The Full Story of the Tal Shiar

The Tal Shiar is the espionage, state police and intelligence gathering wing of the Romulan Star Empire but granted such power that is practically its own entity. Formed from the Zhat Vash in the wake of a miscommunicated message, the fearsome organisation grew to even count senators among its members and cast a wide net of spies. Even Starfleet and the United Federation has played host to long-term agents of the Empire, so let's take a look at the lore.

Chapters
00:00 Zhat Vash Origin
03:20 Role and Authority
06:47 Modus Operandi
08:41 Reputation and Weakness
10:02 Fleet
10:48 Post-Supernova
12:47 Outro

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This Video is for critical purposes with commentary.

Outro Animation made by @icarogabriel17

[sleepingbackbone]

And now we need lore video about Obsidian Order, it seems. :)

[aurorajones]

"Never send in the Tal Shiar if you want something done right" - They were sloppy.

[samwill]

Man do they feel silly when the Federation avoided being overthrown by AI by just...giving them rights and treating them with basic kindness

[grimslayer]

I always felt Starfleet Intelligence was the most effective Intelligence Agency out there (especially if you count Section 31). Yes the Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order were amazing at their job with fearsome reputations, but SI did everything quietly and without too much fuss and look who came out on top in the end.

[alphaone]

To quote a romulan ships in Star Trek armada “We serve only the Tal Shiar”

[feralprocessor]

Right off the bat, a Romulan vessel drifting along.

[Therosx]

I like this new story telling narration style. Feels like a more higher production value and more... Star Treky. Like a historical vid a character in the show might watch in the show. Good stuff!

[bipolarminddroppings]

The Tal Shiar, or as I like to call them the "Sexy" Romulans.

[Classic.Cameras]

That quote by Commander Toreth might as well be about the CIA in the USA. Its bold and accurate.

[jaimebabb]

An interesting implication of Picard s1 that I wish they'd followed up on is that, with the fall of the Star Empire, the Tal'Shiar seem to be busily working behind the scenes to take over the Federation from within. They remind me of the Dai Li from AtLA; their loyalty is always to themselves.

[mrshannonite]

Every time I hear "Tal Shiar" I get a mental image of Talia Shire,

[johnsteiner]

Should've called that first season Star Trek: Mass Effect, because that's the plot they lifted.

[NineWorldsFromDrew]

I like the use of Watchdogs-style graphics, revealing everyone’s secrets 😏

[stingyblue]

I’m looking forward to your Obsidian Order video.

[JDEhlert]

This is why I hope they focus on the Tal Shiar and the Free State Romulans. STO went a different way, but it was similar in some ways as well.
If they ever did a new 25th century show that would be a fantastic place to concentrate and tell the next part of the story of the path to Ni'Var that we see in ST: Discovery.

[dave_p]

A very enjoyable vid. I love soaking up some romulan lore.

[warrenreid]

Please consider making a video depicting the difference between the Tal sh'yar and the cardassian Obsidian order.

[dave_p]

As you've got the tal shiar on your mind are you going to be doing the rest of the romulan characters missions that you missed out? Being brainwashed by sela and the "Charva friend or foe" stories were really interesting to play through.

[john_blues]

Another Certifiably Ingame upload! Shaka, When the Walls Fell!

[neutrino]

A Roman show is a dream of mine. The Warbird is the coolest ship. They could be painted as more than one-dimensional like they did with the Ferengi. Imagine a Roman commander in fear of its enemies growing bigger and the Empire is...stagnating. All the while in living in the cloak and dagger police state.