Big Forehead Romulans - Lame?

[Therin of Andor]

MetalPants said:
One fan theory that I've enjoyed about the ridges...

That doesn't explain the Mintakans of TNG, though, who have ridges and are described as "proto Vulcans".

The Pocket novel trilogy "Vulcan's Soul" extrapolated that some Vulcans still had ridges despite centuries of evolution but, around the time of Surak, all of the ridged Vulcans and some without, left Vulcan and settled Romulus. Some were kidnapped enroute by Triskelions, explaining why Vulcan weapons were being used there in TOS times.

During an incident on the journey to Romulan space, the ships were catapulted further than their drives permitted under normal circumstances, IIRC, making a return unlikely - and some of these Romulans were badly injured by the radiation on the journey, eventually becoming the exiled Remans.

 

[JD]

Sounds like a good explanation to me. Maybe I should pick those up sometime, because that sounds pretty interesting to me.

 

[Therin of Andor]

JD said:
Sounds like a good explanation to me. Maybe I should pick those up sometime, because that sounds pretty interesting to me.

Oh yeah - and having the Remans be mutated vulcanoids, and not natives of Remus, means that it explains why TOS Vulcans and "Nemesis" Remans have psionic powers, but TOS/TNG Romulans (and ENT Vulcans) seem to have "lost" the ability.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Unicron said:

commodore64 said:
I find the change in the Romulans incredibly disappointing. The very idea that there is an evil race that looks exactly like the good-natured Vulcans is what makes them so evil, mysterious and dangerous.

I disagree. What makes the Romulans interesting is how they're written, and sadly they have gotten the short end of the stick in that regard. TNG had some good episodes, but they've largely remained underused at best.

For me, the point of BOT is that they're a separate race, not the fact that some of them resemble Vulcans. I for one am glad they received more distinct makeup, because otherwise I think that's how viewers would seem them - as "evil" Vulcans instead of a distinct society. The suspicion on Spock was an interesting subplot, but did anyone really believe he was working for the other side? For that matter, why should the crew believe they really look so similar to Vulcans? Why not assume it's propaganda to drive a wedge between the Fed members, in the event that a new war breaks out?

I can't really comment much on the TOS Romulans because there's so little to comment on. Trek is very poor in actually making use of many of its aliens. As for why the Vulcans didn't get ridges, it's explained in TNG - the two races are biologically distinct, even though they still possess many similarities. The ridges presumably are some mutation caused by the conditions on Romulus, which doesn't seem to remotely resemble Vulcan from the few times we've seen both planets. The smooth-headed Romulans might therefore be a genetic variant that still look like Vulcans.

You ask " did anyone really believe he [Spock] was working for the other side?" Probably not...but it's a great analogy for today, where a number of Americans are suspicious of all "A-Rabs" because of 9-11, even if those "A-Rabs" are model patriotic US citizens. Or someone assuming that every Mexican is an illegal immigrat or doesn't speak English.

Those issues were a little after TNG's time, but would have been interesting if TNG could've tackled those issues.

 

[Sisu]

Morpheus 02 said:
Those issues were a little after TNG's time, but would have been interesting if TNG could've tackled those issues.

They did, with Worf in the first season's Heart of Glory. Comments like, "These are his people..." and saying how conflicted he must be....as if 10 years of being raised by human, then his 4 academy years and numerous tours on other ships makes him "suspect" as soon as a Klingon comes on board.

 

[Dale]

I am recalling a TNG episode where a Vulcan ambassador actually turned out to be a Romulan spy... and I can't recall if she had ridges or perhaps some sort of headgear that could have obscured them. I think ridged Romulans are dumb, but I think instituting ridges and then abandoning them for the sake of a particular story is even lamer.

 

[Sisu]

Data's Day. One of the best episodes, IMO - especially the dancing Doctor and Worf and him shopping.... "human mating customs involve a great deal of talking, and dancing and... crying."

And um, no ridges.

 

[HRHTheKING]

I would prefer Romulans to look as similar to Vulcans as possible. The difference between them should be based on ideology and mindset. Not physical appearance.

 

[Nerys Myk]

broberfett said:
As Worf says, nothing is more honorable than victory. The Romulans felt there was honor in defeating their opponents. They weren't the sneaky shifty bastards that the later big head Romulans were with all the secret police and plotting.

THey were sneaky enough. They did cross the border under cloak to test a new weapon on the Earth Outposts. Which was in defiance of the treaty. They did try and lure the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone to give them the pretext to start a war. Even the Romulan Commander knew this and wasn't exactly pleased.

"Balance of Terror" shows Romulan society is fractured. The old guard like the Commander and the Centurion are tired of war, death and the Praetor's insatiable need for "glory". He knows the follies of war all too well. Decius is seems to be from those in power. His concern is scoring points with the Praetor and gaining his praise. He's also a man with powerful and dangerous friends. In the context of the WWII film that BOT was based on, he would be a loyal Nazi with the ear of the Fuehrer and those close to him.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Dale Hoppert said:
I think instituting ridges and then abandoning them for the sake of a particular story is even lamer.

The inference was that T'Pel ("Data's Day") had had her ridges surgically removed to better pass as a Vulcan, just as Picard and Data had had some added for "Unification", and ditto Tallera/T'Paal in "Gambit".

 

[HarryM]

I think it was a dumb idea. Have to keep the "stupid viewers" from getting the Vulcans and Romulans confused. I think it is sort of an invisible thing though, for the fact that Spock seems to be able to walk around on Romulus and draws no attention, or perhaps the smooth-forehead Romulans are a smaller ethnic group that are uncommon in the capitol or Romulan fleet/government service.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Maybe bringing the Romulans back for TNG was a dumb idea. Initially Roddenberry didn't want any aliens from TOS to appear. Should've stuck with that a bit longer. Sideline the Romulans perpetual and creat something newer. Maybe even dismiss the Romulans as having been conquered by the Klingon inbetween Kirk and Picard's time.

Perhaps if the Ferengi hadn't washed out as a new nemesis, the history of the Romulans might have changed.

 

[Therin of Andor]

^ It was certainly intended to be some hype for Season Two: calling an episode "The Neutral Zone", which was actually about three 20th century humans being revived from death, only to end the episode with a whopping big Romulan warbird and the chilling comment "We're back".

That was huge news at the time! Many fanboys, still hesitant about liking a Kirk-less Star Trek, wet their pants that night. And for the brief scene, the forehead trick was just as huge. What has been going on? (A cheap trick perhaps, but it had people talking all through the hiatus.)

Perhaps if the Ferengi hadn't washed out as a new nemesis, the history of the Romulans might have changed.

Or if ST III's initial script proposal, chock full of Romulans, had survived a reconceptualization.

 

[zenophite]

I've disliked the forehead romulans since they first showed up. Another thing I'd like to know is why do they have to have bowl haircuts like the vulcans?

I only hope the ones depicted in the new movie are forehead-piece free.

 

[JD]

If the rumors I've read are true, and the want to stick to the what the shows have shown they probably wiil have the ridges.

 

[Colonel Midnight]

^ I can semi-live with the ridges, but please... if any of TPTB with the movie are around, PLEASE do away with the bowl haircuts and the padded shoulders!!! PLEASE!!!

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[UnknownSample]

Yeah, only because they weren't around then.