Star Trek: Top Five Romulan Warbirds

Spacedock breaks down five of the iconic Warbirds of the Romulan Star Empire.
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Spacedock does not hold ownership of the copyrighted materiel (Footage, Stills etc) taken from the various works of fiction covered in this series, and uses them within the boundaries of Fair Use for the purpose of Analysis, Discussion and Review. Produced by Daniel Orrett. Owner/Executive Producer at Spacedock.

[@tristenvena6605]

Now I want to see a top five “big dumb bad guy ships” video.

[@darkodin2007]

I second this

[@robertmonroe6434]

Third......

[@TheSlasherJunkie]

ST:ID’s Dreadnaught is my personal favorite

[@thesting7300]

#1 The Death Star

[@owenpeters1823]

I do too, but I would like to know why the Vengeance falls into this category. I genuinely think it was a good extrapolation of what a militarized Star Fleet vessel would look like. Then again, I'm not deeply ingrained in the lore. Regardless, this sounds like a fun video

[@Nikephorus]

D'Deridex is probably one of my favorite scifi ships of all time. Such an interesting design.

[@andreasmuller4666]

Interesting yeah, though i personally allways thought they look stupid (like most ships following that "line of sight" rule). The class following though, that is a beauty.

[@EmpPeng2k7]

@@andreasmuller4666 When you consider most ST ships follow it the rule itself isnt a problem, the problem was the implementation in some cases

[@weldonwin]

I wondered if the D'deridex with its 'hollow hull' design, inspired the Vulcan ships in Enterprise with their Warp Ring configuration?

[@MrAranton]

While die D'Deridex looks intersting, it might well be an exercise on how to use up as much material as possible to get as little internal volume as possible. And since it's internal volume that matters, the D'Deridex is a lot smaller than it pretends to be. I guesstimate the D'Deridex' internal is roughly equivalent to that of the Excelsior.

[@EmpPeng2k7]

@@MrAranton Targeting it must be a irritating as you cant use a centre of mass firing solution

[@Razorgeist]

"Those who march beneath the raptor's wings" nice reference.

[@superginrai8036]

For me, the ultimate Romulan ship design is the D'Deridex warbird. It's big, it's look is menacing, and the design aesthetic just screams Romulan Star Empire.

[@Drunkhari]

Valdore and D'Deridex class warbirds are my 2 favorite Star Trek ships overall. The aesthetic for both is amazing.

[@Aetrion]

The Klingon Bird of Prey was originally supposed to be a Romulan ship. The original script for The Search for Spock had the Romulans as the antagonists and this was supposed to be their new signature ship, but the script was changed to include Klingons after the original script was leaked. The rewrite originally included the Klingons stealing the ship from the Romulans, but that never made it into the movie. Basically we have a whole bunch of behind the scenes production drama to thank for the fact that Klingons adopted Romulan looking ships and battle tactics between TOS and TNG.

[@nefariousgremlin7554]

Yes, the Valdore is godly and my favorite romulan design (if not one of my favorite alien ships in the entirety of star trek)

[@anshudublin]

I think if I remember correctly that Commander Donatra (I think that was her name) said her ship was called the Valdore and since it was the first time the ship had been named on screen I would use that as the name of the class of ship as that is what happens in star trek. USS Galaxy = Galaxy class, USS Defiant = Defiant class, USS Intrepid = Intrepid class and so on.

[@darwinxavier3516]

According to all sources I've ever read, it is indeed referred to as a Valdore class. I would hope that it's not called the Venator since ST Armada 2 already has one and I prefer that they not reuse names that are already taken. And Mogai sounds like a Klingon ship.

[@FilmGuy7000]

I know it's not really a cannon source, but in the Star Trek fantasy flight game, it's called the Valdore. I know, because it was my flagship.

[@aaronhawkins3416]

It would be cool if they could dock together for long duration deployment. This configuration would be a lot like the d'deridex class ship.

[@jamesmartin9401]

Apparently in the production notes, it was called the Valdore class.

[@cadman9768]

I get why you went for the Valdore class but the D'Deridex still takes the win for me,

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

Every time. People complain about the empty space, but I thought it made it really interesting.

[@kinggoten]

@@thegreenmanofnorwich nothing is wrong about empty space, it lowers the overall mass and it does not really weaken the structure at all, one could even argue it makes it stronger then say if it didn't have that bottem half. Myself I like the Valdore cuz it is really close to my fav star trek ship the klingon bird of prey(any class of it).

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

@@kinggoten I get that. It's a neat shape, but I think the reason I never really warmed to the Valdore very much was that it was a shape I'd already seen in birds of prey; it's a good refinement of that shape, but personally, I'd have quite liked something a bit different.

