romulan woman star trek

Joanne Linville

Series: TOS

Character(s): Romulan Commander

Joanne Linville played the Romulan commander in the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode “The Enterprise Incident”. As such, she was the first actress to play a female Romulan in the Star Trek franchise, and it may be this role for which she is most well-known. According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Linville was asked to reprise her role as the Romulan commander for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Face of the Enemy”, but was unavailable.

Like what you see? Buy us a Coffee!

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Climate 100
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Joanne Linville: First woman to play a Romulan commander in Star Trek

After stealing spock’s heart in the 1960s series, the prolific performer went on to have many roles on the small screen, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Joanne Linville, who has died aged 93, was an American actor who created a place for herself in the hearts of sci-fi fans by playing the commander of a Romulan vessel and bringing romance into the life of Leonard Nimoy’s usually emotionally detached Spock in Star Trek .

She was the first female Romulan – humanoid cousins of Vulcans – in the series and appears to stir up trouble between Spock, the USS Enterprise’s half-Vulcan first officer, and his captain, James T Kirk (William Shatner), after their starship vessel strays into Romulan space in a 1968 episode “The Enterprise Incident”.

Linville’s character, who has pointy ears like Spock’s, tries to entice him into siding with his Romulan cousins by using flattery, insisting that 18 years of service with Starfleet entitles him to captain his own ship – and she wants him to command the Enterprise, taking it back with her to Romulus.

But, as she goes to change out of her uniform, promising to “transform into a woman” and spend some time in her chamber with him, it emerges that Spock and Kirk are acting under orders from the Federation – an alliance of planetary governments – to steal a Romulan cloaking device.

This betrayal presented Linville with the chance to slap Nimoy across the face before ordering his execution – only for him to be beamed back aboard the Enterprise while holding on to her. Their eventual parting comes with an acknowledgement that they have shared something that will remain their secret.

Having made an impression on viewers, Lanville was later asked to reprise her role in a 1993 episode of the TV sequel Star Trek: The Next Generation , but she was unavailable to appear.

Beverly Joanne Linville was born in Bakersfield, California, in 1928 to Mary (nee Lee) and Joe Linville, who worked in the oil industry, and was raised in Venice, California.

After moving to Long Beach and attending high school there, she worked as an oral surgeon’s assistant. She then sought to fulfil her acting ambitions by moving to New York and training with Stella Adler, who taught the “method” technique at her Theatre Studio.

To pay her way through drama school, Linville took work as a dancer, which she appeared as in the 1950 film Copper Canyon , starring Ray Milland and Hedy Lamarr.

Her training as an actor coincided with the heyday of live television and she found herself in demand for plays featured in the burgeoning anthology series.

“Those days were gruelling,” Linville recalled. “They were exciting, demanding and often hysterical, but there’s nothing to equal them.”

Among her noted roles were the title character “Gwyneth”, a soprano singer who is the obsession of two brothers in a Welsh mining community, in an episode of US series The Kaiser Aluminium Hour in 1956 (her first of several pre- Star Trek appearances alongside William Shatner) and a widowed Southern belle plotting her revenge against the Union soldier who killed her husband in the American Civil War in the Twilight Zone story “The Passersby” (1961).

There were also character parts in episodes of popular series such as Dr Kildare (in 1962), The Fugitive and Bonanza (both in 1966) before Linville appeared in Star Trek .

She continued as a prolific guest performer on American television and had occasional film roles, such as the gunned-down wife of Burt Lancaster’s CIA operative in the 1973 action thriller Scorpio , the cheated-on second wife of Clark Gable (played by James Brolin) in Gable and Lombard (1976) and the agent of Kris Kristofferson’s self-destructive rock star in A Star Is Born (1976).

In 1985, she teamed up with Irene Gilbert to open the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting (later renamed the Stella Adler Academy of Acting), a Los Angeles base to teach her mentor’s acting techniques. Its successful students included Salma Hayek and Mark Ruffalo.

She also wrote a book, Joanne Linville’s Seven Steps to an Acting Craft , in 2011.

Linville’s 1962 marriage to Mark Rydell, an actor who turned to producing and directing, ended in divorce 11 years later. She is survived by their children, Christopher, who played an alien astronaut in a 2002 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise , and Amy, who followed in her mother’s footsteps by taking the role of a Romulan commander, this time in an episode of the Star Trek Continues web series.

Joanne Linville, actor, born 15 January 1928, died 20 June 2021

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

The History Of The Romulans, And Their Place In The Star Trek Universe

"Star Trek" is home to countless alien races, but few have as enduring a presence in the franchise as the Romulans. They're the most persistent adversaries of the Federation, so much so that blue-tinted Romulan Ale remains under trade embargo. This hostility makes it all the more ironic that they resemble humanity's first alien allies, the Vulcans , sharing their pointed ears and arched eyebrows.

The in-universe origin of the Romulans is that they were Vulcans, millennia ago. In that distant past, the Vulcans were a warlike people, far from the cold logicians that fans know. That changed when (in Earth's 4th century), the philosopher Surak taught his people to embrace logic and master their emotions. Not all Vulcans accepted Surak's teachings; "Those Who March Beneath The Raptor's Wings" were eventually exiled from Vulcan. These dissident Vulcans settled on the twin planets Romulus and Remus, evolving into the Romulans and personifying a violent path not taken by their Vulcan cousins.

"Star Trek" is big on allegory — the interstellar powers represent the geopolitics of the 20th century. The Federation is the United States of America, a democracy of many member states. As the Federation's most pressing rival, the Klingon Empire is the Soviet Union. The Romulan Star Empire is China, a "sleeping dragon" superpower.

So, why have the Romulans endured as a crucial part of "Star Trek" history — and what does their role in that history look like?

Romulans in the Original Series

The Romulans were created by writer Paul Schneider, debuting in the season 1 episode "Balance of Terror." The episode features the Enterprise reacting to the destruction of outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone; the culprit is a Romulan ship armed with a cloaking device. The Romulans flee back home while the Enterprise pursues its invisible quarry in a cat-and-mouse game.

This episode established the Romulan Star Empire had fought humanity in a devastating war a century ago. The war ended with a Neutral Zone established between the two parties' territories. Notably, no human had ever seen a Romulan in this time (or at least, no human who survived to tell about it). That means the Enterprise crew is stunned when they discover their adversaries are identical to Vulcans. The Romulans' exact backstory isn't spelled out, but Spock (Leonard Nimoy) speculates they are a Vulcan offshoot who retained his ancestors' warlike ways.

Schneider modeled the Romulans on the Romans; their twin homeworlds are named for the mythical founders of Rome and they employ ranks like "Centurion." Interviewed for "The Captains' Logs" by authors Edward Gross and Mark Altman , Schneider explained: "I came up with the concept of the Romulans which was an extension of the Roman civilization to the point of space travel, and it turned out quite well."

The Romulans' ship, dubbed a "Bird of Prey" due to the hawk painted on its underbelly, also created an association between the Romulans and birds. By "Star Trek: The Next Generation," their imperial insignia had evolved into a stylized raptor. Their ancestors' moniker, "Those Who March Beneath The Raptor's Wings," was probably extrapolated from this connection too by writer André Bormanis (the name first appears in "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode, "Awakening," written by Bormanis).

Further appearances

"Balance of Terror" is one of the most acclaimed episodes of "Star Trek: The Original Series." It was even semi-remade for the season 1 finale of "Strange New Worlds," titled "A Quality of Mercy." The unnamed Romulan Commander (played by Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Spock's father, Sarek) is an especially well-remembered villain, predating Khan Noonien Singh as the first worthy adversary of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise. Even with his last words, he retains dignity and honor: "I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

Despite this dynamite debut, the Romulans made only two more appearances in "The Original Series." They are the antagonists of the season 2 episode "The Deadly Years," about the Enterprise crew succumbing to premature aging. However, only their ships are seen, not the Romulans themselves. They make a second and final onscreen appearance in season 3's "The Enterprise Incident" ( written by the legendary D.C. Fontana ). In this episode, Spock seduces a Romulan commander (Joanne Linville) while Kirk poses as a Romulan officer to steal her ship's cloaking device.

According to "The Art of Star Trek" by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, "Romulans were originally intended to be more of an ongoing threat to the crew of the Enterprise, but the make-up requirements proved too expensive. Klingons were cheaper." Note how, in "Balance of Terror" and "The Enterprise Incident," Romulan extras often wear ear-concealing helmets — an easy way to bypass make-up expenses.

