Romulan look TNG onwards

[77sevenseven]

What do you guys think of the Romulan look from The Next Generation onwards?

I don't like the ridges and the square looking uniforms. They look like yellow Herman Monsters. The hairstyles look like shop dummy wigs and the females look exactly the same as the males.

They did tone down the Romulan look a bit later on during DS9 however.

I understand that they needed to make them look different from Vulcans but I think that they did make them look rubbish!

I prefer the new look of the Romulans in the new Star Trek movie.

Sorry if this has been asked before as new to forum and aint had time to check through all threads!

 

[ToddKent]

I didn't like the ridges, the species wide mandatory hair cut or the shoulder pads. And I didn't see any reason to make them look different from Vulcans.

 

[clint g]

I actually would have preferred it if they looked exactly like Vulcans. Make them one species living on two different home worlds separated by their different beliefs and ideals.

 

[Michael]

I actually would have preferred it if they looked exactly like Vulcans. Make them one species living on two different home worlds separated by their different beliefs and ideals.

My thoughts exactly. Really, what was the point of making them look different from Vulcans? I always liked the uniforms, though. The shoulder pads might have been silly, but they looked cool.

 

[Anwar]

Well, it was the 80s so the shoulder pad thing was acceptable. During DS9 they gave them better uniforms.

The forehead...meh, when they had to pretend to be Vulcans they found a way around it.

I did like the skin tones they gave the Romulans, most of the time it really did make it seem like they had green blood.

 

[Captrek]

I actually would have preferred it if they looked exactly like Vulcans. Make them one species living on two different home worlds separated by their different beliefs and ideals.

My thoughts exactly.

Mine too.

 

[Hober Mallow]

The ridges didn't bother me as much as the haircut every single Romulan and Vulcan had to have. There was no much more variety to them in TOS and the films. The Berman crowd had this bizarre notion that every single Vulcan had to look as much like Mr. Spock as possible.

 

[dave_R_treker]

I actually would have preferred it if they looked exactly like Vulcans. Make them one species living on two different home worlds separated by their different beliefs and ideals.

My thoughts exactly.

Mine too.

Same here. The Romulans ARE Vulcans.

 

[WillsBabe]

I liked the whole look - ridges, hair and uniforms. I think that the intention was to have, pardon the pun, a uniform look for an intractable enemy. If they all looked the same it depersonalised them. After having said that, I can understand why people might not like the appearance of the ridges, and might not like the look. Personally, I hated the boots!

 

[Myasishchev]

I understand that they needed to make them look different from Vulcans but I think that they did make them look rubbish!

Why?

I hated the look. Trek's writers and costumers fail biology forever.

Plus, I agree with the comments on the haircuts. Aren't these supposed to be the people who fled Vulcan's Surak-centric conformity? They had cool haircuts in TOS. And nice dresses, too. If we squint hard we can pretend that it's a military thing.

 

[Possum]

I didn't like what they did with both the Romulans and Vulcans in TNG and DS9- can't speak for VOY or ENT as I haven't seen too many episodes. Plus franchise-wise it didn't make sense. You took the Romulans and Vulcans, who in the original series were very attractive and refined looking and turned them asexual looking people with bad haircuts. I did like how they changed the Romulan uniforms later on in DS9.

One thing TOS did right was make some of the guest stars, aliens look good. Can you image The Enterprise Incident with the Romulan Commander looking like she stepped out of TNG? TNG and DS9 makeup people seemed to have had too much fun making different races look different, too much reliance on the odd forehead, nose, chin, and wig. As a woman, I think some of the costumes on TOS were way over the top but TNG and DS9 wardrobe and makeup people seemed to go to the "anti-sexy" side of things.

Additionally, I totally did not like what they did with the Romulans in XI. I was so looking forward to them in it too. And if there is some backstory to the whole tattoo thing- allude to it in the movie- not a comic book. I would almost had rather the bad guys not even been Romulan. I would have even preferred DS9 Romulans with the goofy foreheads. The Romulans were my one BIG disappointment in an otherwise really good movie.

 

[Anwar]

Eh, I'd say TNG did good with their Romulan guest stars. Tomalok and the female commander from "Face of the Enemy" in particular.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

My thoughts exactly.

Mine too.

Same here. The Romulans ARE Vulcans.

Imagin "BoT" with the TNG Romulans: "Hey, the Romulans vaguely resemble Mr. Spock!"

TOS Klingons look more human than TNG Romulans look Vulcan.

 

[Anticitizen]

I'm another that hate hate hated the TNG-on Romulan look. It served no purpose and only added complications to consistency (like the BoT reference above).

I actually don't like what they did with the Klingons either. Kol from Errand of Mercy was a badass - intelligent, cultured, and ruthless. The Klingons were technologically advanced; they had a 'mind-sifter' that could read your thoughts (though it caused brain damage). They were later reduced to growling Mongol barbarians. I can accept their appearance change because it doesn't complicate past stories, but their culture/behavior does.

 

[Vic Sixx]

The haircut bothered me the most being exactly the same for all Vulcans and Romulans. There should have been a bit more variety to them.

 

[TigerOfDarkness]

My thoughts exactly.

Mine too.

Same here. The Romulans ARE Vulcans.

Fully agree with you. Grrr 80's padded shoulders, grrr.

The ridges didn't bother me as much as the haircut every single Romulan and Vulcan had to have. There was no much more variety to them in TOS and the films. The Berman crowd had this bizarre notion that every single Vulcan had to look as much like Mr. Spock as possible.

Maybe Vulcan/Romulan hair isn't like human hair and it only grows to that length and in that style (though if this was true, Spock would have to be wearing a Kohlinar wig in TMP).

 

[Praetor]

Silly and arbitrary, but retconable.

The "ridges" are obviously one of two races that made up the original Vulcans. More "ridges" left than stayed on Vulcan, so eventually the "ridges" became a minority on Vulcan, and similarly the smooth-brows became a minority on Romulus.

One might even argue that the ridges were somewhat vestigial, and the ridged Vulcanoids might have represented a sort of "evolutionary throwback" that was perhaps even looked down upon by Vulcan society at large (helping explain the mass-exodus?) that persisted in the Romulan race. There might even be a connection between the ridges and the Romulans' apparent lack of the psychic powers that the smooth-browed Vulcans posess.

It sure is awfully convenient that most of the Vulcans and Romulans we saw on TOS wore helmets, ain't it?

 

[sbk1234]

I didn't like the ridges, the species wide mandatory hair cut or the shoulder pads. And I didn't see any reason to make them look different from Vulcans.

My thoughts, exactly.

 

[Myasishchev]

Maybe after leaving bright, horrible Vulcan and its Vitamin D-stimulating UV rays, the Romulans got head rickets.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

I just pretend the ridges aren't there. Works for me, since ST:XI retcons 24th century Romulans as ridgeless.

I didn't really like the uniforms either, up till Nemesis. Those threads were sharp!