Thomas Ryder
Daystrom Institute
The origin of the distinctive ridged forehead seen in the Romulan species is a topic of much debate. When those under the banner of the Raptor, what would become a feared symbol throughout the Alpha Quadrant, split from their Vulcan brothers due to vast ideological differences they only varied in terms of ideologies. Millennia later, the two species share only a few similarities. While many other papers exist that go into great detail about other aspects of Romulan physiology very few have attempted to identify the reasons for the distinctive ridged foreheads. Numerous theories exist and a number are plausible explanations.
While Romulan physiology has already been covered and is widely known, a refresher will help with understanding and ranking these theories. Romulans are humanoid and bipedal, following the vast majority of known sentient species. Physical appearances include pointed ears and dark hair colors (Brown to black range, although accounts of dyed hair exist), upturned eyebrows and dark eye colors round out the face. Skin color is varied depending on house lineage. Moving past physical appearances, Romulans possess excellent strength and stamina in relation to height and weight. Their blood is copper based, giving it a greenish tint. The average Romulan lifespan is 180 years.
The first theory considered states that the ridged foreheads developed through evolution. A number of problems exist with this theory. The first: time. Evolution is a slow process, and Romulans broke off from Vulcans less than 2 millennia ago. A dominant trait like ridged foreheads would take more than an 8-10 generation cycle to become so prominent. Second, evolution promotes traits that give an advantage over competitors. Survival of the fittest as it’s more commonly known. Ridged foreheads have no such advantage in Romulan history. One could argue that those without ridged foreheads were outcast by greater Romulan society, but no historical basis for that exists and Romulans without ridged foreheads, while rare, still exist in Romulan society. If evolution was at work ridged foreheads would still be a rare and recessive trait in Romulan society.
The second theory indicates that early Romulan culture believed in marking themselves for a variety of reasons. Showing independence from their Vulcan cousins or as part of combat rituals are thought to be the two most common reasons. At first glance this theory makes sense. However, changes done to the physical body have absolutely no effect on the genotype of the individual. An everyday example of this is tattoos. They are not passed down to children because the DNA was not altered. The same is true for body modifications on a larger scale. What would change the genotype is direct genetic manipulation. This type of manipulation would not require the drastic time factors involved in evolution and would ensure the trait is based down. Unfortunately, it’s hard to prove this was done. A large portion of the population would need to have their DNA altered for the changes to take hold and become dominant and no such evidence exists, nor were the Romulans able to achieve this for much of their history.
Direct genetic manipulation was mentioned above, but that is not the only type of genetic manipulation that exists. Indirect genetic manipulation also occurs, through interbreeding. For an example of this two species can be studied. Homo Sapiens, and Homo Neanderthalis. The two species coexisted during rugged ice age conditions 62,000 years ago on Earth, yet homo-neanderthalis vanished and modern humans emerged the sole dominant species. For decades Earth historians believed Neanderthals were wiped out through warfare, but new evidence in the early 21st century suggested a much more peaceful solution. The two species were capable of interbreeding, and the dominant traits held by modern humans slowly pushed out those of the Neanderthals.
This took place over tens of thousands of years, so how does this relate to the Romulans? The heart of the Star Empire centered on Romulus and Remus, along with the species of Remans, now considered a sub-species of Romulans. However, new evidence suggests this was not always the case. Early Romulans settlers to the area would have encountered a large population of Remans. Interbreeding during the short time frame, along with a combination of evolutionary factors, can explain the formation of ridges.
In summary, neither evolution nor interbreeding can account for ridged foreheads independently, but working in concert with each other, the formation of this trait is possible. The interbreeding period was small enough for only a few select traits to manifest, and evolution and adaptation laid the groundwork.
((After a conversation on Romulans, I decided to write this up. I browsed the web for some popular theories and set about arguing for or against them. Consider this article widely released IC'ly. I'm hoping it serves as a conversation point and an interesting read both IC'ly and OOC'ly. The author, Thomas Ryder, is one of my alts.))