TFF: Where were the Romulans?

[alpha_leonis]

Granted Caithlin Dar was the hostage drafted to send the ransom message, and she did specifically ask for a Federation ship.

The Klingons still ordered Klaa's ship to go rescue their guy (even though their ambassador was out of favor, and regardless that Klaa decided independently to make the mission about Kirk instead.)

So did the Romulans simply not care about their person, or did they just strategically decide to let the Feds take the risk?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I suspect they couldn't afford a Romulan ship.

 

[Leto_II]

Yeah, like Daniel mentions, it was probably due to budgetary and/or storytelling reasons that we didn't see a bigger Romulan presence in the movie -- apart from money-related factors, the screenplay would've also had to service a Romulan supporting cast within the story, and this might've been considered too unwieldy by the producers.

For years, I'd considered this same question, and I suppose it's something that we finally got to see the Romulans in a TOS movie at all by that point, TNG's then-recent use of them notwithstanding (though we'd get soon get to see a bunch of them onscreen, come The Undiscovered Country).

 

[Timo]

The Klingons still ordered Klaa's ship to go rescue their guy

We never heard them order that.

Our heroes and villains do like to speculate that the Klingons would also be sending ships, but none of the messages that Klaa overhears includes orders to sort out the hostage crisis, nor does any of the messages indicate that somebody else besides Klaa would be at it. Klaa simply hears there's a hostage crisis going on and decides that this is a good opportunity to take potshots at Starfleet ships (perhaps because the Planet of Galactic Peace is in some sort of fancy neutral space where such actions would go unpunished?) - he doesn't appear to have any intention of doing anything about the hostages, except perhaps taking potshots at them, too.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Armored Saint]

So did the Romulans simply not care about their person, or did they just strategically decide to let the Feds take the risk?

Two logical in-universe explanation.

Yeah, like Daniel mentions, it was probably due to budgetary and/or storytelling reasons that we didn't see a bigger Romulan presence in the movie -- apart from money-related factors, the screenplay would've also had to service a Romulan supporting cast within the story, and this might've been considered too unwieldy by the producers.

Really good point. After TMP, Search for Spock and Voyage Home, the Klingons were excessively easy to insert while the Romulans had only their Ale as developpment in the four prior movies.

 

[Nightowl1701]

So did the Romulans simply not care about their person, or did they just strategically decide to let the Feds take the risk?

"The Romulans don't seem to give a damn about their consul. Their official line is, they won't get involved or negotiate with terrorists period...and their representative can always be replaced. Unbelievable." - Admiral Robert Caflisch Bennett, Star Trek V novelization

I wouldn't be surprised if Caithlin didn't simply defect to the Federation after that.

 

[Shat Happens]

they were cloaked.

 

[Melakon]

Romulans were probably content to watch from a distance, watching for an opportunity on the borders of the Klingons and Federation. Caithlin Dar probably received a communique along the lines of "Your sacrifice will be noted."

 

[Lance]

The Klingons still ordered Klaa's ship to go rescue their guy

We never heard them order that.

Our heroes and villains do like to speculate that the Klingons would also be sending ships, but none of the messages that Klaa overhears includes orders to sort out the hostage crisis, nor does any of the messages indicate that somebody else besides Klaa would be at it. Klaa simply hears there's a hostage crisis going on and decides that this is a good opportunity to take potshots at Starfleet ships (perhaps because the Planet of Galactic Peace is in some sort of fancy neutral space where such actions would go unpunished?) - he doesn't appear to have any intention of doing anything about the hostages, except perhaps taking potshots at them, too.

Timo Saloniemi

Yeah, this was my first thought too. Klaa was never actually ordered to the situation at Nimbus III, he pretty much went there on his own authority (and not to rescue the Klingon ambassador, either).

Maybe, if we're charitable, we might argue that the reason Admiral Bennett sends Enterprise is because the Federation have been getting seperate requests from the Klingon and Romulan governments for Starfleet to go and resolve the situation. Or maybe, because Sybok is a Vulcan, and therefore probably a Federation citizen, dealing with him was politically seen as Starfleet's mess to clean up anyway?

 

[Captrek]

The Feds didn't care much more than the Romulans. I don't buy that "I need an experienced commander" nonsense. Starfleet sent the Enterprise because all their ships that were really service-worthy were busy with more important missions.

