulan Star Empire is about 1/3 the size of the Klingon Empire and surrounded by the Federation. Their territory has a circular shape with a small tail shape extension heading to the Delta Quadrant.

[edit] Books
Licensed Star Trek novels are not endorsed by Paramount Pictures, and are thus not part of Star Trek canon. The Romulans have been the focus of a number of these works, and have appeared or been mentioned in many others. Among their key appearances have been:
Diane Duane's mini-series Rihannsu, consisting to-date of five books written between 1984 and 2006, is regarded as one of deepest works focusing on the Romulans.
In Dalla Van Hise's 1985 Killing Time, the Romulans use time travel to alter history, which results in James T. Kirk becoming an ensign and Spock a starship captain.
A prototype Romulan warbird is the focus of Simon Hawke's 1993 novel The Romulan Prize.
Robert Greenberger's 1995 The Romulan Strategem involves Jean-Luc Picard and his crew competing with the Romulan officer Sela to convince a planet to join their respective states.
In Diane Carey's 1999 Red Sector, Spock and Leonard McCoy try to cure a virus that has infected the Romulan royal family.
Josepha Sherman and Susan M. Schwartz's 1999 Vulcan's Heart involved Spock travelling to Romulus to aide the Romulan Commander from The Enterprise Incident.
2003's Captain's Blood, one of many collaborative works between Star Trek lead William Shatner and husband-and-wife team Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, focused on the involvement of Kirk in preventing a Romulan civil war in the aftermath of Star Trek: Nemesis.
The Tomed Incident is the focus of David R. George III's 2003 novel Serpents Among the Ruins, which featured the crew of the Enterprise-B.
Star Trek: Vulcan's Soul is a trilogy written by Sherman and Shwartz between 2004 and 2007; set in the aftermath of the Dominion War, it focuses on members of Kirk's original crew becoming involved in a war between the Romulans and a fellow Vulcan off-shoot, the Watraii.
In Star Trek: Titan' 2005 premier Taking Wing, the Romulan Star Empire collapses into civil war the wake of Star Trek: Nemesis.
The 2005 Star Trek: Titan novel The Red King opens with the disappearance of a Romulan fleet and features Donatra, the Romulan commander featured in Star Trek: Nemesis, working alongside William Riker and his crew.

[edit] Romulans in the Mirror Universe
The Romulans did not appear on screen in the Mirror Universe. The only canonical mention was in the 1995 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode Through the Looking Glass. Benjamin Sisko, impersonating his Mirror Universe counterpart, claims that he is going to negotiate with the Romulans to secure their aide for the Terran Rebellion, suggesting that the Romulans are a significant power. However, this is merely a cover-story to explain his departure from the mirror Deep Space Nine, after which he would return to his own universe.

[edit] Apocrypha
In Diane Duane's 1993 novel of the mirror universe Dark Mirror, the Romulans were all but exterminated by the Terrans about the same time as the Earth-Romulan war in our universe; the Terrans had acquired the Romulan weapons and improved them immensely, reducing Remus to rubble. The Romulan people subsequently chose mass suicide rather than become slaves of the Terran Empire.
In the March 2007 novel Obsidian Alliances, the mirror Romulans gained many Terran slaves when the Terran Empire fell, including M'k'n'zy of Calhoun (protagonist of Star Trek: New Frontier).

