Movies - TV
Star Trek: TNG’s New Romulan Design Started A Series-Long Feud
By DEVIN MEENAN
Although the Romulans first appeared in the original “Star Trek” series, they were reintroduced in “The New Generation” with a new design, which included a ridged forehead.
According to the book “Star Trek: The Next Generation 365,” makeup artist Michael Westmore did this to distinguish them from Vulcans and make them more “threatening.”
However, writer Ronald D. Moore disagreed with Westmore’s design because it went against the lore that explained that the Romulans and Vulcans were closely related.
In addition to disliking the new physical design, Moore also hated the Romulans’ new extra-padded outfits, believing they made them look less threatening.
He shared, “Big shoulder pads, the quilting. They were just dopey. And [executive producer] Rick [Berman] would defend them. It became this whole weird in-house political thing.”
Moore continued, “We’d say, ‘Can’t we just get new uniforms for them?’ And he’d say, ‘We established them before any of you people were on the show, so...’”