Why do the ST XI Romulans look different?

[gastrof]

...we had plenty of TNG episodes featuring Romulans and no limpy heads...

Totally untrue.

Only ONCE did we see a Romulan without the ridges in TNG.

Then what about the lumpy headed Romulans in Enterprise? How do they fit in.

~String

You tell me. (And specify an episode or two as a reminder, while you're at it, will you?)

As I said, there are any number of explanations.

What are you trying to counter? The fact I said we've seen both?

 

[NCC74894A]

They shaved their heads, and stuck on tribal tatoos that have some meaning as a form of mourning after Romulus was destroyed.

This, of course, is the "official" answer that was offered in Countdown. According to one Nero monologue,

Spoiler: Countdown

usually the Romulans would just use ordinary paint on their faces, which slowly fades away over time as their sorrow diminishes; their mourning period ends when their hair grows back and the paint patterns are no longer visible. But Nero and the Narada crew made a point of making the patterns permanent, "because life does not go on... We died with Romulus. And all that is left is revenge."

 

[superstring01]

...we had plenty of TNG episodes featuring Romulans and no limpy heads...

Totally untrue.

Only ONCE did we see a Romulan without the ridges in TNG.

Sorry. I was typing too quickly. What I meant to say was that we had LOTS of TNG episodes with Romulans and no smooth heads.

My bad!

Then what about the lumpy headed Romulans in Enterprise? How do they fit in.

~String

You tell me. (And specify an episode or two as a reminder, while you're at it, will you?)

As I said, there are any number of explanations.

What are you trying to counter? The fact I said we've seen both?

Well, the last season of Enterprise we are shown only lumpy headed Romulans, then in this movie, only smooth headed Romulans. Then in TNG universe only lumpy headed Romulans.

I never liked the lumpy heads. So, I'm happy Abrams corrected it.

The only explanation is: lumpy heads sucked and Abrams just dispensed with it out of hand. No explanation needed. Just pretend they never existed. I'm okay with that.

~String

 

[shapeshifter]

My personal fanon on the ridges, in a nutshell: the Romulans either selectively breed for this trait in children the parents of who desire them to join the military or 2, they are just implants meant to make them look more menacing, like Klingons.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

Sorry if this was already asked, I couldn't find anything about it.
Why do the Romulans look different? Kinda reminds me on TOS Klingons.

Thanks.

They look like TOS Romulans -- except for the shaved head and tattoos. The TOS Romulans look exactly like humans, but with pointy ears.

I'm hate canonical explanations as to why they had no ridges in TOS, but DID have ridges in TNG...Let's just say TNG took liberties with make-up that the should not have. The TOS Romulans looked good to me -- there was no reason in my mind for TNG to give them a brow ridge.

 

[DaveG]

I could've done w/o all the tatoos.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Really. Good riddance to the ridges.

Although having all of them bald rather sucked.

Spoiler: Romulans

yeah,it also made them rather similar looking I thought Kirk had shot Nero until I saw him in the next scene

Yeah, that happened to me too.

I've always decided to rationalize it by saying that there are Romulans with ridges and Romulans without them (possibly Vulcans with both as well). My rationale for not seeing them in the original series is they wore those helmets which would have blocked them. It's the only way Spock could be on Romulus without anyone noticing he wasn't Romulan.