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gawainviii
Member Posts: 328 Arc User
Instead of posting a half dozen posts about different things, since they're all related to RSE/Star Navy, I thought I might make a themed post instead of a topical post. Here goes:
Where do Star Navy PCs hang out? I wander around the other social zones and never seem to run across any... I know you're here. I see you on the forums. Where are you in-game when you're not grinding or on a mission?
What about politics? After "Cutting the Cord", the political climate of the Star Empire became ineffectual, rendering them a non-power in the interim. My foundry series is going to comment quite a bit about that, as I continue to labor on the project... but I'm a perfectionist, so it's taking a lot longer than I had originally thought it would. By the time of "Uneasy Allies" we learn that the Star Navy is a shadow of it's former self... Most forum-posters (and pretty much every article on STOwiki) assumes that means the entire Star Empire had become virtually nonexistent. I reject that premise, since the Star Empire still nominally controls (based on in-game planetary descriptions) at least 12 systems to the Republic's 4. Given that... what's happening on Rator? Is the Senate still functioning, or have planetary governors taken local control, remaining imperial only in name? If the Senate is still functioning, who is best positioned, politically, to gain control and be named Praetor in Sela's continued absence?
How has the corruption, betrayal, and subsequent destruction of the Tal'Shiar affected the Star Navy? The larger Imperial populace? Will there be a new intelligence organization formed, if so, will it retain the name "Tal'Shair" under new leadership... or has that name been so tainted that a new, uncorrupted, intelligence service would need to have a different name in order to be effective?
For those of you who maintain (for RP purposes) an Imperial loyalist PC--how does your head-canon follow or conflict with the in-game story?
And, for the sake of my own vanity/ego: have you played my foundry mission, [RSE] Citizenship? What did you think? Any suggestions for changes, or follow-up missions?
Where do Star Navy PCs hang out? I wander around the other social zones and never seem to run across any... I know you're here. I see you on the forums. Where are you in-game when you're not grinding or on a mission?
What about politics? After "Cutting the Cord", the political climate of the Star Empire became ineffectual, rendering them a non-power in the interim. My foundry series is going to comment quite a bit about that, as I continue to labor on the project... but I'm a perfectionist, so it's taking a lot longer than I had originally thought it would. By the time of "Uneasy Allies" we learn that the Star Navy is a shadow of it's former self... Most forum-posters (and pretty much every article on STOwiki) assumes that means the entire Star Empire had become virtually nonexistent. I reject that premise, since the Star Empire still nominally controls (based on in-game planetary descriptions) at least 12 systems to the Republic's 4. Given that... what's happening on Rator? Is the Senate still functioning, or have planetary governors taken local control, remaining imperial only in name? If the Senate is still functioning, who is best positioned, politically, to gain control and be named Praetor in Sela's continued absence?
How has the corruption, betrayal, and subsequent destruction of the Tal'Shiar affected the Star Navy? The larger Imperial populace? Will there be a new intelligence organization formed, if so, will it retain the name "Tal'Shair" under new leadership... or has that name been so tainted that a new, uncorrupted, intelligence service would need to have a different name in order to be effective?
For those of you who maintain (for RP purposes) an Imperial loyalist PC--how does your head-canon follow or conflict with the in-game story?
And, for the sake of my own vanity/ego: have you played my foundry mission, [RSE] Citizenship? What did you think? Any suggestions for changes, or follow-up missions?
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I believe it was covered in STO lore that the senate ceased to exist when Sela rose to power, replaced by yes men and toadies. So I figure its safe to assume its no longer a viable entity. More likely anyone with an Imperial Warbird or two now controls local regional authority by dint of "I have the biggest.... gun" and loose coalitions would start to form. I'm also not entirely sure about your assertion that the RR only has 4 while the RSE maintains 12.
We know from in game canon the RSE Navy effectively ceased to exist, one Mogai to escort their "Empress" in a converted freighter? She even comments we destroyed one of her last loyal ships.
The Tal Shiar was formed to replace a corrupt intelligence organization and I figure pretty much no one that wasn't indoctrinated would want to operate under that name anymore. But there will always be a governmental need for such organizations.
Ta'ina and her brother feel that the ghost of the RSE is just a cancerous tumor on life support, unwilling to just die off. They support(and organize and actively strive to bring about) the concept of the Raptor Empire. This would combine the best elements of the RSE and some of the new(old) ideas of the RR but cast off the incompetence and corruption. They also feel it high time we accept the Remans totally and stop placing Romulans above them in even symbolic ways, such as the naming of our government. We are all children of the Raptor. S'koalus, being Reman, has no love for the old empire but feels the RR is dangerously idealistic and led by fools(D'Tan and Kererek). He works with the RRM and also with Ta'ina, mostly just hoping to get by with some modicum of continued comfort and freedom. As a long time member of military intelligence and black ops projects he's more comfortable just keeping his head down and plugging away on engineering projects. My Kobali-Rom has pretty much drunk D'Twerp's koolaid wholesale so not a valid perspective for this conversation.
Not played it yet, sorry. Kinda burnt out on STO after binging with AoY, and also still a little butthurt as to how that played out.
