Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Romulan: Difference between pages

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Revision as of 22:35, 7 July 2007

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{{Infobox CVG| title = Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

{{Star Trek race|if=

| image = [[Image:Logo mgs2sol.gif|center|300px|Logo.]]

|bgcolor=#008000

| developer = [[Konami|Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (West)]]

|Emblem=Romulan Star Empire logo.png

| publisher = [[Konami]]

|Name=Romulan Star Empire

| designer = [[Hideo Kojima]] (producer, writer, director)

|other_names=Romulans

| engine =

|Image=STBalofTerror.jpg

| released = [[November 14]], [[2001]] ([[North America|NA]])<br>[[November 29]], [[2001]] ([[Japan|JP]])<br>[[March 8]], [[2002]] ([[Europe|EU]])<br>[[May 30]], [[2002]] ([[South Korea|KR]])

|Caption=The Romulans from ''Balance of Terror'', played by [[Mark Lenard]] (left) and [[Lawrence Montaigne]]

| genre = [[Stealth-based game|Stealth action]]

|Founded=circa [[5th century]] [[A.D]]

| modes = [[Single player]]

|Founder=

| ratings = [[ESRB]]: [[Image:ESRB M.png|12px|M]] Mature (M)<br>[[Computer Entertainment Rating Organization|CERO]]: [[Image:Mark b.gif|12px|15+]] 15+<br>[[BBFC]]: 15

|Leader=[[Praetor]] (current office holder unknown)

| platforms = [[PlayStation 2]]

|Planet=[[Romulus and Remus (Star Trek)|Romulus and Remus]]

| media = [[DVD-ROM]]

|Capital=[[Romulus and Remus (Star Trek)|Romulus]]

| requirements =

|BaseOperations=

| input =

|Language=Romulan (''see: [[universal translator]]'')

|Flagship=

|Affiliation=

}}

'''''Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty''''' (commonly abbreviated '''''MGS2''''') is a [[stealth-based game]] that was [[video game developer|developed]] and [[video game publisher|published]] by [[Konami]] for the [[PlayStation 2]] in [[2001]]. Directed by [[Hideo Kojima]], it is the fourth game in the ''[[Metal Gear]]'' series and the sequel to the critical and consumer success ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''. Its release was followed by ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]]''.

'''Romulans''' are a fictional alien species in the [[Star Trek]] universe related to [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcans]]. They are characterized as passionate, cunning, and opportunistic. They are the dominant race of the '''Romulan Star Empire''', one of the larger empires in the [[Galactic quadrants (Star Trek)|Beta Quadrant]] of the [[Milky Way]] [[galaxy]].

Following a strategy used to promote the original ''Metal Gear Solid'' in [[1998]], a [[Film|movie]]-like [[trailer (movie)|trailer]] for the game was shown at [[E³]], in [[2000]]. Critics praised the game's level of graphical detail, in particular the use of in-game graphics to render plot-driving [[cut scenes]]. The [[gameplay]] is similar to that of ''Metal Gear Solid''. New features, however, allow players to use [[first-person shooter|first-person view]] to aim weapons, and to temporarily [[tranquilizer|tranquilize]] enemies instead of killing them.

They made their first appearance in the [[1966]] episode "[[Balance of Terror]]" and were eventually featured in all six Star Trek series. The Romulans were created by [[Paul Schneider (writer)|Paul Schneider]], who said "it was a matter of developing a good [[ancient Rome|Romanesque]] set of admirable antagonists... an extension of the Roman civilization to the point of [[space travel]]."

As a result of the promising trailer, and because the original MGS was so highly regarded, there was a high level of anticipation surrounding MGS2's release. Although initially praised, many MGS fans were left disappointed due to certain aspects of the game's style and content.

==Plot synopsisBiology==

The Romulans are a distant branch of the Vulcan species. One of three theories regarding how the Romulans arrived at the stellar system that includes [[Romulus and Remus (Star Trek)|Romulus and Remus]] involves Sargon's people mentioned in the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "Return to Tomorrow". Sargon claimed that his people had seeded their species throughout the galaxy, and [[Spock]] said that could explain some enigmas of Vulcan pre-history. Hanoch, one of Sargon's people and a rival, further claimed that Spock's hybrid Vulcan body was a "good fit" for his alien [[physiology]]. If these claims are true, the Aretians may have been the antecedents for the Romulans (and may have also been the species known as the [[Preservers]]). The inhabitants of Mintaka III ("[[Who Watches the Watchers? (TNG episode)|Who Watches the Watchers?]]") seem to support this theory.

{{spoiler}}

Another theory says that Vulcan [[colonization]] efforts led to a split, or schism, between factions favoring the school of logic espoused by the philosopher [[Surak]], and opposition groups which ended up leaving Vulcan. (However, there is no [[canon]] evidence that the group which left Vulcan was in rebellion against Surak; they may have indeed been opposed to him, or even acted with his blessings in leaving Vulcan.) They arrived on Romulus, and founded what would become the Romulan Star Empire. This theory is supported by a reference within the [[United (Enterprise episode)|''Star Trek: Enterprise'' episode "United"]]: Senator Vrax refers to Vulcans as "our distant brothers" during the first part of the episode.

===Tanker Chapter===

The story opens retelling events in late [[2007]], two years after the events of [[Metal Gear Solid]] (presumably sometime during or after [[August 8]]), on the [[George Washington Bridge]] in [[New York City]]. [[Solid Snake]] and [[Otacon]] now belong to ''Philanthropy'', a [[United Nations|UN]]-recognized organization formed in order to eliminate the various Metal Gears constructed due to [[Revolver Ocelot]]'s distribution of the [[Metal Gear REX]] blueprints on the [[black market]]. Snake, aided by Otacon via codec, is investigating the new [[Metal Gear RAY]] being developed by the [[USMC|Marines]] to guard against the proliferation of REXes. While the Marines transport RAY offshore aboard the oil tanker ''U.S.S. Discovery'' for testing, men in uniform invade the ship by helicopter and dispose of all the Marines that were on duty. Snake sees a man with a Russian-military style haircut. Judging by that and the [[Kamov]] helicopter he hears, in addition to the AKS-74u's the men have, Snake figures that the men are definitely of [[Russia]]n origin.

Information from "[[Balance of Terror (TOS episode)|Balance of Terror]]" suggests yet a different theory. While Spock makes it clear, that the events during the period of Surak are well documented ("[[The Savage Curtain (TOS episode)|The Savage Curtain]]"), he is completely uncertain in regard to the origin of the Romulans: "If the Romulans are an offshoot of my Vulcan blood, then attack even becomes more imperative. Vulcan, like Earth, had its aggressive, colonizing period."

Snake continues his mission as scheduled, despite the invasion. His first task is to make his way to the bridge of the ship and find the coordinates of RAY's test site; his next is to obtain four photographs of Metal Gear RAY from different angles and upload them directly to Otacon. Snake arms his modified [[Beretta 92F/FS|Beretta M9]] [[tranquilizer]] pistol and proceeds to the bridge. There he finds that the coordinates are set in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Just as Snake sends the coordinates, he notices someone outside in the rain. It is [[Olga Gurlukovich]], the daughter of [[Sergei Gurlukovich]], the [[GRU]] Colonel who gave [[FOXHOUND]] a MI-24 Hind-D during the incident at Shadow Moses and the one that Ocelot was to meet with afterwards. As they continue to talk, Sergei orders Olga to leave by helicopter and hide in New York. She protests, arguing that the unit is her life. However, her plea is struck down by her father: ''"May I remind you that you are carrying my grandchild?"''. Angered by her father, Olga signals for the helicopter to go on without her. Snake takes this opportunity to hold her at gunpoint.

Romulans have pointed ears, upswept eyebrows, and [[copper]]-based [[blood]] that is green when oxygenated in the [[artery|arteries]] and copper or rust colored when deoxygenated in the [[vein]]s. The Romulan [[heart]] is said to be gray, though this may only be a poetic image. Many Romulans have a V-shaped ridge above the bridge of their nose, which was not shown in TOS, but introduced in the later series and films. Since Ambassador [[Spock]] was able to move freely among the citizens of Romulus, presumably the lack of this ridge is not viewed with prejudice by Romulans.

Snake directs her to throw her gun overboard, and notices a knife in her sidepocket. He commands her to discard it. She raises her arms in the air with knife in hand and he tells her to hold that position. Suddenly, the boat rocks and the rain stops for a brief moment. Olga then reveals her knife to be a [[Spetsnaz]] knife with a concealed gun in the handle, which she fires at Snake. He dodges while Olga hides behind some cargo. The ensuing gunfight ends with Olga tranquilized on the deck. Snake takes her [[Heckler & Koch USP|USP]] (a souvenir from a dead Marine), but as he leaves, he notices a Cypher-T from the U.S. Army that takes pictures of him and quickly leaves. Otacon contacts Snake and tells him that the man he saw earlier was Sergei and expressed his concerns about the Army's involvement. Then, Otacon mentions to Snake that the information that brought them to the ship was an anonymous tip from someone named "E.E." Otacon mentions that the name of the sender is identical to his half-sister's initials, [[Emma Emmerich]], whom he has not seen in years. Despite these facts, Snake continues down to the holds.