[edit] Romulans in the Alternate Star Fleet Universe
This information below originates from the board game Star Fleet Battles, as well as related game systems such as Prime Directive and Federation and Empire.
In the alternate (non-canon) Star Fleet Universe, the Romulans had a long-standing rivalry with the Gorn Confederation but the old series Romulan ships were no match against the advanced Gorn warships. (Indeed, Klingon Empire had launched devastating raids against Romulan frontier bases and squadrons, leaving no survivors, and was planning a full-scale invasion. However, the Tholians arrived in the region of Klingon space where the invasion was being prepared, unwittingly saving the Star Empire from likely conquest. The Klingons kept these events a secret from the Romulans for a long time.) The post-Smarba KR (old Klingon vessels sold to the Romulans and converted to Romulan technology) and new series fleets, along with the extensively refitted older vessels, were far more dangerous. After the Klingon Ambassador Thad Vak Kaleen persuaded the Romulans to enter the General War, sweetening the deal with a C9-series Klingon dreadnought, they joined the Coalition on the Day of the Eagle, January 4 Y173, by invading the already-besieged Federation. They were eventually driven back to their own borders despite significant advances into Federation space, and suffered a devastating nuclear winter on Remus.
After the General War, the Romulan empire erupted in civil war, had their border stations destroyed by the Interstellar Concordium in the course of the ISC War of Pacification and subsequently aided in resisting the Andromedan invasion of the galaxy from Y188 to Y205.
Star Fleet Universe Romulans of the early period of the SFU were reliant on older series vessels converted to carry primitive non-Tactical Warp engines, powered by fusion 'impulse' drives. While other races developed antimatter-based Tactical Warp engines, which allowed them to fight at warp and provide more power for their systems, the Romulans were left behind, as much due to political infighting as to Gorn sabotage. (This is the SFU explanation for the 'sublight' Romulan vessel seen in "Balance of Terror": in the SFU, sublight engines are a common term for NTW engines, as they only allow a starship to fight at slower-than-light speeds.) Eventually, The Treaty of Smarba with the Klingon Empire in Y159 supplied the Romulans with advanced warp engines and a number of mothballed Klingon vessels. These were refitted with Romulan weaponry and cloaking devices (as seen in "The Enterprise Incident"). This technology allowed the Romulans to develop a new series of vessels which proved to cause significant headaches to the enemies of the Star Empire in the General War.

[edit] Connection to Roman Mythology
Many of the terms used in relation to the Romulans are derived from Roman mythology and government. Romulus and Remus are the two brothers who founded the city of Rome. Vulcan is the Roman god of fire and metallurgy. The proconsul and praetor were government officials during the Roman Republic and the Roman Senate was its governing body.
In TOS episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?" it is revealed that the classical Greek and Roman gods were actually a race of advanced beings who had visited Earth thousands of years ago. It has been postulated that the same beings had visited other worlds as well – such as Vulcan, and/or Romulus. While not canonical, the theory did at one time appear on the Star Trek web site, and would explain the connection between the Romulans and Roman mythology, as well as the institutions of Roman government.

Klingon

Klingon
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This article is about the fictional race. For the constructed language of the race, see Klingon language.
Klingon
tlhIngan (in the Klingon language)

Flag of the Klingon Empire
Founded
circa A.D. 900
Founder
Kahless the Unforgettable
Homeworld
Qo'noS (Kronos)
Capital
First City
Official language
tlhIngan Hol (sometimes incorrectly called Klingonese), (see: universal translator)
Currency
darsek
Affiliation
Klingon Empire
Klingons (Klingon: tlhIngan; Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ɬɪŋɑn/) are a warrior race in the fictional Star Trek universe. They were recurring antagonists in Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) and were later featured in all five spin-off series, eventually becoming close allies of the United Federation of Planets.
Created by screenwriter Gene Coon, Klingons were introduced in the episode "Errand of Mercy" (1967). They were named for Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, who served with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the Los Angeles Police Department.[1]
In the original series, the conflict between the Federation and Klingon Empire was intended as an allegory to the then-current Cold War tensions between the United States and the now-defunct Soviet Union.[2] Star Trek: The Next Generation carried forward the Klingon militaristic traits but modeled a Klingon warrior code based loosely on bushido, a feudal-military Japanese code of behavior valuing honor above life.[citation needed]
Contents[hide]
1 Klingon biology
1.1 External
1.1.1 Change in appearance
1.2 Internal
1.2.1 Blood
2 Culture
3 Home planet
4 Language
5 Government
6 Legal system
7 History of the Klingon Empire
7.1 Prehistory
7.2 10th-21st century
7.3 22nd century
7.4 23rd century
7.5 24th century
7.6 Possible future
7.7 Alternate timelines
8 Appearances in popular culture
9 References
10 See also
11 External links
//

[edit] Klingon biology
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[edit] External
Roughly humanoid in appearance, Klingons typically sport long manes of luxuriant hair with moustaches and beards common among males. Perhaps their most prominent external feature is their ridged forehead. These intricate, bony patterns conform to the individual's nose, forehead, and on down the spine. The patterns, also visible on their feet and backs, vary by family line. The patterns are less prominent on individuals of mixed parentage, such as K'Ehleyr or B'Elanna Torres.

