Romulan drone-ship

The Romulan drone-ship was an advanced experimental attack ship developed by the Romulans in the 2150s.

At least two of this vessel type were built, with the starship itself being a modified Romulan Warbird design. Its propulsion systems and command circuitry were largely identical to the typical Romulan warship of that era, and was quite small in comparison to the Enterprise NX-01. The vessel was designed to be remotely controlled from Romulus by an Aenar pilot as chief among its many modifications. The drone-ship was controlled from an operations tower in the Romulan capital by the Aenar pilot, who was forced to pilot the warship against his will. Two Romulan officers oversaw its operation, as it was of special interest to the Romulan Senate.

The ship's bridge, built on the lower levels, was dominated by a large subspace transceiver, most likely to receive its remote orders from Romulus. The interior was confining and cramped, with bulkheads exposing data cables at various points throughout the ship. Due of its lack of crew, much of the ship was devoid of a life support system. In addition, the drone-ship featured an auto-repair system that allowed it to correct damage sustained during combat. The vessel was a formidable adversary in combat. Its weapons were very powerful for its time, inflicting major damage on its targets. Its ability to self-repair proved an asset during battle, where damage could begin to be corrected almost immediately. The drone was highly maneuverable, capable of dodging photon torpedoes with barrel rolls.

In 2154, the Romulan drone-ship was given the task of destabilizing potential political alliances in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. It was equipped with an advanced multispectral emitter system, which when activated allowed the ship to assume the appearance of nearly any other vessel. The drone-ship's disruptors also used special emitters, which could mimic the weapon signature of a wide range of other ships, from Andorian to Tellarite to Earth vessel weapons. Using these unique abilities, the drone-ship threatened to provoke a war between the Andorians and Tellarites. The Romulans later threatened to draw the Humans, and potentially their ally, the Vulcans, into the conflict, when the Romulan drone destroyed a scout ship, while mimicking the appearance of the Earth starship Enterprise.

Ultimately, the drone ship's presence caused what the Romulans had hoped to avoid: an alliance against them.

The appearance of a common enemy united the Andorians, Tellarites, Humans, and Vulcans, who attacked the drone and eventually forced it to withdraw to Romulan space.

The Romulans subsequently launched a second drone-ship, which was used in combination with the first to attack Enterprise.

Both drone-ships were destroyed when a kidnapped Aenar (an Andorian sub-species) realized what was happening, and had the two drone-ships attack and destroy each other. This thwarted the Romulans' attempt to destabilize the region.