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Object
Object

Romulan B-Type Warbirds (including the three-warbird strike squadron)

Collective Romulan military vessels of the B-Type (Warbird) class, referenced both as an off-stage tactical threat and as on-screen combatants. The merged entity covers: (a) spoken mentions and tactical briefings treating B-Type Warbirds as organized hostile assets able to alter tactical/diplomatic situations, and (b) specific on-screen instances in which three Romulan warbirds decloak and open fire as a coordinated strike squadron that provokes bridge alarms and a Klingon counter-response.
7 appearances

Purpose

Serve as Romulan military warships used to project force, conduct offensive or deterrent operations, and alter local strategic balance.

Significance

Act as immediate antagonistic threats that catalyze tactical decisions, intelligence-gathering, and moral/diplomatic dilemmas for Picard and the crew; their possible presence raises stakes and drives interrogation and contingency planning.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

7 moments
S3E10 · The Defector
Defector's Warning — A Chess Move and an Explosion

Three Romulan warbirds are invoked as the looming strategic consequence of the alleged Nelvana base; they are not present in the lounge but their potential arrival provides the geopolitical specter shaping command decisions.

Before: Referenced as a future threat that Setal claims will be within striking distance of Federation sectors.
After: Remain an implied threat driving urgency; the scout's explosion makes their possible imminence more alarming but unconfirmed.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Jarok's Confession: A Father's Gamble

Romulan B-type warbirds are invoked as the tactical threat Jarok claims he can help the Enterprise counter; they function narratively as the technical price of trust — Picard demands ways to overpower and detect them through cloaking shields as proof.

Before: Referenced only in tactical briefings and sensor data elsewhere; not physically present in the ready room.
After: Remain a hypothetical external threat whose detection and countermeasures now form the conditions Picard sets for Jarok's credibility.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Picard Forces Jarok's Confession

Romulan B‑type warbirds are referenced by Picard as the concrete operational threat Jarok claims knowledge about; they function as the practical test of Jarok's credibility and the technical reason Picard requires assistance before risking his ship and crew.

Before: The warbirds exist as off‑stage tactical threats in sensor reports and as hypothetical targets for defensive planning.
After: Remain an unresolved external threat whose mitigation is conditioned on Jarok's forthcoming cooperation.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Jarok's Confession and Picard's Condition

Romulan B-type warbirds are invoked verbally by Picard as the concrete tactical threat Jarok's intelligence must prove useful against; they function as the operational metric for trust—if Jarok can show how to counter them, his claims gain value.

Before: Referenced as an active, off‑stage tactical danger that may be encountered near the Neutral Zone.
After: Remain an unverified threat pending Jarok's cooperation; their existence continues to define the stakes of Picard's decision.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Jarok Unmasked: The Loyalty Test and the Romulan Ambush

Three Romulan Warbirds decloak from concealment, fill the viewscreen, and execute a coordinated torpedo strike—acting as the visible muscle of the Romulan provocation and forcing the Enterprise into immediate defensive posture.

Before: Cloaked and undetected by Enterprise sensors despite earlier subspace emissions.
After: After delivering torpedo fire and issuing demands via Tomalak, they power down disruptors and withdraw when Klingon ships materialize.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Trap at Nelvana — Tomalak's Deception and the Klingon Counter

Three Romulan warbirds decloak to reveal a coordinated strike force; they deliver the opening kinetic escalation, hail the Enterprise through Tomalak, and serve as the vehicle for political coercion (demanding Jarok and Starfleet surrender).

Before: Concealed by cloaking near the Nelvana System, unobserved on sensors.
After: After the Klingon arrival the Romulan disruptors power down and the warbirds withdraw into the starfield.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Broken Loyalty: Jarok's Failed Sacrifice

Three Romulan warbirds decloak and execute the ambush, firing torpedoes and broadcasting Tomalak's demands; they are the visible instrument of Romulan theater and aggression in the event.

Before: Cloaked and not visible on sensors until the moment of decloak.
After: After engagement they power down disruptors and disappear from the scene once Klingon Birds of Prey intervene.
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