[edit] Change in appearance

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In the original series (TOS), Klingons were typically portrayed with bronze skin and facial hair suggestive of North Asian peoples, such as the Mongols, and possessed physical abilities similar to humans (in fact, Gene Coon's only physical description of them in his Errand of Mercy script is "Oriental, hard-faced" and a memo further specifies they should be 'the Ho Chi Minh type'). For Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Klingons were "reimagined" or retconned and were depicted with ridged foreheads, greater physical strength, new uniforms, and a distinctive language. The design of the ridged foreheads was based on the vertebrae of a dinosaur.[2] Precursors to the ridged-forehead look for the Klingons can be found in the Kreeg, a warlike mutant race Roddenberry created for the 1974 pilot "Planet Earth."
There appeared to be four distinct varieties of the "original" Klingons throughout the various Star Trek series. [3] In TOS, there appeared two "races" -- some who were pale with neatly groomed hair and others much darker (an olive-bronze), with thick, bifurcated eyebrows. The two never appeared together.
These races were based on the various makeup forms viewed during the run of TOS, the TOS film series, and the "Next Generation" Klingons. In TOS, the Klingons shown lacked ridges on their heads, were olive-bronze (a minority were of a paler complexion; see previous paragraph). The second "race" were the "Mark Lenard" Klingons, shown in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. They were tall, thin in build, with both a single crested ridge extending over their partially bald heads and an occipital bun on the rear of their skulls. The third Klingon "race" was represented by General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. This Klingon was only slightly ridged in the center of the forehead, lacking the "normal" side ridges. They were largely hairless except for a small wisp at the back of the skull and (in males) a small goatee.[citation needed] The fourth "race", and most common shown in Star Trek, are the triple-ridged or "Worf"-type. These Klingons have individualized or clan-based ridge patterns, ranging from the slight "webbed" ridge pattern of Colonel Worf of Star Trek VI, to the craggy triple ridges of the Emperor Kahless (clone).
The Worf-type Klingons were first portrayed by Lady Valkris and Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. They became retconned as the main type of Klingon with The Next Generation, and in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The canonical explanation was revealed in a two-part storyline on Star Trek: Enterprise ("Affliction" and "Divergence") which aired on February 2005.[4] In an earlier series of episodes, the Augments, humans grown from genetically engineered embryos from the Eugenics Wars of the late 20th century, were defeated by Captain Jonathan Archer and the Enterprise NX-01 in Klingon space. The Klingon High Council feared that Starfleet was developing armies of Augments and that they would pose a serious threat to the Empire's existence. Even when they were told by the Vulcan High Command that the Augments were created without Starfleet's knowledge or consent, they remained suspicious and so decided to fight fire with fire. The Klingons gained access to the genetic material of the human Augments, and wanted to adapt this genetic engineering to augment their own species. The experiment did not work correctly; at first, subjects did gain increased strength and intelligence, but their nervous systems could not handle the strain and they died. One of the test subjects had a virulent flu, which — combined with the genetic changes wrought by the experiment — became a deadly, airborne plague that spread rampantly across the Empire, from world to world, causing the physical changes which changed them into the human-looking Klingons of Kirk's day.
Dr. Phlox of the Enterprise NX-01 formulated a cure for the virus, however not before millions of Klingons were physically altered. And owing to the genetic nature of the virus, these alterations were passed to succeeding generations of offspring.
