Something that stuck out to me rewatching “In the Pale Moonlight” was Sisko’s line about Vreenak, that “he would expose this vile deception to the entire Alpha Quadrant.” Well, to who would the shrewd Vreenak care to “expose” the deception to that mattered to the Romulan position, if the two other superpowers in the area are gone and the Romulans are “surrounded”?
It’s been noted that he could have been talking to prospective Federation members and other allies not currently in it, and maybe even to Federation members teetering on leaving. That it’s him playing the game after the war, or the old one before it. Shortsighted as that might be during. It could make sense if you think of him as an old Cold Warrior only ever knowing this game, and is maybe so full of Romulan strength and patriotism that he doesn’t fully buy the big picture Sisko was presenting him.
But my first thought was that this is maybe a window into the greater quadrant/half the galaxy. We’re so used to these three superpowers but there could be others out there not far off.
Vreenak negotiated the Romulans’ non-aggression pact with the Dominion, but they signed pacts with the Tholians and DS9’s new Miradorn too—that we only really saw once but that were mentioned multiple times. Could they be a distant but powerful group (like the Sheliak) the Romulans could ally with against mutual enemies?
The Federation went to war with the Tzenkethi and the Talarians in the last century. What are their relations like with the Romulans? I’d keep them close if I were a Romulan strategist.
Also, in “Unification” it’s mentioned the Romulans trade a great deal with the Barolians: again, they could be anybody.
The Breen the Romulans know well enough to have sayings about.
The Ferengi aren’t brave but they’ve got a lot of money and ships near par with the Galaxy Class.
The Gorn are still around.
One that might be interesting is the First Federation from TOS. They could be an older power that doesn’t interfere much with the goings on of younger races, but they’re there and a wild card.
Finally, there are clues to others out there in TNG’s “The Price.” The Caldonians aren’t warlike but they’re technologically sophisticated and could make for good R&D allies, and the Chrysalians (who Troi’s lover Devinoni Ral represented) were wealthy enough to be able to bid up there with the Federation.
All in all, it paints a picture of a much larger galaxy out there senators like Vreenak may have their finger on the pulse of, and thinking about that I liked.
It’s been noted that he could have been talking to prospective Federation members and other allies not currently in it, and maybe even to Federation members teetering on leaving. That it’s him playing the game after the war, or the old one before it. Shortsighted as that might be during. It could make sense if you think of him as an old Cold Warrior only ever knowing this game, and is maybe so full of Romulan strength and patriotism that he doesn’t fully buy the big picture Sisko was presenting him.
But my first thought was that this is maybe a window into the greater quadrant/half the galaxy. We’re so used to these three superpowers but there could be others out there not far off.
Vreenak negotiated the Romulans’ non-aggression pact with the Dominion, but they signed pacts with the Tholians and DS9’s new Miradorn too—that we only really saw once but that were mentioned multiple times. Could they be a distant but powerful group (like the Sheliak) the Romulans could ally with against mutual enemies?
The Federation went to war with the Tzenkethi and the Talarians in the last century. What are their relations like with the Romulans? I’d keep them close if I were a Romulan strategist.
Also, in “Unification” it’s mentioned the Romulans trade a great deal with the Barolians: again, they could be anybody.
The Breen the Romulans know well enough to have sayings about.
The Ferengi aren’t brave but they’ve got a lot of money and ships near par with the Galaxy Class.
The Gorn are still around.
One that might be interesting is the First Federation from TOS. They could be an older power that doesn’t interfere much with the goings on of younger races, but they’re there and a wild card.
Finally, there are clues to others out there in TNG’s “The Price.” The Caldonians aren’t warlike but they’re technologically sophisticated and could make for good R&D allies, and the Chrysalians (who Troi’s lover Devinoni Ral represented) were wealthy enough to be able to bid up there with the Federation.
All in all, it paints a picture of a much larger galaxy out there senators like Vreenak may have their finger on the pulse of, and thinking about that I liked.
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