If JJ/Reboot-Trek hadn't blown up Romulus and some how made that cannon we wouldn't need to rebuild.
he 'somehow' made it canon because it happened in the normal universe and he also brought normal universe spock with him. really there was no way around it once it was written.
the install Dtan to convince the republic to unite to stamp out Sela and the Tal shiar/RSE before they can reunify the people under one banner.
doesn't make a lick of sense. literally none at all. fanfic does not hold water given the tal shiar have never been portrayed as anything but mustache twirling villains who lie to their own members about what's going on
you may think you are clever. indeed maybe you are. but the devs are not half so clever. and they never want the RSE/tal shiar to be considered 'good guys' as you wish. unite under one banner? i mean really? that flies in the face of hakeev's own words, which was that romulans had to be subservient to the iconians to survive AT ALL. their intention was never to fight back, it was simply survival of the species (and themselves) at any cost. And maybe if they're lucky, the federation dominon and kdf all die. maybe.
which, imo, is even wimpier than the romulan republic. at least they stand and fight and were enough of a pain that the elachi sent an extermination fleet against them.
I never said that banner was voluntary, the idea being to divide the romulans so the iconians had less of an ally/minion to work with.
Not all view the Tal Shiar as evil within the ranks of either the Romulans or the Remans. Even within the republic itself. Even your own character has doubts through the course of the storyline.
Exposed for what they were doing they may have been, but without said information obtained via being that farmer turned captain turned hero, would another commoner from the same upbringing know any different?
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Personally I don't really mind about the Romulans allying with Fed/KDF, but I think it would have been better to have the player ally with the Romulan Republic or the Tal'Shiar.
This seems to be the prevailing preference. Republic or Star Empire instead of Federation or Empire. I want to fight with my Declared brothers and sisters!
This seems to be the prevailing preference. Republic or Star Empire instead of Federation or Empire. I want to fight with my Declared brothers and sisters!
oh what should have been...
Politically speaking I dont have an issue with allying with the Federation and KDF, the in game mechanic of forcing me to be 1/2 fed or 1/2 KDF on the other hand blows monkey TRIBBLE
Oh, you mean the mission in which the Tal'Shiar tricks officers of the Romulan Republic into trying to kill each other -- and they still don't kill each other?
I see you being hysterical and inventing nonsense.
1. Apart from a few minor skirmishes, "the Federation-Klingon War" is now nothing but two sides posturing and glaring at each other, maybe occasionally puffing out their chests, but otherwise cooperating on multiple fronts against common foes.
2. No Romulans fought each other in the early battles.
3. The minor skirmishes above involve either KDF or Starfleet fighting each other. Occasionally, a Romulan ship (the player) will enter on one side or the other, to fight either Starfleet or the KDF, but not other Romulans. Romulans do not serve on the vessels of either the KDF or Starfleet; Romulans serve on Romulan vessels.
"We"? Who are these "we" who are "still shooting at each other"? Not Romulans, that's who.
1. The Federation-Klingon War is just posturing?
You call a Klingon long ranged raid so far into Fed space that it hits one of the core shipyards, causing alot of destruction posturing? You call Starfleet sending forces into regions attacked by the Klingons to save captured personnel from a Klingon attack posturing? The fighting around Starbase 24 is just posturing? You call a crazy Klingon Council member's quest to somehow keep the Klingons & Federation in a perpetual state of war by committing atrocities (Doomsday Weapon) mere posturing? You call the shattering of the Dominion War winning alliance with those former allies (remember, this includes the Romulans) now shooting at each other... posturing?
Or hell, how about all this, with Starfleet and the Klingons blowing the bejeezus out of each other.
Posturing is what you do in preparation for something. The Federation and Klingon Empire are well past that. The alliance has been shattered. They have been in intense combat against each other.
2. Oh, I beg to differ. The very first people you kill in the Romulan campaign are what kind of people? Ah yes, that's right... Romulans. They may be Tal Shiar, but they are Romulans nonetheless. And as a matter of fact, during the RRW campaign, you kill more Romulans than anything else. Yes, the RRW is at war with the Romulan Star Empire and Tal Shiar's remnants. That is what people tend to call, a "Civil War." Then there's the matter of D'Tan selling out the Republic, with the Federation & KDF siphoning off RRW ships & personnel to fight as proxies in their war.