In addition to the change in appearance that the Klingons underwent, Phlox also mentioned "some minor synaptic re-ordering." This could explain why the TOS Klingons behaved very differently from the rest. TOS Klingons did not possess the guttural brutishness of later Klingons. This is particularly evident in the character Koloth, who cowered away from Kirk at the end of "The Trouble With Tribbles" but was less cowardly in "Blood Oath." In "Divergence" a female Klingon also stated that she "felt fear for the first time since I was a child... we have become weak like them (humans)" which also supports the idea that the virus/cure affected their personalities as well.
The Klingons were apparently so embarrassed by the fallout from this disaster, that they absolutely refused under any circumstances to discuss the incident with outsiders in later years. There is also evidence, illustrated by the ignorance of members of the Deep Space Nine crew who encounter human-like Klingons during time travel into the past[5] that knowledge of the change might have become lost to mankind over time. When Worf was asked about the origin of the human-looking Klingons, he simply replied that it was something that Klingons "do not discuss with outsiders." Bashir and O'Brien ponder possible causes between themselves, genetic engineering and mutated virus, both of which were shown to be the cause. The Enterprise storyline also indicates that an early form of the Starfleet intelligence service Section 31 was somehow involved in the transformation of the Klingons. Phlox indicated that "someday" the physical alterations could be reversed.
The episode "Divergence" revealed that not all Klingons were affected by the virus. No canon explanation has yet been offered to suggest why only the human-like Klingons were seen in The Original Series, save for statements made in "Divergence" that the genetically altered version of the race would be stronger and more intelligent, suggesting they may have been desirable soldiers in later Klingon/Federation conflicts. The Klingons in Star Trek: The Motion Picture were the first Klingon crew that was shown to be dealing with something other than the Federation, so there is no evidence proving these particular Klingons had ever been afflicted. Other possible explanations include the idea that by the time the cure to the virus had been administered to all Klingons, every last one was infected by the virus so that they would have been changed somewhat by the virus anyway. This could also explain the "darker-skinned" Klingon observation stated above. The darker Klingons could have been descendants of Klingons that had only been in the initial stages of alteration when they were cured, so that they retained their more natural pigmentation. It is also possible that some Klingons used cosmetic surgery to restore their pre-alteration appearance.
In the Star Trek: Vanguard novel Summon the Thunder (by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore), the human-like Klingons are called QuchHa', or the unhappy ones. They usually serve in their own units, although sometimes they are known to mix with the rest of the fleet personnel. The novel Forged in Fire (by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin) gives the name of the 'real' Klingons as hemQuch, or the proud forehead.
All attempts at retconning aside, the changes in Klingon appearance can best be explained by an inconsistent treatment of preexisting material by the series' and movies' writers. Fans have followed several variations of both canon and non-canon sources to produce Klingons with varied fusions, mixtures and heritages. These are portrayed in fiction, fan-produced films, and in professional fiction, such as The Final Reflection and How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford and Kahless by Michael Jan Friedman.
The Klingons as seen post-TMP were once frequently referred to as Imperial Klingons, most notably in the early editions of the Star Trek Role Playing Games. The Star Fleet Universe represented by the board game Star Fleet Battles and PC game Star Fleet Command also suggests that the Klingons employ numerous subject races. A once widely accepted theory was that the various types of Klingons seen were the result of Imperials (purebreds), interbreeding with the subject races on the various conquered planets in their Empire. To the ancient Mongolians, this not only established their conquest, but it also served the purpose of breeding more warriors. Also worth noting is that the series' creators visualized the Klingon Empire as analogous to the Soviet Union. Just as the Soviet Union was actually an amalgamation of Eurasian states with Russia at its center, the Klingons may be composed of more than one race.