In TOS, Romulans were depicted as of the same look as Vulcans, but more emotional, very violent, and extremely motivated by honor and protocol.

After sneaking past two rooms of Marines being addressed by The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Scott Dolph, Snake makes it to the holds containing Metal Gear RAY (where Dolph is, as well). He takes pictures of RAY from the front, front-right, and front-left, then he takes a picture of the MARINES insignia located on RAY's right leg. He goes to computer located within the hold and uploads the photos to Otacon and prepares to leave.

Romulans share the longevity common to their Vulcan cousins. In "[[Unification (TNG episode)|Unification]]", the Romulan Senator [[Pardek]] shared a friendship with Ambassador Spock lasting at least 80 years.

As the Commandant finishes his speech, Ocelot, followed by Sergei and the rest of the Spetznaz unit, hold the entire ship hostage. Sergei holds Dolph by gunpoint and Ocelot holds a detonator wired to explosives placed on key structual points of the ship. As Sergei tells Dolph of his plan to take RAY and revive Russia as a superpower, Ocelot tells Sergei that he was not interested in his plans and told him he was "taking it back". Sergei is angered by Ocelot and fires upon him, but Ocelot, always the consummate gunslinger, kills him and the surrounding Spetznaz with ease. Commandant Dolph is killed in the crossfire. What looked like an unintentional kill of Dolph, was an atual plan to eliminate him so the Patriots can use Fortune (Dolph's daughter) to do their bidding for their plans ahead.

==Culture==

Ocelot then sets off the explosives and makes his way to the cockpit of Metal Gear RAY. Bullets shot from surviving Marines seem to deflect away from him. Snake makes his way towards Ocelot and aims at him, determined to stop him. But when Ocelot turns toward him, something strange happens.

===Cuisine===

In a familiar voice, Ocelot says to Snake, "It's been a while... brother". Snake knows that is not Ocelot's voice. The voice is that of [[Liquid Snake]], the former squad leader of FOXHOUND and the brother of Solid, who died during the Shadow Moses incident from [[FOXDIE]]. Ocelot's right hand, sliced off by [[Grey Fox (Metal Gear character)|Gray Fox]] during Shadow Moses, was replaced with Liquid's whole arm. Somehow, the arm seemed to retain the soul of Liquid, who proceeded to possess Ocelot.

[[Romulan Ale]] is a popular blue [[alcoholic beverage]] which was illegal because of a Federation trade [[embargo]] (and possibly also due to extremely intoxicating effects) in the late 23rd century (per ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'' and ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]'') through the late 24th century (per ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]''). Despite this, it was often traded openly. During the alliance with the Federation because of the [[Dominion War]], Romulan Ale was legalized.

Other Romulan drinks include Kali-fal, a blue drink with an aroma that should forcibly open one's [[frontal sinuses]] before the first sip. (However, some sources believe "Kali-fal" to be the proper name for Romulan Ale due to their similar appearance.)

Ocelot/Liquid enters the cockpit and looks down at Snake, saying "You don't have what it takes after all!!". He then blasts his way out of the tanker with RAY's hydro-cannon and heads off into the ocean. Snake drifts under the water as the tanker sinks. Ocelot regains control of RAY (and his body) and tells his boss (Solidus), to whom he refers as "Mr. President", that everything is going according to 'plan'. Otacon screams into the codec for Snake but receives no answer.

Romulan foods include Ossoul twist, a tart churro-like dessert, and Viinerine. A simple Romulan broth, though popular in the Romulan First City, is considered distasteful to both Vulcans and humans, especially [[Jean-Luc Picard]]. Romulans do not eat [[seafood]].

===Plant Chapter===

This chapter begins two more years after the Tanker incident on [[April 29]], [[2009]], as video game players assume the role of [[Raiden (Metal Gear)|Raiden/Jack/Snake]]. Snake is a FOXHOUND operative whose mission is to rescue the [[President of the United States of America|President]] and other hostages being held captive by a terrorist group aided by former Soviet soldiers in the [[Big Shell]], a decontamination facility erected at sea to clean up the oil spill which resulted from the sinking of the ''Discovery''. He is aided by his girlfriend [[Rosemary (Metal Gear)|Rosemary]] as data manager, and Colonel Roy Campbell as the mission commander.

===Fashion===

The scene opens with a shot panning over the Verrazano bridge, standing surrounded by water a few miles from the bridge is the ___location of the decontamination plant, the Big Shell. A diver in high-tech SCUBA gear, named Snake, swims underneath the plant as he is being briefed by a Colonel Campbell. The diver enters through a cut in the fence (oil containment fence) that somebody else has made and arrives in the basement of the plant. The Colonel informs him the party responsible for seizing Big Shell are [[The Sons of Liberty]]; former members of the Navy SEALs [[Dead Cell]] unit, a terrorist-attack-simulation group led by a man called, Solid Snake. The swimmer immediately confirms: "The hero of Shadow Moses?". "Yes, but in order to avoid confusion, with 'The' Snake, your codename will be changed from Snake to 'Raiden', instead.

Romulan fashion of the late 24th century had distinctive squared shoulders. Hair is generally cut straight across the forehead close to the eyebrows, with longer locks framing the face, cut following the cheekbones; this style resembles a helmet.

In [[Star Trek: The Original Series]], Romulan military uniforms consisted of a gray tunic with varying kinds of decorative sashes. Commanders wore red sashes, senior officers wore blue sashes, and most soldiers wore no sash at all. In subsequent series, such as ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', Romulan uniforms were of a different style, with varying kinds of patterns and colors. The dominant uniform style thereafter was gray under a pattern of squares. These did not seem to have anything to do with the Romulans' position or rank. The rank insignia on the Next Generation-era Romulan uniform consisted of a series of diamond and crescent shapes, worn on the left collar.

Once Raiden is in the basement he catches a glimpse of a man wearing a bandana, going up in the elevater after subduing two gaurds. Finding the sight unusual and remembering the cut on the fence, Raiden contacts the Colonel and enquires on the possibility of other people being involved in the mission. The Colonel informs him that there was a SEAL Team (SEAL Team 10), that had arrived through helicopter. Raiden's hopes for coordinating with the SEAL team are shattered when the Colonel orders him to keep his presence in the plant unknown to those already there. He also adds that although FOXHOUND's involvement is covert, orders were received and had passed through the usual chain-- notifying the Vice-President and the Secretary of Defense. Raiden waits for the elevator. When it arrives, he makes his way up.

As of ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'', Romulan uniforms were more standardized. Episodes of the fourth season of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' depicted the 22nd century Romulans wearing exactly the same uniforms as those of the 24th century ''Nemesis.'' See note below about Nemesis' quasi-canon nature

At the top, Raiden meets a number of other on-site specialists-- a bomb disposal expert, [[Peter Stillman]] who is tasked with the SEALs in locating bombs scattered around the plant's struts and one mysterious Iroquois Pliskin, a Lieutenant (Junior Grade) of SEAL Team 10. Pliskin comments on Raiden's sneaking suit and criticises that the name, 'Raiden' is odd for an alias-- "Are you from FOXHOUND?" Though not his primary objective, since all (but one member) of SEAL team 10 are eliminated by Dead Cell members Vamp and Fortune, Raiden is forced to help Stillman and Pliskin defuse the bombs.

Romulan Military Uniforms follow a distinct pattern through the 23 and 24th century. When one allows for the change in technology in the TV industry and increased budgets, its easy to see how uniforms from the 23rd century (TOS) evolved into the uniforms seen in the 24th century (TNG). Male hairstyles do not appear to change greatly, although 24th century hairstyles seem more distinct from Vulcan hairstyles. Females in the 23rd century wore long hair in a variety of styles. By the 24th century, females wear a style similar to males.

Fatman was a former trainee of Stillman before joining Dead Cell. At the age of 10, Fatman created an nuclear bomb. Knowing that Fatman was involved in the terrorist plot, Stillman was called in.

===Design===

Pliskin, Stillman, and Raiden begin to search for bombs. Stillman being handicapped (he walks with a cane) and unable to run, supports Raiden and Pliskin instead via radio. Feeling challenged (and after finally revealing he really isn't crippled), Stillman decides to defuse a bomb but is tricked by Fatman and is killed in a blast. Raiden and Pliskin set to defuse the bombs on their own.

