The Romulans

by Gideon and Ethan Marcus

Backstory:

The Romulans have but three appearances in the old show.  Balance of Terror, where the Warbird is introduced as an Impulse driven ship with no shields and only plasma torpedo armed.  In another episode, the Enterprise is beset by a horde of Warbirds and almost destroyed by them.  In the third episode, the Romulans are using borrowed Klingon vessels a la Lend Lease.

The Warbird as it appears in Star Fleet Battles is not bad save for a few points.  It is impossible for the Romulans to be a Star Empire without some sort of Faster than Light drive.  The blueprints for the Warbird indicate something called Star Drive.  This enables Romulan vessels to at least enter a combat zone.  Also, the Warbird should not have shields.  Finally, the Warbird should not have technology like transporters and warp capable probes.  Hence, our Warbird.

It is assumed that the Warbird is one of the smaller ships in the Romulan fleet.  Bigger ships would include an upgraded Warbird or War Eagle and the Romulan Dominator, a battleship.

After the meeting of the Romulans and the Klingons (which in our universe resulted in the forcible employment of several Klingon engineers to design new vessels and technology), the Romulans realized just how badly outclassed they were.  Having initiated fights with the Federation and the Gorns, the Praetor decided on a crash course in fleet upgrading.

Several new ship designs were created combining Romulan and appropriated Klingon technology.  In addition, a plea for help was made to the Klingons who grudgingly "loaned" some rear eschelon war-ships.  The first ship to be refitted was the War Eagle.  It's Star Drive was replaced with Warp Pods and its lasers with Phaser-IIs.  2 disruptors were welded to the hull as well.  Minimal shield generators were affixed.  The resultant vessel was less a starship than a test bed.  Still, for over a year it was the only warp capable vessel in the Romulan navy save for a few loaned Klingon ships.

Warbird

War Eaglen

Romulan fleet 156-159

War Eagle II

Klingon D4, F4, and E1 (found in CL #12)

The Romulan Dominator--flagship of the old fleet, and the ultimate in Romulan grandeur.  Employing 2 Plasma-Rs, this ship ironically never see much action--which government would want to lose this baby?!?

To reduce it to pre-refit standards, eliminate the shields, half the warp boxes and replace them with Star Drive boxes, and substitute lasers for phasers.  No disruptors were ever added to this ship.

Romulan fleet 160-

Not long after the first Romulan-Klingon treaty, a new array of ship classes was developed. Quickly replacing the older and clumsier Warbird/Wareagle classes, the ships took full advantage of Klingon warp technology, and utilized a weaker, but less costly version of their plasma torp--the Plasma K.

The Romulan Phoenix--a Frigate

The first of the new line to be commisioned, the Phoenix quickly replaced the F-4 as a cheap, agile border patrol ship.

The Romulan Raven--a Stealth Scout

An evolution of the Phoenix, the Stealth Scout was perfectly suited for probing an enemy's weak spots as a prelude to an invasion.

The Romulan Vulture--a Battle Cruiser

The queen of the new line of post-treaty technology.  When the ship first came out, it was armed with 6 phaser-2s , 3 disruptors and 3 Plasma Ks.  Within a few years of  mass production, miniaturization technology allowed for the installation of two more phaser-2s  in the aft section.  

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