[edit] Internal
The series has made several references to Klingon anatomy. Most Klingon body functions incorporate multiple redundancies, such as redundant stomachs, lungs, livers, an eight-chambered heart (although the Star Trek Medical Reference Manual shows a three-chambered heart), and twenty-three ribs. [6] This characteristic, known as "brak'lul", [6] makes Klingons incredibly resilient. Klingon ribs are arranged in a latticework; the structure might be compared to chainmail. Klingon teeth are typically serrated, with multiple edges and ridges.
Mr. Spock once said Klingons lack tear ducts, although Klingon myth states that Kahless once filled the ocean with his tears. The Klingon expected lifespan is at least 150 years (in one movie novelization it was stated that Klingons were "old" at 45 and aged much more quickly than humans). However, it is typical that male Klingons die young while in battle and not of natural causes.

[edit] Blood
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country depicts Klingons having pink blood, but all other depictions of Klingon blood have been red like human blood. Director Nicholas Meyer explained in the DVD commentary that the reason for the blood being colored pink was because in the original filming it was meant to be colored red but censors argued that doing so made the film too gory and would necessitate an "R" rating. Changing the color of the blood to pink satisfied the censors, as it no longer resembled human blood, and the film was rated "PG." Meyer saw no need to explain the color of the blood since Klingons were not human and there was no reason to assume their blood would be the same color.
Klingon anatomy has evolved numerous redundancies to ensure the warrior race can succeed at battle while gravely wounded. The purpose of many redundancies are well understood (such as the ACL and rotator cuff). However, elusive to Federation and Klingon doctors, is the Redundant Inguinal Canal (RIC). Oddly, of the primary IC failures, 8% of Klingon patients report long term pain and discomfort by two year follow-up.
Broken Bow seems to indicate that Klingon erythrocytes contain DNA, unlike their human counterparts.

[edit] Culture
Main article: Klingon culture

[edit] Home planet

Home planet of Qo'nos
Qo'noS is the Klingon homeworld, pronounced as Kronos. The Klingon High Council, governing body of the Klingon Empire, is situated in the First City on Qo'noS. Early Star Trek literature referred to Qo'noS as "Klinzhai", but the TNG episode Heart of Glory called the planet "Kling". It was the film Star Trek VI which officially established the name as Qo'noS. Qo'noS is depicted as green in color when viewed from orbital space. It includes a lone huge land mass with a vast ocean, a severely tilted axis that causes wild seasonal changes, a turbulent atmosphere and extremes of both warm and frigid weather. Around the 14th century, Qo'noS was invaded by the Hur'q. The planet was first visited by Humans in 2151. The planet had a moon named Praxis until 2293 - when the moon was destroyed in an explosion (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). Praxis had been a key energy production facility for the Klingon Empire prior to its destruction. When it exploded, it caused severe ecological damage to Qo'noS. As a result, the Klingons reached out peacefully to the other races of the galaxy to help deal with this crisis - which would eventually result in a formal alliance with the United Federation of Planets.

[edit] Language
Main article: Klingon language
The Klingon language (tlhIngan Hol in Klingon), or, in English, Klingon, is the artificial language spoken by Klingons in the fictional Star Trek universe. The latter name was first used by the Klingon soldier Korax in the episode Trouble with Tribbles of Star Trek: The Original Series[7].
The core sounds (along with a few words) were first devised by actor and dilectician James Doohan ("Scotty") for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. That film marked the first time the language had been heard on screen. Previously, Klingons always spoke English. However, given the existence of the Universal Translator, it can be reasonably inferred that the English heard may well have been translated Klingon. Also, Michael and Denise Okuda, co-authors of The Star Trek Encyclopedia and text commentaries for various Star Trek series episodes and feature films, speculate that some high-ranking Klingon officers may, in fact, speak English as a way of keeping confidential conversations from being overheard by the lower ranks.[8].
The language was created by linguist Marc Okrand, who based it on the sounds and words of Doohan's.[9]. He wrote a book called The Klingon Dictionary[10], published by Pocket Books, in which he elaborated its grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Okrand has noted that not all Klingon words heard on the various series have come from the aforementioned book. According to The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Okrand is quoted as hypothesizing that "different Klingon provinces have different dialects"[11].
Klingon is occasionally used beyond Star Trek-related contexts. For example, Pocket Books published a "translation" of Hamlet into Klingon after the release of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (the film's sub-title itself comes from Act III, Scene 1 of the aforementioned play).[12] It is also noted in a few episodes that there is a Klingon poet and playwright who holds the same stature within Klingon culture that Shakespeare holds in modern day Earth. There is also a Klingon Language Version (KLV), a Klingon-English relexification of the World English Bible [13]

