Admiral Valdore as recurring villain

[HoundDog]

I rewatched Babel One/United/The Aenar today and noticed that the Romulan Admiral in those episodes was named Valdore. As far as I remember, one of the Romulan ships in Star Trek: Nemesis had also been named Valdore. So I wondered (knowing that Nemesis was released earlier and the naming of the Admiral was just an in-reference), how the Romulans could name one of their ships after the Admiral that was responsible for the failure of the drone ship mission. I checked Memory Alpha, and they offered me the explanation that the Valdore in Nemesis might have been named for a different Romulan.
Still, I kept thinking. What if the 24th-century ship Valdore was named after this very same Admiral - he must have done something to redeem himself. So I asked myself: What if Admiral Valdore played a keyrole in the Earth-Romulan-War?

That led me to the following question: Would Valdore have made an interesting recurring villain in ENT? I mean, after his failure in the Romulan/Andorian-Arc he has a real good reason for becoming Archer's arch-nemesis in the Earth-Romulan-War. His need to redeem himself would have given him a very strong motivation, too.

So, what do you think?

 

[t_smitts]

So I wondered (knowing that Nemesis was released earlier and the naming of the Admiral was just an in-reference), how the Romulans could name one of their ships after the Admiral that was responsible for the failure of the drone ship mission.

I had the same thought. I don't know if the writers would have come to the same conclusion and brought him back in such a way that improved his standing, but it seemed like the smart move to me.

I've also pointed out that those drone ships might explain how we had an Earth-Romulan war with no one ever seeing a Romulan's face. I doubt they could have snatched up too many more Aenar without getting caught but maybe some other telepathic race, like Remans. Or why not Romulans themselves? I've always wondered how Vulcans can be telepathic but there's no evidence that Romulans are.

 

[MattJC]

I certainly would have liked to have seen a recurring Romulan villain on Enterprise.

 

[t_smitts]

I certainly would have liked to have seen a recurring Romulan villain on Enterprise.

Come to think about, despite being a mainstay among Star Trek aliens, we've never had a MAJOR Romulan character.

Sela and Tomalak only appeared in four episodes each (and two of Tomalak's don't really count because they were an illusion or an alternate timeline). They haven't even been mentioned in years.

Cretak made three measly appearances on DS9 (and not even played by the same actor). T'Rul (the woman who originally operated the Defiant's cloak) would have been interesting had they kept her around, but they didn't.

Only three movies had had Romulans with speaking parts (V, VI, and Nemesis) and in none of them were the Romulans major players in the story. (Even in Nemesis, it was all about the Remans and that stupid Picard clone).

Contrast this with Vulcans, Klingons, Ferengi, and Cardassians, were people could mention many long-running members of each species.

I think the Romulans are due.

 

[MattJC]

I think the Romulans are due.

I agree.

 

[HoundDog]

I think the Romulans are due.

I agree.

I do, too.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Had Valdore gone on to be the recurring villain of Season Five (like Dolim and Degra during the Xindi arc), I'd have preferred a recast. Brian Thompson is an actor I most associate with heavies, rather than deep thinking schemers.

The novel The Good That Men Do revisits the character and after the disgrace of the Drone ship failure, he is released from prison, reunited with the same Romulan scientist to work on warp trials. Trip is sent undercover by Section 31 to investigate.

^ Reads like a TV Guide synopsis! Ah, if only...

 

[HoundDog]

The novel The Good That Men Do revisits the character and after the disgrace of the Drone ship failure, he is released from prison, reunited with the same Romulan scientist to work on warp trials. Trip is sent undercover by Section 31 to investigate.

^ Reads like a TV Guide synopsis! Ah, if only...

Haven't read that one yet. Seems like I'm going to check the ENT-Relaunch some time soon.