The Romulans had only minor roles in the six theatrical "Star Trek" films featuring the original cast. They were rejected as villains of the third film, "The Search for Spock," again in favor of the Klingons (this is why the Klingons in that film have a cloaked ship called a Bird of Prey).

The Rihannsu

During the 1980s, the Romulans took center-stage in "Rihannsu," a five-novel series written primarily by Diane Duane (Peter Morwood co-authored the second, "The Romulan Way.") Published from 1984 to 2006, the novels invented a culture and language for the Romulans wholesale; they are technically not "Trek" canon but remain acclaimed for their world-building.

"Rihannsu" ("The Declared") is the Romulans' native name for themselves, akin to how German people call their nation "Deutschland," the Japanese call theirs "Nippon," etc. They are driven by "D'era," an expansionist impulse akin to Manifest Destiny, and "Mnhei'sahe" (ruling passion), a complex code of conduct that is foremost a rejection of the Vulcan system of logic.

"Mnhei'sahe" is weighed by one's personal strength and devotion to the Empire. Romulans seek power not for personal benefit per se, but because greater power serves the Empire. Selflessness is an alien concept to the Romulans; do things for the sake of your own Mnhei'sahe and others will benefit in the process. "Mnhei'sahe" spreads its claws even into simple Romulan social interactions, where the ideal outcome is for both parties to depart with their honor intact.

Much of Duane's other additions are inferences based on "Balance of Terror" and "The Enterprise Incident." Akin to Rome, the Romulans are an Oligarchic Republic; a Praetor is elected by the Senate itself, not the people at large. "The Enterprise Incident" showed a Romulan woman with a high military rank. So, "Rihannsu" gave the Romulan society a matriarchial tilt; a Romulan's family lineage is derived from their mother, not their father.

Much of "Rihannsu" is a holdover from the suggestion in "Star Trek: The Original Series" that Romulans were a warrior culture. For instance, their society has a semi-feudal system with a strong emphasis on family affiliation. Canon material would take a different path, showing Romulans as militant but not exactly honorable.

The Next Generation

In "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the Klingons were now good guys (mostly). They also became the go-to warrior race of "Star Trek"; Klingon society took on Viking and Samurai characteristics, where war, personal honor, and feudal affiliation were everything.

The Romulans became less and less the noble Roman-esque adversaries that Schneider had conceived of, with "TNG" instead highlighting their duplicity (with the cloaking devices) and isolationism. Thus, the stereotypical traits of Romulans became paranoia, deception, and xenophobia.

The Romulans were reintroduced in "TNG" season 1 finale, "The Neutral Zone," where it's said they had stayed out of galactic affairs for much of the 24th century. The episode (where several of their colonies are destroyed by the to-be-revealed Borg) awakens them. Creator Gene Roddenberry had initially not wanted to use the Romulans, but poor reception to the Ferengi meant the Federation needed a new adversary. Thus, the Romulans became the most frequent alien antagonist in the series; the Federation and Klingons were united as their enemies. Recurring Romulan villains included Tomalak (Andreas Katsulas) and Sela (Denise Crosby).

The most notable additions to the Romulans in "TNG" included V-shaped forehead ridges (dimorphic evolution from their Vulcan cousins), the D'deridex Class (enormous green warships descended from the Birds-of-Prey from "The Original Series"), and the Tal Shiar, Romulus' secret police.

Romulan highlights in "TNG" include "The Defector" (a Romulan military officer defects to the Federation) and "Reunification" (where Ambassador Spock has begun a push on Romulus for the two peoples to be one again).

The Next Generation (cont'd)

The Romulans weren't as prominent in "Deep Space Nine" as in "The Next Generation," but that series featured them finally uniting with the Federation. While the Federation and Klingons fight a losing war with the expansionist Dominion, the Romulans initially stay on the sidelines.

In the season 6 episode, "In The Pale Moonlight," Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Garak (Andrew Robinson) falsify evidence of the Dominion's plans to invade Romulus and try to sway Senator Vreenak (Stephen McHattie). When their deception is revealed, Garak (with Sisko none the wiser until it's done) pulls a move the Romulans would be proud of: he assassinates Vreenak and frames the Dominion. Thus, the Romulans join the war as allies, and remain so until the series' end.

The Romulans finally got a silver screen spotlight in "Star Trek: Nemesis," the final "TNG" theatrical film. The Romulan Senate is assassinated by a bio-weapon and a new Praetor, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), seizes power. It turns out Shinzon is a failed clone of Picard, the product of an aborted spying operation. The biggest wrinkle "Nemesis" introduces to the Romulans is the Remans. Playing on the pre-established twin planets Romulus and Remus, the grey-skinned Remans are a slave race, toiling as forced laborers and shock troops.

The film skimps on the details of Reman history, so viewers can surmise they evolved on Remus and were subjugated by the Romulans. However, the novel trilogy "Vulcan's Soul" by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz builds on the Remans displaying telepathy like the Vulcans (which the Romulans have always lacked). In this telling, the Remans were Vulcan exiles who refused to give up their telepathy and so were oppressed by the future Romulans; their appearance stems from the poor living conditions on Remus.

Looking to the past

"Star Trek: Enterprise" was a prequel set in the 22nd century, beginning before first contact between humans and Romulans. That event was depicted in the season 2 episode "Minefield," when the Enterprise stumbles into Romulan territory and is disabled by a cloaked minefield. True to canon, only the Romulans' ships are seen in the episode.

The Romulans finally took a larger role in season 4. The three-parter, "The Forge/Awakening/Kir'Shara" was about a Vulcan conspiracy to invade the Andorians. The ending revealed that Vulcan Administrator V'Las (Robert Foxworth) was in league with the Romulans and secretly working towards reunification. A subsequent three-parter, "Babel One/United/The Aenar," featured the Romulans as the explicit villains. A Romulan drone-ship, equipped with a holographic projector and controlled by Admiral Valore (Brian Thompson), attacked ships throughout the Alpha Quadrant to ferment dissent (the story begins with it destroying an Andorian ship while disguised as a Tellarite one, it later destroys a Rigellian freighter while disguised as Enterprise, etc.). However, the attacks only wind up bringing the targeted races together.

"Enterprise" established a firm timeframe for the Earth-Romulan War: 2156 to 2160. Moreover, the war was revealed as the event that brought the Federation together; Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites united in a military alliance against Romulan expansionism and never broke apart. The Romulans' increased presence in season 4 was building up to the war, but unfortunately, "Enterprise" was canceled before subsequent seasons could depict it. Thus, the Earth-Romulan War remains undepicted onscreen, confined to novels "Beneath The Raptor's Wings" and "To Brave The Storm" (both by Michael A. Martin).

The home world destroyed

Romulans were again the villains of a "Star Trek" film in director JJ Abrams' eponymous reboot. In the year 2387, Romulus and Remus are destroyed when their star goes supernova, shattering the Empire. Spock manages to contain the explosion with the substance Red Matter, opening a wormhole that sends him back in time to the 23rd century. Following him is the Romulan mining vessel the Narada, captained by vengeful Captain Nero (Eric Bana) — his name is another allusion to ancient Rome . 

The Narada's presence creates an alternate timeline; Nero and his men destroy Vulcan with Red Matter before being defeated themselves. Nero and the Narada's crew stand out from other Romulans thanks to their shaved heads and tattoos; the admittedly non-canon comic "Star Trek: Countdown" suggests this is part of a mourning ritual. Normally the tattoos would fade, but Nero and his crew burnt them into their skin to ensure they'd never forget the loss of their home.

"Star Trek" returned to the "TNG" era with "Picard" and followed on from this point. It turns out that Starfleet offered to help evacuate Romulus, but after an attack on Mars, reneged on the plan; Picard himself resigned in disgust. The Romulans are far from extinct though. The Empire has collapsed into warring factions, one of which is the Romulan Free State. According to "Star Trek: Discovery," Vulcan/Romulan reunification will have become a reality by the 31st century. The groups remain culturally divided, but they again exist on the same planet, renamed from Vulcan to "Ni'var" (meaning two combined into one).

Romulan worldbuilding

Michael Chabon, showrunner of "Picard" season 1, also shared (via Medium) worldbuilding notes on the Romulans . These presumably influenced his onscreen depiction of them. Chabon writes that the Romulans are such secretive people that there is nothing more intimate to them than the truth; marriages have three participants because there must be third-party verification in everything.

