Romulan Tal Shiar

Emblem of the Tal Shiar

The Tal Shiar is the elite Intelligence organisation of the Romulan Star Empire. It is a highly respected and feared organization whose main objective is to enforce loyalty of Romulan citizens to the government and obtain enemy secrets, most notably from the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Their presence is often undetectable and their methods covert. At times, the operations of the Tal Shiar goes above the control of the government itself, as the agents themselves have the power to overrule the direct authority of most military commanders, which they utilize with little fear of reprisal.

It has been said that ‘’“...in order to function, military officers have to trust each other. Members of the Tal Shiar, on the other hand, trust no one. They expect deception, so they always find it.”’’

A Public Face

Unlike the Federations Section 31, the Tal Shiar do not cover up it's existence, and even has a representative in the Romulan Senate. This representative is currently the head of the organisation, Chairman Vaebn.

Although he is not a very popular Romulan, he commands the respect he requires through fear. Because operatives of the Tal Shiar have the ability to over-ride the decisions of Romulan Military Commanders, both Vaebn and the Tal Shiar remain deeply unpopular with the Romulan Military, as well as with the Praetor himself.

Covert Action

The Tal Shiar have always been involved in a number of plots to destabilize their enemies. In 2366 and 2367, they attempt to influence Klingon politics in the wake of Chancellor K’mpec’s death, secretly backing an attempt by the Duras family to seize power from K’mpec’s legal successor, Gowron.

In one related Tal Shiar operation, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is brainwashed and attempts to assassinate the Kriosian governor, Vagh

A few months later, Tal Shiar operatives, including Sela, are active on Qo’noS as the Klingon Empire is plunged into civil war. The Tal Shiar deliver supplies to the Duras family’s forces, but the Federation intervenes, disrupting their operation and helping Gowron to defeat his enemies.

Reunification

This is a particularly aggressive period in the Tal Shiar’s history, and shortly afterward they attempt an invasion of Vulcan. The Tal Shiar use Senator Pardek, an operative who has posed as a reformer for several ecades, to lure Ambassador [Spock]] to Romulus. Meanwhile, they have also acquired three Vulcan ships. They capture Spock and try to force him to announce a peace initiative, but the plan, which is again supervised by Sela, is a failure and the Tal Shiar decide to destroy their own invasion force of more than 2,000 troops rather than let them be captured.

First hand information about the Tal Shiar is gathered by Counsellor Deanna Troi when she is kidnapped and taken to the Imperial Romulan Warbird Khazara, where she is forced to pose as a Tal Shiar Major Rakal. As she enters the crew’s presence, the Betazoid feels their off-the-scale anxiety and then, as she leaves, their massive relief.

The ship’s commander, Toreth, hates the Tal Shiar more than she fears them, because when she was a child they dragged her beloved father out of the house and into the darkness.

The Shiar’s power is such that when one of their officers issues orders that violate Romulan law, a crew will still obey.

The Tal Shiar regularly employ Flaxian assassins. In 2371, an operative named Retaya arrived on Deep Space Nine. His target is a Cardassian resident, Elim Garek. The chief of security discovers the assassins intentions, interrogates him, and then escorts him to the airlock. As his ships leaves, it suddenly explodes. Analysis showed that a forced neutrino invertor bob, of the type preferred by the Romulans, destroyed the craft. The Tal Shiar admit their involvement, but excuse the incident as a lawful execution of a convicted criminal and repudiate any involvement in an assassination plot.

A Crippling Blow

In 2371, the Tal Shiar join forces with their Cardassian equivalent, the Obsidian Order, in an attempt to launch a surprise offensive against the Founders. A fleet or warships is secretly gathered in the Orion sector, but the attacking forces are ambushed by a hugh fleet of Jem Ha’dar ships in the Omarion Nebula. This crushing defeat leaves the Romulan tar Empire in a vulnerable position, and leads to a major re-think in Romulan strategy.