[edit] Government
Main article: Klingon High Council
As of 2369, the Klingon people and their interstellar empire became governed by the oligarchic Klingon High Council and a figurehead emperor, although in the past the emperor's role was much more powerful. The Klingon political state is referred to as the Klingon Empire, although the name "Klingon Imperial Empire" was used once.[14]

[edit] Legal system
Main article: Klingon law

[edit] History of the Klingon Empire

[edit] Prehistory
Billions of years ago, the first sentient humanoids in the Milky Way seeded their DNA across the galaxy, mixing it with local DNA[15]. Klingons, therefore, developed partly from the indigenous prehistoric life on Qo'noS and partly from alien DNA.
Little is known of the Klingons before the establishment of the Empire. Their religion states that the first Klingons destroyed the gods who created them.

[edit] 10th-21st century

Kahless the Unforgettable
The Klingon Empire was founded circa 900 AD on the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS by Kahless the Unforgettable when, according to dialog in the Deep Space Nine episode "The Sword of Kahless", he slew the tyrant Molor with the first bat'leth.
The Empire went through several dynasties of rulers, experiencing a period between the 2nd and 3rd known as the "Dark Time", a 10-year experiment in democracy.
Around the 14th century, Qo'noS was invaded by the Hur'q, who pillaged many treasures, including the sword of Kahless. The Klingons eventually expelled the Hur'q, which is the Klingon word for "outsider", from their homeworld.
In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Judgment", it appears that the Klingons had begun to become the warlike race we now recognise only sometime during the mid-22nd century, when the warrior caste began to assert itself. This idea fits into a long-running theme that the Klingon race had fallen into a state of decline from what it originally had been.
By 2069 the High Council was formed, eliminating the position of Emperor until 2369.

[edit] 22nd century
Around the early part of the 22nd century, the warrior class began exerting a greater influence throughout Klingon society, radically altering, notably, the Klingon justice system.
In 2151, a faction in the Temporal Cold War from the 28th century attempted to alter the timeline by using the Suliban Cabal to incite unrest within the Klingon Empire. This resulted in the first contact between Klingons and Humans and sparked the first voyage of the Warp 5 vessel, Enterprise (NX-01). Concurrent with this mission, Enterprise communications officer Hoshi Sato became the first known human to learn the Klingon language. Although initially positive, the relationship between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire remained on shaky ground during the first few years of contact, with Enterprise being fired upon by a Klingon battle cruiser only a few weeks after the vessel's trip to the Klingon homeworld[16]. By 2152-53, Captain Jonathan Archer had become a fugitive from Klingon justice, and at one point Enterprise destroyed a Klingon vessel carrying the then-head of the House of Duras who was pursuing the fugitive. The long-term fallout from this has yet to be revealed in canon, although the crew of Enterprise redeemed themselves somewhat in 2154 by helping the Empire stop the Augment Virus from becoming fatal.

[edit] 23rd century
Around 2218, relations between the Empire and the United Federation of Planets degenerated substantially, with intense hostility lasting until 2293.
In 2266, war between the Federation and Klingon Empire was stopped before it could begin by the interference of the Organians. The Organian Peace Treaty forced on both sides held each to a non-aggression pact and the establishment of a neutral zone in which each side must nonviolently compete for trade agreements. Tensions, however, still remained quite high.
In 2267 the Klingons and the Romulans began trading: Klingon military vessels were sold to the Romulans in exchange for cloaking devices.
In 2293 the atmosphere of Kronos (Qo'noS) was contaminated when Praxis, one of its moons, and its primary mining facility, exploded. This event was a turning point in relations between the Klingons and the United Federation of Planets, as the Klingon Empire could not afford to maintain their excessive military activities and deal with this new problem (parallels with the breakdown of the Cold War, Chernobyl, and the relationship between the United States and the cash-strapped former Soviet Union were obvious). Thus the two powers entered into an alliance, which was maintained for many years -- until the Cardassian invasion of 2372. The resolution to the Kronos atmosphere issue is yet to be explained. Though a planet Kronos is shown to still be inhabited and still the Empire's seat of power well into the 24th Century, differences between both appearance and distance from Earth in various incarnations of Star Trek taking place both before and after this event may indicate the capital was moved to a new planet, maintaining the old name. It is, however, unclear whether this was in fact the intended implication, or merely the result of continuity errors.
The idea that the capital of the Empire was moved to a new world is supported by dialogue of the Federation President in Star Trek VI. Where bits of his speech are heard in the ensuing events where he mentions the evacuation of the planet within the 50 year timespan, and specifically mentions the term "Phase One, Preparation for Evacuation". This however is often overlooked as viewer attention is more focused on the starship battle overhead, and the assassin who is preparing to kill the President during his speech.

