Romulan power
- Thread starter mike hill
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The very dramatic point that the writer wants to make there, that the heroes can run rings around the villains, is one that also needs to be made. It's the only thing that makes the chase to the border interesting: the villains are uninterested in doing anything but fleeing, Kirk is uninterested in doing anything but chasing, and if the villains were faster, they'd simply escape; if slower, simply get caught. The speed difference is what makes the enemy utilize his intriguing invisibility doodad, to perform clever maneuvers, to have the impetus and the opportunity to care about Kirk at all.
The conversion from the Atlantic to deep space is poorly handled - but we could expect nothing else, this being a type of "hard scifi" requiring the writer to put new batteries in his calculator and to draft maneuvers on paper. So there's a lot to ignore there. But Scotty's line might actually be one of the keepers, combining the absolute story need for speed difference with the one way Star Trek tehnobabble consistently expresses speed difference. (It's just too bad that this way only caters for such an extreme difference! Why not merely translate knots to warp factors and quote those?)
Timo Saloniemi
The conversion from the Atlantic to deep space is poorly handled - but we could expect nothing else, this being a type of "hard scifi" requiring the writer to put new batteries in his calculator and to draft maneuvers on paper. So there's a lot to ignore there. But Scotty's line might actually be one of the keepers, combining the absolute story need for speed difference with the one way Star Trek tehnobabble consistently expresses speed difference. (It's just too bad that this way only caters for such an extreme difference! Why not merely translate knots to warp factors and quote those?)
Timo Saloniemi
Technology level does not identify aggressor. I can throw a rock at someone carrying a machine gun. I'm the aggressor but I'm using inferior technology.
And, yes, a rock wielding enemy can still be a deadly enemy.
And we later learn that this is indeed what the UFP typically does, even if it insists on calling invasion "exploration"...
The episode grandiosely defines the Neutral Zone as being "between the planets Romulus and Remus and the rest of the galaxy". This can be read two ways: Romulus is so mighty that it and the UFP between themselves have split the entire galaxy in two, like Spain and Portugal once split the Earth - or the rabid Romulans are cordoned off at their two planets, while the millions of Federation planets outside this insane asylum enjoy peace. The episode probably leans towards the latter, by intent and execution, but the rest of Trek expands this a bit towards the former. Another reason to choose against warp-incapable Romulans when interpreting this episode in its context, then.
But warp-capable Romulans can fully well operate a warp-incapable ship. This was the tactical-technical point of the original movie, too: the Nazis knew how to make jet aircraft, but this didn't stop them from operating a submarine that (both surfaced and submerged) was slower than the low-performance DE that was hunting them. So perhaps the Praetor's newest flagship is a crawler by Romulan standards, but a deadly one? This low-speed interpretation helps with certain visuals in the episode, such as the ships creeping around the tail of a comet - and Trek is primarily a visual phenomenon, the comet being among the more memorable visuals of this particular episode.
The jury will remain out for decades to come, then. At least until a spinoff directly addresses this issue, without making a significant percentage of fans cry "alternate timeline" or whatever.
Timo Saloniemi
The episode grandiosely defines the Neutral Zone as being "between the planets Romulus and Remus and the rest of the galaxy". This can be read two ways: Romulus is so mighty that it and the UFP between themselves have split the entire galaxy in two, like Spain and Portugal once split the Earth - or the rabid Romulans are cordoned off at their two planets, while the millions of Federation planets outside this insane asylum enjoy peace. The episode probably leans towards the latter, by intent and execution, but the rest of Trek expands this a bit towards the former. Another reason to choose against warp-incapable Romulans when interpreting this episode in its context, then.
But warp-capable Romulans can fully well operate a warp-incapable ship. This was the tactical-technical point of the original movie, too: the Nazis knew how to make jet aircraft, but this didn't stop them from operating a submarine that (both surfaced and submerged) was slower than the low-performance DE that was hunting them. So perhaps the Praetor's newest flagship is a crawler by Romulan standards, but a deadly one? This low-speed interpretation helps with certain visuals in the episode, such as the ships creeping around the tail of a comet - and Trek is primarily a visual phenomenon, the comet being among the more memorable visuals of this particular episode.