Romulans make generous use of the colors [[green]] and [[grey]] (lesser-used colors are black and blue, pastel green and pastel orange), and often use materials resembling [[limestone]] for construction. The emblem of the Romulan Star Empire depicts a large bird of prey clutching the worlds of Romulus and Remus. The avian motif also appears on their [[Romulan starships#Warbird|Warbird]] [[starship]]s, and may have cultural significance. Those who rejected the teachings of [[Surak]] were said to be "beneath the raptor's wing".

Designer [[Herman F. Zimmerman]] has said regarding interior design, "the Romulans have possessed advanced technology a lot longer than the Federation, so the look was a combination of [[art deco]] and [[Middle Ages|medievalism]] meets [[high tech]]. Most of the designs were inspired by [[Italian people|Italian]] designer [[Carlo Scarpa]]."

Raiden defuses the last set of bombs and encounters Fatman. Raiden kills Fatman and begins to locate the President. Raiden encounters a ninja named Mr X, she gives Raiden information of a contact that knows where the President is located (Richard Ames).

Regarding exterior design of the Senate area, designer Syd Dutton said director "[[Stuart Baird]] wanted us to think about [[Albert Speer]], the architect who did all the conceptual drawings for [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]. Speer took that [[Nazism|national socialist]] idea to a ridiculous extreme where everything was huge and classical.

When Raiden locates President James Johnson, the President reveals facts about the Patriots (which are represented by twelve members called the Wiseman's Committee); that the office of the President is in fact controlled by the Patriots; and of Big Shell's true purpose. Underneath Big Shell is [[Arsenal Gear]], a mobile underwater fortress defended by a fleet of A.I. controlled [[Metal Gear RAY|RAY]]s. A Metal Gear taking design cues after the original Marine Corps, Metal Gear Ray. Central to Arsenal Gear is a highly-intelligent supercomputer called "GW," which is designed to monitor, block, and tamper with [[Internet]] communications in order to further the [[totalitarian]] agenda of the Patriots. And to preserve the human species as a whole. Raiden thinks he has almost succeeded in his mission, when Ocelot arrives and kills the President himself. Ocelot spares Raiden's life and leaves.

"The Romulans are a people who live in a marshy area. They had little houses on stilts around mudwork. The mudwork became part of this central core and that was where the old part of the city – the Forum and Senate buildings – was located. As the city expanded going away from that, the buildings became bigger and more technological."

Later, Raiden confronts the remaining members of Dead Cell, discovers the true identity of the terrorist leader, Solidus Snake. Also Iroquois Pliskin's true identity is unveiled-- Solid Snake (who now works with Otacon in Philanthropy-- a group whose primary objective is the prevention of Metal Gear proliferation). Raiden is aided in his efforts by Philanthropy as they succeed in delivering a virus rendering GW and Arsenal useless.

===Society and government===

Olga Gurlukovich turns out to be Mr X, sending Raiden to Solidus in the process. In a torture rack Raiden makes a discovery about his past, that he was raised by Solidus as a child soldier. He manages to escape, with Olga Gurlukovich's help. She is helping him because she has to play her role enacted by the Patriots (S3 plan). The Patriots have her child and if Raiden dies her child dies. It is explained that the events from the Tanker sinking to the Big Shell that it was all a setup for the S3 (Selection for Societal Sanity) plan. The S3 plan was put in-place by the Patriots, to test GW's effectiveness at controlling people. The virus was also part of the Patriots plan, to destroy any evidence in GW that they exist.

[[Image:Rom.jpg|thumb|The unidentified Romulan Commander from [[The Enterprise Incident]] ([[Joanne Linville]])]]

The Romulan government is very similar to that of the [[Roman Republic]] before it became the [[Roman Empire]]. The Romulan government consists of at least two parts:

#The '''Senate''' is the main governing and [[legislature|legislative]] body that meets in a large chamber in the capital city on Romulus. The Senate is headed by the [[Praetor]], followed by the [[Proconsul]]. The Senate does not sit on the third day of the Romulan week.

#The '''Continuing Committee''' is composed of nine members. Only the Praetor, who heads the Committee, is guaranteed a seat; others, even the chairman of the [[Tal Shiar]], must compete to be allowed in. The Committee's exact function is unknown, but in the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "[[Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges (DS9 episode)|Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges]]," the Continuing Committee convened to hear evidence of treason on the part of Senator Kimara Cretak.

It has been implied that Romulans use a [[caste system]]. The Romulan contempt for Vulcans, their treatment of other sentient species, such as the [[Reman]]s, and their need for strict conformity, suggests that Romulan society is [[racism|racist]]/[[Speciesism|speciesist]].

Raiden eliminates Solidus atop [[Federal Hall]]. But not before learning that his parents were killed by him.

After the final credits roll, it is shown that Otacon is able to decode the virus disc and uncover its information. The information on the disc revealed the identities of all twelve members of the Wisemen's Committee-- one name belonging to [[Philanthopy]]'s biggest contributor; and that The Patriots did reside in Manhattan, but have been dead for about a century...

The Romulan Star Empire once had an empress. A member of the [[Q Continuum|Q Continuum]] informed [[Kathryn Janeway]] that he had considered having a child with the Romulan Empress ("[[The Q and the Grey (Voyager episode)|The Q and the Grey]]"). However, it is unclear when the Romulans possessed this system of government, or how it functioned in relation to the Romulan Senate.

[[Image:MetalGearSolid2-Substance screenshot1.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Solid Snake inside the tanker.]]

The Romulan term for their mythological place of creation is "Vorta Vor."

==Excised Plot Details==

The game plan and script reveal some aspects of the plot which are left unclear or confusing during the game itself, or are just interesting to know. Both are available on ''[[The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2]]'' disc, though the game plan is only in [[Japanese (language)|Japanese]]:

It is generally accepted canon that Romulan females are equal to males, both having equal ability to rise through the ranks of the military. Notable females include [[Sela (Star Trek)|Sela]] ([[Tasha Yar]]'s daughter), Caithlin Dar (''[[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]]''), [[Donatra]] (''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]''), Taris, and Toreth (TNG: "[[Contagion (TNG episode)|Contagion]]" and "[[Face of the Enemy (TNG episode)|Face of the Enemy]]", both played by Carolyn Seymour) and the Romulan Commander in the TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident," who is never referred to by name (in [[Star Trek CCG]] and some noncanon novels, she is called "Commander Charvanek").

* [[Raiden (Metal Gear)|Raiden]]'s field commander was named Daniel Quinn ("Colonel"). His support team consisted of Maxine "Max" Wark, an Asian woman who saves game data and quotes [[Shakespeare]], and William "Doc" Wilson, the creator of GW. All three would turn out to be [[Artificial intelligence|AI]]s.

* There were two additional members of Dead Cell: Old Boy and Chinaman. Old Boy was Dead Cell's strategist and a former [[Nazi]] general, and was over 100 years old. Chinaman was an expert in [[martial arts]], and has used most of [[Vamp (character)|Vamp]]'s bullet parrying moves. Both were cut from game appearances-- Old Boy being first (who later was used as [[The End (Metal Gear)|The End]]), and Chinaman next. The only place to see them is the animated footage of "The Liquidation Of Dead Cell."

* [[Liquid Snake]], controlling [[Revolver Ocelot]], activates [[Arsenal Gear]]'s navigation system and sets the target as [[Federal Hall]]. This detail is never explained in the game, possibly for the same reason that the following scenes were removed.

* A scene depicting Arsenal Gear's displacement of the [[Statue of Liberty]] and half of [[Manhattan]] was removed following the events of [[September 11th, 2001]].

* A short coda was to appear after the credits, a breaking newscast showing the Statue of Liberty's new resting place, [[Ellis Island]] (see above). The anchorwoman in this piece would've been Karen Hôjô, the heroine from Hideo Kojima's ''[[Policenauts]]''.

* Solidus Snake was the 43rd [[President of the United States|President]], and James Johnson is the 44th.

* Early concept art shows that Vamp was initially conceived as a woman, while [[Peter Stillman]] was originally planned to be a younger version of Ed Brown, also from ''Policenauts''.

* The AI speaking to Raiden during the final codec conversation is not GW, but another AI named JFK.

* Both Ames and President Johnson initially thought Raiden was an [[assassin]] sent in by the Patriots to dispose of the President.

* The Ninja tells Raiden she works for [[the Patriots]], but [[Raiden]]'s internal [[nanomachines]] retranslate it as "La-li-lu-le-lo," thus implying certain people are programmed not to be able to say or to hear "the Patriots."

* All three Snakes are (or were) undergoing advanced aging as a result of the cloning process.

* Iroquois Pliskin and [[Rosemary (Metal Gear)|Rose]] were supposed to have blonde hair -- Pliskin's dyed to cover his identity, and Rose's as her natural color.