The Romulan government is organized like an espionage network, with multiple competing cells, while Romulans all have four names: the common name (used for familiarity), imperial name (the state-recognized name), open name (for outsiders), and their true name (used only for close intimacy). Chabon suggests that a rumored reason for the Romulans' secrecy is the abundance of camouflaged predators on their adopted homeworld; their cloaked warbirds are modeled on a raptor whose plumage blends into the horizon.

Not all depictions of the Romulans totally align — compare Duane's Rihannsu to Chabon's Romulans. However, they all draw upon "The Original Series" and make inferences from there. "Star Trek" writers and fans aren't much different; they both take canon material and expand on it with some imagination.

"Star Trek" and its spin-offs are streaming on Paramount+.

site categories

‘snow white’ first footage shows rachel zegler crooning “whistle while you work”; teaser trailer also revealed at d23, breaking news.

Joanne Linville Dies: ‘Star Trek’ Romulan Commander & ‘Twilight Zone’ Actress With Scores Of Screen Credits Was 93

By Erik Pedersen

Erik Pedersen

Managing Editor

More Stories By Erik

2024 premiere dates for new & returning series on broadcast, cable & streaming.

• ‘Rust’ Judge Rips Prosecutors After Alec Baldwin Case Dismissal, Cites “Fundamental Unfairness” & “Misconduct”
• Sandy Bresler Dies: Jack Nicholson’s Agent For 60-Plus Years & Agency Founder Was 87

Joanne Linville , who played the Romulan commander in a memorable 1968 Star Trek   episode and had scores of other screen credits, died Sunday. She was 93. CAA made the announcement but did not disclose a cause of death.

Linville began racking up TV guest roles in the mid-1950s, appearing on such series of the era as Studio One, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Kraft Theatre  and  Playhouse 90.  She continued to guest on drama series throughout the ’60s, including such classics as  Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The F.B.I., Route 66, Ben Casey, I Spy  and a two-part  Hawaii Five-0.

Of her work in that era, she might be most recognizable as Lavinia Gordon, the owner of a ruined Southern mansion in the Civil War-themed 1961 Twilight Zone  episode titled “The Passersby,” which also starred James Gregory.

Related Stories

Showbiz & media figures we've lost in 2021 - photo gallery.

Watch on Deadline

But despite her prolific active career from the mid-’50s to the late-’80s, and included a few latter-day roles, Linville is best remembered for her role in a 1968 episode of the original Star Trek. “The Enterprise Incident”   is one of the few times Leonard Nimoy’s Spock character Spock romanced a woman. Linville played a powerful Romulan commander who is drawn to and ultimately seduced by the Vulcan’s charms. She discovers too late that Spock’s attentions are a ruse so that Captain Kirk can steal the fabled Romulan cloaking device, which renders ships invisible.

Linville continued to work steadily in TV throughout the 1970s and ’80s. While never a series regular, she appeared on some of those decades’ most popular shows:  Columbo, Kojak, Charlie’s Angels, CHiPs, Dynasty and L.A. Law.

Born Beverly Joanne Linville on January 15, 1928, in Bakersfield, CA, she grew up in Venice, CA. The actress also had some film roles during her long career including A Star Is Born (1976), Scorpio (1973) and  The Seduction  (1982).

During the 1980s, she and her teacher Stella Adler started an acting conservancy under the latter’s name, and Linville also authored the 2011 book Seven Steps to an Acting Craft.

Linville was married to  On Golden Pond director Mark Rydell from 1962-73 and was the great-grandmother of actress Billie Lourd and Austen Rydell’s son, Kingston. Along with the four of them, she is survived by her children Christopher and Amy, and grandchildren Ruby and Ginger.

Tom Tapp contributed to this report.

Must Read Stories

Ryan vs. blake: ‘it ends with us’ eyes $40m range; ‘deadpool’ to stay no. 1.

Todd Haynes’ Gay Romance Movie No More After Joaquin Phoenix Exit

Oscars race begins as academy screening room opens: here’s what’s in there, michelle monaghan picks ‘steel magnolias’ for the film that lit my fuse, read more about:, subscribe to deadline.

Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.

13 Comments

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Star Trek (TV Series)

The enterprise incident (1968), joanne linville: romulan commander.

• Photos (22)
• Quotes (13)

Photos 

Quotes 

Romulan Commander : We were not aware of Vulcans aboard the Enterprise.

Spock : Starfleet is not in the habit of informing Romulans of its ship's personnel.

Romulan Commander : It is unworthy of a Vulcan to resort to subterfuge.

Spock : You're being clever, Commander. That is unworthy of a Romulan.

Romulan Commander : [to Spock]  If you'll give me a moment. The soldier will transform herself... into a woman.

Romulan Commander : Romulan women are not like Vulcan females. We're not dedicated to... pure logic, and the sterility of non-emotion. Our people are warriors. Often savage. But we are also many other pleasant things.

Captain James T. Kirk : What earns Spock your special interest?

Romulan Commander : He is a Vulcan. Our forebears had the same roots and origins. Something you wouldn't understand, Captain. We can appreciate the Vulcans, our distant brothers.

Romulan Commander : It was your choice.

Spock : It was the only choice possible. You would not respect any other.

Spock : It is regrettable that you were made an unwilling passenger. It was not intentional. All the Federation wanted was the cloaking device.

Romulan Commander : The Federation. And what did you want?

Spock : It was my only interest when I boarded your vessel.

Romulan Commander : And that's exactly all you came away with.

Spock : You underestimate yourself, Commander.

Romulan Commander : I neglected to mention. I'll expect you for dinner. We have much to discuss.

Spock : Indeed.

Romulan Commander : Allow me to... to rephrase. Will you join me for dinner?

Spock : I am honored, Commander. Are the guards also invited?

Romulan Commander : There's no force that I can use on a Vulcan that will make him speak. That is a fact. But there are Romulan methods completely effective against Humans, and Human weaknesses.

Spock : You would not resort to them, Commander. They would prove ineffective against the Captain.

Romulan Commander : Then they will leave him dead. Or what might be worse than dead.

[the Romulan commander has accused Kirk of espionage] 

Captain James T. Kirk : We were not spying, Commander.

Romulan Commander : Your language has always been most difficult for me, Captain. Perhaps you have another word for it.

Captain James T. Kirk : Commander, you'll forgive me if I put up a fight.

Romulan Commander : Of course. It's expected.

[Spock has deceived the Romulan commander to help steal the Romulans' cloaking device] 

Romulan Commander : You must be mad.

Spock : I assure you, I am quite sane.

Romulan Commander : Why would you do this to me? What are you that you could do this?

Spock : First Officer of the Enterprise.

[the Romulan commander realizes that Spock has betrayed her and slaps him] 

Spock : [dispassionately]  What is your present form of execution?

Romulan Commander : You are a superior being. Why do you not command?

Spock : I do not desire a ship of my own.

Romulan Commander : Or is it that no one has offered you, a Vulcan, that opportunity?

Spock : Such opportunities are extremely rare.

Romulan Commander : For someone with your capabilities and accomplishments, opportunities are made. And will be. I will see to that, if you'll stop looking on the Federation as the whole universe. It is not, you know.

Spock : That thought has occasionally crossed my mind.

Release Dates | Official Sites | Company Credits | Filming & Production | Technical Specs

• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos
• User Reviews
• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

The Untold Truth Of Star Trek's Romulans

Star Trek   gives good bad guy. Since  Star Trek: The Original Series'  ( TOS)  premiere in 1966, Gene Roddenberry and his colleagues have brought us lots of memorable recurring antagonists. There are the warlike Klingons, the trickster Q, and the relentless Borg — but before most of  Trek 's repeat villains came the Romulans. 

Only appearing in a few of the original series' episodes and making minor appearances in the original crew's films, the Romulans were nonetheless remembered when the  Trek  franchise was revived with  Star Trek: The Next Generation   ( TNG ). For most of their time onscreen, the Romulans have been Cold War -like opponents. They plot, they assassinate, and they threaten, but they rarely make open war on Starfleet. But when they do open fire? Well, nine times out of ten, the Romulans only let slip the proverbial dogs of war after their work in the shadows has made their victory seemingly inevitable. 

Unlike Starfleet, the Romulan military and secret agents have few moral qualms about dealing with other species, and their mercilessness helps breed paranoia within their ranks. They'll do anything to get ahead, and assume everyone they meet is just as willing. Their paranoia sometimes proves more than accurate, as even some of the most idealistic members of Starfleet have taken a break from their usual ethical high ground when dealing with the sons and daughters of Romulus. 

For more about one of  Star Trek 's oldest powers, keep reading for the untold truth of the Romulans.

