For as much as it presents itself as a vision of a utopian, idealistic society, much of Star Trek remains defined by its relation to conflict. There’s the lingering question over Starfleet’s values as a military organization or a scientific exploratory force, or defining conflicts like those against the Klingons, the Borg, and the Dominion that form major pillars of Star Trek lore. But that’s always been the case, and for nearly 60 years, Star Trek‘s early days have been defined by one conflict above all: one that continues to shape and fascinate the series to this day, even though it’s never actually been portrayed on screen.
The Earth-Romulan War has become one of Star Trek‘s most enduring mysteries largely for one reason alone: that its very existence was introduced in what would go on to become one of the most revered episodes of Star Trek ever made, “Balance of Terror.” The 14th episode of original Trek‘s first season, “Balance” introduced both the audience and its heroes alike to the Romulan people, as well as teased the details of the deadly conflict between them and Earth. But it also laid the groundwork for just why the conflict has spent nearly six decades off-screen in Star Trek with the revelation that the Romulans were so secretive, no human ever actually made visual contact with a member of the species until the events of the episode, itself set over a century after the conclusion of the war.
That singular choice has defined the conflict’s place in Star Trek storytelling ever since. The franchise has come close—apocryphal books have filled in their own versions of the war in broad strokes, and both cancelled projects, such as the initial plans for Star Trek: The Beginning or even, as we learned last week, Scott Bakula and Michael Sussman’s plans for a potential post-Enterprise spinoff, Star Trek: United, have wanted to lift the lid on it. But even now, part of what makes it so alluring to fans is that we know so little about it.
That doesn’t mean we know nothing, however.
Prelude to Conflict
Romulan frustration with United Earth began to reach a fever pitch in the early 2150s, as the exploratory and diplomatic mission of the NX-01 Enterprise effectively turned humanity into a diplomatic superpower. By the middle of the decade, a war-torn Alpha Quadrant had largely resolved into a tense but peaceful field of diplomacy between the most prominent species in interstellar society (the Vulcans, the Andorians, and the Tellarites) in large part due to the negotiation efforts of Captain Archer and his crew.
This greatly displeased the Star Empire, which relied on a volatile galaxy to keep its own operations covert. The Romulans increased attempts to reopen wedges between the major powers of the quadrant but also faced an internal reckoning within its own borders: an increasing desire to see the Romulans and Vulcans reunited as a singular society. While we know that the Romulan and Vulcan peoples eventually achieved reunification at some point before the 32nd century, the version being looked to in the 2150s was very different: Romulan agents working with the head of the Vulcan High Command, V’Las, attempted to surreptitiously support the administrator’s plans for a Vulcan invasion of Andoria, which in turn would lead to Vulcan submitting to reunification under the behest of Romulus. But again, V’Las’ attempts to bring Vulcan and Andoria into conflict were exposed by the efforts of Archer and the Enterprise, setting back the Romulans’ influence on their ancestral homeworld.
The Star Empire escalated plans with the Babel Crisis in 2155, launching drone ships piloted remotely by telepaths. Targeting Tellarite and Andorian vessels on the borders of the two powers at the height of trade negotiations between the two worlds on the planet Babel, the Romulan drone ships were capable of using multispectral emitters to visually mask their appearance, allowing Romulan agents to sow discord among the Tellarites and Andorians by posing as each other to attack trade routes.
The Romulans’ plans backfired, however: the Babel Crisis was thwarted by the combined efforts of United Earth, Tellar, Andoria, and Vulcan, who formed a joint operation to combine a fleet of ships from all four species to track and locate the drone warships, ultimately defeating them. Instead of inciting renewed conflict throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, the Romulan effort ultimately stabilized the region altogether. Shortly after the crisis came to an end, representatives from humanity, the Tellarites, the Andorians, and the Vulcans convened a conference that would eventually lay the groundwork for the Coalition of Planets, an unprecedented interstellar alliance, later that same year.
The Four-Year War
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