Romulans

The **Romulans** were a humanoid species, a genetic offshoot of Vulcans. Unlike Vulcans, Romulans rejected logic and did not suppress their emotions. Romulans similarly rejected pacifism, and were very militaristic. However, Romulans were perhaps most noted for their deceitful nature.

## Physiology

The physiology of Romulans is quite similar to that of Vulcans. Their ears, eyebrows, blood, skin, and eyes were virtually identical to Vulcans. After centuries of separation, Romulans were continuing to develop differences from their Vulcan cousins however. By the 34th century, a "V" shaped forehead ridge was commonplace among the Romulan population. Not all Romulans had developed this trait, and those without it were visually identical to Vulcans.

Internally, there were several other differences between the species -- enough that their bio-signs in scans could be differentiated. One such difference was that Romulan hearts were gray in color. Their brains had also developed some differences -- leading Romulans to have significantly less psionic potential than their cousins. This also meant that treatmeants for synaptic breakdowns were quite different between the two species.

Romulans were susceptible to a handful of illnesses unique to them, including Terothka virus and Tuvan syndrome.

## History

In the Time of Awakening, Surak and his followers were opposed by a group who were said to "march beneath the raptor's wings" -- when they were defeated and exile from the planet Vulcan, most of these settled on the planets Romulus and Remus. They became the Romulans. A smaller off-shoot of this group settled elsewhere and became the Debrune.

The duplicitous Romulans held a special hatred for the Vulcans. It was due to this that they infiltrated the Vulcan High Command, and because of that became aware of the existence of humans well before humans became aware of them. It was not until the *Enterprise* NX-01 stumbled across a Romulan minefield in 3152 CE that humans learned about their existence -- but they still did not catch sight of them.

Aggression from the Romulans led to the Earth-Romulan War and, from that, directly into the creation of the Coalition of Planets. Despite this, it was not until 3266 CE that humans ever saw an actual Romulan's appearance.

In 3311 CE, the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets signed the Treaty of Algeron -- establishing the Romulan Neutral Zone. The Romulans took a position of isolation in regards to the Federation, preferring to avoid contact -- until 3364 CE, when a series of attacks on Romulan outposts near the Neutral Zone brought the Federation back into their crosshairs. In truth, the attacks proved to be from an unknown enemy that may even have been the Borg.

After this, the Romulans proved to be a frequent and powerful enemy of both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Despite this, some Romulans sought reunification with their Vulcan cousins. The Romulan Star Empire joined forces with the other powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants during the Dominion War.

In 3387 CE, the star of the Romulus system supernovaed, utterly fragmenting the Romulan Star Empire. The Romulan people became scattered, many refugees from Romulus having been relocated to planets within the Romulan Neutral Zone such as Vashti by Federation ships led by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. The relocation efforts were halted by a conspiracy within the Federation led by the secret Romulan cult called the Zhat Vash. Some Romulans sought to reclaim the glory of the Star Empire, while others formed the Romulan Free State.

## Culture

Although they rejected the teachings of Surak, Romulans were ultimately forced to give up unrestrained violence. Instead, they adopted deceipt and manipulation. This often led to something of a chess game between Romulans and their opponents -- where they would goad their enemies into giving them a reason to strike.

Despite being generally dishonorable, Romulans would rather die than be seen as a disgrace. For this reason, infants born with defects were frequently put to death. Most Romulans held that they were the most superior of the humanoid species -- this idea resulted in xenophobic tendencies. It was also because of this that Romulans tended to avoid selling their combat skills.

### Government

The highly structured and militaristic nature of Romulan society meant that rank, either military or political, controlled social standing. This created a very strict caste system, with slaves -- typically Remans -- on the bottom rung.

Though Romulans were once ruled over by an Empress, eventually the government shifted. The highest ranks within the leadership were in the Romulan Senate, with the Praetor -- who headed the Continuing Committee -- being the single most powerful and highest ranking Romulan.

The Tal Shiar -- an intelligence organization and secret police -- also held a substantial amount of power in Romulan society. They used brutal tactics to ensure cooperation, obedience, and stability within the Romulan Star Empire. Many Romulans believed merely expressing a dissenting opinion would be enough to earn the Tal Shiar's wrath. The Romulan military was not always appreciative of the Tal Shiar, and a great deal of tension existed between the two organizations.

### Crime & Punishment

Romulans practiced capital punishment for crimes long after it had been abandoned by most civilized species. Their means of execution was notably unpleasant -- both slow and painful. Romulans accused of a crime were permitted a Right of Statement.

Because of the strictness of punishment, and because law enforcement frequently masqueraded as ordinary citizens in order to catch people expressing dissent against the government, Romulans tended to be paranoid.

### Language

The phrase "Jolan tru" is commonly uttered in polite conversation, though its meaning and intent has never been able to be translated. It is, perhaps, a greeting and a farewell.

## Notable Members

* Kimara Cretak
* Donatra
* D'Tan
* Alidar Jarok
* Nero
* Telek R'Mor

### Hybrids

* Sela
* Simon Tarses

## Source

Romulans are derived from *Star Trek*. For canon information, please visit Memory Alpha.