Star Trek 101: Romulans and Remans

Today, we share Star Trek 101: A Practical Guide to Who, What, Where, And Why's file on the differences between Romulans and Remans, as first explored in Star Trek Generations.

Romulus and Remus are sister planets within the same system. You’d think that would make the “sister” species who inhabit those worlds neighborly... but, no. Romulus is your typical alien world, which is to say, habitable. Remus, on the other hand, is a nasty place: unbearably hot on one side of the planet, unbearably cold on the other. It’s a hell of a place — literally — to grow up. About the only thing the planet is good for is mining, and for many years the dominant Romulans have forced the Remans to live under brutal conditions and work the mines. Well, what goes around, comes around. The Remans eventually rise up against their Romulan oppressors and kill everyone in the Romulan Senate.

In terms of appearance, Romulans look like their Vulcan ancestors. Remans have gray skin, cadaverous frames, and catlike ears — in fact, the resemblance to Nosferatu is uncanny.

Star Trek 101 introduces Star Trek newcomers to the basic foundations and elements of the franchise, and refreshes the memories of longtime Trek fans. We're pulling our entries from the book Star Trek 101: A Practical Guide to Who, What, Where, And Why, written by Terry J. Erdmann & Paula M. Block and published in 2008 by Pocket Books. An invaluable resource, it encompasses Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as the first ten Trek feature films.

Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann are coauthors of numerous books about the entertainment industry, including Star Trek 101; Star Trek Costumes: Fifty Years of Fashion from the Final Frontier; Star Trek: The Original Series 365; and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion. They currently are writing the latest in their series of Ferengi novellas, which (so far) includes Lust’s Latinum Lost (and Found); and Rules of Accusation. As noted, their most recent non-Trek book is Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History.