3. Oh, lookie at those Romulan personnel my KDF & Fed captains acquired from the Embassy... And what happens in battle when a RRW Warbird comes in supporting the KDF and another comes in supporting the Federation? Why, they shoot at each other.
Time to take the Green-Tinted Glasses and see things for what they are... D'Tan has put the yoke of submission on his survivors on New Romulus.
The KDF is filled with conscripted federation criminals (The orion syndicate), and a conscripted third power the Gorn Hegemony (who dislike lore wise, the Klingons more than the federation as the klingons are constantly raiding them)
Leathan 2nd class citizen mercs, and Naussican pirates, and the KDF is still suffering the political intrigue and infighting they have had since TNG. Every time S'tass say's the Klingon empire has never been stronger, I want to ask his definition of strength.
The Federation is clearly not overly committing to fighting the klingons, and nearly every indipendednt power in the Alpha and Beta quadrants has a beef with the Empire. all they need is form a coilition.
It also doesn't make sense that even if we ally with the KDF or Fed that we are blocked (unless enough Diplomacy or Marauding is achieved) from the Sirius Sector Block (ESD) or the Omega Leoinis Sector Block (First City). Aren't Romulans as a people in good enough with either faction that they can just go to either area?
As well Vulcan is in the Sirius Sector Block and it makes even less sense, even as a KDF aligned Romulan to not be able to go there just because it's in the Sol System Sector. I mean Vulcans and Romulans are cousin species.
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You call a Klingon long ranged raid so far into Fed space that it hits one of the core shipyards, causing alot of destruction posturing? You call Starfleet sending forces into regions attacked by the Klingons to save captured personnel from a Klingon attack posturing? The fighting around Starbase 24 is just posturing? You call a crazy Klingon Council member's quest to somehow keep the Klingons & Federation in a perpetual state of war by committing atrocities (Doomsday Weapon) mere posturing? You call the shattering of the Dominion War winning alliance with those former allies (remember, this includes the Romulans) now shooting at each other... posturing?
Or hell, how about all this, with Starfleet and the Klingons blowing the bejeezus out of each other.
Posturing is what you do in preparation for something. The Federation and Klingon Empire are well past that. The alliance has been shattered. They have been in intense combat against each other.
Uh-huh, all very early in the storyline. By the time you get to the later chapters, which is, I would think, obviously what I mean by "now," yes, just posturing and puffing out their chests and so forth, but otherwise, cooperating on many fronts, etc.
2. Oh, I beg to differ. The very first people you kill in the Romulan campaign are what kind of people? Ah yes, that's right... Romulans. They may be Tal Shiar, but they are Romulans nonetheless. And as a matter of fact, during the RRW campaign, you kill more Romulans than anything else. Yes, the RRW is at war with the Romulan Star Empire and Tal Shiar's remnants. That is what people tend to call, a "Civil War." Then there's the matter of D'Tan selling out the Republic, with the Federation & KDF siphoning off RRW ships & personnel to fight as proxies in their war.
The very first people you kill, before you ally with anyone, so still, the Fed-Klingon War is not responsible for this as you have stated both explicitly and implicitly. And again, there are no missions given by anyone which require Romulans of the Republic to fight other Romulans of the Republic, except for the one mission which involves the Tal'Shiar trying to trick NRR officers into fighting each other. Stop trying to move the goalposts. It's uncool.
3. Oh, lookie at those Romulan personnel my KDF & Fed captains acquired from the Embassy... And what happens in battle when a RRW Warbird comes in supporting the KDF and another comes in supporting the Federation? Why, they shoot at each other.
Time to take the Green-Tinted Glasses and see things for what they are... D'Tan has put the yoke of submission on his survivors on New Romulus.
Again, WHEN do these RRF (not RRW, what the heck? That's the ship registry prefix, not designation of the personnel, and "RRW Warbird" is redundant, because the W in RRW stands for "Warbird") vessels shoot at each other in support of their various allies? As I've stated several times, PvP does not count. Show me a PvE mission where it happens.
What's that? You can't? Oh, right, you can't, because no such mission exists.