[@maxmustermann5331]

@@thegreenmanofnorwich I totally agree

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

@Zerebrat Eightyseven I loved Armada; the stories and cutscenes are obviously products of their time, but I think they're brilliant

[@johnrettig1880]

34 Dislikes All Klingon High Council and Chancellor .

[@austinmartin612]

My favorite is the Aelahl Light Warbird Battlecruiser from STO, it's one of the few designs cryptic has done that is absolutely great looking

[@darthXreven]

I liked the Mogai in STO, really good ship IMO can't argue with the list either.....

[@thomasgodridge5945]

To be fair to the Scimitar, being as large as it is isn't that much of a deviation from form, given the size of the D'deridex-class. And I agree, I love the Valdore to bits.

[@nefariousgremlin7554]

The Valdore is the best

[@joshuahadams]

The Scimitar was wider than the D’deridex, but AFAIK, with the wings being so thin I can’t imagine they’re anything near the weight of the double-wings of the D’deridex.

[@connergibson9453]

The Valdore is one of the most beautiful ship designs in all of sci-fi, it's a real shame we didn't see it in the dominion war

[@manuelrathjen1195]

great video! same video for klingon ships maybe? that would be awesome 👍🏻

[@terryforsdyke306]

great idea, would probably be the Vor'Cha, Neg'Va, K'Tinga and 2 identical looking classes of Bird of Prey, there were many classes of Klingon Bird of Prey, and most looked identical except for size (ranging from 50m to 700m)

[@MGuyGadbois]

@@terryforsdyke306 I think the Vorcha is underrated. The BOP is the quincentennial, but I also really like the K'Tinga

[@ryank5424]

IMO the name valdore is the best of the name options. And totally agree with its #1 place

[@Topher7527]

I loved the Mogai from the second it first showed up. It's Romulan warbird design language at it's best and undoubtedly my favorite non-human ship design. And Picard still owes the Romulan Commander that drink.

[@makairidah8354]

As a guy that has never been much interested in the star trek ships.i can say after the this that.THE ROMULANS ARE AWESOME

[@darwinxavier3516]

Star Trek shields allow for very interesting designs that might be a liability in a universe with no/weak shields.

[@DarinRWagner]

The Defiant DOES have line-of-sight between the nacelles on the underside.

[@Shortsircut1]

Darin Wagner, I admit I had never heard the line of sight thing before. How to explain Zefram Cochranes ships engines did not have line of sight and if that was really necessary, how did the Star Fleet ships with only 1 nacelle work? It should not really apply to Romulan ships either since they do not use a warp drive, but are powered by a singularity.

[@DarinRWagner]

@@Shortsircut1 The line of sight rule was Roddenberry's. After he died, the FX guys in the Star Trek franchise began ignoring it. Hence there are a lot of ships since his death that do not obey the line of sight rule.

[@jarradscarborough7915]

@@Shortsircut1 to add to darin it was less about the los and more about the 'warp field-bubble' the nacelles generate btw - warp cores and singularities create the power - but not the warp field, that come from the nacelles. so they do use warp drive, just singularity instead of anti-matter to power it.

[@seanheath4492]

@@Shortsircut1 Romulans still use warp drive, but they use a quantum singularity for their power source rather than a matter-antimatter reaction.

[@craigtowse4340]

@@Shortsircut1 Very true although they do use Warp Drive its just the power source is, as you said, different.

[@casbot71]

The best Romulan Warbird… Is one that the enemy _never even saw._

[@clouless7032]

Great 11½ min “short” dive into ST. I am, as always, impressed by your analytical and logical reasoning. Thanks for your work!

[@stofsk]

Video: Top Five Romulan Warbirds *there only are five canon Romulan Warbirds* :)

[@user-si3gu8pm6j]

Not sure if they can be classified as Warbirds per se but the Romulans did field a D-7 variant during the TOS era and then there was that Scout ship that Setal/Admiral Jarok piloted in TNG’s ‘The Defector’. Also they had the Narendra III warbirds in ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’. But yes I agree you’d have to get fairly obscure to name more than a few versions of Romulan warbirds

[@stofsk]

We don't know what the Narendra III warbirds were like because we never see them, so it's hard to count them for the purposes of this video. I was just making a joke about how we only have a very limited number of Romulan ships to consider.

[@user-si3gu8pm6j]

No you’re right and that was my first reaction as well - it just got me thinking what the full list of Romulan ships have actually made it to screen 🤔

[@brandonwachter2264]

I know it wouldn't be considered canon... However, their was an old ST video game that contained a Centurion class warbird that I was always fond of. Seemed to be an early prelude to the D'deridex class. Maybe try to give it a look.

