Romulan technology Romulan technology was often cited as one of the reasons why the Romulan Star Empire was regarded as such a dangerous foe in times of war . The Romulan Ministry of Science oversaw the scientific research of the Romulan Star Empire . The Romulan Astrophysical Academy was a division within the Romulan science community . The Romulan s were known to have developed a multitude of different technologies that are either the first of their kind or unique to the Romulan Star Empire . ( ; ; ) Stealth and holographics . The cloaking device . The Romulans were the first known race to develop the cloaking device stealth technology , first observed on Romulan mines and the in 2152 . ( ) While the Suliban were known to use cloaking devices by 2151 , this technology was provided by a mysterious benefactor from the 29th century and was not developed by their race . ( ) The Romulans used D7 - class battle cruisers of Klingon design but equipped with cloaking devices as of 2268 , when they apprehended the . During this encounter , Cpt . Kirk of the " Enterprise " managed to steal a Romulan cloaking device so that Starfleet could assess its danger to the Federation . ( ) The Romulans and the Federation long engaged in a tech war of cloak and cloak detection . In 2152 , a quantum beacon proved an effective counter measure for detecting less advanced cloaks such as those found on Romulan mines , but not those on early Romulan Birds - of - Prey . In 2368 , the Federation developed the tachyon detection grid , a technique that allowed for the detection of Romulan vessels of the day . ( ) By 2379 , the Star Empire had perfected the cloaking technology . The cloak of the Reman Warbird " Scimitar " produced no tachyon emissions and left no residual antiproton traces for detection . The " Scimitar " was the only vessel in the Star Empire known to have overcome the long standing problem of not being able to raise shields or fire weapons when the cloaking device was active . The only known way to counter these latest cloaks involved the use of telepathic races such as Betazoid s to detect an enemy crew by sensing their thoughts . ( ) Multispectral emitters . Holographic projector technology equipped on the Romulan drone ship , a multispectral emitter was used as a camouflage system . The emitters could produce a holographic image that could mimic the appearance of almost any ship . When activated , the emitters made it nearly impossible for an enemy to acquire a target lock on the ship ' s primary systems , such as weapons , although the emitters themselves could be targeted . ( ) Tri - phasic emitters . Equipped on board the Romulan drone ship , tri - phasic emitter s could simulate different types of weapons used by various other races , including both disruptor and phase weapon based technologies . ( ) Site to site holographic emitters . This technology could capture live sounds and images of a person in one location and project those images to another location . Images and sound from that second location could be detected and transmitted back to the first location , making two way interaction possible . The first known use of these emitters was in 2379 when Shinzon of Remus requested the to stand down its defenses and surrender Captain Jean - Luc Picard to the " Scimitar " . The source of the hologram once projected was untraceable . ( ) An image could be sent from a ship that was under cloak and the technology was known to be able to penetrate the deflector shield s of a starship . The emitters were only observed when used between ships in relatively close proximity . When used by Shinzon , his hologram was seemingly able to sit in a chair but also pass through a table . ( ) Computer technology . The Romulans had a team of cyberneticist s . They were also aware of the existence of Data . ( ) Weapons . Romulan weapons were described by Spock in 2266 as being superior to those of the Federation . ( ) Disruptors . The Romulans were one of three races , along with the Klingons and the Breen , who were known to use the type 3 disruptor . ( ) When fired , a Romulan disruptor left behind residual antiproton particles that remained for several hours . ( ) Plasma torpedoes . First known to have been used by the Romulans in 2266 , plasma torpedo es were an extremely powerful but an energy - intensive weapon system . This type of high - energy plasma weapon was first encountered by Starfleet when a destroyed several Federation outpost s near the Romulan Neutral Zone . Upon detonation , the torpedo unleashed an overpowering energy plasma that caused an implosion in the target . Even rodinium , the hardest material known to the Federation , could not withstand this kind of attack . A single torpedo was capable of catastrophic damage and its destructive potential against fortified targets was unmatched . The torpedo was capable of going into warp , but the effective damage output decreased the longer it was in flight . If the torpedo had a flaw - - it was limited by range , such as when the Bird - of - Prey fired on the , the Starfleet vessel was able to maneuver out of its most effective range , so that when it did hit them , its effectiveness had dissipated and the damage to the " Enterprise " was fairly minor . ( ) The only other races to have used plasma torpedoes are the Kazon and the Cardassian s , but the first documented usage of plasma torpedoes by these races occurred more than a century after the Romulans , in the early 2370s . ( ; ) Thalaron generator . The thalaron generator was a super weapon that was capable of creating a thalaron radiation field large enough to encompass a ship or an entire planet . Previously thought to be simply theoretical by Federation scientist s , research into thalaron radiation was banned by the Federation sometime prior to 2379 due to its biogenic properties . Thalaron radiation consumed organic material at the subatomic level , causing instant and complete necrosis in every it irradiated . A matter of seconds after exposure , the organism degenerated into an ash - like material . Even a minuscule amount of thalaron radiation could kill every living being aboard a starship . ( ) Defenses . Shields . Standard Romulan deflector shields were believed to be at least on par with those of the Federation . However , the most advanced example of shield technology in the Romulan Star Empire was present on the " Scimitar " , which was equipped with both primary and secondary shields . The ship endured at least thirty - two phaser hits , twenty disruptor strikes , and twenty torpedo impacts in a single engagement at the Battle of the Bassen Rift , exhausting the weapons complement of the " Enterprise " - E , and was still able to maintain 70 % shield strength . ( ) Ship self - repair technology . The Romulans were known to be able to equip their ships with a self - repair technology , principally used on the Romulan drone ship in 2154 . ( ) Remote ship control . In 2154 , the Romulans possessed the technology to facilitate the control of ships by remote telepresence . The only race known to possess the telepathic ability to actually control a ship in such a way were the Aenar , a subspecies of the Andorian s . As the Aenar were strictly pacifist , one ( Gareb ) had to be kidnapped and drugged for the technology to be put to use . ( ) Propulsion . Artificial quantum singularity reactor . In the 24th century , an artificial quantum singularity served as the primary power source for large Romulan spacecraft , such as the Warbird . Once activated , the singularity core could not be shut down . ( ; ) A relay station network of ancient origin , claimed by the Hirogen , was the only other known example of a race using quantum singularities as a power source . ( )