I don't see any submission from RRF personnel, except those who were foolish enough to ally with the Federation, whose personnel constantly remind them that they are not trusted (dock at ESD or DS9, for example, and notice the snide little remarks you get from those who give permission to dock). This constant attempt to besmirch D'Tan by making outrageous claims is getting old.
whose personnel constantly remind them that they are not trusted (dock at ESD or DS9, for example, and notice the snide little remarks you get from those who give permission to dock).
Actually one of the messages you see at ESD is part of the Fed tutorial.. Feds only see it once.... Romulans see it every time we enter Earth Orbit.
Uh-huh, all very early in the storyline. By the time you get to the later chapters, which is, I would think, obviously what I mean by "now," yes, just posturing and puffing out their chests and so forth, but otherwise, cooperating on many fronts, etc.
The very first people you kill, before you ally with anyone, so still, the Fed-Klingon War is not responsible for this as you have stated both explicitly and implicitly. And again, there are no missions given by anyone which require Romulans of the Republic to fight other Romulans of the Republic, except for the one mission which involves the Tal'Shiar trying to trick NRR officers into fighting each other. Stop trying to move the goalposts. It's uncool.
Again, WHEN do these RRF (not RRW, what the heck? That's the ship registry prefix, not designation of the personnel, and "RRW Warbird" is redundant, because the W in RRW stands for "Warbird") vessels shoot at each other in support of their various allies? As I've stated several times, PvP does not count. Show me a PvE mission where it happens.
What's that? You can't? Oh, right, you can't, because no such mission exists.
I don't see any submission from RRF personnel, except those who were foolish enough to ally with the Federation, whose personnel constantly remind them that they are not trusted (dock at ESD or DS9, for example, and notice the snide little remarks you get from those who give permission to dock). This constant attempt to besmirch D'Tan by making outrageous claims is getting old.
Since when have you been declared the Holy oricle of Sto canon?....... Oh wait you're not. :rolleyes:
Try to explain why many innocent Romulans, now in the republic or otherwise found themselves in the crosshairs after the hobus disaster when Klingon ships went Trololololing their way into Romulan space, attacking and plundering helpless worlds that were cut off. There is no excuse no rhyme, no reason, no apology ever given, not even by the new chancellor J'mpok. And speaking of him, he got into power by Wheeling and dealing with the house of Duras which is known to wait for it..... have ties to, and support the Tal'shiar. Not to mention the orion syndicate which enslaved who knows how many Romulans before this "alliance".
Make no mistake a fed alliance isn't a good solution either but better the Epohh you know then the Epohh you don't. At least the Federation isn't going to stick a D'k tahg in your back and steal your land when the fighting mood hits them. it can be used at least.
I'll throw this out here, while in general I agree with Protogoth in aspects of Romulan things in STO, and we're both huge fans of the TOS portrayal and the Rihannsu series, we definitely diverge when it comes to who a better ally would be. I went Fed precisely BECAUSE of how the Klingons took advantage of the Romulans after Hobbes. Sure, the Federation may look down on us, but they haven't raised arms against us (and the main folks who look down on us are those who are to much influenced by our jealous Vulcan cousins). Part of my RP with Ineania s'Latta (my Romulan) is that she refused the orders from High Command to pull back from the Klingon border and her and her ship (a Mogai at the time) did all they could against the Klingons and later Tholians who attacked. Because of that, when the time came to pick an ally to work with, it was a no brainer, sure the Feds are soft, but they didn't spill Rihannsu blood when we were at our weakest. And while the Vulcans are idiots for their holding to Surak's philosophy compared to the clearly superior teachings of S'task, both the humans and Andorians have passion and embrace it in proper equalibrium, not letting it rule them (as the Klingons are want to do) or repressing them.
Of course, it also makes sense to play one off against the other to get them both to support the Republic. Why fight a war with your own resources when you can get your neighbors to pay for you. The Federation and Klingons are bankrolling the formation of the Republic, which, once the Imperial Remnants are dealt with and proper control of all of the Romulan's proper space is reestablished, will be able to stand on its own in a better position to exert influence over them, and all the while expand our power through the Quadrants as we'll no longer be seen as opportunistic backstabbers, but pragmatic politicians who embrace diplomacy first and the sword second, but who, unlike the soft Federation, is willing to wield that sword with the weight and strength required to keep the peace and ensure Romulan dominance.