[@nursemark447]

Scandalous!

[@NihilusShadow]

You should do a list of favorite Star Trek Online ships. The Tebok-class Romulan Warbird is by far one of the coolest Romulan ships I've ever seen. The Faeht Warbird is a close second.

[@speestechsupport1341]

As much as I love the sleek Mogai, predatory Scimitar and iconic Dex, I have to say that my heart goes to the stunning Ha'apax-class warbird I fell in love with in STO

[@Uchilsson]

It is great but ma love is T'laru carrier warbird (Kelvin Timeline ). I dont like kelvin timline and the movies, but this STO ship is great.

[@speestechsupport1341]

Uchilsson It is indeed beautiful, but when it comes to Romulan intel vessels nothing can beat the Faeht

[@darwinxavier3516]

Never played STO, but holy shit so many(not all) of their original designs are gorgeous. Hope eaglemoss expands their selection.

[@ryuukeisscifiproductions1818]

@@darwinxavier3516 Eh i dont really care for their federation designs so much, but the Romulan designs are great, and adds a much needed ship lineup to the romuans that they have lacked in canon.

[@darwinxavier3516]

@@ryuukeisscifiproductions1818 I will agree that out of all the new designs I have seen, most of the ones I don't like are Federation. Probably because they remind me too much of the horrible TOS and TNG kitbashes.

[@Liopleurodon]

Totally agree, Norexan (which I prefer ;D) is best mix between firepower, agility and, not least, a nice look

[@leighkite1164]

I just love the way you sum everything up so succinctly about the Scimitar... 52 disruptor banks, 27 photon torpedo bays and the most unnecessarily long and complex super-weapon deployment sequence in the history of science fiction... :D

[@wolbaman]

Wow Dude! You nailed this list! Perfect; great job! As the list started I quickly thought of my own top 5 and came to the exact conclusion.

[@CybershamanX]

(8:57) The Equinox class! I LOVE that little ship for some reason. :)

[@Tirpitz7]

The Nova is my favorite Starfleet design!

[@CybershamanX]

@@Tirpitz7 Oh, jeebus. In my excitement the Equinox popped into my mind! Indeed, it's the Nova class! Pleased to meet you, fellow Nova-phile! :)

[@TheVeritas1]

Daniel, Excellent video. It makes me realize just how unique and diverse the Romulan ship aesthetic is.

[@adamdubin1276]

I completely agree with you, I always found that of all of the Romulan Star Empire/Romulan Republic's ships the Mogai/Valdore Warbirds were simply the most beautiful, with their sleek design and sweeping curves they just looked like a Raptor in flight.

[@steve2275]

i like that theyre green

[@KidInTheHall28]

Agreed about the Mogai/Norexan. Extremely well done Warbird and definitely shows an evolution coming up from the D'Deridex.

[@rocketpocketmouse8998]

Finally some love for the Mogai! (And for Nemesis in general)

[@MrAndyBearJr]

The Balance of Terror TOS episode more closely followed the plot of the movie The Enemy Below. It did not as closely resemble Hunt for Red October.

[@3Rayfire]

It was actually based on The Enemy Below.

[@DocWolph]

Considering "Hunt for Red October" came 25+ years after, "Balance of Terror" really could not follow beats from that movie. But to call it out was really to site a reference more people would be familiar with.

[@jeffhallam2004]

Your number 1 chose was exactly the same as mine! So beautiful and SOOOOOOO Romulan!

[@RamielNagisa]

I have to agree with you on the number 1 slot, the Valdore. It is a gorgeous, refined continuation of Romulan ship design.

[@zenkomenhi]

Heck yeah, the Mogai! Such a beautiful ship, such an excellent Romulan design.

[@nomar5spaulding]

I fooking love how awesome the Valdore Class look. Great #1 pick.

[@Lukos0036]

Mogai is one of my favorites in the Romulan lineup as well. And a lot of fun to fly in game. Very graceful ship.

[@QA-ut7dd]

Definitely agree. Valdore-type is just a gem to watch in Nemesis, and it would definitely take the top spot for me in such a list.

[@davecrupel2817]

The Mogaiclassstrokevaldorclassstrokenurecsantclassstroke VENATOR-class warbird is among my favorite too. Definitely deserves more screentime.

[@redshirt5126]

I love the valdore warbirds because it looks like the ultimate gunship.

[@georgeowain]

Fun fact, early concept art of the D'Deridex originally had the wing span and warp engines aligned vertically, giving it a more taller than wider stance. Plus, its colour scheme more resembled the ships of TOS.

