Trel was a male Romulan engineer held at the Klingon prison facility on planet Pao'la in the 2280s. In 2287, Trel was able to reconfigure a laser drill into a usable weapon, and was one of three Romulans who attempted to use these modified drills to escape. In the process, Trel killed former USS Gagarin crewman Chief Robert Kawaguchi. Trel and his accomplices were quickly stopped and killed by Klingon forces. (TOS novel: In the Name of Honor)