* As a child, Raiden took part in the [[Liberian Civil War]].

* Three additional game modes were planned that didn't make it to the final game: a Bomb Disposal mode (side-missions set in the Tanker and Plant stages where the player must locate and defuse [[Fatman (Metal Gear)|Fatman]]'s bombs), a [[Psycho Mantis|Mantis]] Mask mode (where the player can read other characters' thoughts and detect their lies) and a two-player versus mode. The Bomb Disposal missions were later integrated into ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance]]''.

* The Arsenal Gear stage was designed to be much longer than it was in the finished game. One of the proposed areas was a temple wherein the player fought against Vamp (in the original plan, Chinaman appears in the Shell 2 Core filtration chamber instead of Vamp).

* At the point where Solidus dies, Raiden was supposed to have cut the rope on Federal Hall's flagpole where an American flag was supposed to fall onto Solidus' body (albeit the reason for the patriotic music).

* At the ending scene, American flags were supposed to be on all the flagpoles in New York.

* Jack and Rose, were modeled after the protagonists of the film ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', just as the names [[2001: A Space Odyssey|Hal and Dave]] appeared in the first ''MGS'' title).

==Characters==Leadership====

'''Praetors'''

* Neral

* Hiren

* [[Shinzon]] (Human clone, Reman-raised)

* Tal'Aura

'''Senators'''

'''Revolver Ocelot, aka Shalashaska''' - (Age 63 at tanker, 64-not-yet-65 at plant) A former FOXHOUND member whose motive apparently is to capture Metal Gear Ray and sell it on the Black Market. He is an expert, and is armed with his favorite weapon, the [[Colt Single Action Army handgun|Colt Single Action Army]] pistol. In Sons of Liberty, he works with Solidus Snake at Big Shell, though his true loyalty lies with the Patriots.

* Kimara Cretak

* Letant

* [[Pardek]]

* Tal'Aura

* Valdore

* Vrax

* [[Vreenak]] (dead, killed by [[Garak]])

'''Proconsuls'''

'''Raiden''' (Rye-den) - Like Solid Snake once was, he is a member of the special forces unit, FOXHOUND. He apparently is a new recruit. Although having no field experience in infiltration and espionage, his skills were honed through VR Simulation Training's highest levels. Big Shell was his first mission.

* Merrok

* Vice Proconsul M'ret

'''Col. Roy Campbell''' - The commander of FOXHOUND, who commands the mission to infiltrate Big Shell, and supports Raiden via codec. Retired after the events of Shadow Moses (Metal Gear Solid), he turns out to be [[Artificial Intelligence]] (a computer was guiding Raiden all through out the mission). This first became apparent while Raiden was inside Arsenal Gear when his codec communications with the Colonel went haywire, with the Colonel becoming immensely strange and nonsensical.

* [[Neral]]

'''Rosemary''' - Raiden's girlfriend, who, as an Army data analyst, supports Raiden (whom she calls Jack, against the Colonel's advice) in the mission via the codec. She actually turns out to be an informant for the Patriots and was ordered to act as a loved one in order to gain information. She had tried to follow her orders, but said that she had failed, and had truly fallen in love with him, ultimately leading to her physical bond with him as well as the future birth of their child, which was not part of her mission.

'''Notable Military Officers'''

'''Solidus Snake''' - Former U.S. President George Sears. The mastermind of the incident at Big Shell, and the leader of Dead Cell. He is the third genetically cloned son of Big Boss (from the [[Les Enfants Terribles Project]]). While Solid and Liquid Snake were effectively two sides of the same coin, one expressing all of Big Boss' dominant genes and the other all the recessive - Solidus was created as a perfect balance between the two - this symmetry is probably why his aging process is even faster than that of Solid and Liquid. He is also the surrogate father of Raiden (who adopted Raiden after the Liberian Civil War where Raiden was a child soldier). After the events of Shadow Moses, Solidus fell out of favor with the Patriots, forcing him to disappear and avoid assassination. He is equipped with a powered exoskeleton that provides him with "superhuman motor skill capabilities" and this also makes him resistant to damage. His motives are to pose as Solid Snake (who is reportedly dead), seize Big Shell and take the current U.S. President, James Johnson hostage, in an attempt to gain control of Arsenal Gear and disrupt the Patriots' flow of information.

* Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu, khre'Riov of the Bloodwing (from Rihannsu books)

* Commander [[Sela (Star Trek)|Sela]]

====Military====

'''Solid Snake''' - The legendary Solid Snake of "Philanthropy," a covert group whose mission was to sneak inside an oil tanker to investigate the new Metal Gear Ray being developed by the Marines Corps.

In ''Star Trek'' [[canon (Star Trek)|canon]], the Romulan military appears to be a "combined" service, like Starfleet. Its version of "joint chiefs of staffs" is the "High Command" (TNG's "The Defector"), an institution most likely carried over from and modeled on the [[Vulcan High Command]] (''Star Trek: Enterprise'').

Some Romulan military ranks are recognizable army and navy versions, while others are either carried over from the Vulcan High Command or entirely new. It's possible that army-specific ranks are reserved for the Tal Shiar.

'''Lt. J.G. Iroquois Pliskin''' - A mysterious Navy SEAL aboard the Big Shell who tries to take down Dead Cell and Metal Gear Ray. He occassionally communicates with Raiden via codec keeping his identity mysterious. This is actually Solid Snake using an alias. He teams up with Raiden and Stillman in the bomb disposal work.

One lowly rank in the Romulan Guard is "uhlan" (TNG's "Unification II"). This actually derives from an in-joke in an early fanzine, ''Tricorder Readings'' circa 1970. A fan wrote in explaining who the original [[Uhlan]]s were, and wisecracked that because regiments of uhlans existed in the armies of many countries, Roman uhlans could be "Rom Uhlans". The joke was probably reprinted in a number of other fanzines. The real meaning of uhlan is "lancer".

'''Hal Emmerich (Otacon)''' - The former designer of Metal Gear REX. Since the incident at Shadow Moses, he had joined Solid Snake to form "Philanthropy," an organization dedicated to destroying new Metal Gears.

The lowest military rank appears to be "sublieutenant." In TNG's "[[The Defector]]," Adm. Alidar Jarok initially used the cover name "Sublieutenant Setal", a mere "logistics clerk".

'''Emma Emmerich, aka E.E.'''- Otacon's half sister. A genius in the field of computers. She is in charge of developing the software which controls Metal Gear Ray. After the takeover of Big Shell, she was taken prisoner. Eventually, the Patriots recruit her and set her to work on programming a highly advanced A.I. called G.W., which is to be used by the Patriots to control the flow of information and the imparting of memes between the generations. She and her half-brother, Hal (Otacon), have not been on speaking terms for years, because she blames Octacon for leaving her when they were younger. She almost drowned and Octacon wasn't there to save her, he was too busy sleeping with his step-mom. Octacon's dad found out about the affair and he killed himself. Shortly after this, Octacon ran away from home, never to return. Emma is killed by Vamp in the Big Shell, she dies not knowing the truth about her brother.

"Sublieutenant" presupposes the next-higher rank of "lieutenant," but this is speculation because no Romulan character has had that rank.

'''Sergei Gurlukovich''' - Leader of a private Russian army. He and his army take over the tanker containing Metal Gear Ray. He seeks to use Ray to bring Russia back to power. An ex-member of Spetsnaz and was the partner of Revolver Ocelot in the take over of RAY aboard the ship. He is ultimately betrayed and killed by Ocelot along with Scott Dolph and the Marines.

'''Olga Gurlukovich''' - Sergei's daughter. As a child, she had showed great soldier potential, and was eventually trained in Sergei's army. The Patriots have taken her child and is forced to go along with the their plans on the Big Shell. In a confrontation with Snake in the plant, she learns it wasn't him who killed her father and that it was he who got her out of the tanker alive. In the end she is killed by Solidus.

"Centurion" is the next-highest rank and probably the most common. In TNG's "The Enemy," Centurion Bochra appears to be an ordinary, midlevel officer. However, the nameless Centurion in TOS's "Balance of Terror" seems to be a senior officer who holds sway with his commander, having served on more than 100 campaigns with him.

'''Ninja, aka Mr. X''' - A mysterious figure who goes by the name Mr. X, outfitted in an exoskeleton, working with Iroquois Pliskin to bring down Metal Gear Ray and Arsenal Gear. This is actually Olga Gurlukovich. She was in fact working against her own men as an agent of the Patriots, her mission being to ensure the success of Raiden, a test subject of the S3 plan. The Patriots manipulated her into working for them by holding her infant son hostage. In order to accomplish her mission, she was disguised as a ninja at times, so that she could intervene without her cover being blown. Her suit bore a slight similarity to that of [[Gray Fox (Metal Gear)|Gray Fox]], and she too was capable of using a katana to deflect bullets.

