In 2379 Starfleet received word that there had been a coup in the Romulan Star Empire. Such events are not uncommon, but there was one great difference here - the new government was headed by Shinzon, a Reman. The Remans are considered to be of a lower caste by the Romulans, treated as a slave race. To have a Reman as Praetor of the Romulan Empire would be almost impossible to believe. Even stranger, one of Shinzon's first actions was to invite the Federation to a meeting.