Politics in Star Trek
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Ghost Rider
- Spirit of Vengeance
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Worse still...didn't the colonists(who were Federation citizens) have no say in having their territory handed off to the Cardassians?
MM /CF/WG/BOTM/JL/Original Warsie/ACPATHNTDWATGODW FOREVER!!
Sometimes we can choose the path we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all
Saying and doing are chocolate and concrete
Sometimes we can choose the path we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all
Saying and doing are chocolate and concrete
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TheDarkling
- Sith Marauder
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The Planet was within Federation space, it hadn't been denied membership because it had never applied for membership.
It comes down to this - the planet was within Fed space (by intergalatic treaty I imagine), the planet being where it is wasn't know to be inhabitated and once this became know an Admiral (and however many peopl supported him pssoibly including the council - its unknown) decided to use it since they weren't natives their legal status was shakey.
Picard however was certain that once the council was notified (or the actual operation or just the specifics?) it would have been dealt with and the operation would be stopped.
I would also point out that this doesn't really have any bearing on the setup of the Federation government since the treatment of non-citizens within national borders has been bad by democratic nations.
It comes down to this - the planet was within Fed space (by intergalatic treaty I imagine), the planet being where it is wasn't know to be inhabitated and once this became know an Admiral (and however many peopl supported him pssoibly including the council - its unknown) decided to use it since they weren't natives their legal status was shakey.
Picard however was certain that once the council was notified (or the actual operation or just the specifics?) it would have been dealt with and the operation would be stopped.
I would also point out that this doesn't really have any bearing on the setup of the Federation government since the treatment of non-citizens within national borders has been bad by democratic nations.
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Publius
- Jedi Council Member
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For the purpose of summarising what is currently known about the Romulan state:
The Romulan Star Empire's head of state is the Praetor, who functions as president of the Imperial Senate (see the film Nemesis). As the presiding officer, the Praetor is presumably a member of the Senate, although this is not necessarily so.
The Senate has a number of committees; known amongst them is the eight-member Continuing Committee, which appears to be analogous to the Government, in that its members are Senators. As of the Dominion War, the Chairman of the Tal'Shiar, Koval, was in line for a seat on the Continuing Committee (see the episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges").
The name of the Continuing Committee is interesting, in that it suggests that it alone is the only standing committee of the Senate. If this is so, then the remainder of the committees must be select committees; that is, the remainder of the committees might be formed as needed and dissolved upon having completed their assigned tasks.
At least one other committee is known for certain to exist; Senator Vreenak, who was Vice-Chairman of the Tal'Shiar, was also Secretary of the War Plans Council (see the episode "In the Pale Moonlight").
As the Praetor noted in Nemesis, the Senate's decisions are final, and the armed forces are subordinate to the civil government, in stark contrast to the Cardassian and Klingon states. As indicated by "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" and "In the Pale Moonlight," the Tal'Shiar is also subordinate to the Senate, as its two senior members are both Senators.
This reveals something interesting about the Senate: It is not merely a legislature, as its members are in direct control over one of the most important known apparatus of the state, the Tal'Shiar. The effect is that, like the Roman senatus, it is a college of statesmen essentially overseeing all parts of the state, by influence if not by direct control.
Supporting this supposition is the rôle played by Senator Kimara Cretak during the Dominion War. She directly liaised with Admiral Ross, and even established an office on Deep Space Nine to oversee Romulan operations in the war. She also procured permission from the Bajoran Council of Ministers to establish a hospital for Romulans on one of Bajor's moons (see the episode "Image in the Sand"). One would expect these functions to be executed by an officer on the staff of the Romulan force commander, or even a diplomatic agent of the Continuing Committee. Instead, they are all handled by a member of the Imperial Senate.
(Of course, one should not expect all diplomatic functions to be carried out by Senators; the Continuing Committee's agent accredited to the United Federation of Planets in 2293, for example, was Ambassador Nanclus, and there is no indication of Senatorial rank on his part.)
Other interesting details include the existence of the Roman title proconsul in the Star Empire (e.g., Proconsul Merrok, a politician poisoned in the episode "Broken Link"). It is as yet unclear what exactly a proconsul does. In the Roman state, a praetor was a sort of junior consul; the consules presided over the senatus. Although the Romulan state has only one Praetor (to the Romans' eight), it is in fact interesting to note that he – or she; female Senators suggest that there is no sex qualification – does in fact preside over the Senate.
One might conclude, then, that the proconsul executes some function in the Romulan state at least partially comparable to that of the proconsul in the Roman state. In the Roman state, a proconsul was a former consul who had been assigned to govern some province of the republic; Iulius Caesar was proconsul of Gallia Cisalpina and Illyricum when he wrote his famous Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
(Some provinces were governed by quaestores currently in office; Tullius Cicero governed Sicilia in just such a fashion. Other provinces were governed by propraetores, or former praetores; earlier in his career, Iulius Caesar was despatched to govern Hispania as propraetor. As a consul outranked a praetor, and as a senator of consular rank outranked a senator of praetorian rank, just so did a proconsul outrank a propraetor – which has the interesting effect that a proconsul could arguably be considered superior in rank to a praetor!)