The jury will remain out for decades to come, then. At least until a spinoff directly addresses this issue, without making a significant percentage of fans cry "alternate timeline" or whatever.
Timo Saloniemi
From the comments made by the Romulans in Balance of Terror and other episodes they command an area of space larger than just two planets or even a single solar system I'd say but compared to the UFP they are small and isolated!
They must be considered a dangerous threat due to their taking out four asteroid bases and their invisible cloaking technology or Kirk and Starfleet would have blasted Romulus a few times and retreated ala Ronald Reagan!
JB
They must be considered a dangerous threat due to their taking out four asteroid bases and their invisible cloaking technology or Kirk and Starfleet would have blasted Romulus a few times and retreated ala Ronald Reagan!
JB
The planets are Romulus and Remus per Kirk's log. The star systems are Romulus and Romii per the star sector map. This strongly supports that the Romulan Star Empire is ruled from those two planets (or that they are the only two habitable planets in their "Star Empire"), and that they orbit two separate stars that are fairly close to each other. Even if we consider that the grid scale is a lightyear, both stars are within 1.5 lightyears. Possibly a binary star system or maybe just two stars interstellarly close to each other. If the scale is smaller, then definitely a binary star system. YMMV
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Or then, given the very discrepancy, Romulus and Remus are in one system and the Romulans hold a number of others in addition.
Then again, the map is 2D. Possibly Romii is fifty grid squares from Romulus in the third dimension?
Like everything else in the episode, the map is screwed no matter which tack we take. The distance between the outposts is more than the thickness of the Zone or their distance from the Zone. The Romulans zipped from outpost to outpost in no time flat, so why does it take them aeons to get back home? If the grid scale denotes lightyears, then perhaps the ship hopped from target to target at warp seven and then quickly re-cloaked, achieving both strategic and tactical surprise? Or was it able to do high warp and invisibility simultaneously? Spock speculates against this - is Spock near-fatally wrong?
Timo Saloniemi
The Romulans in the cloaked ship talk of their other campaigns fought elsewhere in the episode, so they obviously have other worlds under their control and being an empire surely means they are the masters of many dominated planetary systems!!!
JB
JB
It's worth noting that "the rock" that was being used by the Romulans chased down the Enterprise at she was retreating at "emergency warp." If their weapons are capable of warp speed, it follows that their ships could be as well. Whether this one particular ship is capable is another story.
Then again, supersonic bullets preceded supersonic aircraft by quite a bit...
But again, "Balance of Terror" doesn't exist in isolation. Its worst contradictions are actually alleviated by us having a bulk of evidence to lean onto: Romulans already fly at warp barely a year after the introductory episode, making it highly unlikely that they would have been incapable of this in "BoT", either.
Timo Saloniemi
But again, "Balance of Terror" doesn't exist in isolation. Its worst contradictions are actually alleviated by us having a bulk of evidence to lean onto: Romulans already fly at warp barely a year after the introductory episode, making it highly unlikely that they would have been incapable of this in "BoT", either.