Glad I'm not the only one that noticed the cognitive dissonance going on with Protogoth here. The federation seems like the logical alliance for the Republic in regards to the storyline-considering the Republic seems to hold dear so many of the same ideals as the Federation, and has a leader who will outright state his continuing desire for reunification with the Vulcans (just not right at that moment). The Klingon Empire has a very recent history of invading Romulan space (that was fended off by Sela, lol), endorses slavery, torture etc-many of the same tactics the Republic hates the Tal Shiar for using. It's explicitly organized in a hierarchy in which non-Klingons are lesser members of society, and is filled with bigots who make T'nae's hostility seem pleasant and approachable by comparison.
I'm not convinced D'Tan is as... perfect a fit for the Federation as it seems by his rhetoric. I can see some of Progoth's arguments for siding with the Klingons, and think one could make the argument for those who choose to ally with them. I think it's the weaker argument, but there is one.
Let me rephrase that, I'm not convined the Republic is as good a fit fot for the Federation as some may think. The Republic does use similar rhetoric, I will grant, but their actions are very different and much more, well, Romulan.
For instance, publically the Republic condemns the use of Tharalon weaponry, calls them terrible weapons, etc... ...and then goes out and equips its warships with them, publically brings the Remans who pursued them into the fold and puts their leader in a major position of authority in the Republic, and to make sure EVERYONE knows they have them, they make their flagship one of the ships that can deploy tharalon weapons. It's a classic realpolitick maneuver, and if the Federation objects, the Republic can point out that they did not sign the treaty banning research into them, and even if they did they didn't DO any research into them, the Empire and Tal Shiar did, and just left it laying around, and everyone knows the Republic has a weaker fleet and so using those weapon right now, given all the threats and dangers with the Sphere, the Undine (hmm... Tharalon weapons were REALLY DEADLY to living organism weren't they... and the Undine use... LIVING TECH... convient!) the Republic needs them right now. Perhaps when the Republic is more firmly established and not both in a civil war and expeditionary war with hostile powers, Tharalon Weaponry could be readdressed then, but for now...
The Republic pursues its goals ruthlessly and even have tried some opportunistic maneuvers. In the last major episode they even tried to lay claim to the Jenolan Sphere (hated that I couldn't side with them -.-), though backed down quickly when pressed. It was a blink and you'll miss it bit of dialogue, and was quickly overshadowed by the Klingons posturing, but the Romulans did, quietly, try and lay claim to it, and then decided to let the Feds and Klinks argue about it and stay out of their argument (which would be required by their neutrality agreement with both sides).
And then there's how they go after the Tal Shiar and Imperial Remnants in take no-prisoners no hold bar fights. I remember the first time I did the capture Hakeev mission. I'd played it a long time ago on my Federation character, and in implementation it was identical, and I'd figured Cryptic had taken the shortcut, and just filed off the serial numbers and was treating me as a Feddie as far as the mission was concerned. So when my character pulled out her plasma rifle and summarily executed him I was pleasantly surprised at how very... Romulan... that ending felt. Not going to give him any more chances, not going to be soft and let Obisek do the dirty deed, my character pulled the trigger herself and it was very satisfying (much more satisfying than being a Fed there, I'll tell you that).
The Pride is still there, though its tempered by the sheer amont the Romulans have lost. This is not the Romulan empire at the apex of its strength, as we were familiar with from TNG and DS9. It's a hard pill to swallow, a bitter one even, but that is the fact of the matter, and it is not Cryptic's fault. The Romulans were shattered by Nemesis and JJTrek... the novel universe and the STO both have to deal with this fallout. Interestingly, both effectively divided the Romulans into two factions, one siding with the "good guys" of Star Trek, and one siding with the "bad guys" of their storyline. In neither are the Romulans the proud, xenophobic and strong Empire they once were, but remnant seccessor states who battle each other to reclaim their lost glory.
The Romulans are tragic figures in the classical sense. Which fits given their motif of being Space Rome and Space China. Instead of obsessing over what was lost, it may behoove people to look at the real word history of Rome (specifically the split into the Eastern and Western Empire) and the Dynastic cycle of China. It may serve as an inspiration for how to look forward rather than look back. At least, that's what I try to do, and instead of playing my character as caught up in the past, make her look forward to the future and the new, better, stronger Romulan people that await there.
