Romulan

• Appearance: Mammalian; skin tones range from sallow green to dark brown, ears slightly pointed
• Homeworld: Romulus
  • Originally Vulcan
  • Major offworld populations: Throughout the Romulan Star Empire
• Distantly related to the Zami
  • Descendant of the Sargonians of the Arret Empire via the Sargonian diaspora (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow"; TOS Novel: Ex Machina)
• A distant branch of Vulcans, having departed the homeworld centuries ago following the Time of Awakening
• Biological notes
  • Copper-based blood
  • Largely identical biology and biochemistry to Vulcans
    • Genetic drift has made them differentiable with careful scanning
    • Most significant difference is that Romulans lack the telepathic talents of Vulcans
    • Prominent brow ridges also common amongst Romulans, very rare amongst Vulcans
  • Chocolate functions as a mild intoxicant (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
    • Chocolate often imported by aristocracy as a minor vice as a result (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
• Cultural notes
  • Romulan calendar
  • Romulan faith
  • Romulan language
  • Romulan food
  • Romulan games
  • Romulans, as with Vulcans, consider danger associated with green, safety with orange (ENT Novel: The Good That Men Do)
    • • Derived from the fact that their blood is naturally green, and plant life was extremely rare on Vulcan, giving little-to-no innate association between nature and green
    • As a result, status displays use a green/orange color scheme rather than the more common Human red/green scheme (ENT Novel: The Good That Men Do)
  • Romulan citizens expected to carry an honor blade (dathe'anofv-sen), with which they are to take their own life (or the life of another) should honor demand it of them (ENT Novel: The Good That Men Do, Kobayashi Maru, To Brave the Storm; TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
  • Most Romulan products illegal in the Federation due to trade sanctions
    • Sanctions lifted during Dominion War during Federation/Klingon/Romulan alliance (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")
    • Sanctions restored by 2379 following the end of the war, end of diplomatic relations (Star Trek: Nemesis)
  • Non-Romulan citizens of the Romulan Star Empire unofficially referred to as "redbloods" (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
    • Considered offensive, in official disfavor, but widely used amongst the populace (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
  • Class divisions
    • Aristocracy known as Noble Born (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
      • Noble families known as the Hundred (TNG Novel: Death in Winter)
        • The one hundred clans whose lineage and wealth date back nearly to start of the empire (TNG Novel: Death in Winter)
      • Regardless of position, members of respected families, when in the presence of highly-positioned figures, expected to be introduced as a matter of dignity (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
      • Engineering study generally discouraged amongst Noble Born by Romulan Senate (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
        • Pushed so as to avert feuding clans in the Empire from having detailed knowledge of dangerous technology that could lead to civil war (TNG Short Story: "Turncoats")
  • Musical instruments
    • Eolh iarr'voi (ENT Novel: To Brave the Storm)
      • Palm-sized equivalent similar to a harmonica (ENT Novel: To Brave the Storm)
  • Funerary customs
    • The deceased are to be cremated within one eisae (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
    • Remains stored in tibulec (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
      • Ceramic vessel approximately 0.5m tall (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
    • Public "ceremony of respect" (animaur'olhao) serves to memorialize the deceased (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
    • Those especially close to the deceased may perform the right of pizan'ris (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
      • Quiet series of particular motions and chants (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
    • Those who gave their life in service to the Praetor have that fact indicated on their tibulec with a military seal fused to its body (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)
    • Custom descends from similar funerary customs from old Vulcan traditions (ENT Novel: Kobayashi Maru)

History

• c.4th century: The subculture that would become Romulans voluntarily exiled themselves from Vulcan, traveling across space and eventually reaching Romulus and Remus
• c.19th century: "First contact" with Vulcans
  • Beginning of the Vulcan-Romulan War
• 2152: First contact with Humans; Enterprise NX-01 (ENT: "Minefield")