Romulan Neutral Zone
The Romulan Neutral Zone was established around 2160 or 2161 by the treaty that ended the Earth-Romulan War, and was still in effect at the end of Star Trek Nemesis. In the 2009 film Star Trek, specifically the events depicted in the year 2387, Romulus is destroyed when a star goes supernova (what effect this has on the neutral zone is unclear). Like the Klingon Neutral Zone, any entry by either party was considered an act of war. It was not violated until 2266, when the Romulans crossed it; a war, however, was avoided. The Enterprise (NCC-1701) crossed the Neutral Zone three times: once to get to a starbase quickly when the crew was suffering accelerated aging, once when it was commandeered by a group of disestablishmentarians in their quest for paradise, and once more to steal a Romulan cloaking device.
The Neutral Zone remained uncrossed during a period of extended Romulan isolationism. In 2364, several Federation and Romulan outposts along their respective sides of the Neutral Zone were destroyed by unknown forces. The Enterprise-D was ordered to investigate. While visiting some of the Federation sites, Captain Picard encountered a Romulan ship which had crossed the Neutral Zone. Each side suspected the other of being responsible for the attacks. This encounter, the first for over 60 years between representatives of the Federation and the Romulan Empire, ended peacefully. (These events occurred in the The Next Generation first-season episode "The Neutral Zone".) It was determined several months later that the destruction had been caused by the Borg. The following year, the USS Yamato crossed into the Neutral Zone to prevent the Romulans from finding the Iconian home world, an abandoned planet that contained highly advanced technology. In 2366 the Romulan scout ship Pi crashed just inside of Federation space, and a Romulan ship crossed over to recover survivors. Finally, in the same year, a Romulan defected to the Federation, breaching the Neutral Zone, warning of a secret plan to attack the Federation; the Enterprise-D, along with three Klingon warships, in turn, crossed the Neutral Zone to investigate the claim.
Subsequent covert incursions of the Neutral Zone included Captain Picard's secret mission to Romulus to find Spock, and the Romulans' plan to invade Vulcan using disguised Vulcan ships. An overt but lawful entry into the Neutral Zone occurred when the USS Bellerophon participated in a Federation-Romulan conference on Romulus during the Dominion War.
In Star Trek Nemesis, Shinzon said that he wished to take down the zone.
- External links
- Romulan Neutral Zone at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
- Romulan Neutral Zone at StarTrek.com
Read more about this topic: List Of Star Trek Regions Of Space, Neutral Zone
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