I'm not convinced that the use of thalaron weaponry by the republic to make them be more morally ambiguous is intentional. Cryptic would never have neglected to include the Scimitar, despite the implications when combined with the direction they took the republic in. I'd rack it's inclusion up as Cryptic trying to have their cake and eat it too. Same with the Remans and obisek-it's not so much as depth to the Republic in the way it's written, as much as the issues beign ignored and hoping the playerbase doesn't think too hard about it. As is, after 'Darkness before the Dawn' any conflict between Obisek and the Federation/Klingons over his methods is completely dropped, and his use of Thalaron weapons, and his alliance with the Republic is pretty much glossed over except as an excuse to have reamans in the republic.
As for swallowing the pill, I don't think it should have been or should be necessary. The way the story is written, it has a Romulan resurgent faction-there's no set in stone reason that said resurgent faction *had* to be the Republic, instead of the Romulan Star Empire, or that the change from Emprie to Republic had to be so drastic.in the cases of the various Roman and Chinese Dynasties, their cultural impact was rather drastic for successor dynasties and states,so it is a bit weird for the republic to reject the ways of the Star Empire so completely, to say the least.
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Name: Meaghan
Fleets: Tal'Diann, Imperial Romulan Fleet, Axanar Marines, LGBT of Starfleet, House of Ta'al
Characters: Dhivael i'Ratleihfi t'Kamemor (Rom-KDF), Empress Sela(Rom-Fed), V'alkris Morath(Fed), Kara Thrace(Fed), Jaeih Piccolo(Rom-Fed), Ellaria(KDF), Zylim Dukat(Fed)
he 'somehow' made it canon because it happened in the normal universe and he also brought normal universe spock with him. really there was no way around it once it was written.
doesn't make a lick of sense. literally none at all. fanfic does not hold water given the tal shiar have never been portrayed as anything but mustache twirling villains who lie to their own members about what's going on
you may think you are clever. indeed maybe you are. but the devs are not half so clever. and they never want the RSE/tal shiar to be considered 'good guys' as you wish. unite under one banner? i mean really? that flies in the face of hakeev's own words, which was that romulans had to be subservient to the iconians to survive AT ALL. their intention was never to fight back, it was simply survival of the species (and themselves) at any cost. And maybe if they're lucky, the federation dominon and kdf all die. maybe.
which, imo, is even wimpier than the romulan republic. at least they stand and fight and were enough of a pain that the elachi sent an extermination fleet against them.
Not all view the Tal Shiar as evil within the ranks of either the Romulans or the Remans. Even within the republic itself. Even your own character has doubts through the course of the storyline.
Exposed for what they were doing they may have been, but without said information obtained via being that farmer turned captain turned hero, would another commoner from the same upbringing know any different?
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Tal'Shiar/Reman Resistance/Romulan Nemesis uniform, pls.
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Politically speaking I dont have an issue with allying with the Federation and KDF, the in game mechanic of forcing me to be 1/2 fed or 1/2 KDF on the other hand blows monkey TRIBBLE
1. The Federation-Klingon War is just posturing?
You call a Klingon long ranged raid so far into Fed space that it hits one of the core shipyards, causing alot of destruction posturing? You call Starfleet sending forces into regions attacked by the Klingons to save captured personnel from a Klingon attack posturing? The fighting around Starbase 24 is just posturing? You call a crazy Klingon Council member's quest to somehow keep the Klingons & Federation in a perpetual state of war by committing atrocities (Doomsday Weapon) mere posturing? You call the shattering of the Dominion War winning alliance with those former allies (remember, this includes the Romulans) now shooting at each other... posturing?
Or hell, how about all this, with Starfleet and the Klingons blowing the bejeezus out of each other.
Posturing is what you do in preparation for something. The Federation and Klingon Empire are well past that. The alliance has been shattered. They have been in intense combat against each other.
2. Oh, I beg to differ. The very first people you kill in the Romulan campaign are what kind of people? Ah yes, that's right... Romulans. They may be Tal Shiar, but they are Romulans nonetheless. And as a matter of fact, during the RRW campaign, you kill more Romulans than anything else. Yes, the RRW is at war with the Romulan Star Empire and Tal Shiar's remnants. That is what people tend to call, a "Civil War." Then there's the matter of D'Tan selling out the Republic, with the Federation & KDF siphoning off RRW ships & personnel to fight as proxies in their war.