[edit] 24th century
In 2344 the Klingons and Romulans began a violent war after the Romulans attacked the Klingon outpost Narendra III. The Enterprise-C cemented friendly relations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation by sacrificing itself to protect the outpost from the Romulans.
By 2346, the Romulans, with aid from the Duras, carried out a particularly brutal attack on the Khitomer Outpost. Worf, son of Mogh, was one of only two survivors of the massacre.
In 2357 Worf became the first Klingon to enter Starfleet Academy. In 2363 he was assigned to the Enterprise-D as relief conn and Tactical Officer (Rank: Lieutenant j.g.). He was later reassigned as Chief of Security (Rank: Lieutenant, later Lieutenant Commander).
In 2367 the Klingon Civil War began following Chancellor K'mpec's assassination. Before his murder, K'mpec had named Captain Jean-Luc Picard his Arbiter of Succession. Gowron was selected, but the House of Duras and their supporters opposed this decision, and the war began. It was later revealed that the Romulans were backing the Duras. Support quickly fell from their favor, ending the war and leaving Gowron as undisputed leader of the Empire.
In 2369, the position of Emperor was reinstated, when the clone of Kahless inherited the throne with the blessing of the Chancellor and High Council. Titled Kahless II, the Emperor became titular ruler of the Empire at a time when the Empire needed a figurehead. The bulk of power, however, remained in the hands of the High Council.
In 2371, relations between the Klingons and the Federation soured over the issue of the Klingon invasion of Cardassia. When the Federation refused to support the Klingon invasion, Chancellor Gowron withdrew from the Khitomer Accords. For the next year, relations between the two powers were hostile. In 2372 fighting broke out between the two powers. However when the Federation and Klingons discovered that they were being manipulated by the Dominion, an uneasy cease-fire was declared. In late 2372, the Cardassians formally announced they had joined the Dominion, and the Jem'Hadar rapidly forced the Klingons to retreat from Cardassian space, inflicting heavy damage on them. Captain Sisko was able to convince Gowron to reinstate the Alliance.
Again allies, the Klingons and Federation turned their attention to the Dominion and the Cardassians as war against them became inevitable.
When the war began, both the Federation and Klingons fought side-by-side against the Dominion, even though the odds were against them. However, once the Romulans joined them the tide eventually turned against the Dominion. In 2375 the Federation-Romulan-Klingon fleet defeated the Dominion with the assistance of the Cardassian fleet during a final assault on Cardassia Prime. Despite the refusal of Sisko and Ross to drink blood wine with Martok in the Cardassian Central Command, the two powers remained strong allies after the war.
Shortly before the end of the Dominion War, in 2375, Gowron took direct control of the Klingon fleet (a position held up until that point by the successful General Martok) because he was concerned that Martok was becoming too popular among both the troops and the civilian population from his wartime success. Since new Chancellors can ascend to that position by killing the former Chancellor, Gowron feared that Martok would challenge him for his position. And since Gowron was much more of a politician than a general, the Klingon fleet began to take unnecessary losses which Gowron manipulated to appear to be the fault of Martok. Commander Worf, disgusted with Gowron for using bad tactics in the war simply to hurt Martok's political position, challenged the Chancellor in a meeting to ritual combat and defeated him (actually killing Gowron in the process). By the traditions of the Empire, Worf had the right to become the next Chancellor if he wished, but instead granted the role to Martok, having no desire for a political position himself, although Martok would shortly thereafter have Worf become the UFP's Ambassador to the Klingon Empire. Ironically, Martok never had any designs on Gowron or his position, even accepting the unpopular position in which Gowron had placed him without questioning his orders.

