The Romulans and the Defiant's cloaking device.

[t_smitts]

Forgive me, if I've commented on this in the past, but having just gotten an Eaglemoss model of the Defiant, I decided to celebrate by watching some of the episodes that show off our favorite "tough little ship". One of those, was her debut episode, "The Search".

Watching that episode, I was reminded of the short-lived character of T'Rul, the Romulan who was supposed to be guarding the cloaking device. Apparently, they decided, just from the two-parter (which didn't really give her much of a chance to shine), that she didn't offer enough story potential and was promptly banished to oblivion and never spoken of again, like so many sitcom siblings.

I can't say I agree with that. It occurred to me, watching her take orders from Sisko, that there was at least some of the same story potential as there had been when they put Worf, another member of a previously hostile race, on the bridge. Perhaps she could've started to develop an affinity for the crew, despite her best efforts. Perhaps she could've even become a love interest for one of the other characters (Bashir? Maybe even Quark? Stranger things have happened). How would the episode "Visionary" have played out if she was still there? Or when Worf joined the crew? I guess we'll never know.

Ultimately, though, her absence only raises more questions. Having the Romulans send one of their own to guard and operate the cloaking device makes perfect sense, especially with the Pegasus incident having occurred less than a year before. Why then, do they suddenly decide to trust Starfleet enough to let them have the cloak unsupervised? It's all the more ironic when you realize that Sisko's increasingly brazen violation of the deal to only use it in the Gamma Quadrant shows that the Romulans really SHOULDN'T trust them with the cloak!

And what about when the Romulans signed a non-aggression pact with the Dominion? Wouldn't that be cause for the Romulans to come to DS9, asking for the cloak back?

What do you think?

 

[kkt]

I agree with everything you said. Except T'Rul and Quark, that could never happen. Maybe T'Rul and Garak? Romulans and Cardassians are both arrogant and detail-oriented, maybe they'd get along.

 

[tomalak301]

I would have loved to see T'Rul as a recurring character at least. Having a Romulan on the bridge of a Starship would be is revolutionary as having a Klingon on the bridge back in 1987. Of course the downside to this is she wouldn't be able to play Seska but having a semi-recurring Romulan character would have been great for Trek, especially back when The Search aired.

 

[The_Baroness]

I agree. I think during the whole "Lets trick the romulans into joining the war" thing we could have some interesting conflict. Not that that episode needed any improvement.

 

[T'Girl]

Of course the downside to this is she wouldn't be able to play Seska

Are we completely sure that T"Rul wasn't Seska in disguise?

I my own mind, T'Rul was briefly aboard the Defiant just for training the crew and as tech support. Her "guarding" the cloaking device was something of a joke on her by the Defiant's crew.


.

 

[apollo1984]

Yeah it never made much sense that the Romulans left the cloak aboard the Defiant, perhaps the Romulans had cloaked ships nearby to make sure it was not misused (perhaps they allowed Sisko use it in the AQ as long as he kept well clear of Romulan space?)

 

[Timo]

It's really too bad that we lost the T'Rul character. But we could always argue that the cloak was of minimal importance to the Romulans - it might have been the crappiest piece of outdated surplus found on the back shelf for all we know. What the Romulans really cared about was getting their share of the intel gained - and they might actually get more of that if the cloak they provided was of poor quality and got our heroes in all sorts of trouble. No doubt they sent their own cloakships to do further recce in their own, more standoffish, belt-and-suspenders manner.

One typically Romulan characteristic of the donated cloak was the need to drop it for beaming people up (and sometimes down, although that might be more the tactical consequence of needing to beam the same folks back up than a technological shortcoming). Klingon cloaks never suffered from this, not even back in ST4:TVH. Although the Duras Sisters had a cloak that was tied to their shields - perhaps indication of them using Romulan hardware, as would befit their known interests.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

You'd think the cloaking device would be now used by everyone with the Dominion War underway.

 

[Timo]

Would we notice? Responsible users would go unseen.

OTOH, the Jem'Hadar troops decloak before going to battle. Fighting while invisible might be so disadvantageous that Jem'Hadar ships equipped with cloaks don't bother with the device when engaging - Klingons in the war seldom did, either.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

Cloaks give a unique element of surprise before you stage the attack.

 

[Terok Nor]

T'Rul stayed on the Defiant guarding the cloaking device. We just didn't see her. Sadly she died when the Breen destroyed the ship. Everyone had forgotten her so no one thought to warn her of the impending destruction of the Defiant.

 

[The_Baroness]

I reckon she had an accident while doing some tinkering and cloaked herself like what Geordi and Ro did once. She was there all along, all invisdibbles.

 

[Sans]

You'd think the cloaking device would be now used by everyone with the Dominion War underway.

The only think I can think of is that the Jem'Hadar didn't think it honorable. How the Klingons did, I will never know.

 

[t_smitts]

The only think I can think of is that the Jem'Hadar didn't think it honorable. How the Klingons did, I will never know.

So it's fine if THEY'RE invisible, but not their ships? Besides, if the Founders told them to use them, the Jem'Hadar would.

 

[Sans]

So it's fine if THEY'RE invisible, but not their ships? Besides, if the Founders told them to use them, the Jem'Hadar would.

*facepalm* forgot about that.

 

[Timo]

In their very first appearance (or its opposite!), the Jem'Hadar may already have been operating an invisible ship. Such a ship would be the simplest explanation to the disappearance of the Vorta (or Founder?) agent called Eris. No other explanation was offered by our heroes, and there's little need for any...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Bagofmostlywatr]

Forgive me, if I've commented on this in the past, but having just gotten an Eaglemoss model of the Defiant, I decided to celebrate by watching some of the episodes that show off our favorite "tough little ship". One of those, was her debut episode, "The Search".

I was going to get that, but I got the cloaked version instead. The detail is unbelievable on it.

 

[AdmiralShran]

I would have loved to see T'Rul as a recurring character at least. Having a Romulan on the bridge of a Starship would be is revolutionary as having a Klingon on the bridge back in 1987.

Never going to happen as long as the series remains in the control of a certain ethnicity as a certain ethnicity has a severe hatred of Romans/Nazis - both of which serve as inspiration for Romulans. And since Gene Roddenberry's death, the series has only been run by a certain ethnicity as will the new series.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Never going to happen as long as the series remains in the control of a certain ethnicity as a certain ethnicity has a severe hatred of Romans/Nazis - both of which serve as inspiration for Romulans. And since Gene Roddenberry's death, the series has only been run by a certain ethnicity as will the new series.

Which ethnicity is that? How is it so problematic that this 'certain ethnicity' is involved in Trek?

 

[Guy Gardener]

I didn't think that the Romulans were seen as Space Nazis?

Unless WWII Germany was seen as New Rome?