3. Oh, lookie at those Romulan personnel my KDF & Fed captains acquired from the Embassy... And what happens in battle when a RRW Warbird comes in supporting the KDF and another comes in supporting the Federation? Why, they shoot at each other.
Time to take the Green-Tinted Glasses and see things for what they are... D'Tan has put the yoke of submission on his survivors on New Romulus.
The KDF is filled with conscripted federation criminals (The orion syndicate), and a conscripted third power the Gorn Hegemony (who dislike lore wise, the Klingons more than the federation as the klingons are constantly raiding them)
Leathan 2nd class citizen mercs, and Naussican pirates, and the KDF is still suffering the political intrigue and infighting they have had since TNG. Every time S'tass say's the Klingon empire has never been stronger, I want to ask his definition of strength.
The Federation is clearly not overly committing to fighting the klingons, and nearly every indipendednt power in the Alpha and Beta quadrants has a beef with the Empire. all they need is form a coilition.
As well Vulcan is in the Sirius Sector Block and it makes even less sense, even as a KDF aligned Romulan to not be able to go there just because it's in the Sol System Sector. I mean Vulcans and Romulans are cousin species.
Name: Meaghan
Fleets: Tal'Diann, Imperial Romulan Fleet, Axanar Marines, LGBT of Starfleet, House of Ta'al
Characters: Dhivael i'Ratleihfi t'Kamemor (Rom-KDF), Empress Sela(Rom-Fed), V'alkris Morath(Fed), Kara Thrace(Fed), Jaeih Piccolo(Rom-Fed), Ellaria(KDF), Zylim Dukat(Fed)
Uh-huh, all very early in the storyline. By the time you get to the later chapters, which is, I would think, obviously what I mean by "now," yes, just posturing and puffing out their chests and so forth, but otherwise, cooperating on many fronts, etc.
The very first people you kill, before you ally with anyone, so still, the Fed-Klingon War is not responsible for this as you have stated both explicitly and implicitly. And again, there are no missions given by anyone which require Romulans of the Republic to fight other Romulans of the Republic, except for the one mission which involves the Tal'Shiar trying to trick NRR officers into fighting each other. Stop trying to move the goalposts. It's uncool.
Again, WHEN do these RRF (not RRW, what the heck? That's the ship registry prefix, not designation of the personnel, and "RRW Warbird" is redundant, because the W in RRW stands for "Warbird") vessels shoot at each other in support of their various allies? As I've stated several times, PvP does not count. Show me a PvE mission where it happens.
What's that? You can't? Oh, right, you can't, because no such mission exists.
I don't see any submission from RRF personnel, except those who were foolish enough to ally with the Federation, whose personnel constantly remind them that they are not trusted (dock at ESD or DS9, for example, and notice the snide little remarks you get from those who give permission to dock). This constant attempt to besmirch D'Tan by making outrageous claims is getting old.
My character Tsin'xing
Since when have you been declared the Holy oricle of Sto canon?....... Oh wait you're not. :rolleyes:
Try to explain why many innocent Romulans, now in the republic or otherwise found themselves in the crosshairs after the hobus disaster when Klingon ships went Trololololing their way into Romulan space, attacking and plundering helpless worlds that were cut off. There is no excuse no rhyme, no reason, no apology ever given, not even by the new chancellor J'mpok. And speaking of him, he got into power by Wheeling and dealing with the house of Duras which is known to wait for it..... have ties to, and support the Tal'shiar. Not to mention the orion syndicate which enslaved who knows how many Romulans before this "alliance".
Make no mistake a fed alliance isn't a good solution either but better the Epohh you know then the Epohh you don't. At least the Federation isn't going to stick a D'k tahg in your back and steal your land when the fighting mood hits them. it can be used at least.
