Romulans and their ridges
- Thread starter Nick086
- Start date
Well, they left Vulcan supposedly how long ago? It'd make sense that they'd continue to evolve, and possibly in another direction.Given the rare glimpses we got of Romulus, it seems reasonable to assume that there are some environmental differences which led to the evolution of the ridges. Personally I like that idea anyway, rather than just having them as "overly passionate" Vulcans.
Well, you see they conducted some genetic experiments.
No wait, that feeble excuse was already used. Sorry.
No wait, that feeble excuse was already used. Sorry.
How did the Romulans get their ridges? I don't know if this was discussed before on this board. We seem to have some clues how the Klingon may have obtained theres, but what about the Romulans?
All proto-Vulcans (eg the Mintakans of "Who Watches the Watchers?", the early Vulcans, and the early Romulans) had ridges, just like early hominids on Earth had heavy brow ridges.
Some Vulcans began to lose their ridges through evolution, and one group (mainly ridged) left Vulcan and became the offshoot known as Romulans. We know that some Romulans in TOS wore helmets that covered their ridges (the nobles tended to have smooth foreheads like the Vulcans they left behind). We also know that Spock was able to pass as a Romulan in "Unification" without the need to have prosthetics.
The "Vulcan's Soul" trilogy of novels postulates that the Remans were a breakaway group of Romulans that were accidentally irradiated during the Exodus from Vulcan and they tampered with alien DNA to survive on Remus, where many were exiled. Note that Remans also have ridges!
To insert a nuance here, those ridges aren't necessarily bone. We haven't seen a Romulan skull, after all. They might just as well be tissue that swells or shrinks according to hormonal changes or somesuch. Romulans would pride themselves on the fierceness of their hormones, whereas stoic Vulcans would never allow their ridges to be inflated in public...
The same species, the same foreheads, only two different hormonal states. (It would have been cool to see Spock's forehead swell in "Amok Time"...)
Timo Saloniemi
The same species, the same foreheads, only two different hormonal states. (It would have been cool to see Spock's forehead swell in "Amok Time"...)
Timo Saloniemi
It's a racial thing. Not all Romulans have ridges. Note that Spock was able to walk around Romulus without anyone taking notice that he lacked ridges in Unification. Also, Nero and his crew did not have ridges.
Meanwhile, since 90% of the Romulans we saw in TOS wore helmets, some of them could have had ridges.
Meanwhile, since 90% of the Romulans we saw in TOS wore helmets, some of them could have had ridges.
I thought it might be the Quadrant they are in. They are in the beta quadrant along with the Klingons. They too have their ridges. In reality they couldn't afford makeup and the Klingons were supose to represent the Soviet Union supposely. I will have to check out the Vulcan soul trilogy.
What could the position of the Romulan planet in the Beta Quadrant possibly have to do with the ridges on their foreheads?
I actually like this explaination. I'm going to use this one.
Of course, I'm still sick to death of the Star Trek "forehead of the week" aliens.
That...they do...
Except when they blow. (I've got an extinguisher ready.)
Another thing that makes life hell for Marathon posters like me is the 20-minute time limit on being signed in. Who can compose a proper 143-line post with six reference links in that time?
Timo Saloniemi
You don't have keep signed in or whatever turned on (or is it sign in automatically)?
As for the ridges, I never really liked the Romulans having them, discounting ENT, they didn't have them prior to the TNG productions (None seen in the TOS series for movies had them), and its made a bit worst when all of the Romulans seen in the new movie didn't ahve them either. I figure it's some sort of awkward retcon that TPTB once went "Fuck the Romulan/Vulcan connection, give them ridges, damn it"
Sometimes it takes me awhile to compose my thoughts, but I have never timed out after 20 minutes. Is this a setting on your computer?Except when they blow. (I've got an extinguisher ready.)
Another thing that makes life hell for Marathon posters like me is the 20-minute time limit on being signed in. Who can compose a proper 143-line post with six reference links in that time?
Timo Saloniemi
One solution would be to copy and paste:
1) Copy your post once you finish writing it.
2) Sign back in.
3) Paste your post into the reply box.
4) Click 'Submit Reply' (I am sure you know this part
).
Actually, the actors in the new film do have appliances of their foreheads, with very subtle ridges - and individually placed hairs on their eyebrows.
TNG's head makeup artist, Michael Westmore, did just that, and discussed it in interviews. He knew the Klingons had been changed without explanation for TOS movies, so he felt quite justified in changing the Romulans without explanation. (When Orion women were first mooted for an appearance in ENT he suggested in interviews he'd do something similar to update them, but the producers told him to keep their TOS look.)
Did you realise the same thing essentially happened with Saavik in ST II? The script for ST II suggests that the audience will realise Saavik is part Romulan because her skin is fair and lacks the usual Vulcan coloration - and, of course, the head makeup artist, Werner Kepler, kept Kirstie Alley's own arched eyebrows rather than shaving then into the Vulcan/Romulan style.
Either that, or something selectable from the BBS itself. I just haven't located the setting yet.
Which I usually do, even though I could just give up and type the responses on a separate editor and only then sign in. No matter, I think I should be thankful of any reminder of the fact that I spend way too much time hereabouts...
Timo Saloniemi
It took me several viewings of ENT episodes to figure out why T'Pol was not believable as a Vulcan, IMO. I finally realized that she did not have the customary (mandatory) Vulcan eyebrows.
Of course her bouts of emotion did not make her very convincing either, but that is another post.
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