[edit] Possible future
The Klingons will not recover from the losses they suffered during the Dominion War until 2385, according to a 2375 estimate by Section 31.
In Crewman Daniels' timeline, the Klingons join the Federation by about 2554.

[edit] Alternate timelines

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2008)
A few episodes featuring alternate timelines have shown a variety of developments in Klingon history and politics.
In the future timeline of the TNG episode "All Good Things...", relations between the Federation and the Empire have degraded, as Geordi states that current relations are "not too cozy". In this timeline, the Klingons have also taken control of the Romulan Star Empire.
The Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor" gives an alternate history for the events after the beginning of season 4 of that series, where the Klingons occupied Deep Space Nine, and the Federation-Dominion conflict never occurred. The episode takes places over a number of decades, and the political climate of the Empire seems to change several times.
As depicted in the TNG episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", an alternate timeline was formed when the Enterprise-C entered a temporal anomaly instead of being destroyed by the Romulans at Narendra III. In this alternate timeline, the Federation and the Klingons have been at war for decades, with the Federation close to losing.
While not an alternate timeline exactly, the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" features the disgraced Klingon outcast Arne Darvin attempting to change history, and make himself a Klingon hero. His attempts are thwarted, and it seems that almost no changes were made to the timeline as a result of his actions - other than that Tribbles were no longer extinct (and even this could be a result of the Defiant crew accidentally bringing some back to the future with them, rather than a change in the timeline).
In the Mirror Universe, the Klingons formed an alliance with the Cardassians to overthrow the Terran Empire. This Alliance is the major political force in the Alpha Quadrant throughout the Deep Space Nine episodes visiting the Mirror Universe.

[edit] Appearances in popular culture

This article or section contains too many minor or trivial fictional references.Mere trivia, or references unimportant to the overall plot of a work of fiction, should be deleted. See also what Wikipedia is.
Because of their central role as the main adversaries of the Federation in The Original Series, Klingons have achieved an iconic status in relation to Star Trek.
Furthermore, several books and CDs published in the mid-to-late 1990s were offered as a guide to learning the Klingon language.
Episodes of The Simpsons which feature the character Comic Book Guy occasionally make reference to his encyclopedic knowledge of Klingon artifacts.
In the film Daddy Day Care, one of the children who attends the daycare is the son of hardcore Trekkies, and is therefore fluent in Klingon.
In the "Weird Al" Yankovic song, White and Nerdy, a song parodying a stereotypical nerd or geek, the Klingon language is mentioned in the line "I'm fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon."
On January 10, 2007, Democratic Congressman David Wu of Oregon's 1st congressional district made a speech on the House floor referring to the Bush Administration as "Klingons" with regard to the Iraq War[17]. The last known Congressional reference to Klingons prior to Wu's speech was during a February 3, 1992 discussion of the United States's role as a world superpower after the Cold War[18].
In the pilot episode of CBS's situational comedy The Big Bang Theory, two of the main characters, Sheldon and Leonard, claim to have played a modified version of the board game Boggle known as Klingon Boggle. A game of Klingon Boggle is shown played at the beginning of the episode "The Panty Pinata Polarization"; the Boggle letter cubes are shown with Klingon script characters on the faces.
In an episode of Frasier, Frasier's son is celebrating his Bar mitzvah and asks his father to say a few words. Frasier decides to honor his son's religion by giving his speech in Hebrew. He asks a co-worker at KACL to translate, but when Fraiser breaks a promise, his speech is translated into Klingon instead.
The opening scene of the film Kill Bill Vol. 1 cites "Revenge is a dish best served cold." as an "Old Klingon Proverb," a reference to a line spoken by Khan in the movie Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan [19]
In the Simpsons episode the Itchy and Scratchy Movie, an episode of Star Trek 12 is on the tv Uhura says "Captain, Klingons off the sparboard bow", Captain Kirk replied "Again with the Klingons".
On February 4, 2002 Google in Klingon becomes one of Google's 72 language interfaces.