[@thehighguarduk4820]

Great video, agree with the list and order entirely. I Love the D'Deridex cant help but think power and cunning when you see it but for me too the Valdore class is the best, its just a gorgeous design for a Romulan ship.

[@singletona082]

Oh I absolutely love the T'varo death hockey puck.

[@sagesheahan6732]

I agree. The Valdore/Mogai/Norexan warbird is too for me too. It looks wicked.

[@mattbristerpostma3742]

Love the video man.

[@semiblindbritguy2268]

Having just leveled my first Romulan to level 65 this video will be helpful, especially when i get the event ship token.

[@williamsquires3070]

I definitely agree with the 1st and 2nd place picks; I’d like to command either one! 🤠

[@michaelbedinger4121]

The mogai class is cool, no doubt about it. But I think my favorite will always be the deliss class. Thank you, great video.

[@MegaBoilermaker]

Very well narrated Sir.

[@chrisbritt4266]

I agree with your choice number one I saw that on Star Trek Nemesis movie it became my favorite Romulan ship

[@noirangel6416]

I love the T'Varo warbird. Very retro and lean in design.

[@brandonwachter2264]

An old Startrek game I had(Pre PS/Xbox) had a warbird design I was really fond of. It was called a Centurion class warbird. It was a really good & very believable class that was a representation of a post TOS pre D'deridex tech level.

[@KirkJacobsonHere]

The rule was to have a 50% line of sight between nacelles. Therefore both the Defiant and the Delta Flyer work because they dip below the body.

[@topgun92x]

is there any chance to get a more deatailed video about the mogai/norexan class? love the sleek combat birdy thx for the video! great as always! i am very excited about the upcoming season of the expanse and ur new force recon videos about them

[@MatthewBluefox]

The Valdore is my favorite ship as well. And Donatra was my favorite Romulan captain of all episodes.

[@TrueToTheArts]

Another great video!

[@JoshuaMonjin]

Thanks so much for doing Romulan ships! They are my favorite non-Federation faction and I wish more had been done with them during Star Trek. Can anyone recommend expanded universe fiction that focus on the Romulan Star Empire being both fair / in-depth ?

[@MarkRynn]

I think the Mogai is the perfect refinement of Romulan design philosophy. Maneuverable, elusive, intimidating, and deadly.

[@sternguard8283]

The Mogai class does feature as probably the most seen romulan heavy warbird design in STO.

[@Kempeth]

Absolutely the correct call on the Valdore class. Gorgeous ships. Only thing I'd change would be to give the wings a little more depth (not thickness) as they look a little small against the very long main body and nacelles.

[@Caboose11]

Im with you Dan, what i call the Valdore class warbird, is by far my favorite romulan design

[@frostpuma304]

Yes! The Mogai is my favourite Romulan ship as well.

[@martinjrgensen8234]

I am with you, the Valdore class is hecking cool and pretty.

[@sandorsbox]

I LOVE the Valdore/Mogai/whatever-class design. Favorite Trek ship hands down

[@sa80slayer85]

I agree the mogai class looks really romulan and the avian design looks amazing

[@CM26617]

Couldn't agree more on the Valdore (one could term it the Type C Warbird, I guess, following classification convention). Not only a gorgeous capital-grade 'bird-of-prey', but from its looks and capabilities, clearly the apex of Romulan naval engineering. Hope to see more of the class in future!

[@davidleblanc5271]

I love it when people say how there not a fan or put down TOS but without TOS ALL OTHER INCARNATIONS WOULD CEASE TO EXIST also the first Bird of Prey was simply the best

[@esotericegoism7536]

Niggas really don't like TOS designs as I got older I started to love and appreciate the TOS style and miss it the main reason I hate Discovery.

[@DStrormer]

I love Romulan ships, especially the d'deridex and valdore designs. They're genuinely my favorite spaceship designs in all of science fiction.

[@captainarcher5205]

You were so hopeful for ST:Picard in this 😆

[@zhaimorenn8273]

100% agree with the order and selection. The Mogai is the most sleek and amazing warbird of the lot. I read somewhere that the Mogai was the by-product of the Romulans having trouble with swarms of Jem Hadar fighters during the Domion War and so decided a heavily armed and more agile option was needed. Being Romulan, they of course do not go small with it. Wish we had seen more of it outside of Nemesis and Star Trek Online

[@brandonwachter2264]

At 4:52 in vid, I love how the Enterprise-E (although visible shot to hell) still has a functioning forward running light. 😁 That's craftsmanship 👍

[@craigtowse4340]

Thinking about it, the line of sight rule explains why the Intrepid class nacelles move up before it goes to warp.

