Keras

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Commander Keras

Keras was a male Romulan who served in the Romulan Star Empire's fleet during the 23rd century.

Background

Keras held the rank of Commander and served as the commanding officer of a Romulan Bird-of-Prey. Keras was somewhat atypical, having tired of war and conquest as a way of life for the Romulan people. He was a member of the Chironsala house, one of the oldest on Romulus. (Star Trek CCG, ST novel: The Return)

In 2266, the Praetor ordered the vessel commanded by Keras to cross the Neutral Zone and enter United Federation of Planets space. Keras was ordered to attack the Federation's defenses along the border, and gauge the response of Starfleet to this attack. Keras proceeded to attack and destroy several outposts in the area, attracting the attention of the USS Enterprise.

Captain James T. Kirk tracked down the Bird-of-Prey, and eventually managed to disable the Romulan vessel. Hailing the Romulan ship, Kirk and Keras spoke to each other briefly - the first time in history that a Human and Romulan had openly spoken to each other. While Kirk was willing to take on survivors from the Romulan ship, Keras refused, stating it was not the Romulan way. Keras committed suicide by activating his ship's auto-destruct systems. (TOS episode: "Balance of Terror").

Family

In the aftermath of the defeat, Keras' family was disgraced. They later sought revenge against Captain James T. Kirk and the Federation, and were one of the forces behind the Romulan alliance with the Borg. (ST novel: The Return)

Keras's son, Jannak, would become a diplomat who went to Deep Space Nine. (DS9 comic: Blood and Honor)

The name Keras comes from the Star Trek CCG expansion The Trouble with Tribbles, and is an anagram of Sarek, as both characters were portrayed by Mark Lenard. This is similar to the way Krase was named.

Connections

Keras article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.