Thus, it can be perhaps conjectured that a Romulan proconsul is a governor of some region of the Empire of considerable importance or note, given the loftiness of the title itself. One might even expect the proconsul of a particularly prestigious territory to be of Senatorial dignity.
Interestingly enough, there is evidence of the title vice-proconsul in the Romulan state, as a Senator of particularly high status by name of M'Ret was a Vice-Proconsul in 2369, in which year he and two aides defected to the United Federation, costing a number of lives in the process (see the episode "Face of the Enemy"), reinforcing the perception that Senatorial dignity is not limited solely to legislators.
Thus, one can see that the Imperial Senate is the supreme organ of state, as it comprehends the Continuing Committee, or the executive branch, as well as the leadership of the Tal'Shiar. It has administrative control over the armed forces, conducts some diplomatic functions, possibly administers the territories, and even oversees naval operations. Clearly, then, Shinzon of Remus chose well when he targeted the Senate for petrification.
As to how the Senate is populated, that is, how one becomes a Senator, that is as yet unknown. In the Roman state, senatorial dignity was conferred upon one after having held high office, effectively ensuring that only competent or otherwise resourceful persons could become senators. By virtue of this restriction on its membership, the Roman senate became a college of proven statesmen, the heads of the most important families, and the wisest amongst the citizens. For lack of a better model, this may well serve as a rough sketch of the Romulan state; one might become an Imperial Senator by achieving a high or important office.
E.g., Vice-Proconsul M'Ret might be a Senator because he was Vice-Proconsul, and not the other way 'round. A high-ranking official like a proconsul or a judicial magistrate might ex officio be a Senator; Senatorial dignity might even be lifelong, as is membership in the Privy Council (one was indeed a senator for life in the Roman state).
Shinzon commented to Captain Picard that governments change often on Romulus. On the most cursory evaluation, this might be taken to mean that coups d'état such as his own are a frequent occurrence, but this is probably not correct. By "government," most Americans comprehend the entire state, the régime and all its trappings; however, most Britons – and, indeed, most persons who live under parliamentary states – comprehend something rather different. Instead, they understand a "government" to be the current administration. In Great Britain, governments often change, but the régime has not changed since the English Civil War.
Indeed, in the parliamentarian context, the Blair Government overthrew the Major Government, which had succeeded the Thatcher Government. This seems the more likely interpretation of Shinzon's remark: That the Continuing Committee - or even that the Praetorship - undergoes frequent changes in membership or incumbency; this is, of course, common in parliamentary systems.
It remains to be seen what effects Shinzon's coup d'état and his Praetorship will have on the Romulan state. Without Preator Shinzon, his Viceroy, and the Scimitar, it would seem that the Remans have prematurely spent themselves. It is unlikely that the Remans will be able to maintain any degree of power in the state, as the Romulan fleet evidently reconsidered its support of their rebellion.
Publius
Edit: The most current issue of Star Trek Magazine contains a brief article regarding the Romulans. It notes that the original characterisation of the Romulans as honourable was transferred to the Klingons, leaving the Romulans as deceptive, Machiavellian and Byzantine. It also notes that the Continuing Committee was intended to be rather like the Political Bureau, or Politburo, of the Communist Party.
The Romulan Star Empire's head of state is the Praetor, who functions as president of the Imperial Senate (see the film Nemesis). As the presiding officer, the Praetor is presumably a member of the Senate, although this is not necessarily so.
The Senate has a number of committees; known amongst them is the eight-member Continuing Committee, which appears to be analogous to the Government, in that its members are Senators. As of the Dominion War, the Chairman of the Tal'Shiar, Koval, was in line for a seat on the Continuing Committee (see the episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges").
The name of the Continuing Committee is interesting, in that it suggests that it alone is the only standing committee of the Senate. If this is so, then the remainder of the committees must be select committees; that is, the remainder of the committees might be formed as needed and dissolved upon having completed their assigned tasks.
At least one other committee is known for certain to exist; Senator Vreenak, who was Vice-Chairman of the Tal'Shiar, was also Secretary of the War Plans Council (see the episode "In the Pale Moonlight").
As the Praetor noted in Nemesis, the Senate's decisions are final, and the armed forces are subordinate to the civil government, in stark contrast to the Cardassian and Klingon states. As indicated by "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" and "In the Pale Moonlight," the Tal'Shiar is also subordinate to the Senate, as its two senior members are both Senators.
This reveals something interesting about the Senate: It is not merely a legislature, as its members are in direct control over one of the most important known apparatus of the state, the Tal'Shiar. The effect is that, like the Roman senatus, it is a college of statesmen essentially overseeing all parts of the state, by influence if not by direct control.