'''Scott Dolph''' - The Commandant of the Marine Corps. In a speech aboard a tanker, he introduces Metal Gear Ray which will be used, "to bring a new world order". The RAY's real purpose serves as a countermeasure against the proliferation of Rexes. Later, he was killed along with Marines by Ocelot on the tanker. He is also the father of Helena Dolph-Jackson aka Fortune, a member of Dead Cell.

"Subcommander" may be a holdover rank from the Vulcan High Command (T'Pol initially holds it in ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''). It's usually reserved for executive officers on Romulan ships (Tal in TOS's "The ''Enterprise'' Incident" and N'Vek in TNG's "Face of the Enemy"), but in rare cases, subcommanders may captain their own Warbirds (Taris in TNG's "Contagion"). In addition, some subcommanders have served in exchange-officer roles (T'Rul in DS9's "The Search, Parts I & II") or as government attaches (Velal in DS9's "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges").

'''Helena Dolph-Jackson, aka Fortune''' - A Dead Cell member. As her codename implies, she is lucky on the battlefield: she can deflect bullets and prevent grenades from detonating. Late in the game, it is revealed that her "luck" is produced by a bullet-deflection device installed by the Patriots. She is the child of Scott Dolph (the Commandant of the Marine Corps) and wife of Colonel Jackson, the founder of Dead Cell. She could not cope with the death of her father, mother, husband and baby. In her search for vengeance, thinking it was Snake who killed her father, she joined the military and was quickly assigned to Dead Cell. Fortune is one of Dead Cell members who survived its liquidation.

"Commander" is the rank usually reserved for individual Warbird COs (Toreth in TNG's "Face of the Enemy," Sirol in "The Pegasus," and Tomalak in "The Enemy" and "The Defector"). However, some commanders have had charge over fleets of Warbirds (the unnamed Commander in TOS's "The ''Enterprise'' Incident" and Sela in TNG's "Redemption II").

'''Vamp''' - The Romanian-born [[Dead Cell]] member, who is skilled with knives. He is also bisexual, as seen from his relationship with Scott Dolph and Fortune. It appears that Vamp is a supernatural being, as he can move with lightning speed, stand on water, run up vertically on walls, and survive gunshots to the head. In his own words, he "can't die twice".

'''Peter Stillman''' - A retired bomb disposal expert. He was sent to the Big Shell with SEAL Team 10 to defuse bombs Fatman had placed. He later joined Raiden and Pliskin (both whose existence is not officially known to the SEAL team) and gets them to defuse bombs as well. Before the Big Shell incident, Stillman was called to defuse a terrorist bomb in a famous church. During the disposal, he accidentally triggered the bomb blast which blew up the church together with a few children. He was ashamed he couldn't stop the bomb, despite his experience. Fearing he couldn't face the public and families of the blast victims, Stillman faked his injuries, claiming he lost a leg in the explosion.

"Admiral" is the highest naval-style rank and is accorded to sector commanders (Jarok in TNG's "The Defector") or fleet commanders (Mendak in TNG's "[[Data's Day]]").

'''Fatman''' - Dead Cell's explosives expert. He is the obsessive-compulsive son of a clockmaker whose attitude and family background gives him an almost preternatural understanding of bombs. At the age of ten, he built an atomic bomb (called the Fat Man model) based on designs he had downloaded from the internet. After briefly spending time with Peter Stillman, learning bomb disposal techniques, he joined Dead Cell as its bomb disposal specialist. He was also recruited by The Patriots as a sleeper agent.

'''President James Johnson''' - The current President of the United States, held hostage in Big Shell at the hands of The Sons of Liberty. He is the holder of the "Football"-- the briefcase with launch and detonation codes for a nuclear weapon. The Football was seized along with him when he was captured. He was detained until he was no longer needed and was killed by Ocelot. As president, his personal goals was to be in rank with the Patriots, only to become merely its pawn.

'''Richard Ames''' - A former Colonel and currently head of President Johnson's Secret Service. He is also with DIA. He along with the President and others was also taken hostage in Big Shell. The Patriots kill him by shutting off his pacemaker. He dies in a fashion reminiscent of the FOXDIE virus. He is one of the few people in the game who knows about the existence of Arsenal Gear, the giant battle tank, and the Patriots, the real control force behind the U.S.

==Fan reaction==

Other senior officer ranks, such as major, colonel and general, are army-style and may often be reserved for members of the Tal Shiar. Deanna Troi impersonated "Major Rakal" in TNG's "Face of the Enemy" and served as a kind of "political officer." A Founder impersonated "Colonel Lovok" in DS9's "The Die Is Cast" and commanded a fleet of Warbirds.

''Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'' extended the series' plot line and introduced a major new main character. The established hero, Solid Snake, was for most of the game not a playable character. Instead, players controlled Raiden, a new member of FOX-HOUND, fresh from VR training. Many fans and critics reacted negatively to this new twist in the gameplay. Areas of contention included Raiden's [[androgynous]] appearance, a sentimental and somewhat whiny personality, obvious naivety and inexperience, and vulnerable position throughout the game. Added to the fact that Raiden's character was a secret until the game's release; people just assumed that they would be playing their favorite hero. However, Hideo Kojima has stated that Raiden's character and its perception by the audience were important for the overall feel of the story (i.e, they contribute to a sense of lack of control, being subjected to major manipulation by unknown, deceptive and/or mysterious persons, and a general lack of knowledge about the conditions and motives of several characters as well as the turns and twists of the plot). Furthermore, it was felt that the game was overly self-indulgent, with excessively long sequences of plot-driving dialogue.

The two Romulan generals mentioned in ''Star Trek'' canon may or may not have been Tal Shiar operatives. Velal, elevated from subcommander to general as of DS9's "When It Rains …" and "The Dogs of War", probably wasn't. However, it's possible that the unnamed Romulan general who rescued Tasha Yar and fathered Sela (TNG's "Redemption II") was with the Tal Shiar.

Supporters argued that the above criticisms stemmed from the inappropriate expectation that ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' would be a simple, action-oriented sequel. The ideas and themes which Hideo Kojima tried to express, such as the nature of reality and how information defines humanity ([[meme]] theory), were components of a highly intellectual and deeply philosophical work of software art. Some commentators have tied the game in with other [[cyberpunk]] works such as the [[anime]]/[[manga]] ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'', [[William Gibson (novelist)|William Ford Gibson]]'s ''[[Neuromancer]]'' and the contemporary PC game ''[[Deus Ex]]'', while others [http://www.insertcredit.com/features/dreaming2/] have analyzed the game as a [[postmodern]] artifact. It has also been linked to the [[meme]] theory proposed by [[Richard Dawkins]] in ''[[The Selfish Gene]]''. On the note of Raiden, it should be acknowledged that both he and the general scenario given to him during [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]] is nearly identical to that of Snake's in the original [[Metal Gear]], which many critics of the "main character switch" have failed to acknowledge.

==Technology==

The game had a particular focus on [[conspiracy theories]], with the main villain being a mysterious organization known only as the Patriots, headed by twelve men who control a type of [[shadow government]] which includes the [[President of the United States]] as their puppet. The origins of the Patriots are explored in greater detail in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]]''.

Romulans are noted for their use of [[Weapons of Star Trek#Disruptors|disruptor]] weapons, photon torpedoes, plasma torpedoes, and their signature [[Cloaking device|cloaking technology]], as well as having ships that are powered by artificial [[gravitational singularity|singularities]] (due to the nature of these engines, once activated, there is no way to shut them down). In the 22nd Century, they displayed advanced [[hologram|holotechnology]] and [[telepresence]].

They are well-known and feared for their extensive use of the Plasma Torpedo. This weapon uses super-charged plasma to annihilate the hulls of adversary ships. The Plasma torpedo has the highest damage to charge ratio of the Alpha Quadrant powers.

==MusicHistory==

===Origins===

The Romulan subspecies is a splinter group of Vulcans who refused to accept the Vulcan philosopher [[Surak]]'s teachings of complete suppression of emotions. Around 400 AD, the dissident group split off from Vulcan society and began the long journey to the planet [[Romulus and Remus (Star Trek)|Romulus]]. At some point, whether before or after reaching Romulus is unclear, dissidents developed among the Romulans themselves, and a faction of Romulans established a civilization later known as the [[Debrune]].<ref name="Gambit (Part I)">{{cite episode| episodelink=Gambit (TNG episode)| title=Gambit (Part I)| series=[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]}}</ref>

===21st century===

Hideo Kojima's choice of composer for ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' was highly publicized in the follow-up to the game's release. Kojima decided upon [[Harry Gregson-Williams]], a [[Hollywood]] [[film composer]] from [[Hans Zimmer]]'s studio, after watching ''[[The Replacement Killers]]'' with sound director [[Kazuki Muraoka]]. A [[mix tape|mix CD]] contaning 18 tracks of Gregson-Williams' work was sent to his office. Flattered by the research put into creating the CD (as some of the tracks were unreleased, and that what tracks he'd worked on for some films were undocumented), he joined the project soon after.

