Tomalak Commander Tomalak was an influential officer in the Romulan military in the 24th century . Tomalak was the commander of the Romulan warbird that violated the Romulan Neutral Zone in 2366 to rescue the crew of the Romulan scout ship " " , that had crashed on Galorndon Core . Tomalak denied that the scout ship had illegally entered Federation space by claiming that it had suffered a " navigation al failure " , and he also denied the possibility of a second crew member since the recovered Patahk from the surface . He was prepared to fire on the " Enterprise " after Patahk ' s death , though he desisted after a second crew member , Bochra , was returned safely . ( ) Later that year , Tomalak was part of an elaborate deception involving Alidar Jarok and a supposed Romulan military build - up on Nelvana III . He allowed Jarok ' s defection to the Federation , and when the " Enterprise " - D illegally entered the Neutral Zone to investigate Jarok ' s reports , Tomalak had a pair of warbirds waiting for them . Tomalak boasted how he intended to " dissect the " Enterprise " - D for every precious bit of information , " and then to display its broken hull in the capital on Romulus to both inspire the Romulan armies and serve as a reminder to any other traitors of the state . The crew members were to become prisoners - of - war . However , Tomalak was forced to withdraw when the " Enterprise " - D revealed it had brought along Klingon reinforcements . ( ) " In a timeline caused by Q and negated by Picard in 2370 , Tomalak commanded the " Terix " , one of thirty warbirds deployed along the Romulan Neutral Zone in response to the appearance of an anti - time eruption in the Devron system . Tomalak confronted Jean - Luc Picard concerning their mutual fleet movements , and each agreed to send a single vessel into the Neutral Zone to investigate . " ( ) Appendices . Background information . Tomalak was played by late actor Andreas Katsulas . Apocrypha . Tomalak made his first chronological appearance in " Vulcan ' s Heart " as a centurion in 2329 . At this time , he commandeered a ground car to transport Spock , Ruanek , and Charvanek to a scout ship to escape from the Romulan Neutral Zone . His next chronological appearance was in the DC Comics issue # 17 : " The Weapon " , set in 2366 where he accosted the " Enterprise " while her crew was being possessed by strange energy beings . In the " Star Trek Unlimited " issue " None but the Brave and Inheritance " , set some time after 2367 , Tomalak made an appearance in the story " Inheritance " where he was behind the capture of Geordi La Forge and Dr . Leah Brahms in an effort to repair an early Federation technology . In the IDW Publishing comic series " " set in late 2368 , he attempted to kidnap Data in order to get assistance with closing an inter - dimensional rift . He finally succeeded on Rete Mire and they were able to close the rift due to the sacrifice of a Romulan Centurion . When Picard asked him why he had gone to such lengths rather than simply asking for assistance and Riker answered by saying " " Romulans fear disgrace more than death . " " Tomalak pointed out that at least one of the " Enterprise " - D crew understood Romulans . In the short story " Performance Appraisal " from the " No Limits " collection set in 2369 , Tomalak encountered Kat Mueller in the near the Neutral Zone border . In the novel " The Badlands , Book Two " set in 2371 , Tomalak had been promoted to High Commander and assigned Centurion Seylok to proceed to the Badlands to capture an artificial quantum singularity . Tomalak had promoted the young man to make it seem like a low priority mission in order to misdirect the changeling s . In the Marvel Comics , Tomalak appeared in the issues " Public Enemies , Private Lives " and " Public Enemies , Private Lives , Conclusion " set in 2373 where he was working on a mission with his son together with a group of Maquis . His son murdered the entire Maquis cell and kidnapped Jake Sisko . Tomalak informed Narak that his actions had dishonored their family name . He also appeared in " " , when he arrived with Tebok in warbirds to help defend Deep Space 9 against a Dominion incursion later in 2373 . Tomalak made an appearance in the novel " The Genesis Wave , Book One " set in 2376 , he was part of a task force dispatched by the Romulan Empire to aid the Federation . He met with Picard near a Bolian colony . In the novels " Vulcan ' s Soul " and " Epiphany " , set in 2377 , he took several warbirds to Vulcan space to retrieve an artifact . Once again , he encountered Picard and the " Enterprise " . In the novel " Taking Wing " , set in 2380 , from the " " series shows Tomalak becoming proconsul of the Romulan Senate after the fall of Shinzon . In " Death in Winter " , set around the same time , he is portrayed helping protect the planet of Romulus . He is finally arrested and left in the Federation to stand trial after his attempts to help the newly - formed acquire their own quantum slipstream drive results in the destruction of Deep Space 9 and the Pact and the Federation being pushed to war in the novel " Raise the Dawn " . In the backstory to " Star Trek Online " Tomalak became Fleet Commander after Shinzon ' s coup , and led a punitive blockade of Remus through 2381 . He remained loyal to the Empire when Donatra led several ships and planets in rebellion , forming the in opposition to the Imperial government led by Praetor Tal ' aura . Donatra soundly defeated him when he attacked her ships at Xanitla in 2383 , and he was further disgraced by the defection of his handpicked second - in - command , Admiral Taris . Tal ' aura removed him from command and forced him into retirement at his estate on Romulus . His fate following the supernova of 2387 is unknown .