If the idea had revolved around Romulan Ridged Navels, as I first read the topic header, I might've been on board.
Oh, well.
Oh, well.
Romulan Ridges Novel Explanation
- Thread starter quazar
- Start date
Didn't some novels did explain the Remans as basically mostly Romulan, but genetically mutated by microorganisms on Remus, and better able to stand the extreme conditions there?
I liked how the Romulan makeup in ST09 had brow appliances for a thicker look, but more subtle than the Westmore design.
Kor
I didn't like that retcon. What I loved about the introduction of the Remans was that finally, finally, we got to see an interstellar so-called "empire" actually being portrayed as an empire, i.e. a political body consisting of one state ruling over multiple other states that provided resources, tribute, and personnel to the central state. Instead of the usual "empires" where everyone is the same species, we finally saw an empire that had a ruling species and at least one subject species which they used as cannon fodder in their military. So finally the Romulan Star Empire deserved to be called an empire. Retconning the Remans into some sort of mutant Romulans just reverts it back to the single-race model, and that's a lot less satisfying to me as a student of history.
Well then the TOS Romualns are the alternate artistic interpretation... that came first...
I can confirm that. Vulcan's Soul #3: Epiphany to be precise.
Except that Romulans without ridges are also mentioned in the novels.
My theory is that the ridges are a natural variation of the Vulcanoid species. They are extremely rare among Vulcans, but due to genetic drift became more common among the Romulans because of their initially small population.
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Or maybe they're characteristic of a specific ethnic minority on Vulcan, and the schism that led to the Romulan exodus was at least partially along racial lines. Maybe their ethnic group had been largely wiped out in the wars and the remaining ones chose to join the exodus.