Their creation was inspired by ancient Rome

According to commentary on the  TOS  season 1 Blu-ray, the idea for the Romulans came from writer Paul Schneider, who wanted worthy adversaries for Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and was inspired by the Roman Empire . 

Romulans make their first appearance in the  TOS  season 1 episode "Balance of Terror." We learn that after a bloody conflict with the Romulans, a peace treaty was forged between them and the Federation via subspace radio. The treaty establishes a neutral zone in which neither side's ships are allowed to enter. A map is displayed to the  Enterprise  crew that shows the planets Romulus and Remus on the opposite side of the zone. 

Romulus was the legendary founder of Rome. In Roman myth, Romulus and his brother Remus are born to a mortal woman, Rhea Silvia, who mates with Mars — the god of war. Left for dead by their uncle Amulius' servants, the twins are saved by a wolf. They're eventually raised by shepherds and, upon growing to adulthood and learning the truth about who they are, they kill their uncle and seek a place to start their own kingdom. There are different versions of how it happens, but at some point in the tale Romulus usually kills Remus in a dispute over where their new kingdom is to be founded. 

Considering the treachery and violence we've seen the Romulans are capable of, if nothing else Schneider picked fitting names for their worlds. 

Romulans are an offshoot of Vulcans

When the  Enterprise  first encounters Romulans, they're the first humans to actually see the race, and their physical similarities to Vulcans leaves some crew members questioning Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) loyalty. Their similar features aren't a coincidence — Romulans are an offshoot of the Vulcan species.

Centuries before the events of Star Trek  when the Vulcans begin to purge their emotions in pursuit of pure logic, not everyone plays ball. Some Vulcans reject the new ideas, and after a bloody war they leave to create their own society on Romulus and Remus. 

Romulans, however, are not   just Vulcans on a different planet. Millenia of genetic drift created many subtle variations in their physiological makeup. They still share pointed ears, but there are some obvious differences, like the prominent ridges on Romulans' foreheads. There are less obvious differences too, which Dr. Crusher learns in the  TNG  episode "The Enemy," when she unsuccessfully tries to heal an injured Romulan by treating him as if he were a Vulcan.

Predictably there are Romulans like TNG 's Sela (Denise Crosby) who feel nothing but contempt for Vulcans. But some feel a strong kinship toward their less passionate cousins. In the  TOS  episode "The Enterprise Incident," the Romulan Commander (Joanne Linville) admires and and is attracted to Spock. In the  TNG  two-parter "Unification," it's feared that Spock has defected to Romulus, when in fact he's there meeting the members of a growing movement of Romulans who wish to reunite with their Vulcan ancestors. 

One of the first onscreen Romulans was Spock's dad... kind of

If you're more familiar with the original crew movies than with  TOS , or more familiar with  TNG , then you may be surprised to learn who played the first onscreen Romulan Commander: Mark Lenard, who would later appear in "Journey to Babel" as Spock's father Sarek. Lenard reprised the role of Sarek in  TNG , in a number of the original crew movies, and even lent his voice to Sarek in  Star Trek: The Animated Series . But before he played Sarek, he played the unnamed Romulan Commander in "The Balance of Terror." 

Speaking to  Starlog  (via MyStarTrekScrapbook ) in 1984, Lenard said the Romulan Commander role was the second time he'd gone up for a part on  TOS . And while the second time proved the charm as far as getting on the series was concerned, it would take a third try before he got to meet any of the series regulars. In "Balance of Terror," all of the communication between his character and the  Enterprise  crew takes place on a viewscreen, so there was never any need for him to be in the same space. It wasn't until he returned as Sarek that he was able to meet the intrepid crew.

Lenard wasn't the only Romulan in that episode to return later as a Vulcan. Lawrence Montaigne, who plays the ambitious Romulan officer Decius in "Balance of Terror," returns as the Vulcan Stonn in season 2's "Amok Time." 

The Romulans boast a number of secret cabals

One of the reasons so many Romulans remain loyal to their government is the Tal Shiar — a powerful secret police that conducts clandestine operations both inside the Romulan Empire and against Romulus' rivals. They kidnap, torture, assassinate, and don't lose much sleep over any of it. 

The Tal Shiar is first mentioned in  TNG but becomes more visible in  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ( DS9 ), when we witness how resilient the organization is. In the two-part DS9  story spanning "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast," the Tal Shiar join forces with the Cardassians' secret police — the Obsidian Order — in a sneak attack on the Dominion. The whole thing turns out to be a trap and their fleet is decimated. The events wipe out the Obsidian Order and help lead to the overthrow of the Cardassian government. The Tal Shiar, on the other hand, are still one of the most powerful parts of the Romulan government when we meet their leader Koval (John Fleck) in the  DS9 s eason 7 episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges."

More recently in  Star Trek: Picard ,   we learn the Tal Shiar is a part of an older organization called the Zhat Vash — something so secret some Tal Shiar members believe it's a myth. The Zhat Vash is dedicated to wiping out all synthetic life, and it's embedded in governments all over the galaxy, including the highest ranks of Starfleet.

A favorite episode proves Starfleet isn't above using Romulan tactics

The Romulans are often depicted as unduly paranoid in contrast to the well-intentioned heroes of Starfleet. In a fan-favorite episode –  DS9 's "In the Pale Moonlight" — Starfleet proves that sometimes the Romulans should  be paranoid. 

Captain Ben Sisko (Avery Brooks) commits himself to convincing the Romulans to enter the war against the Dominion. He enlists the enigmatic Cardassian Garak (Andrew Robinson) to retrieve Dominion plans to invade Romulus. When that doesn't work out, Garak sells Sisko on the idea of creating a fake holographic record of the Dominion leaders discussing the invasion of Romulus. Sisko invites the Romulan Senator Vreenak (Joseph McHattie) to DS9 to show him the recording, but the senator sees through the lie. Not long after an enraged Vreenak leaves the station, we learn his ship has been destroyed and the Tal Shiar believes the Dominion is behind it. Sisko realizes Garak never meant for the fake holo-record to work, but instead always planned to assassinate Vreenak and pin it on the Dominion. Sisko is enraged and even attacks Garak in his shop, but in the end — because he's desperate to defeat the Dominion — he keeps the truth to himself. 

The entire story is told from Sisko's point of view as he reads it into a log entry. In the final moments of the episode, as soon as he finishes the tale, he orders the computer to delete it. 

Romulans make Star Trek's most famous beverage

Apparently, when Romulans aren't plotting to dominate the galaxy, they like to party. Sprinkled here and there throughout the  Trek  franchise is Romulan Ale — a  very  strong alcoholic drink that is illegal in the Federation, yet Starfleet officers keep getting their hands on it anyway. 

The first time the beverage is mentioned is in 1982's  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when Bones (DeForest Kelley) brings a bottle of it to James Kirk for his birthday. Kirk is noticeably surprised at how strong the drink is. Regardless, he somehow doesn't have a problem serving it during a diplomatic dinner aboard the  Enterprise  in 1991's  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country — a detail that is used against him and McCoy when they're framed for assassinating the Klingon Chancellor. Ben Sisko serves what appears to be replicated Romulan Ale to a Romulan senator in the  DS9  episode "In the Pale Moonlight," though the senator refers to it as "kali fal," which may or may not be the Romulan name for the blue drink. At the wedding reception for Riker and Troi in 2002's  Star Trek: Nemesis , Worf (Michael Dorn) complains that "Romulan ale should be illegal" as he nurses a headache. "It is," Geordi (Levar Burton) reminds him.

As far back as the TOS  episode "The Enterprise Incident," the Romulan Commander shares a blue drink with Spock as she's trying to seduce him, though we never hear its name. 

In 1995, they wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas

In 1995, the Romulan Empire made its first appearance on a Hallmark commercial. No you didn't misread that. Promoting a Romulan Warbird Christmas ornament, Hallmark released a commercial depicting the pointy-eared aliens kidnapping a Hallmark cashier to interrogate her about how she'd "pirated" the design of the ornament from the Romulans. 

And they didn't just get any actors to show up in costume and makeup. The cheerful cashier's interrogators are mostly  Star Trek  actors who had already played villains on at least one  Trek  series. Martha Hackett — the Romulan woman in the commercial — is probably more well known to  Trek  fans as the Cardassian Seska on  Star Trek: Voyager . But she'd also played the Romulan officer T'Rul in the two-part  DS9  episode "The Search." The introduction of the Defiant  includes a cloaking device on loan from the Romulan Empire and it's T'Rul's job to run the cloaking device and keep its secrets from Starfleet. 

