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 peoples of the Arret Empire
- A distant branch of Vulcans, having departed the homeworld centuries ago following the Time of Awakening
- Biology
- 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")
- Culture
- Romulan calendar
- Romulan faith
- Romulan language
- Romulan books
- 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
- 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")
- Aristocracy known as Noble Born
- Musical instruments
- Eolh iarr'voi (ENT Novel: To Brave the Storm)
- Palm-sized equivalent similar to a harmonica (ENT Novel: To Brave the Storm)
- Eolh iarr'voi (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")