Will we ever see proper Trek races?

[Therin of Andor]

JJ Abrams has this annoying habit of tweaking the appearance of major Trek aliens.

Huh? Have you compared the Klingons of TOS, TMP, ST III, ST V & VI and TNG?

Have you compared the Andorians of TOS, TAS, TMP, ST IV, TNG and ENT?

Have you compared the Orions of TOS and TAS?

Have you compared the Tiburonians of TOS and DS9?

Have you compared the Trill of TNG and DS9?

Have you compared the Romulans of TOS with TNG, which included changes then ignored by ST V?

Makeup artists like to design new aliens, not just copy old designs created by others. They also like to use new materials that weren't available when those aliens were first created.

Like it's just JJ's "annoying habit"? His makeup artists have slightly changed two alien makeups so far. Or at least offered us something different.

Have you compared the amazing physical differences between human clines lately?

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

JJ Abrams has this annoying habit of tweaking the appearance of major Trek aliens. When I first saw the Romulans in Trek 09 I kept asking myself 'they're Romulans?'. Then in STID they did the same thing with the Klingons and only now did I realise what they had done; they removed both species hair.

I shudder to think what the Cardassians will look like if they are included in a new Trek movie...

The new look Romulans didn't bother me that much, the tattoos and head shaving ties in with the fact they are more like pirates that anything else (though it's odd that TNG-era Prime Universe Romulans have gone back to have a smooth forehead). The Klingon did bother me, I mean what's with all the crest bling? Hugely impractical when in combat. Again being bald doesn't bother me, General Chang was almost completely hairless.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I mean what's with all the crest bling? Hugely impractical when in combat.

The Klingons of ST III and TNG often had dangling hair decorations and ponytails.

What do you think the helmet was for? Keeps the piercings out of reach of his enemies.

20th century punks were often well decorated with facial piercings and they were often in brawls.

 

[F. King Daniel]

These guys go into battle weating unnecessary 20-pound ceremonial sashes, yet a few piercings and rings are a deal breaker?

 

[BillJ]

(though it's odd that TNG-era Prime Universe Romulans have gone back to have a smooth forehead).

I always though it was odd they put the forehead gunk on the Romulans to begin with.

 

[The Wormhole]

JJ (though it's odd that TNG-era Prime Universe Romulans have gone back to have a smooth forehead).

Nothing odd there, presumably not all Romulans in the 24the century have forehead ridges. After all, in Unification Spock walks the streets of Romulus baring his smooth forehead for all to see and no one asks "where's your ridges?"

 

[Set Harth]

We saw Romulans with hair in Old Spock's mind-meld flashforward.

I thought those were Vulcans.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^They're Romulans according to the script. That, and Spock is saying "I promised the Romulans that I would save their planet" as they're shown.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Doesn't Nero's wife have hair?

 

[Squiggy]

According to scenes cut from ST09, the bald heads and tattoos are part of the Romulan mourning process.

 

[M'Sharak]

Doesn't Nero's wife have hair?

Yep.

 

[Set Harth]

^They're Romulans according to the script.

It doesn't say that in this version of the script: http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Trek.html

In fact that dialogue is omitted. But that script is different from the film in many places. Is there a later version?

 

[Therin of Andor]

According to scenes cut from ST09, the bald heads and tattoos are part of the Romulan mourning process.

It's also likely this was a ritual of the Romulan mining class, not every Romulan on Romulus.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^They're Romulans according to the script.

It doesn't say that in this version of the script: http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Trek.html

In fact that dialogue is omitted. But that script is different from the film in many places. Is there a later version?

That's the script I was thinking of, but it seems I misremembered. My apologies.

 

[Lt. Cheka Wey]

According to scenes cut from ST09, the bald heads and tattoos are part of the Romulan mourning process.

It's also likely this was a ritual of the Romulan mining class, not every Romulan on Romulus.

Romulans had a caste society?

 

[M'Sharak]

According to scenes cut from ST09, the bald heads and tattoos are part of the Romulan mourning process.

It's also likely this was a ritual of the Romulan mining class, not every Romulan on Romulus.

Romulans had a caste society?

Yes.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Romulans had a caste society?

The soup kitchens seen in "Unification" seem to indicate that there are classes or castes, yes.