It's not clear that the Klingons sent Klaa either:

KLAA: (in Klingonese) Shooting space garbage is no test of a warrior's mettle. I need a target that fights back.
VIXIS: (in Klingonese) Captain, new data. Hostages on Nimbus Three.
(more information is received on the viewscreen)
VIXIS: (in Klingonese) One of the hostages is a Klingon.
KLAA: (in Klingonese) And the others?
VIXIS: (in Klingonese) A Terran and a Romulan.
KLAA: (in Klingonese) That means the Federation will be sending a rescue ship of its own. Plot course for Nimbus Three. ...I've always wanted to engage a Federation ship.

It's possible that the "new data" came with mission orders, but that's speculation. All we know for sure is that Vixis somehow became aware of the hostage situation.

 

[Lieut. Arex]

It occurred to me watching a bit of TFF this afternoon, that since Sybok had embraced emotions, he might have some affinity for the Roumlans and perhaps had traveled there if he had contacts in the Empire who knew what he was up to they may have been content to let things happen hoping for the UFP and Klingons to tangle so they might profit in the aftermath

 

[Avro Arrow]

did they just strategically decide to let the Feds take the risk?

they were cloaked.

I suspect it's these two. Dar *just arrived* right before the hostage crisis, so the ship that dropped her off couldn't have gone far. They were probably content just to monitor the situation while cloaked, and let the Federation or the Klingons attempt to rescue the hostages. If both of them failed, then the Romulans could try their own attempt, or just cut their losses and leave. If one of them actually succeeded, then the Romulans could decloak and say "hey, we're here to save the ambassadors! Oh, they're already saved? OK, great, see you around!"

 

[Kronos]

Considering that planet there may not have been a ship other then intergalactic greyhound.

 

[Chaos Descending]

I simply had the impression that no one cared about the delegates on Nimbus III. They seemed to be rather expendable and people who were "embarrassments" to their home nations in some way.

So I assumed that the Romulans didn't get involved because they saw the hostage situation as a solution and not as a problem.

 

[Dukhat]

Granted Caithlin Dar was the hostage drafted to send the ransom message, and she did specifically ask for a Federation ship.

Which makes no sense, as she was the Romulan ambassador. Why would she ask for a Federation ship if the Romulans, Klingons and Feds were there equally? The only reason why she asked for a Federation ship was to serve the plot. If she asked for a Romulan ship, then Sybok and Spock wouldn't have met, etc. It would have made more sense for Talbot to have been drafted to send the message.

The Klingons still ordered Klaa's ship to go rescue their guy (even though their ambassador was out of favor, and regardless that Klaa decided independently to make the mission about Kirk instead.)

As had been pointed out already, the Klingon government never ordered Klaa to go there. He went on his own free will with the intention to do battle with the Enterprise only.

So did the Romulans simply not care about their person, or did they just strategically decide to let the Feds take the risk?

The Romulans knew how shitty this movie was and wisely stayed out of it, even going so far as to dub over their ambassador's lines.

 

[Ithekro]

Perhaps Sybok thought that only a Federation starship would be able to get his mission completed. Either because they'd be easier to control enough to get onto the ship to get it heading towards the Center of the Galaxy. Or he thought it would be the only power with a ship fast enough or strong enough to get through the Galactic Barrier or whatever he expected to encounter.

Or they tailored the massages for each power, but decided Dar had the best chance of getting sympathy from the Federation. Or she just had the most convincing voice of the three. The other two being quite drunk.

 

[Armored Saint]

The Federation was the only government who could care for the life of its disgraced ambassador.

 

[Shat Happens]

they were cloaked.

I quote myself because all the other good points, but when the Romulans AREN'T cloaked? That's what they do. Of course they were in TFF and all the other movies and episodes, cloaked.

Could be one here in the room with me now. Or you.

I think I heard something.

 

[Captrek]

Violence in the Middle East and Ukraine, global economic turmoil... It's all the work of four changelings.

 

[Lance]

Maybe the powers that be on Qo'nos and Romulus just weren't stupid enough to fall for any of Sybok's crap?

"Meh, it's just some crazy Vulcan. Let's just let the Federation deal with it."