Considering neither T'Rul nor any other Romulan is shown on board the  Defiant  to safeguard their cloaking secrets after "The Search," they apparently weren't any better about protecting their secrets than they are at interrogating Hallmark cashiers.

Romulans are in lots of first drafts, but fewer final drafts

When it comes to the Trek  movies, the Romulans usually play second fiddle if   they show up at all. Romulans were the chief antagonists of J.J. Abrams' 2009  Star Trek  reboot, but before that they failed to take center stage in any of the movies. The closest they got was 2002's  Star Trek: Nemesis ; their homeworld and government are important to the plot, but the main villain is Shinzon (Tom Hardy) — a clone of Picard — and a race of former slaves called the Remans. 

But it isn't for lack of trying. The Romulans were originally meant to take a larger role in a number of  Trek  films. Remember the Klingons in 1984's  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ,   led by the ruthless Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd)? According to a 2002 issue of  Star Trek: The Magazine , it was originally going to be the Romulans who clash with the  Enterprise in orbit of the Genesis planet — not Klingons. They were  originally planned as the villains for 1998's  Star Trek: Insurrection , but were ultimately replaced by the face-stretching Son'a. In Michael Piller's unpublished book Fade In , the  Trek  writer wrote that Patrick Stewart — among others — was very much against the inclusion of the Romulans, who the actor felt were "unexciting." Stewart worried that using the Romulans would make it appear as if "we just couldn't come up with any new bad guys." 

The process of turning an actor into a Romulan has evolved

The look of the Romulans, the process of creating that look, and the resources devoted to it have all changed significantly since their first appearances. In  TOS , Romulans look almost identical to Vulcans, and the cost of adding latex pointy ears to actors made them too expensive to use on background actors. On the  TOS  season 1 Blu-ray commentary, we learn that in "Balance of Terror," only two of the Romulan actors were actually given the ears while the rest of the Romulans are made to wear helmets hiding their ears.

Romulans show up a lot more once  TNG  comes around, and their reintroduction comes with a new design. Prominent brow ridges were added to Romulan prosthetics. According to the reference book  Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , this was both to make the Romulans appear more menacing and to help differentiate them from their Vulcan cousins.

As of the 2020 premiere of  Star Trek: Picard , hi-def technology changed things. On  The Ready Room  – the  Picard  after-show — prosthetic designer Vincent Van Dyke said that "every single background performer, all the way to the foreground hero characters" not only are fitted with ears, but "laced brows." Every single Romulan actor on  Picard  wears a prosthetic piece that includes eyebrows which have been painstakingly laced — one hair at a time — into the prosthetic. Long gone are the days of fitting the extras with skullcap helmets. 

In Star Trek: Picard, the Romulans become both friends and foes

One of the unique things about  Star Trek: Picard is that while it gives us plenty of Romulan villains, we also meet possibly the most sympathetic Romulan characters to ever appear in any  Trek  production.

When we find the retired Picard running his family vineyard, he's accompanied by two Romulans who treat him like nothing less than family. Laris (Orla Brady) and Zhaban (Jamie McShane) are former Tal Shiar agents who live with Picard, cook for him and — when a Zhat Vash squad comes gunning for the retired admiral — risk their lives for him. Their loyalty springs largely from Picard's efforts to evacuate the Romulan Empire. Both are fiercely protective of Picard, particularly Laris. 

At the same time, the Romulans have not all left their more villainous impulses behind. Along with Picard's Romulan friends, the newer series introduces us to the seductive Narek (Harry Treadaway), his ruthless sister Narissa (Peyton List), and the fanatical Zhat Vash whose agents have the unsettling ability to spit out a corrosive liquid that kills both themselves and anyone unlucky enough to be nearby. 

Star Trek: Picard forces 2009's Star Trek to make more sense

One of the interesting side effects of  Star Trek: Picard and its stronger focus on the Romulans is that it manages to reach back in time and force 2009's  Star Trek to make more sense. 

A lot of fans — even those who enjoyed J.J. Abrams' reinvention of the  Trek  franchise — weren't overly impressed with Eric Bana's Nero. The Romulan villain goes into the past and, among other things, destroys Vulcan. Nero does what he does purely for vengeance, to get back at the Federation for the supernova that destroyed Romulus and killed his family. To some fans, Nero's motivations didn't add up. After all, the Romulan supernova is a natural phenomenon. How could Nero blame the Federation, the Vulcans, or anyone else for not helping, particularly when you consider how hostile the Romulans have been to, well...  everyone ? 

But with  Star Trek: Picard and the backstory it presents, Nero's quest for vengeance comes into focus. In  Picard  we learn that Starfleet committed to helping evacuate the Romulan Empire and then, after the unexpected synthetic revolt on Mars, backed out of the endeavor. From Nero's point of view, it's one thing to stand by and do nothing; it's quite another to offer help and then to withdraw it at the 11th hour. It makes Nero's rage much easier to relate to, though his actions are no less monstrous. 

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Dreamlight Valley
• Lethal Company
• Monopoly Go
• Jujutsu Chronicles
• UGC Limited
• Call of Duty
• Legend of Zelda
• Ethics Policy
• Review Policy
• Privacy Policy

Top 10 Best Star Trek Female Characters, Ranked From Romulans to Illyrians

It’s not easy coming up with the  best Star Trek female characters , because there are so many to choose from. We wish we could name every one of them since there have been amazing female characters throughout the original Star Trek series, The Next Generation, and the recent Strange New Worlds. But this bodes well for the franchise, providing an excellent balance between male and female characters that’s helped elevate Star Trek beyond the confines of any world. Without further ado, let’s check out the list.

10. Romulan Commander

The first time the Federation’s deadliest enemy was introduced was in the original series episode The Enterprise Incident. Kirk gives in to his daring nature and takes his Enterprise ship into Romulan territory, where he encounters a squadron. What makes this character even more significant is the fact that she remains unnamed to this day and yet is such an important milestone for Star Trek canon and history.

While Kirk attempts to gather intel on the Romulans, the commander is fascinated by Spock and tries to persuade him to join her. It becomes apparent she might have a romantic inclination toward him. After inviting Spock to dinner, she explains how Romulan women are passionate when compared to logical Vulcan women. Spock is put on edge, but resists her offer and maintains his loyalty. All along, Spock was helping Kirk steal the invaluable cloaking device to help advance the Federation’s technology. At the end of the episode, the Romulan commander is captured aboard the Enterprise and held as a prisoner. In a moment of privacy, Spock admits that his romantic interest in her was not pretended.

9. Philippa Georgiou

Georgiou is a Malaysian human who became one of the Starfleet Academy’s most decorated officers and the captain of U.S.S. Shenzou. During a routine activity, her crew encountered the hostile Klingon Empire and things quickly escalated into an event known as the Battle at the Binary Stars before becoming the catalyst to the Klingon-Federation War. Georgiou lost her life to the leader of the Klingons, T’Kuvma, as she tried to capture him on his ship in an attempt to prevent the war. She is a smart and driven commander who will go down in Star Trek history for her sacrifice.

8. Elizabeth Shelby

Commander Elizabeth Shelby has a bit of notoriety to her name, mostly owing to her rivalry with Commander William T. Riker. After confidently believing she would replace him as Captain Picard’s first officer, Riker didn’t take too kindly to her after his promotion to commander of U.S.S. Melbourne. To Shelby’s chagrin, she ended up becoming Riker’s first officer. Elizabeth has a similar personality to Admiral James T. Kirk in that she is a risk-taker when the greater good is involved.

As such, she ended up going over Riker’s head when leading an away team to investigate a Borg attack, and went so far as to lead another team to rescue Picard when the Borg kidnapped him. She eventually moved up the ranks to be a commanding officer herself, and it would be great to find out more about her in future shows.

7. Deanna Troi

Deanna Troi is a standout character not just due to her exoticness, but also because of her half-human, half-Betazoid hybrid race. This mixed-race is what gave her telepathic abilities (though decreased in their effectiveness), and those powers were perfect for the crew’s counselor. She brought prominence to this Starfleet position and proved the most valuable assets to have in space are communication and empathy.

On many occasions, her abilities helped smooth things out during turbulent encounters, and she survived many different scenarios including being surgically altered, impersonating Romulans, and figuring out when others were lying. Deanna eventually married Riker and did more than enough to secure her legacy in Star Trek canon and history.