The Romulans and Vulcans fought a hundred-year war, which was over at some point prior to 2044. It is unclear whether the two groups knew they were fighting their kinsmen. The war was apparently started by a member of the [[Q Continuum|Q Continuum]], although (given this Q's bumbling nature) this may have been accidental.

===22nd century===

In order to bypass the language barrier and allow the score to be developed before the cut-scenes were finalized, Gregson-Williams was sent short phrases or descriptions of the intended action. The resultant themes then shaped the action sequences in return. Gregson-Williams also remixed the original "''Metal Gear Solid'' Main Theme" for use in the game's opening title sequence.

The goal of the Romulan Star Empire was conquest. When Senator Valdore questioned this policy, he was dismissed from the senate (although he later joined the military, and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming Admiral by 2154).

In 2152, [[Human]]s made [[first contact (anthropology)|first contact]] with the Romulans when the [[Enterprise_(NX-01)|''Enterprise NX-01'']] encountered a Romulan-laid minefield. Communication was via audio only. The Romulans saw that Humans fostered a spirit of cooperation among the long-belligerent Vulcans, [[Andorian]]s and [[Tellarite]]s. Realizing that this would bring solidarity to the region and an obstacle to conquest, the Senate took steps to turn these species against each other.

[[Norihiko Hibino]], who had worked on previous Konami games such as ''[[Metal Gear: Ghost Babel]]'', was responsible for all of the in-game music. He also worked on the majority of the game's cut scenes, re-orchestrating Gregson-Williams' "Main Theme" remix for use in several sequences.

In 2154, Romulans conspired with V'Las, head of the [[Vulcan High Command]], to invade Andoria. V'Las' Romulan contact had the stated agenda of reunification with the Vulcans.

As with ''Metal Gear Solid'', the cut scene music includes [[orchestra]]l and [[choir]] pieces, while the in-game soundtrack is scored with [[ambient music|ambient electronic music]]. However, the score as a whole incorporates more electronic elements (particularly [[breakbeat]]) than its predecessor, in order to reflect the plot's thematic thrust of a machine-dominated society. [[Rika Muranaka]] again provided a vocal ending theme, a [[jazz]] track entitled "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday."

A few months later, the Empire sent prototype holoships remote-controlled from Romulus to disrupt a peace conference between Andorians and Tellarites. The Romulans piloted the ships using an abducted [[Aenar]], however their scheme was thwarted by the combined efforts of the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites, led by the ''Enterprise''. This enraged the Romulans, who vowed revenge upon humanity.

==Voice Actors==

'''''English Version'''''

*[[David Hayter]] &mdash; [[Solid Snake]]

*[[Quinton Flynn]] &mdash; [[Raiden (Metal Gear Solid 2)|Raiden]]

*[[Christopher Randolph]] &mdash; Hal '[[Otacon]]' Emmerich

*[[John Cygan]] &mdash; [[Solidus Snake]]

*[[Patric Zimmerman]] (as Pat Zimmerman) &mdash; [[Revolver Ocelot]]

*[[Paul Eiding]] &mdash; [[Colonel Campbell]]

*[[Lara Cody]] &mdash; [[Rosemary]]

*[[Vanessa Marshall]] &mdash; [[Olga Gurlukovich]]

*[[Maura Gale]] (as Maula Gale) &mdash; [[Fortune (Metal Gear)|Fortune]]

*[[Phil LaMarr]] (as Phil La Marr) &mdash; [[Vamp (Metal Gear)|Vamp]]

*[[Cam Clarke]] &mdash; [[Liquid Snake]]

*[[Barry Dennen]] &mdash; [[Fatman (Metal Gear)|Fatman]]

*[[Greg Eagles]] &mdash; [[Peter Stillman]]

*[[Jennifer Hale]] &mdash; [[Emma 'E.E.' Emmerich]]

*[[Earl Boen]] &mdash; [[Sergei Gurlukovich]]

*[[Kevin Michael Richardson]] (as Kevin M. Richardson) &mdash; Scott Dolph

*[[Peter Renaday]] &mdash; [[Richard Ames]]

*[[Paul Lukather]] &mdash; [[President Johnson]]

*[[Kim Mai Guest]] &mdash; [[Mei Ling]]

*[[Neil Ross]], [[Dee Bradley Baker]] (as Dee Baker), [[Dean Scofield]], [[Jeff Doucette]], [[Dominic Armato]] &mdash; Navy SEALS

*[[Michael Bell]], [[Richard Gilbert-Hill]], [[Roger Rose]], [[Michael Gough]], [[William Morgan Sheppard]] (as Morgan Sheppard) &mdash; Russian Soldiers

*[[Dean Scofield]] &mdash; [[Johnny Sasaki]]

*[[Nancy Linari]] &mdash; Computer Voice

*[[Scott Dolph]] &mdash; Hostage/Referee

*[[Peter Lurie]] &mdash; Vulcan Raven Toy (uncredited)

About 2156, the [[Earth-Romulan War]] began. Starfleet did not have many ships. For reasons not explained, Starfleet and the Romulan fleet both used nuclear weapons during the hostilities. These were still in the Romulan inventory a century later. The Romulan ships during the war were seen with birds of prey painted on them.

'''''Japanese Version'''''

*[[Akio Otsuka]] &mdash; Solid Snake/Solidus Snake

*[[Kenyu Horiuchi]] &mdash; Raiden

*[[Hideyuki Tanaka]] &mdash; Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich

*[[Koji Totani]] &mdash; Revolver Ocelot

*[[Takeshi Aono]] &mdash; Colonel

*[[Kikuko Inoue]] &mdash; Rosemary

*[[Kyoko Terase]] &mdash; Olga Gurlukovich

*[[Yumi Toma]] &mdash; Fortune

*[[Ryotaro Okiayu]] &mdash; Vamp

*[[Banjo Ginga]] &mdash; Liquid Snake

*[[Kozo Shioya]] &mdash; Fatman

*[[Shozo Izuka]] &mdash; Peter Stillman

*[[Maria Yamamoto]] &mdash; Emma 'E.E.' Emmerich

*[[Osamu Saka]] &mdash; Sergei Gurlukovich

*[[Daisuke Gori]] &mdash; Scott Dolph

*[[Masaharu Sato]] &mdash; Richard Ames

*[[Yuzuru Fujimoto]] &mdash; President James Johnson

*[[Houko Kuwashima]] &mdash; Mei Ling

*[[Tetsu Inada]] &mdash; Soldier

*[[Naoki Imamura]] &mdash; Johnny Sasaki

*[[Kaneto Shiozawa]] &mdash; Mr. X (archive sound)

*[[Shigeo Okajima]] &mdash; Vulcan Raven Toy

It has also been noted that no visual communication took place between the Humans and Romulans at that time. The war only ended after both sides had fought to the point of exhaustion and realized that conflict would result in mutual destruction. It has been implied that the Earth-Romulan War reached Earth, heavily damaging it: two centuries later, it was remarked that Earth had not been subjected to the horrors of [[total war]] since the date of the Romulan Wars. Though the war ended in a stalemate, it closed with the Battle of Cheron which was a decisive Earth victory.

==Packaging artwork==

<center><gallery>

Image:Metalgear2boxart.jpg|''Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty''<br />Sony PlayStation 2 <br />North America, 2001

</gallery></center>

In 2160, the Romulans and the humans signed a treaty ending the war and establishing a [[neutral zone (Star Trek)|neutral zone]] one [[light year]] wide between their territories. The treaty was negotiated via subspace radio, again with no visual contact. In 2161, humans, along with Vulcans and several other species, founded the [[United Federation of Planets]], which continued this wary peace.

==Release information==

[[Image:MGS2 Premium Package.jpg|thumbnail|right|Premium Package box and contents]]

The [[Japan]]ese release was held back two weeks following the initial [[North America]]n release. As a result, the developers added new features and cut scenes, including two new modes: Boss Survival and Casting Theatre (the latter allowed players to select cut scenes and change the character models used). Like the original ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', a Premium Package of the game was issued in addition to the stand-alone version. The box came with the reversible cover art on the DVD case, a DVD video, an [[ISO 216|A4]]-sized pamphlet and a metallic-colored [[Solid Snake]] figurine.