[@natelay7244]

Great vid

[@ajzebadua]

Loved this video and I'm glad to see a Trek fan getting really into STO ships/"lore". Are there any Romulan Republic ships you like? Maybe the Faeht or the Ar'kif for example?

[@seannewboy8612]

Out of the list of name for the Valdore, STO also adds Morrigu for the t6 version. Of which i have a beautiful gameprint 12" version.

[@csxfan_]

Absolutely agree with every placement on this list. The D'Deridex is awesome, but the Mogai is just a beautiful ship all around.

[@AeronHale]

The Mogai is also my favorite. It's super sleek and deadly looking. I'd also like to see more of it.

[@danielmatei4590]

Even before watching the video i knew you are going to place the Mogai/Morrigu in the first place , hehe . I am a big fan of the Romulan design and lore , it is my favorite faction so to speak.Not as boring as the federation design and more refined than KDF lineup .And it's true , those who walk beneath the raptor's wings would place the D'deridex on first place and the Mogai/Morrigu second. That being said, Jolan tru and great video .

[@LickMyRainbow77]

I remember a few short stories that tried to handwave the Scimitar away as being hybrid Romulan/Dominion tech as a reason for it's odd design, while the superweapon was outright stole from the Dominion

[@ArchOfWinter]

I like how in STO, the Romulan had to use old TOS era ships and scraps to fly around. I hope we get to see old Romulan ships.

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

Shout out to the Romulan Repair Ship from ST Armada, which looks FANTASTIC

[@hadenmontgomery5888]

my reasoning between the T'varo turning into the T'liss was always. mass production over quality. " Ok guys we need to get ships out there lets cut back on the fancy lines and shapes and focus on the bear necessities. but lets put a bird on it just so we can still say we put some flair into it."

[@corvusdove874]

The D'Deridex to this day is one of the most beautiful starships ever designed in science fiction.

[@tomcopple7633]

I really enjoy the T'Varo class. When it was shown on Enterprise, I thought it did a brilliant job showing the Romulans telling Enterprise, and humanity, to "move or else".

[@jamesgates5375]

Probably not going to be popular, but I really am a fan of the classic TOS / T'liss class warbird. This was my first introduction to the Romulans and I always enjoyed that classic design.

[@andreasmangs3131]

The Scimitar is the absolute coolest Star Trek ship design ever.

[@toryunaminosaki1022]

The Tulwar-class Romulan Dreadnought Warbird from Star Trek Online xD

[@IamMeHere2See]

I agree with your assessment that the Scimitar's construction by the Remans as "stunningly improbably." My personal headcanon had always been that it's a Jem'Hadar battle cruiser Shinzon & his under-equiped Remans captured through brilliant strategy in the Dominion War & later modified with whatever technology they can slapdash on top of it.

[@canisblack]

On the subject of the T'varo, I remember when it was chosen as the "25th Century" version of the ship for the Romulan expansion in STO and there was a lot of talk about the fact it appeared for the first time in Enterprise. I think the general consensus ended up being that the design originated in the late 24th/early 25th century and was brought back in time by one of the various temporal cold war actors.

[@thitsugaya1224]

The Valdore is my favorite Romulan ship, and the Romulans are my favorite Star Trek race, they're clever, cunning, battle hardened warriors.

[@bigbagofhate]

Love the Mogai to bits, and am also sorry we didn't see it more in filmed canon.

[@markbernero9302]

The Valdore type might make an appearance on ST Picard, but 25% different!

[@darwinxavier3516]

At least this time it might aesthetically look like it belongs in it's era.

[@InferiorityCX]

The T'Varo in Star Trek Online is a Retrofit starship - upgraded from 22nd to 25th century technology. It is my 2nd favourite Romulan design after the D'deridex, but I also liked the Scout Ship from TNG Episode "The Defector", although it's probably more like a shuttle than a ship.

[@zeehero7280]

If you're including STO ships, Faeht belongs on this list. best thing ever.

[@Skhmt]

Love the Valdore! Glad it was #1

[@Taospark]

D'Deridex looks awesome but must be hell to walk around especially during a battle or boarding action.

[@mac1701a]

One of the reasons behind the shape of d'deridex is that by having the negative space it meant that they could build a much larger vessel whilst also keeping the overall mass down

[@Raptor302]

I love the non-canon Tavara Warbird (a beefier version of the Valdore Class) which made an appearance in the fleet ops mod for ST Armada II.

[@EmpPeng2k7]

I would perhaps swap 2nd and 3rd, but thats a nick-pick, fantastic video and absolutely 100% behind your top pic

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you .