6. Michael Burnham

Michael has great importance to Star Trek canon, bringing more diversity while also being the main protagonist on the Star Trek: Discovery series despite not acting as the captain. Her story overshadows her captain Gabriel Lorca, and while she served under Captain Phillippa Georgiou, she would commit mutiny and injure Phillippa in order to force the U.S.S. Shenzhou to preemptively attack the Klingons. After being a part of the Klingon-Federation war’s inciting incident, Captain Lorca reduced her sentence since he wanted crew members dedicated to defeating the Klingons.

Her backstory is unique in that she was a human raised by Klingons, and none other than Spock’s father, Sarek, specifically. Not a typical Star Trek character, Michael is a complicated woman, most likely created under modern characterization precepts, and it will be interesting to see how her story develops.

5. Beverly Crusher

Talk about an intimidating name. Beverly Crusher is an all-around amazing female character, and not at all an aggressive one like her last name might suggest. She served as the chief medical officer on both Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E, and was a main crew member on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She was also a loving mother to Wesley Crusher and after her husband’s tragic passing, developed a close bond with Picard that blurred the lines between friendship and romance.

Beverly Crusher is controversial in that many wished she was further developed than what was allowed on screen in the Star Trek the Next Generation shows and movies. Her closeness to Picard also rallied fans to request her to have a main role in the Picard series, and many non-canonical books were written about the pairing, and the life they share together, along with their son.

4. Seven of Nine

Seven of Nine’s name should state the obvious; there’s nothing quite like her. Although human, she was a former Borg drone, meaning she was part of the Borg Collective until she was liberated by Kathryn Janeway and her U.S.S. Voyager crew. As an assimilated Borg, she was taken by them and enhanced with cybernetics. In the case of Seven of Nine, or Annika Hansen, she was abducted at the age of six and dubbed Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One.

After her complex and traumatic upbringing, she becomes nuanced and complicated aboard the U.S.S. Voyager. She brings many deep, dramatic, and thematic elements to Star Trek, portraying a character that demands respect, patience, and understanding. After all, consider the fact that she was kidnapped as a child, forced to become a Borg drone, and then has difficulty assimilating with her human peers (let alone other races), while also having to suppress an urge to rejoin the Borg. For the show, she brought plenty of tense moments, as well as emotional scenes, funny moments, and butt-kicking action.

3. Nyota Uhura

Uhura has seen different incarnations throughout the various Star Trek series and movies, and Strange New Worlds has really taken her to the next level. Her latest on-screen portrayal brings a balanced sense of vulnerability, strengths, weaknesses, and backstory. Although she begins as a communications officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, she eventually achieves the rank of commander of the U.S.S. Leondegrance for her remaining services to the Starfleet.

She can also be considered the first true standout female character or lead and deserves it completely. Uhura brings a great amount of diversity and unique themes to explore. As the expert linguist on her crew, and with her potential to grow, we’re looking forward to seeing more of her on a regular basis.

2. Number One / Una Chin-Riley

As her designated name states, Number One is the first officer to Pike, and ranks just shy of the number one spot on this list. In the original series, she was only referred to as Number One but was later named Una Chin-Riley in several non-canon Star Trek novels. It’s great how Strange New Worlds finally solidifies her name as canon. Also in the new series, Una is given a more involved role and is attached to a key plot involving Pike’s destiny. Since she’s an Illyrian, she’s genetically modified, which is also why she looks like a human, while her kind normally does not.

From the beginning of the Strange New Worlds series, Starfleet makes it clear that they are anti-genetically modified beings. This puts her in a terrible position, and in direct defiance of Federation law. Regardless, she’s already had spotlight episodes where she’s saved the crew from a deadly virus, and has special empathy when it comes to forming bonds with fellow crew members. The fact that she risks it all to help her crewmates and perform her duties to better mankind makes her all the more compelling and one to root for.

1. Kathryn Janeway

Kathryn Janeway is an iconic female character that hasn’t received as much attention as she should, especially in recent Star Trek lore and media. In Starfleet history, she remains one of the most highly decorated captains and is notoriously known for her obsession with coffee. On a more serious note, one of her most notable accomplishments is how she took command of the U.S.S. Voyager as it made its way through the dangerous Delta Quadrant, which is home to the Borg Collective. Thanks to her leadership, the Voyager was able to bring the crew safely back to earth through a Borg transwarp conduit.

Her time as a commander also gained her another milestone which she achieved during her space exploration. It’s been estimated in various episodes how she’s made first contact with more alien races than James T. Kirk. She eventually gets promoted to the rank of Admiral after helping prevent another technologically advanced species from the Delta Quadrant, the Vau N’Akat, from destroying the Federation. To top it off, she defeated the Borg Queen and has a diverse background full of hobbies, passions, and scientific skills. Most of all, she comes across as being a balanced leader; one who is smart, decisive, and strong, but also kind, caring, and understanding. No other female character has been involved in so many Star Trek critical events and achieved so much, which makes her deserving of this top spot.

That’s our list of the top best Star Trek female characters , but the great thing about this franchise is that it has always been a pioneer for portraying powerful women of diverse races, ages, and cultures. There are way more than 10 great female characters in the Star Trek mythos, and new prominent female characters are being introduced all the time. If you’re a Star Trek fan, you owe it to yourself to check out the video game, Resurgence .

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

• Memory Beta articles sourced from video games
• Memory Beta articles sourced from reference works
• Memory Beta articles sourced from novels
• Memory Beta articles sourced from comics
• Romulan military personnel
• Romulan commanders

Liviana Charvanek

• 1 Biography
• 2 Personal Information
• 4.1.1 Appearances in chronological order
• 4.2 External link

Biography [ ]

As of 2268 , Charvanek was a fleet commander, in command of three Romulan Star Empire vessels, which intercepted the USS Enterprise as it illegally crossed the Romulan Neutral Zone . She hoped to bring the Federation 's flagship to Romulus as a trophy, and attempted to seduce the ship's Vulcan science officer , Spock , in order to gain control of the vessel. However, she herself was captured, as well as the prototype cloaking device aboard her ship, the ChR Memenda . ( TOS episode : " The Enterprise Incident "; CCG set: Captain's Log , card: "Charvanek", TOS video game : Timelines )

While aboard the Enterprise , the commander willingly answered non- military questions, allowing ship's crew to learn more about Romulan culture and cuisine. ( TOS reference : Official Cooking Manual )

Although she was not actually a prisoner of the Federation, after her capture Charvanek was held on Starbase 23 for a short time while an exchange was arranged with the Romulan Empire. They would release an ambassadorial aide that they had planned on releasing anyway, but the Romulans were able to use the exchange to avoid appearing weak.

While at Starbase 23, Charvanek was visited by Spock who wished to ask her about Romulan cloaking technology. She mind-melded with Spock in order to ensure that he was being truthful when he said that he would only use her information for his current investigation. When she knew that he was being truthful, she was willing to answer his questions. ( TOS - Section 31 novel : Cloak )

An exchange for Sarek

According to another account, she was exchanged in the end for Ambassador Sarek , who was lured into a trap by the Praetor of the Romulan Empire, as the commander had been by Spock. ( TOS - Year Four comic : " The Enterprise Experiment ")

After the release, she could wash her name clean so as to be placed once again in the command seat of a starship . At this time she was participating in the Phoenix incident , which was a rush after an illegal transporter technology, which could duplicate people, sometimes practically resurrecting them after their deaths. She tried to take revenge for her shame on the Enterprise crew. ( TOS novels : The Price of the Phoenix , The Fate of the Phoenix )

When the Enterprise tried to test the new cloaking technology in the field, there was an incident which crippled the ship. Charvanek and her crew were on the spot. Charvanek's first officer, Che'srik Tal , tried to impress his commander (in the hope of engaging her later) by boarding and trying to capture the Enterprise , but instead he was captured by Kirk's crew. He was later released by Starfleet officers working for an obscure intelligence operation, probably Section 31 . After his release, he made contact with Charvanek, who intervened as a double agent working for both the Praetor of the Romulan Empire and the Federation against the Klingons working in the Romulan alliance. ( TOS - Year Four comic : " The Enterprise Experiment ")

Charvanek's sister, Mirek , was commanding a ship at the time, when the secondary hull of the USS Confederate was captured by a Romulan fleet. Montgomery Scott and a team of intelligence agents stole back the experimental Starfleet ship, which fell into a dimensional rift in the process. ( TOS comic : " None But the Brave ")

After a scandal, she was sentenced into exile, in spite of efforts by Commander Ael to save her. This incident would forever scar her, though she managed to return to her own people in time. The fact that she was a blood relation to the Emperor protected her from simple execution. According to one account, though she retained her commission, Charvanek was sentenced to a punishment detail on Remus , and it was only through Narviat's intervention that she was permitted to live. ( TOS novel : My Enemy, My Ally ; TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Epiphany )