The next lore item: ... falls quite nicely with my hope/plan/goal (by way of my [RSE] series) of returning Romulan culture to it's "Rome in Space" roots by emphasizing the politics, tradition, and conquest aspects, while minimizing the Gestapo-esque aspects of the TNG-era of Tal'Shiar. If I can write it well enough, in my [RSE] series, the Tal'Shiar (or it's successor) would become relegated to a traditional intelligence role and stop becoming a Secret Police organization.
Just because Sela says we destroyed one of her last loyal ships, doesn't necessarily mean the Star Navy is defunct, merely that they no longer serve HER. After her imprisonment by the Iconians, most officers (especially those in Admiralty positions) probably assumed she was gone for good, and began moving on. "The Empress is dead, long live her successor". And with her half-human status, and all the woes that befell the Empire under her incompetent reign, I can't imagine that many were sorry to see her go. It stands to reason that the Empire (and the Star navy) are factionalized and in turmoil until a new Praetor/Emperor/Empress arises, and that Sela on her return found she had almost no power base left at home. Hence she arrives for the Iconian finale, not with a Romulan fleet, but with alien riff-raff. The days of the half-breed AND the Tal Shiar are done, thank the Elements! Like the phoenix, the Empire shall arise from its ashes...eventually. Until then, the Star Navy remains to guard the colonies and pick up the pieces.
I think a new Intelligence service will be required, but hopefully under the Star Navy's control (Military Intelligence), and focused outward against external powers, rather than against our citizens. Surely the lesson of the Tal Shiar has been that terror employed against your own people only breeds rebellion. I don't think the name "Tal Shiar" will ever be accepted again.
As for [RSE] Citizenship, you know from the thread on that subject that I played it, loved it, and am eagerly awaiting the next installment - so stop hanging out on the Forum and get back to writing it, dammit!
... Just for that bit of insolence, I'm going to wait until after work tonight to work on it some more.
Let me address these two... As far as Sela and everyone not romulan is concerned the "official" Romulan Star Empire leader is Sela, and thus any official navy would follow her. I agree there are warbirds left from before her abduction Bearing the IRW prefix that once served in the RSE Navy, but as they are now following "successor states"(being over generous with the title) They don't count as RSE Navy anymore.
The Military Intelligence already exists and has been referenced in soft canon sources, and nations tend to have BOTH Military and Civilian services for good reason. Hence why I said there will be a new one. (PS Tal Diann is not just a player made fleet, its one possible name of said Military Intelligence for the Empire. I just don't recall if it was referenced in novels or RPG material atm)
@tolmarius could prolly correct me there
My RSE toon, Deris, is in NRC (yes, out of character) while I complete Omega and New Romulus reputations, for her, and several associated projects, as I only rolled her right before AoY went live. I think Sela is done for, and that the Romulan Star Empire is mostly represented by local warlords, esp. among the Far Stars, and they have yet to be organised into a cooperating force, with a chain of command. The territory of the Romulan Star Empire, would reflect this, as Rator, and several other core worlds, have been under the control, and have been loyal to, the New Romulan Republic for some time. Most of the Star Empire is not on the playable map. If there is to be a large(r) group than just a few warlords, perhaps we should all meet up, to hammer something out?
Tal'Shiar/Reman Resistance/Romulan Nemesis uniform, pls.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/13262502435_5604548f2c_o.png
Sa'vik's niece, Ta'ina(my Romulan main), is of course trying to help her long lost Aunt come to terms with things, and learning a bit more about the Star Empire she served from someone with a very unique perspective on it.
Aaaauuuuugggghhhh!!!!! *
*Charlie Brown exclamation of dismay and frustration. Not to be confused with the Klingon Death Howl.
I'll concede your second point (although I still maintain that the name "Tal Shiar" will never be accepted by Romulans again, just as the Germans no longer have a Gestapo. The name has been tainted by evil memory to the point of never being useable again.)
However as regards Sela and the Star Navy, I respectfully disagree. After her abduction by the Iconians, she was clearly no longer ruling the Empire. I'll agree that until that point, she was considered the official Romulan Star Empire leader, and the official navy would follow her, just as you said. However, she certainly didn't issue decrees from her Iconian cell, and no one knew whether she was even still alive. When Sela was abducted, her reign came to an end; after that point, she is no longer viewed (except by the few die-hard crews she called "still loyal") as leader of anything.
In all probability, the Star Empire is in a period of flux, with various would-be Praetors and monarchs vying for power, each claiming to be the rightful ruler, and each with a greater or lesser backing of ships, all of whom would view themselves as Star Navy ships and loyal to the Empire (though not, perhaps, to the missing or dead Sela). Whichever faction winds up on top, would become the de facto ruler, and his or her ships would have been the Star Navy all along.
All I'm trying to say is that while it's possible that the Star Navy is all but extinct, we have been shown no hard evidence to support that. All we know for sure from Sela's statement (assuming it wasn't a lie), is that there are almost no Star Navy ships left which are loyal to her. Which makes perfect sense.
Between the RR and the Successors I'd be willing to bet that probably 50% or more of the (non-Tal Shiar)Star Navy vessels still exist.
Perhaps the pieces just need to be picked up?
Tal'Shiar/Reman Resistance/Romulan Nemesis uniform, pls.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/13262502435_5604548f2c_o.png
See Ta'ina's plot for the Raptor Empire above
Yes, I think you're right - our differences are minor, and mostly semantic. And I agree completely with your last line!
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok