"Terrorbalans" fastställer vad Starfleet vet om Romulans ett decennium efter Discovery .
Captain's Log, stardate 1709.2. Patrolling outposts guarding the neutral zone between planets Romulus and Remus and the rest of the galaxy, received emergency call from outpost 4. The U.S.S. Enterprise is moving to investigate and assist.
[Corridor]
KIRK [OC]: This is the Captain speaking. In our next action, we can risk neither miscalculation nor error
[Bridge]
KIRK: By any man aboard. Listen carefully. Science Officer.
SPOCK: Referring to the map on your screens, you will note beyond the moving position of our vessel, a line of Earth outpost stations. Constructed on asteroids, they monitor the Neutral Zone established by treaty after the Earth-Romulan conflict a century ago.
[Sickbay]
SPOCK [OC]: As you may recall from your histories, this conflict was fought,
[Engineering]
SPOCK [OC]: By our standards today, with primitive atomic weapons and in primitive space vessels
[Bridge]
SPOCK: Which allowed no quarter, no captives. Nor was there even ship-to-ship visual communication. Therefore, no human, Romulan, or ally has ever seen the other. Earth believes the Romulans to be warlike, cruel, treacherous, and only the Romulans know what they think of Earth. The treaty, set by sub-space radio, established this Neutral Zone, entry into which by either side, would constitute an act of war. The treaty has been unbroken since that time. Captain.
KIRK: What you do not know and must be told is that my command orders on this subject are precise and inviolable. No act, no provocation
[Engineering]
KIRK [OC]: Will be considered sufficient reason to violate the zone. We may defend ourselves,
[Sickbay]
KIRK [OC]: But if necessary to avoid interspace war,
[Bridge]
KIRK: Both these outposts and this vessel will be considered expendable. Captain out.
Så långt som starfleet vet, har inget fartyg korsat Neutral Zone i båda riktningarna i 100 år sedan Romulakriget. Tydligen har det inte förekommit några kontakter med subspaceradion sedan kriget.
senare:
KIRK: After a whole century, what will a Romulan ship look like, Mister Stiles? I doubt they'll radio and identify themselves.
STILES: You'll know, sir. They're painted like a giant bird-of-prey.
Stiles vet inte att alla Romulan-fartyg alltid kommer att målas som en jätte rovfågel. Det visar sig att de fortfarande är i sin tid, men ett sekel senare i tiden för TNG är de inte. Så Giles gissade bara det.
I ett år med Discovery , ett årtionde tidigare, om ett skepp passerar den neutrala zonen i båda riktningarna och detekteras, startar ett krig som inte startade i det alternativa universum av TOS . Om besättningen Discovery har någon Romulan-kontakt kommer de vara skyldiga att rapportera det till Starfleet Command.
Så jag kan tänka mig att besättningsmedlemmarna till Discovery kan besöka en upptagen rymdport på en ny kontaktad planet och någon kan peka på en tentacled utomjording och säga: "Det är den konstigaste alien jag någonsin sett." och någon annan kan säga: "Det är säkert. Jag undrar om det skulle kunna vara en Romulan."
Och det handlar om alla författare av Discovery kan göra med Romulans.