The Future of the Romulan Empire

[Mark]

I'm putting this thread here, because frankly I'm not sure where else it would even come close to fitting in.

Here we are in the original timeline. Romulas was just destroyed, and the Romulans are already still weakened from the DW, and then the Remen uprising and civil war. What happens to the Empire?

I see them most logically joining the Federation. In there chaotic state, even with Spock MIA (now in the alternate timeline) the reunification efforts would take on a whole new importance IMO. Some would argue the Romulans may choose to go down fighting, (and the Romulans from TOS maybe would have) but in the modern day and age that's more a Klingon move. They'd be threatened on all sides by hostile powers with their core infrastructure gone. I think they'd choose the less of all the evils.


What do you all think?

[Deepcrush]

I just see them collapsing. Some may join the UFP but I see the KDF attacking before hand to seize what they can.

[Sionnach Glic]

The Empire will probably fragment and collapse.

Their military has been crippled by the war.
Their political leadership has been completely wiped out.
Their slaves are in a state of revolt.
Their capital planet, and presumably a sizable chunk of their infrastructure, military and government, have all been wiped out.

Assuming the Klingons don't simply invade I can see the now-leaderless Empire fragmenting in a way similar to Alexander's empire, with various possible successors to the throne taking each other on and destroying the Empire through mass civil war. After that, what's left of the Empire will probably be annexed by various neighbouring powers, with some planets perhaps opting to try and join the UFP.

[Mikey]

I don't think Romulan pride would allow for the remnants joining the UFP as a whole. Sionnach makes a good analogy, though I'd liken it more towards the post-Caesar Roman Empire, with two or three strong factions vying for control.

[Sionnach Glic]

I can see it as more than just a few hopeful successors. I can imagine quite a few Romulans would think they'd have sufficient power to seize control, given their ambitious nature. Though in the end it would indeed likely come down to just a few leaders, with the weaker ones being killed off and their assets seized or destroyed.

"To the strongest" indeed.

[Lt. Staplic]

This was "played-out" on Federation Space, the other RPG I'm part of...

Over there the RSE split into two, a smaller RSE, and the DRR (Democratic Romulan Republic). After a war with the Federation 39 years after the Dominion War (of course the events of Nemisis and STXI never happenned in "their universe" b/c it was too big a problem to go back through and re-write pretty much everything on the Romulans that they'd already started working with)

[Sionnach Glic]

How could an already weakened (and, presumably, militarily and financialy crippled) RSE have possibly managed to drag out a war with the UFP for four decades?

[Captain Seafort]

How could an already weakened (and, presumably, militarily and financialy crippled) RSE have possibly managed to drag out a war with the UFP for four decades?

I don't think that's what he's saying - said war occurred 40 years after the Dominion War, it didn't keep going for that long.

[Deepcrush]

I'd give it six months if the UFP drags it's heels.

[Sionnach Glic]

How could an already weakened (and, presumably, militarily and financialy crippled) RSE have possibly managed to drag out a war with the UFP for four decades?

I don't think that's what he's saying - said war occurred 40 years after the Dominion War, it didn't keep going for that long.

Ah, right. I misread that. Sorry, Staplic.

[Lt. Staplic]

It's alright, happens to us flesh sacks all the time too

I'm not sure how long the Romulan War has been going over there, but I know that it just ended this last month.

[Mark]

I certainly agree with the ongoing civil war, but would resources and industrial capabilities have been THAT badly damaged? I'm looking at my own original though and find a hole now. Romulas is ONE planet, and while the central point of government, certainly not they ONLY point ship building, mining, and other industrial capabilities in the Empire.

Could the Romulan Empire have SURVIVED the loss of Romulas?

[Deepcrush]

Survived yes, but how well would they do?

The Allies of WW2 could have survived the loss of the USA. But it would have had a massive effect on the effort.

The RSE is in the same boat. They have colonies and shipyards elsewhere for sure. However, the bulk of their power was the homeworld.

[Lt. Staplic]

Ya, AFAIK, they kept their entire government on romulus, meaning with out it, all central government gone. There is no direction, given time they could over come, the question is how much time would it take for them to do that, vs the amount of time till three dictators all vie for power simultaniously or until the Klingon's attack.

[SomosFuga]

We have to think about the population too, how many inhabitants Romulus had before its destruction and what percentage of the entire romulan people is that? how many romulans survived? because even if the amount of surviving romulans is most likely enough to survive as species maybe is not enough to maintain control over the empire agains the remans and any other subject species plus external threats like the KE or any other power trying to take advantage of the situation.

That is an important issue in any scenario; whether the remaining political and military classes held together or they disband like the example of Alexander's empire.