Star Trek: 10 Best Romulan Episodes

The very first outing for the Romulans is still one of the absolute best. A number of Earth outposts on the edge of the Neutral Zone have ceased communication. As Kirk is officiating the wedding of two of his junior officers, an outpost reports being under attack and the Enterprise makes all speed to intercept.

Thus begins a game of submarines between the Enterprise and a T'Liss-class Bird Of Prey. The two ships are unevenly matched, the Enterprise is bigger and has more powerful engines, meaning it can reposition faster. The T'Liss is equipped with a cloaking device and a more devastating array of weapons, meaning that this battle rests on a knife-edge at all times.

It is during this exchange that the crew of the Enterprise get their first ever glimpse of a Romulan in person, with nobody in the Federation ever having seen one before. The entire Earth-Romulan War was fought in space and the treaty negotiated over sub-space. But for the first time, a stray transmission reveals that this enemy wears the face of a friend, that Romulan and Vulcan are one and the same.

Eventually, the Enterprise springs a trap and lures the T'Liss into critical damage and Kirk tries to get them to surrender. The Romulan Commander refuses and initiates his ship's self destruct. The only casualty for the Enterprise is the young officer who had just been married at the start of the episode. The episode is meant to reiterate the pointless horror of military conflict and does so well, but also introduces us to one of Starfleet's most enduring foes.