In the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode Past Tense, Part One, after Earth's history was inadvertently altered so that the Federation was never formed, the Romulans had established a presence in the [[Alpha Centauri]] system by the 24th century. Since Alpha Centauri is the star system closest to Earth, it indicates that in the altered timeline the Romulans invaded Earth's vicinity even without being prompted by Earth's role in the encouragement of interplanetary cooperation.

The game's original European release date of [[February 22]], [[2002]], nearly three months after the other releases, was delayed another two weeks. As compensation, Konami included, free of charge, a bonus [[DVD]] called ''The Making of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'', containing an hour-long [[documentary film|documentary]] on all aspects of the game's production, a comprehensive archive of trailers, a lengthy text article from [[GameSpot]], concept sketches, and other familiar DVD "added value". The added features from the Japanese release were carried over to the game itself along with a new difficulty setting (European Extreme).

==External=23rd linkscentury===

Using a [[cloaking device|cloaked]] ship, the Romulans broke the treaty of 2160 by attacking several Federation outposts circa stardate 1709.21 in 2266 ([[Balance of Terror]]). In response, the [[USS Enterprise NCC-1701]] tracked down the cloaked Romulan ship and destroyed it. This was also the first time humans saw what the Romulans looked like physically, and Spock surmised a common ancestry.

*[http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/mgs2/ Official site at Konami]

*[http://www.metalgearsolid2.de Official site at Konami Europe]

*[http://www.mobygames.com/game/metal-gear-solid-2-sons-of-liberty Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty at MobyGames]

*[http://metalgear.1up.com/ Metal Gear Week on 1UP.com, with Hideo Kojima interview]

In 2267, it is thought that the Romulans entered a treaty with the [[Klingon]] Empire: in exchange for cloaking technology, the Romulans received [[Klingon starships#D7 class|D7 battlecruisers]], which were upgraded into extremely deadly war machines. (The script of "[[The Enterprise Incident]]" called for a Romulan ship to appear, but the original model was not available; rather than go to the expense of building a new one, the Klingon D7 model was substituted.) Spock mentioned intelligence about this treaty when the Klingon ship appeared on the viewscreen, at the outset of The Enterprise Incident. The Romulan commander further implies the common ancestry when she confronts Kirk about violation of Romulan space. The events of 2154 suggest the Vulcans withheld from humans their prior knowledge of Romulan kinship with Vulcans.

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In 2272, Klingon forces led by [[Kor (Star Trek)|Kor]] had a victory over some Romulan opponents in the Battle of [[Briar Patch (Star Trek)|Klach D'Kel Brakt]].

[[Category: 2001 computer and video games]]

[[Category: PlayStation 2 games]]

In 2293, the Romulan ambassador to the Federation, Nanclus, took part in a conspiracy to sabotage peace talks between the Klingons and the Federation. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Nanclus was arrested on [[Khitomer]] along with several other conspirators. During the [[Khitomer Accords|Khitomer conference]], the Romulans signed a treaty with the Federation and the Klingons. Notably, Ambassador [[Sarek]] of Vulcan sat with his Romulan cousins during the conference, indicating a dialogue, or at least a display of goodwill between the two nations.

[[Category: stealth computer games]]

[[Category:Metal Gear games]]

===24th century===

====Isolation====

In 2311, the Romulans attacked the Federation, costing thousands of lives, in an event that would later be termed the "[[Tomed Incident]]". Following some brief skirmishes the Romulans and the Federation signed a new [[Treaty of Algeron]], which reaffirmed the Neutral Zone and prohibited the Federation from developing cloaking technology.

For the next fifty years, the Neutral Zone was quiet. There was no direct contact between the Federation and the Empire, nor were there any further Romulan incursions.

In 2344, four of the new [[Romulan starships|D'deridex class warbirds]] attacked the Klingon outpost at [[Narendra III]]. The [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)|USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701-C)]] responded to the outpost's distress call and engaged the Romulan ships, but was defeated and taken with its survivors (among them a version of Lieutenant [[Tasha Yar]] from the future of an alternate timeline) back to Romulan territory. Rumors circulated in the Federation that the ''Enterprise'''s broken hull was displayed on Romulus, to boost the morale of Romulan fleet academy students. The Klingons considered this action dishonorable, in contrast to the honor they saw in the Starfleet ship's attempt to defend Narendra III. As a result, relations strengthened between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.

Also circa 2344 the Romulans covertly assisted by a Klingon traitor, [[Ja'rod]], attacked another Klingon planet, [[Khitomer]] and killed or captured all but two of the planet's population. These incursions led to a Romulan-Klingon war around the 2350s.

Circa stardate 41986.0 ([[December 26]], [[2364]]), the Romulan Star Empire ended its five decades of isolation when the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701-D)]] intercepted a Romulan warbird. Several Romulan outposts had been destroyed by a then unknown force (later revealed to be the [[Borg (Star Trek)|Borg]]). The Romulans opened communications to see if they could glean the information from the Federation, who had suffered similar losses. The Romulan Commander Tebok then explained that the Romulans had decided to concentrate on their own internal affairs for the past fifty years and said "We are back," indicating that Romulans would again be active in galactic affairs.

====Attempted conquests====

In 2366, the Romulans attempted to trick the Enterprise-D into crossing the Neutral Zone, where two [[Romulan starships|Romulan Warbirds]] were waiting to destroy it. Captain [[Jean-Luc Picard]], however, was assisted by three K'vort class Klingon Birds of Prey; the Romulans, evenly matched, decided that the price of the Enterprise's destruction was too high and retreated ("[[The Defector (TNG episode)|The Defector]]").

In 2367, the Romulans brainwashed Commander [[Geordi La Forge]] of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS ''Enterprise'']] in an attempt to incite a Federation-Klingon war, but the plan was exposed and failed. ("[[The Mind's Eye (TNG episode)|The Mind's Eye]]")

Later in 2367, during the [[Klingon Civil War]], the Romulans secretly backed the House of [[Duras (Star Trek)|Duras]]. Captain Picard, suspecting this, convinced pro-Federation leader [[Gowron]] to attack Duras' forces in order to draw Romulan reinforcements out of hiding; when the Romulans attempted to enter the fray, they were revealed by a Federation [[tachyon]] blockade, and the Duras family, exposed as traitors, lost all support. ("[[Redemption (TNG episode)|Redemption, Part 2]]")

Circa stardate 44995.3 ([[December 28]], [[2367]]), the Vulcan Ambassador [[Spock]] was discovered on Romulus, working with an underground movement for the reunification of the divided races. The Romulans saw this as a chance to conquer the Vulcans and sent a fleet of ships toward Vulcan, but their intent was discovered and the fleet destroyed by the Romulans themselves. Spock elected to remain underground on Romulus to teach the Vulcan heritage to those who might listen. These efforts facilitated the defection of Vice Proconsul M'Ret to the Federation. ("[[Unification (TNG episode)|Unification]]", "[[Face of the Enemy (TNG episode)|Face of the Enemy]]")

Sometime in 2374, a 27 member [[Tal Shiar]] team commanded by Commander Rekar hijacked the [[Prometheus class starship (Star Trek)|USS ''Prometheus'']], an advanced prototype [[starship]] to be analyzed by the Tal Shiar. Two [[Emergency Medical Hologram]]s, one from the [[USS Voyager (NCC-74656)|USS ''Voyager'']], overthrew the Tal Shiar crew and the ship returned to Federation hands.

==== [[Dominion War]] ====

In the brief period before the war's outbreak, the Federation obtained a Romulan [[cloaking device]] (2371), under the condition that it be used exclusively in the [[Gamma Quadrant]] against the emerging threat of the [[Jem'Hadar]] and the [[Dominion (Star Trek)|Dominion]] and in return, Starfleet would forward all information regarding the Dominion immediately to the Romulans. ("[[The Search (DS9 episode)|The Search]]")

Several months later the Romulan Tal Shiar intelligence agency and their [[Cardassian]] counterparts, the [[Obsidian Order]], launched a preemptive strike against the Dominion; their entire fleet of approximately 10 Warbirds and 10 Keldon class Cardassian vessels, however, was destroyed, and it was revealed that the Tal Shiar officer leading the attack was actually a [[Founder (Star Trek)|Dominion agent]]. ("The Die Is Cast")

The Romulan Empire signed a [[non-aggression treaty]] with the Dominion, which had gained a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant in Cardassian space shortly before the Dominion War broke loose.