In 2276 , Ael t'Rllaillieu took the throne in a coup and released Charvanek from exile. ( TOS novel : The Empty Chair )

She participated in the incident relating to the hostage taking by the Romulans of the Warrantors of Peace . Charvanek was the officer who delivered the hostages back to the Federation. ( TOS novel : Dwellers in the Crucible )

She then lived a quiet existence on Romulus but still kept command of her old ship, the IRW Honor Blade , in reserve. She was closely watched by Ambassador Spock, whom she contacted about the troubling Praetorship of the mad Dralath , whom she feared would start an unwanted war with the Federation. Spock came to Romulus himself in disguise to avert war. Charvanek took the Honor Blade to Narendra III to assist Federation forces, a seemingly traitorous act. She was captured and sent to Romulus but was helped by her old first officer, Tal , who informed Spock. The Vulcan rescued her, and Narviat arrested the Praetor. Having revealed her feelings she married Narviat, who became Praetor. However, her consort was assassinated by elements of Romulan society that opposed his drastic changes for the empire. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Heart )

By 2377 , she had become the head of Romulan Security and was situated in the Office of Homeland Peace . At the time of the Watraii conflict, she abandoned her post and took a squadron of ships to fight that new enemy of the Romulan Empire. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus )

Sometime after the Watraii affair, and before his assassination, Praetor Neral had Charvanek taken into the "protective custody" of priests near the shrine at Gal Gath'thong . In foreseeing his death, Neral sought to protect her from Hiren , and though she was in essence a prisoner of the state, her life was spared. In 2380 , not long after the fall of Shinzon , Charvanek escaped from the priests' "care," and left to join Spock on Remus , vowing to atone for the Empire's wrongs against both the Remans and the Watraii. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Epiphany )

Personal Information [ ]

Charvanek had various skills, mainly in archaeology and physics ; she was also skilled in diplomacy. ( CCG set: Captain's Log , card: "Charvanek")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances and references [ ], appearances in chronological order [ ].

• " The Enterprise Incident "
• Killing Time
• The Price of the Phoenix
• The Fate of the Phoenix
• Dwellers in the Crucible
• Vulcan's Heart

External link [ ]

• Liviana Charvanek article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Nevesa article at the Star Trek Timelines Wiki .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 Odyssey class
• 3 Typhon class

• Romulan military personnel

Commander Sela was a military officer in the Romulan military , and an extremely important figure in the Empire 's covert attempts to destabilize both the Federation and the Klingon Empire . She was the product of a union between Starfleet officer Tasha Yar 's counterpart from an alternate timeline and a Romulan general .

• 1 Events leading to birth
• 2 Early life
• 3 Military career
• 4.1 Appearances
• 4.2 Background information
• 4.3 Apocrypha
• 4.4 External links

Events leading to birth [ ]

In the year 2344 , while in the middle of a battle with four Romulan Warbirds , the USS Enterprise -C traveled through a temporal rift to the year 2366 . This had the effect of creating an alternate timeline , wherein the Federation was at war with the Klingon Empire, and Tasha Yar had not died at Vagra II .

Emerging from the rift, the Enterprise -C encountered its successor, the USS Enterprise -D . Through Guinan , the Enterprise -D crew learned that, in order for the timeline to be restored, the Enterprise -C had to return through the rift, even though doing so would almost certainly mean their deaths. Learning from Guinan that, in the other timeline, she had died a meaningless death, Tasha requested and was granted a transfer to the Enterprise -C, which returned through the rift and resumed the battle with the Romulans. ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

Early life [ ]

Tasha Yar, Sela's mother

While the Enterprise -C was destroyed, several crewmembers survived and were taken prisoner by the Romulans , Tasha among them. After being interrogated , all of the survivors were to be executed , but a Romulan general became enamored with Tasha, and offered to spare the lives of the prisoners if she became his consort, a condition to which Tasha agreed. One year later , she gave birth to a daughter, Sela. When Sela was four years old, Tasha took her and attempted to escape, but sensing that her mother was attempting to take her away from her home and her father, Sela cried out, and Tasha was discovered and subsequently executed. ( TNG : " Redemption II ")

Military career [ ]

Over the next eighteen years , Sela rose through the ranks of the Romulan military, achieving the rank of Commander . In that capacity, she was a major player in plots to disrupt the alliance between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, one of which involved kidnapping Starfleet officer Geordi La Forge , and brainwashing him to kill Klingon governor Vagh . ( TNG : " The Mind's Eye ") She was also involved in lending support to the House of Duras in their attempt to gain control of the Klingon Empire, ferrying them materials and supplies in cloaked Romulan vessels. Sela was foiled, however, when Captain Jean-Luc Picard led Starfleet to the Klingon-Romulan border and instituted a tachyon detection grid , making it impossible for any cloaked ship to cross the border undetected. Data, in command of the USS Sutherland , managed to use the tachyon signature that formed around Sela's ships, and ordering three photon torpedoes , lit up the tachyon field around the three cloaked Romulan Warbirds , causing them to reveal themselves, forcing Sela to withdraw back to Romulan space, causing the House of Duras to lose the civil war . ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Redemption II ")

Sela was encountered again in 2368 , when she masterminded a plot to invade Vulcan , exploiting Ambassador Spock 's underground reunification movement on Romulus . Using three stolen Vulcan ships carrying a Romulan invasion force, she attempted to use Spock to convince the Federation that a peace envoy was en route to Vulcan. Spock refused, however, forcing Sela to use a preprogrammed hologram of Spock as an alternative. She then made the mistake of leaving Spock alone with Picard and Data, the latter having become proficient with Romulan computer systems. When Sela returned to her captives, she was captured instead and was forced to watch as Data foiled her plot by warning the Federation, forcing the cloaked warbird escorting the stolen Vulcan ships to destroy them rather than let them be captured, before the android used a Vulcan nerve pinch on Sela, incapacitating her. ( TNG : " Unification I ", " Unification II ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Mind's Eye "
• " Redemption "
• " Redemption II "
• " Unification II "

Background information [ ]

Sela was devised and portrayed by Denise Crosby .

In devising the role, Crosby stated, " the part of Sela sort of came about from me sitting around in my house one day thinking about how much fun it was for me to go back and do " Yesterday's Enterprise ", and it was so much fun that I thought what else can I do? I thought it was pretty well established that Lt. Yar and Lt. Castillo on "Yesterday's Enterprise" had something going so perhaps they had a child or Yar was pregnant when she went back into the past to fight her final battle. And I sort of thought it out and it seemed to really make sense, and there were no flaws. "

" So my original intention was that Lt. Yar would have a daughter that was raised by Romulans and would grow up to try to actually be a Romulan. So I brought this up and the producers really liked the idea and they sort of toyed with it for a while. A few months went by and I got a call and they said we like your idea but we just can't make sense of that Lt. Yar got pregnant by Castillo. We'll have it so that Yar was captured, they didn't all die in the battle, the ship was captured and she was taken by a Romulan general. " ( Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book [ page number? • edit ] )

In her first appearance in the episode "The Mind's Eye", Crosby only lent her voice to this character although uncredited. Actress Debra Dilley appeared as the photo double standing in the shadows. She was identified as "Unseen Woman" in the character section of the episode's script , and noted as being one of "several shadowy figures [who] might be A WOMAN, but it's hard to be sure," it is further noted when she speaks, she has "a questioning, authoritative tone in her voice." The only other revelation about the character is her being addressed as "Commander". [1]

In her second appearance, she was identified as "Mysterious Woman" in the character section of the episode's script, and presented much the same way in the script notes, her as "ANOTHER FIGURE sitting in he darkness […] who might be a woman, but we're not sure yet," which further notes, " The Woman in shadow doesn't have to raise her voice in order to command everyone's attention instantly. There is something deadly in her calm voice and assured manner. " In the moments leading up to her reveal, the script notes that "the Mysterious Woman heard from earlier is sitting in a chair with her back to us," and "the Woman turns around in her chair so that her features become apparent for the first time. We're shocked as we see that she's Human… with blonde hair… and that she bears a striking resemblance to the late Tasha Yar." [2]

In " Redemption II ", Cameron served as hand double for Crosby's character. According to the script, her name was pronounced SEE-lah, and it was said " Sela's attitude is crisp, dispassionate… very Romulan. B'Etor is very deferential to Sela… she clearly fears her. " Her personality is further explored after she enters the conference room aboard the Enterprise , where the script notes described that " Sela immediately strides into the room, looking around, pacing like a jungle cat, covering the room as though marking territory. She is lithe, genial, confident -- and definitely going for the upper hand. " The script notes continue, through the continuation of their interaction, that she slowly loses her upper hand to the challenges made by Picard. [3] Her character is further addressed as "Commander", and in fact, she even appears to given orders to the seemingly senior officer, General Movar, on nearly all their interactions.

