According to the TNG episode "The Defector", the Norkan Outposts were destroyed in a massacre by the Romulans. Now I admit to knowing very little about stardates and the entire TOS series timelines, but my questions are these: Did the Norkan Outposts belong to the Federation? And if so... When was the Federation formally at war with the Romulan Star Empire? Please forgive my ignorance on this matter.
Been a long time since I've seen the episode, so I can't comment in too much detail. I will say that the Federation doens't necessarily respond to military provokation (even incidents that can be called massacres) with declarations of war.
Also in "The Defector", the Romulan Admiral Jarok mentions something to the effect that starting a new war would be too costly for the Empire. So I assume there was a war at some point in the past.
There are lots of neat references through out the show to battles and incidents we don't see, its why the Trek universe seems to full and big. Just leaves us to imagine these battles incidents etc
Yep. Technically, the Federation has been in a cold war (with periodic bursts of actual hostilities) with the Romulans since its inception, but in TOS' "Balance of Terror," it established that Earth and Romulus went to war during the 22nd-Century (presumably a few years prior to the Federation's formation). The Norkan Outposts were Federation outposts destroyed by the Romulans during a series of border skirmishes along the Neutral Zone possibly in the early 24th-Century and prior to the Romulans entering their period of isolationism, IMO.
It's possible, and in my oppinion, more likely, that the Norkan Outpots belonged to some smaller race that bordered the Romulan Star Empire.
Or that they were a series of Federation outposts located in the Norkan System (or the Norkan Sector) along the Neutral Zone.
Alright, so what do we know about this war. I'm very interested to learn about it. I'll try to get ahold of the "Balance of Terror" episode and watch it carefully.
Yes, my post was meant as an alternative to yours, should have made it clear. I do find it unlikely that a "massacre" wouldn't have resulted in war between the Federation and the Romulans. The Federation might be pacifist, but never had problems enganging in wars, like with the Cardassians, Talarians and the Tzenkethi. Such war would have been mentioned other times, I'd wager. Also, such war/massacre would have had to happen before the Tomed Incident, some 50 years before the episode, implying that Alidar Jarok was quite old. Not impossible though, considering Vulcan longevity, which, I suppose, Romulans also have. However, nothing precludes your scenario, the info we have is simply not enough.
Had ENT continued for a couple more seasons, it probably would have shown the event(s) that caused the war.
It would have been interesting to see how Enterprise would have dealt with the limitations imposed by Balance of Terror, specially considering their previous track record (Romulans already having fully funcional cloaks in the 22nd century...hell, Suliban already having fully funcional cloaks in the 22nd century).
It could have easily been a case that military action was taken by the Federation that resolved the situation without the need for a full-out war. Romulan forces may have been driven out of the Norkan System and the Romulans acquiesced.
Didn't they mention a 53 year absence in "The Neutral Zone"? If that's so, when could the Norcan campaigns occur?
A couple of years before they go into isolationism, IMO. The Norkan Campaign could even have been a precursor to the Tomed Incident.
I thought so as well. It just seems odd because Picard and Jarok spoke of it as if it happened in their lifetimes, something they recalled personally. But they would have been children or still unborn. Maybe it's just my take on their conversation.