Circa stardate 51721.3 (September 20, 2374), Starfleet Captain [[Benjamin Sisko]] and [[Elim Garak]] tried to trick the Romulans into joining the war against the Dominion by faking recordings of a Dominion strategy meeting discussing the plan to conquer the Romulans along with the Klingons and Federation. They showed them to a high-ranking Romulan senator, Vreenak, who had negotiated the Romulan non-aggression treaty with the Dominion and was vice-chairman of the Tal Shiar, secretary of the War Plans Council, and one of Proconsul Neral's most trusted advisors. Vreenak discovered the deception and attempted to leave to inform his government, but died in his shuttle sabotaged by Garak. When the Romulans examined the wreckage, they discovered the recordings; assuming the incriminating defects to have been caused by the explosion, the Romulan Star Empire entered the war against the Dominion, joining the Klingon-Federation alliance. ("[[In the Pale Moonlight (DS9 episode)|In the Pale Moonlight]]")

In 2375, after Proconsul Neral became praetor, the Romulans established a presence on [[Deep Space Nine]] and secretly began stockpiling weapons on a [[Bajor]]an moon. However, Bajoran Colonel [[Kira Nerys]], with the assistance of Starfleet Admiral William Ross, forced the Romulans to back down and remove their weapons. ("[[Shadows and Symbols]]")

The rogue Federation agency, [[Section 31]], had an agent in the Tal Shiar to safeguard Federation interests feeling that after the Dominion War, the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire would be the only two powers left in the region and would go to war.

Later that year, the allied fleet broke through Dominion lines and headed for the Dominion high command on [[Cardassia Prime]]. The fight went badly, however, until a Cardassian uprising headed by the former leader [[Damar]] turned the Cardassian fleet against the Dominion. After this, the Dominion was defeated and the devastating Dominion War ended. ("[[What You Leave Behind (DS9 episode)|What You Leave Behind]]")

====Reman coup====

Circa stardate 56844.9 ([[November 4]], [[2379]]), the Romulan Senate was briefly overthrown in a [[Reman]] uprising led by [[Shinzon]]. After the senior Romulan leadership was assassinated in the Romulan Senate, the Remans took over the Senate and Shinzon became Praetor; he was, however, dispatched by Captain [[Jean-Luc Picard]] shortly afterwards.

Relations between the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets improved somewhat as a result of Picard's assistance (''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]''), similar to the relationship between the Klingons and Federation beginning to improve after the events of ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]''. Thus it is very possible that the Romulans may become allies of the Federation just as the Klingons did should a sequel Star Trek TV series appear in the future.

==Romulan Star Empire==

The empire's exact size has never been declared. Star Trek writer/producer [[Ronald D. Moore]] has indicated that it is larger than the Klingon Empire but smaller than the Federation. However, in the Voyager computer game, ''[[Elite Force]]'', the Romulan Star Empire is approximately two-thirds larger than the Klingon Empire, and is well over five times as large as the Federation, considering the Romulans' expansive nature.

==Books==

[[Diane Duane]] has written a series of novels about the genesis and culture of the Romulans, developing a Romulan language in them and introducing the name '''Rihannsu''', which her Romulans use for themselves. The [[Rihannsu]] series consists of ''My Enemy, My Ally''; ''The Romulan Way; Swordhunt; Honor Blade''; and ''The Empty Chair''.

==Romulans in the Mirror Universe==

The Romulans exist in the [[Mirror Universe]] as well; it is unknown what their culture is like in that universe (no mirror Romulans have ever appeared onscreen), although they are probably not allied with the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance since the mirror [[Benjamin Sisko]] is said to have recruited them to help the Terran rebellion.

In [[Diane Duane]]'s novel of the mirror universe ''[[Dark Mirror]]'', the Romulans were all but exterminated by the Terrans about the same time as the Earth-Romulan war in our universe; the Terrans had acquired the Romulan weapons and improved them immensely, reducing Remus to rubble. The Romulan people subsequently chose [[mass suicide]] rather than become slaves of the [[Terran Empire]].

In the March 2007 [[Star Trek spin-off fiction|novel]] ''[[Obsidian Alliances]]'', the Romulans of the Mirror Universe appear, and are said to be basically identical to their counterparts in the normal Star Trek universe. When the Terran Empire fell, the mirror Romulans gained many Terran slaves, including M'k'n'zy of Calhoun, the mirror counterpart of Captain [[Mackenzie Calhoun]] (from ''[[Star Trek: New Frontier]]'').

==Romulans in the Alternate [[Star Fleet Universe]]==

[[Image:Romulanportrait.jpg|thumb|250px|An example of a Romulan officer in the Star Fleet Universe.]]

'' This information below originates from the board game [[Star Fleet Battles]], as well as related game systems such as [[Prime Directive (role-playing game)|Prime Directive]] and [[Federation and Empire]]. Also see [[Romulan Star Empire (Star Fleet Universe)]]''

In the alternate (non-[[canon (Star Trek)|canon]]) [[Star Fleet Universe]], the Romulans had a long-standing rivalry with the [[Gorn Confederation]] but the old series Romulan ships were no match against the advanced Gorn warships. (Indeed, Klingon Empire had launched devastating raids against Romulan frontier bases and squadrons, leaving no survivors, and was planning a full-scale invasion. However, the [[Tholian]]s arrived in the region of Klingon space where the invasion was being prepared, unwittingly saving the Star Empire from likely conquest. The Klingons kept these events a secret from the Romulans for a long time.) The post-Smarba KR (old Klingon vessels sold to the Romulans and converted to Romulan technology) and new series fleets, along with the extensively refitted older vessels, were far more dangerous. After the Klingon Ambassador Thad Vak Kaleen persuaded the Romulans to enter the [[General War]], sweetening the deal with a C9-series Klingon [[dreadnought]], they joined the Coalition on the Day of the Eagle, January 4 Y173, by invading the already-besieged Federation. They were eventually driven back to their own borders despite significant advances into Federation space, and suffered a devastating [[nuclear winter]] on [[Romulus and Remus (Star Trek)|Remus]].

After the General War, the Romulan empire erupted in civil war, had their border stations destroyed by the [[Interstellar Concordium]] in the course of the ISC War of Pacification and subsequently aided in resisting the [[Andromedan invasion]] of the galaxy from Y188 to Y205.

Star Fleet Universe Romulans of the early period of the SFU were reliant on older series vessels converted to carry primitive non-Tactical [[Warp]] engines, powered by fusion 'impulse' drives. While other races developed antimatter-based Tactical Warp engines, which allowed them to fight at warp and provide more power for their systems, the Romulans were left behind, as much due to political infighting as to Gorn sabotage. (This is the SFU explanation for the 'sublight' Romulan vessel seen in "Balance of Terror": in the SFU, sublight engines are a common term for NTW engines, as they only allow a starship to fight at slower-than-light speeds.) Eventually, The Treaty of Smarba with the Klingon Empire in Y159 supplied the Romulans with advanced warp engines and a number of mothballed Klingon vessels. These were refitted with Romulan weaponry and cloaking devices (as seen in "The Enterprise Incident"). This technology allowed the Romulans to develop a new series of vessels which proved to cause significant headaches to the enemies of the Star Empire in the General War.

==Connection to Roman Mythology==

Many of the terms used in relation to the Romulans are derived from [[Roman mythology]] and government. [[Romulus and Remus]] are the two brothers who created the city of [[Rome]]. [[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]] is the Roman god of fire and destruction. The [[proconsul]] and [[praetor]] were government officials during the [[Roman Republic]] and the [[Roman Senate]] was its governing body.

In TOS episode "[[Who Mourns for Adonais?]]" it is revealed that the classical Greek and Roman gods were actually a race of advanced beings who had visited Earth thousands of years ago. It has been postulated that the same beings had visited other worlds as well – such as [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]], and/or Romulus. While not canonical, the theory did at one time appear on the ''Star Trek'' web site, and would explain the connection between the Romulans and Roman mythology, as well as the institutions of Roman government.

==In Popular Culture==

Romulan is also the name of a popular cannabis strain. The strain is very common throughout southern California, particularly in medicinal marijuana dispensaries. Although Romulan is usually considered a sativa instances of indica and indica-sativa crossbreeds of Romulan do exist.

==References==

<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

{{Startreknations}}

===Digital===

* [http://www.rsempire.org Romulan Star Empire, Intl. The Oldest & Largest Romulan Fan Group on Earth]

{{memoryalpha article|Romulan|Romulan}}

* [http://www.neutralzone.de/database/Alien/Beta/Romulan.htm Neutral Zone Starship Database - Romulans]

* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/aliens/article/70706.html StarTrek.com - Romulans]

* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/documentaries/article/1479.html StarTrek.com - "Strange Relations: Romulans and Vulcans"]

* [http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/history-romulan.htm Ex Astris Scientia - Warp Drive and Romulan History]

* [http://www.starfleetgames.com Amarillo Design Bureau - Creator of the Star Fleet Universe game systems]

* [http://www.cardassiaprimera.com.ar/Naves_Romulanas.htm Romulan Starships Database]

===Print===

* ''Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages''

* ''[[Star Trek: The Magazine]]'' vol.3, #10 (February 2003) and #11 (March 2003)

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