Supporting this supposition is the rôle played by Senator Kimara Cretak during the Dominion War. She directly liaised with Admiral Ross, and even established an office on Deep Space Nine to oversee Romulan operations in the war. She also procured permission from the Bajoran Council of Ministers to establish a hospital for Romulans on one of Bajor's moons (see the episode "Image in the Sand"). One would expect these functions to be executed by an officer on the staff of the Romulan force commander, or even a diplomatic agent of the Continuing Committee. Instead, they are all handled by a member of the Imperial Senate.
(Of course, one should not expect all diplomatic functions to be carried out by Senators; the Continuing Committee's agent accredited to the United Federation of Planets in 2293, for example, was Ambassador Nanclus, and there is no indication of Senatorial rank on his part.)
Other interesting details include the existence of the Roman title proconsul in the Star Empire (e.g., Proconsul Merrok, a politician poisoned in the episode "Broken Link"). It is as yet unclear what exactly a proconsul does. In the Roman state, a praetor was a sort of junior consul; the consules presided over the senatus. Although the Romulan state has only one Praetor (to the Romans' eight), it is in fact interesting to note that he – or she; female Senators suggest that there is no sex qualification – does in fact preside over the Senate.
One might conclude, then, that the proconsul executes some function in the Romulan state at least partially comparable to that of the proconsul in the Roman state. In the Roman state, a proconsul was a former consul who had been assigned to govern some province of the republic; Iulius Caesar was proconsul of Gallia Cisalpina and Illyricum when he wrote his famous Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
(Some provinces were governed by quaestores currently in office; Tullius Cicero governed Sicilia in just such a fashion. Other provinces were governed by propraetores, or former praetores; earlier in his career, Iulius Caesar was despatched to govern Hispania as propraetor. As a consul outranked a praetor, and as a senator of consular rank outranked a senator of praetorian rank, just so did a proconsul outrank a propraetor – which has the interesting effect that a proconsul could arguably be considered superior in rank to a praetor!)
Thus, it can be perhaps conjectured that a Romulan proconsul is a governor of some region of the Empire of considerable importance or note, given the loftiness of the title itself. One might even expect the proconsul of a particularly prestigious territory to be of Senatorial dignity.
Interestingly enough, there is evidence of the title vice-proconsul in the Romulan state, as a Senator of particularly high status by name of M'Ret was a Vice-Proconsul in 2369, in which year he and two aides defected to the United Federation, costing a number of lives in the process (see the episode "Face of the Enemy"), reinforcing the perception that Senatorial dignity is not limited solely to legislators.
Thus, one can see that the Imperial Senate is the supreme organ of state, as it comprehends the Continuing Committee, or the executive branch, as well as the leadership of the Tal'Shiar. It has administrative control over the armed forces, conducts some diplomatic functions, possibly administers the territories, and even oversees naval operations. Clearly, then, Shinzon of Remus chose well when he targeted the Senate for petrification.
As to how the Senate is populated, that is, how one becomes a Senator, that is as yet unknown. In the Roman state, senatorial dignity was conferred upon one after having held high office, effectively ensuring that only competent or otherwise resourceful persons could become senators. By virtue of this restriction on its membership, the Roman senate became a college of proven statesmen, the heads of the most important families, and the wisest amongst the citizens. For lack of a better model, this may well serve as a rough sketch of the Romulan state; one might become an Imperial Senator by achieving a high or important office.
E.g., Vice-Proconsul M'Ret might be a Senator because he was Vice-Proconsul, and not the other way 'round. A high-ranking official like a proconsul or a judicial magistrate might ex officio be a Senator; Senatorial dignity might even be lifelong, as is membership in the Privy Council (one was indeed a senator for life in the Roman state).
Shinzon commented to Captain Picard that governments change often on Romulus. On the most cursory evaluation, this might be taken to mean that coups d'état such as his own are a frequent occurrence, but this is probably not correct. By "government," most Americans comprehend the entire state, the régime and all its trappings; however, most Britons – and, indeed, most persons who live under parliamentary states – comprehend something rather different. Instead, they understand a "government" to be the current administration. In Great Britain, governments often change, but the régime has not changed since the English Civil War.
Indeed, in the parliamentarian context, the Blair Government overthrew the Major Government, which had succeeded the Thatcher Government. This seems the more likely interpretation of Shinzon's remark: That the Continuing Committee - or even that the Praetorship - undergoes frequent changes in membership or incumbency; this is, of course, common in parliamentary systems.
It remains to be seen what effects Shinzon's coup d'état and his Praetorship will have on the Romulan state. Without Preator Shinzon, his Viceroy, and the Scimitar, it would seem that the Remans have prematurely spent themselves. It is unlikely that the Remans will be able to maintain any degree of power in the state, as the Romulan fleet evidently reconsidered its support of their rebellion.
Publius
Edit: The most current issue of Star Trek Magazine contains a brief article regarding the Romulans. It notes that the original characterisation of the Romulans as honourable was transferred to the Klingons, leaving the Romulans as deceptive, Machiavellian and Byzantine. It also notes that the Continuing Committee was intended to be rather like the Political Bureau, or Politburo, of the Communist Party.
God's in His Heaven, all's right with the world