Timo Saloniemi
Since the Romulan Ship was based on a WWII submarine, while cloaked (submerged), it is slower than not cloaked (running of the surface). Whether this is SLT or slow FLT while cloaked and faster FLT while not cloaked is up to us. Additionally, whether their FLT exists in first place or if it exists, it is slower than the Enterprise's FLT is also up to us, but the series gives the impression that the Enterprise is faster than all the Romulan ships until they acquired Klingon D-7's. My opinion is that Warp drive can be attained without a M/AM reactor but it requires a large amount of ship space for the fusion reactors and the consumable fuel. The "plasma" weapon also suggests a large amount of energy (and plasma fuel?) is needed, and as a result, the ship doesn't have the energy to charge and shoot their plasma weapon and maintain the energy intensive cloaking field. (A side thought, maybe the cloaking field would bounce the plasma bolt back into the ship, so, that is another reason the cloak has to be dropped to fire the weapon.) A M/AM reactor (with dilithium crystal magic) provides vastly more power without fuel limitations. YMMV 
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Since the Romulan Ship was based on a WWII submarine, while cloaked (submerged), it is slower than not cloaked (running of the surface). Whether this is SLT or slow FLT while cloaked and faster FLT while not cloaked is up to us. Additionally, whether their FLT exists in first place or if it exists, it is slower than the Enterprise's FLT is also up to us, but the series gives the impression that the Enterprise is faster than all the Romulan ships until they acquired Klingon D-7's. My opinion is that Warp drive can be attained without a M/AM reactor but it requires a large amount of ship space for the fusion reactors and the consumable fuel. The "plasma" weapon also suggests a large amount of energy (and plasma fuel?) is needed, and as a result, the ship doesn't have the energy to charge and shoot their plasma weapon and maintain the energy intensive cloaking field. (A side thought, maybe the cloaking field would bounce the plasma bolt back into the ship, so, that is another reason the cloak has to be dropped to fire the weapon.) A M/AM reactor (with dilithium crystal magic) provides vastly more power without fuel limitations. YMMV
That's kind of my own head-canon as well. Romulans control a small area of space, with their capital binary system being closest to Earth. The BoP was a fusion driven low warp craft. Based on BoT and the Enterprise's encounter with the BoP, Starfleet chooses not to engage in anohter war with them, deeming them not a credible threat. Perhaps after the 1st Rom War of 100 years ago, the Federation went from A->D in warp tech, while the Rom's only went from A->B. After they gain D7's the Romulans become a bigger threat. Then, through reverse engineering, they create their own higher tech craft.
Totally agree with last two posts from Henoch and Throrll.
After 100 years isolation, the Praetor's flagship with two new latest bits of tech goes out and never returns. Romulan B warp tech is overwhelmed by Starfleet D warp tech.
Totally demoralised, the Romulans accept Klingon offer of some old D7's. (enemy of my enemy is my friend) and eventually reverse engineer them and get to D!
They probably hate the dishonour of flying enemy ships that are better than what they can build. But needs must when the devil drives.
After 100 years isolation, the Praetor's flagship with two new latest bits of tech goes out and never returns. Romulan B warp tech is overwhelmed by Starfleet D warp tech.
Totally demoralised, the Romulans accept Klingon offer of some old D7's. (enemy of my enemy is my friend) and eventually reverse engineer them and get to D!
They probably hate the dishonour of flying enemy ships that are better than what they can build. But needs must when the devil drives.
I can buy no FTL speeds while cloaked, just as no using weapons under cloak
Still unconvinced that ship has FTL ability
Still unconvinced that ship has FTL ability
And the episode seems to support they don't have warp drive, and that the "Star Empire" is not much more than a possible binary star. But then that also creates the weird paradox that Earth fought a hard war with the Romulans, when such a war requires essentially that Earth forces continuously invaded Romulus & Romii - CHOOSING to engage in a war with a pre-warp capable race.
I think the problems lay with the fact that the episode contradicts itself a lot:
1. The episode establishes both that the Romulans should have warp drive to have fought a war against Earth, and then showing their flagship having "simple impulse" (without explaining what they mean, but it implying sublight).
2. The episode states that the Neutral Zone "separates the planets Romulus and Remus from the galaxy" and then has dialogue that the Romulans have fought "many campaigns" in the last 25-50 years;
3. The episode shows a sector map where the distance between outposts seems to be minutes or hours at sublight, and Romulus and Romii are only 4x farther from the NZ than the distance between outposts - which implies that at sublight speeds, the NZ is essentially INSIDE the Romulus system.
I did not mean RSE does not usve FTL drives, just that prototype ship.
It is notable that the Neutral Zone is not depicted as a circle around the binary system of Romulus and RomII. To me that implies that the Empire goes back a ways the other direction. They may champ at the bit that they cannot expand in all directions.
I'd say that Romii an abbreviation for Romulus II, or any of RomII, Rom. II, or Rom II, as you may prefer; being in all caps obscures what I think is obviously a Roman numeral II.
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