QUESTIONS ABOUT TOS ROMULANS VS. TNG ROMULANS

[brickwall]

Friends and neighbors, here is -- I hope -- a question good for future discussion about how Romulans were portrayed.

In the Original Series, the Romulans were first portrayed as similar to the Vulcans. Descended from them, in fact, only without the control of emotions that their Vulcan kin developed. They had smooth foreheads and costumes with natural shoulders.

In the Next Generation and beyond, they no longer look descended from the Vulcans. Their foreheads have ridges similar to the Klingons, only theirs are more under the skin and shaped as a "hidden V'. Each ridge goes in a diagonal direction from near the central part of the forehead towards the ears. The shoulders on the uniforms of their space navy look wide and stiff, like something out of ladies' Eighties dance fashion.

Also, again going by Next Generation canon, the Romulans cut contact with the Galaxy for around fifty years. I assume that also applied to the Klingons and Gorn as well as the Federation.

So how did the TOS Romulans turn into the TNG Romulans and why? The following is just my theory on how and why. I'd appreciate your comments and viewpoints on it.

My theory is that somehow the Augments Virus which so affected the Klingons also affected the Romulans but in a different direction. Affected Klingons had their ridges disappear and ended up looking like Earthlings with their smooth foreheads. With the Romulans the reverse happened. Their current forehead ridges appeared as well as wider shoulders, making them look more like Klingons, though not completely like them.

This became so widespread in so short a time that the Star Empire split into two factions who couldn't live together unlike the Klingons. So outside contact was cut completely and the two sides engaged in a bloody civil war. This lasted for fifty years because it was so brutal and so bloody between the two factions. From the Next Generation onward, we see only "Ridged Romulans" and none with smooth foreheads like their Vulcan kin. The implication is that smooth forehead Romulans were massacred in a genocidal fashion, leaving only "ridged Romulans" to run the Empire and carry on it's long-term goals.

And faithful to past Imperial policy, they kept this fact and these events to themselves. They kept it secret so as to avoid humiliation to outsiders.

Does this theory hold water in your opinion? Or is there a more logical explanation to this? We may probably never know but does it at least look plausible?

Thank you all in advance for your input and observations.

[walrusguy]

There are several issues I REALLY get frustrated with when it comes to the Romulans post TOS. The forehead problem is one - I have always thought it was a mistake to take that route. I know for "on-screen" sake - they most likely did it to make sure the Romulans look different from our heroes - the Vulcans. And to be honest - I like your idea of WHY! ( I never understood why they DIDN’T use the FASA idea of genetics…but eh – what can ya say!)

But more to the point - they're portrayed as a bunch of sneaky backstabbers in the TNG era (even in the movie era)...yet in the TOS series - they are an honorable society. Mark Leonard’s portrait of a Romulan Commander is by far one of the most amazing characterizations ever. John Warburton and Joanne Linville both create a sense of honor and devotion to duty that never seems to get matched in the TNG era. I’ve always thought the TNG writes got the Klingon honor system and the Romulan system backward. Don’t get me wrong – I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the TNG Klingons…by far my favorite! I mean my FAVORITE!! But I do see much of their honor code as more Romulan than Klingon. Alas – what could have been!

I personally think the Romulans did not cut ties with the entire Galaxy, instead concentrating on the Gorn and Klingons...how else would the Federation know about a "B" Warbird. That theory has no real support of course - but allows more interaction in the FASA universe...I even think they have a beef with the Son'a (WHY NOT!?!) and perhaps a few more oldies but goodies (Suliban perhaps, folks in the Triangle??). But with a HUGE amount of their boarder being along the Federation - the fact that they just stopped all relations and aggression along the Neutral Zone would be pretty much an isolation to the Federation. AND to support your theory that the Augment Virus was the culprit, it would make sense that the Romulan and Klingons continue fighting along their shared boarder.

[trynda1701]

An interesting theory, to be sure.

I've only seen the Augment arc once. It is shown to affect Humans (Archer gets ridges briefly, doesn't he?), so affecting Romulans is within the realm of possibility (in respect of Trek science, of course).

It's a pity that the FASA take on different Klingons and the Augment virus are two different things. However, what if, in the FASA timeline, somehow, Romulan fusion Klingons somehow infect the Romulans? A variation of the Augment idea, transforming the TOS Romulans into ridged Romulans in the FASA future!

I've agree with walrusguy (and I've said this before about this I'm sure on the forum) that the Klingons and Romulans honour thing got switched in TNG. They definitely only withdrew from the Federation Neutral Zone border, as TNG has both the Narendra III and Kithomer attacks by Romulans in the 2340s before they reappear to the Federation in 2363.

[starcruiser]

TNG Romulans are still related to the Vulcans - otherwise, why would Spock be trying for "Reunification" (parts 1 and 2)?

Yes, the ridge thing was a stupid idea. There was no real reason to change their makeup style at all. Changing the uniforms some was just updating the style for the late '80s otherwise, they should have stuck with the original Vulcan look.

[tinker]

Here is what I posted about TNG Romulans in 2015:

"Let me first say that I absolutely hate how Gene Roddenberry’s successors have treated the Romulans. In TOS, the Romulans were a stoic and honorable race. As Vulcans that had embraced their emotional side, the Romulans represented a tragic opponent for the Federation - doomed to fight each other, despite having so much in common. By forming an alliance between the Federation and the Klingons, the writers needed a new big, bad meanie in the Alpha Quadrant to replace the Klingons as vile, opportunistic aggressors. Following the dismal rejection of the Farengi in that role, the writers turned to the Romulan Empire. Their character forever changed to be Klingon-wannabes (even growing the prerequisite Neanderthal brow – ugh!), the Romulans are no longer the tragic heroes of Star Trek, but just another bunch of villains twirling their waxed mustaches."

Read more: ststcsolda.proboards.com/thread/668/klingon-romulan-ship-recognition-manual#ixzz5KZdjeFZS


While a virus like what affected the Klingons or genetic manipulation are possible conclusions, I don't think the change is intended to be drastic, but rather a gradual mutation over time - suggesting a recent environmental change. You will notice that the Romulans portrayed in TMP era still look exactly like Vulcans, while the Romulans portrayed in JJ Abrams' abomination have a very subtle brow deviation. This tells me that the current "creators" at the helm of the franchise are looking to make the transition a more "natural" one.

I don't like any of it at all - period.

[krebizfan]

I suspect that if production issues hadn't intervened, TNG Vulcans would have gotten the same brow ridge makeup enhancement as the Romulans. The first speaking Vulcan in TNG was Dr. Selar which was a last minute addition; preproduction scripts had Dr. Pulaski go to the planet. Not sure what happened to cause Diana Muldaur to miss half the episode. No time to add complex makeup. Then Mark Lenard restarted his part and he wasn't going to sit in a chair for the extra hours adding brow ridges and certainly Spock could not be given brow ridges since that would basically prevent eyebrow raising.

I thought the major problem with TNG and later Romulans was not that they were sneaky but that they were incompetent.

[IanKeldon]

The makeup issue has already been addressed, but as for the characterization issue, I think that Diane Duane's "Bloodwing Voyages" (aka, the "Rhiannsu cycle") is the best explanation, and I hold it as personal canon.