[/SIGPIC]
Of course, it also makes sense to play one off against the other to get them both to support the Republic. Why fight a war with your own resources when you can get your neighbors to pay for you. The Federation and Klingons are bankrolling the formation of the Republic, which, once the Imperial Remnants are dealt with and proper control of all of the Romulan's proper space is reestablished, will be able to stand on its own in a better position to exert influence over them, and all the while expand our power through the Quadrants as we'll no longer be seen as opportunistic backstabbers, but pragmatic politicians who embrace diplomacy first and the sword second, but who, unlike the soft Federation, is willing to wield that sword with the weight and strength required to keep the peace and ensure Romulan dominance.
Let me rephrase that, I'm not convined the Republic is as good a fit fot for the Federation as some may think. The Republic does use similar rhetoric, I will grant, but their actions are very different and much more, well, Romulan.
For instance, publically the Republic condemns the use of Tharalon weaponry, calls them terrible weapons, etc... ...and then goes out and equips its warships with them, publically brings the Remans who pursued them into the fold and puts their leader in a major position of authority in the Republic, and to make sure EVERYONE knows they have them, they make their flagship one of the ships that can deploy tharalon weapons. It's a classic realpolitick maneuver, and if the Federation objects, the Republic can point out that they did not sign the treaty banning research into them, and even if they did they didn't DO any research into them, the Empire and Tal Shiar did, and just left it laying around, and everyone knows the Republic has a weaker fleet and so using those weapon right now, given all the threats and dangers with the Sphere, the Undine (hmm... Tharalon weapons were REALLY DEADLY to living organism weren't they... and the Undine use... LIVING TECH... convient!) the Republic needs them right now. Perhaps when the Republic is more firmly established and not both in a civil war and expeditionary war with hostile powers, Tharalon Weaponry could be readdressed then, but for now...
The Republic pursues its goals ruthlessly and even have tried some opportunistic maneuvers. In the last major episode they even tried to lay claim to the Jenolan Sphere (hated that I couldn't side with them -.-), though backed down quickly when pressed. It was a blink and you'll miss it bit of dialogue, and was quickly overshadowed by the Klingons posturing, but the Romulans did, quietly, try and lay claim to it, and then decided to let the Feds and Klinks argue about it and stay out of their argument (which would be required by their neutrality agreement with both sides).
And then there's how they go after the Tal Shiar and Imperial Remnants in take no-prisoners no hold bar fights. I remember the first time I did the capture Hakeev mission. I'd played it a long time ago on my Federation character, and in implementation it was identical, and I'd figured Cryptic had taken the shortcut, and just filed off the serial numbers and was treating me as a Feddie as far as the mission was concerned. So when my character pulled out her plasma rifle and summarily executed him I was pleasantly surprised at how very... Romulan... that ending felt. Not going to give him any more chances, not going to be soft and let Obisek do the dirty deed, my character pulled the trigger herself and it was very satisfying (much more satisfying than being a Fed there, I'll tell you that).
The Pride is still there, though its tempered by the sheer amont the Romulans have lost. This is not the Romulan empire at the apex of its strength, as we were familiar with from TNG and DS9. It's a hard pill to swallow, a bitter one even, but that is the fact of the matter, and it is not Cryptic's fault. The Romulans were shattered by Nemesis and JJTrek... the novel universe and the STO both have to deal with this fallout. Interestingly, both effectively divided the Romulans into two factions, one siding with the "good guys" of Star Trek, and one siding with the "bad guys" of their storyline. In neither are the Romulans the proud, xenophobic and strong Empire they once were, but remnant seccessor states who battle each other to reclaim their lost glory.
The Romulans are tragic figures in the classical sense. Which fits given their motif of being Space Rome and Space China. Instead of obsessing over what was lost, it may behoove people to look at the real word history of Rome (specifically the split into the Eastern and Western Empire) and the Dynastic cycle of China. It may serve as an inspiration for how to look forward rather than look back. At least, that's what I try to do, and instead of playing my character as caught up in the past, make her look forward to the future and the new, better, stronger Romulan people that await there.
As for swallowing the pill, I don't think it should have been or should be necessary. The way the story is written, it has a Romulan resurgent faction-there's no set in stone reason that said resurgent faction *had* to be the Republic, instead of the Romulan Star Empire, or that the change from Emprie to Republic had to be so drastic.in the cases of the various Roman and Chinese Dynasties, their cultural impact was rather drastic for successor dynasties and states,so it is a bit weird for the republic to reject the ways of the Star Empire so completely, to say the least.