Though Sela states how Tasha, her mother, died when she was four while trying to escape, Picard is completely unconvinced that her story is true, and insists it won't affect his judgment in any way. Sela's story is supported by Guinan, who retains memories from the alternate timeline shown in " Yesterday's Enterprise ".

Sela has the distinction of being the first blonde Romulan seen in Star Trek , and the only blonde Romulan seen until the Star Trek: Picard episode " Absolute Candor ".

Apocrypha [ ]

Sela returned to plague Captain Jean-Luc Picard and company several more times in the Star Trek novels , notably in Peter David 's books Triangle: Imzadi II , in which she attempted to trick Thomas Riker into releasing a nanovirus that would destroy the entire Klingon population on their homeworld; the plan was thwarted by the intervention of William T. Riker , Worf and Odo . Another notable return was in book five of the Double Helix series Double or Nothing . In the book The Romulan Stratagem , Sela forms an alliance with Data to uncover the truth about a series of disastrous events that cast suspicion on both the Romulans and the Federation. She later appears in Michael Jan Friedman 's TNG relaunch novel Death in Winter , as an agent of the Romulan government formed by the newly ascended Praetor Tal'aura , whose other allies include Tomalak . During the Typhon Pact series, Sela has become the head of the Tal Shiar, mounting various operations to try and steal the technology for the Quantum slipstream drive from the Federation. After her actions result in the destruction of Deep Space 9 and the Federation and the Pact nearly being pushed to war in the novel Raise the Dawn , Sela is arrested by the current Praetor – who notes that Sela's desire to ensure Romulan supremacy have actually put them in more danger than if she had done nothing – and Sela commits suicide rather than allow herself to be handed over to the Federation for trial.

The novelization of Unification gives the name of the Romulan general who fathers Sela as "Meldet", while the novel Vulcan's Heart calls him "Volskiar". The Star Trek: Defiant Annual calls him "Revo".

Sela also appeared, with the rank of Admiral , in the computer game Star Trek: Armada . Further, in the comic book miniseries Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Killing Shadows by Scott Ciencin and Andrew Currie , Sela resurfaces as an exile from Romulus , serving alongside Picard on the planet Nydaris in common cause against a race of ninja-like assassins called the Bodai Shin.

In Star Trek Online , Sela became Proconsul in 2384, but was exiled from Romulus after losing a power struggle with the Tal Shiar . As a result, she survived the Hobus supernova of 2387 that destroyed Romulus and killed many of her political opponents. In 2403, she becomes Praetor, and five years later reforms the Empire into a monarchy, with herself as its Empress. In the game itself, the player encounters Sela in the mission "Cutting the Cord," where the player must fight her personal Scimitar -class warbird, the IRW Leahval . Before the player can destroy it, an Iconian ship arrives from an Iconian gateway and tows her ship to an unknown location. Her role was greatly expanded in the May 2013 Legacy of Romulus expansion pack, where she serves as a secondary villain in the Romulan Republic storyline (the primary antagonist being Colonel Hakeev of the Tal Shiar).

In the October 2014 Delta Rising expansion, Sela is found in an Elachi installation hidden in the Delta Quadrant , and arrested by the Romulan Republic. However, she escapes, and solicits the aid of the player character to find the Iconians; they travel first to Hakeev's abandoned base in the Nopada system, and then to a Dyson sphere in the Andromeda Galaxy , where they encounter the renegade Praetor Taris and discover a massive Iconian invasion fleet. The sphere then shifts to orbit around Iconia itself, and Sela remains behind while the players escape. A series of subspace messages to the player reveal that she is attempting to gather Dominion support against the Iconians.

During the final battle of the Iconian War at Earth , Sela returns with Dominion reinforcements in order to buy time for a time travel mission to ancient Iconia using a Krenim weapon ship . In retaliation for the destruction of Romulus, Sela kills several Iconians as they flee through gateways, causing the Iconians to swear vengeance on the Romulans. This leads to a predestination paradox : Sela, in her desire to avenge the destruction of Romulus, was in fact the reason it occurred.

Sela returns in the mission "Survivor", where the player character hunts her down at the suggestion of Agent Daniels to help search for the alternate timeline version of Admiral T'Nae. Sela agrees, understanding she's effectively under arrest. During their search, they find datapads revealing that her mother was never killed, instead left with the rest of the crew of the Enterprise -C on a prison colony, shaking Sela greatly. Over the course of the mission, Sela learns that Yar always loved Sela and wished she could see her, sadly being unable to as she died of natural causes before the player could arrive. After being put under arrest, Sela asks an unknown Starfleet officer (implied to be Data , as he shows his holoimage of Tasha to her, though his face is not seen) to tell her more about Tasha.

External links [ ]

• Sela at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Sela at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• 1 Alyssa Ogawa
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Newsletters
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Joanne Linville Dies: ‘Star Trek’ Romulan Commander & ‘Twilight Zone’ Actress With Scores Of Screen Credits Was 93

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Joanne Linville , who played the Romulan commander in a memorable 1968 Star Trek episode and had scores of other screen credits, died Sunday. She was 93. CAA made the announcement but did not disclose a cause of death.

Linville began racking up TV guest roles in the mid-1950s, appearing on such series of the era as Studio One, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Kraft Theatre and Playhouse 90. She continued to guest on drama series throughout the ’60s, including such classics as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The F.B.I., Route 66, Ben Casey , I Spy and a two-part Hawaii Five-0.

More from Deadline

Showbiz & Media Figures We've Lost In 2021 - Photo Gallery

Nathan Jung Dies: Actor From 'Star Trek', 'The A-Team' & Many Films Was 74

Robert Fletcher Dies: Costume Designer For 'Star Trek' Films, Broadway Was 98

Of her work in that era, she might be most recognizable as Lavinia Gordon, the owner of a ruined Southern mansion in the Civil War-themed 1961 Twilight Zone episode titled “The Passersby,” which also starred James Gregory.

But despite her prolific active career from the mid-’50s to the late-’80s, and included a few latter-day roles, Linville is best remembered for her role in a 1968 episode of the original Star Trek. “The Enterprise Incident” is one of the few times Leonard Nimoy’s Spock character Spock romanced a woman. Linville played a powerful Romulan commander who is drawn to and ultimately seduced by the Vulcan’s charms. She discovers too late that Spock’s attentions are a ruse so that Captain Kirk can steal the fabled Romulan cloaking device, which renders ships invisible.

Linville continued to work steadily in TV throughout the 1970s and ’80s. While never a series regular, she appeared on some of those decades’ most popular shows: Columbo, Kojak, Charlie’s Angels, CHiPs, Dynasty and L.A. Law.

Born Beverly Joanne Linville on January 15, 1928, in Bakersfield, CA, she grew up in Venice, CA. The actress also had some film roles during her long career including A Star Is Born (1976), Scorpio (1973) and The Seduction (1982).

During the 1980s, she and her teacher Stella Adler started an acting conservancy under the latter’s name, and Linville also authored the 2011 book Seven Steps to an Acting Craft.

Linville was married to On Golden Pond director Mark Rydell from 1962-73 and was the great-grandmother of actress Billie Lourd and Austen Rydell’s son, Kingston. Along with the four of them, she is survived by her children Christopher and Amy, and grandchildren Ruby and Ginger.

Tom Tapp contributed to this report.

Best of Deadline

Broadway Returns: A Complete Roster Of Opening Dates, Venues And How To Buy Tickets

Summer Premiere Dates For New & Returning TV Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

U.S. Covid-19 Update: Nation Passes 600,000 Pandemic-Related Deaths On Tuesday

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

Recommended Stories

The internet is swooning over tara davis-woodhall and hunter woodhall's love. they aren't the only olympic athletes making our hearts race..

You don't have to take home the gold to become an Olympic icon.

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif ‘gender controversy’ explained by health experts

There's a lof of misinformation going around about the genders of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting; Scientists want to clear it up.

Carl Lewis says it's 'time to blow up the system' after another disaster for U.S. men's 4x100 relay

Another botched baton pass cost the U.S. a spot on the podium.

Meet the 36-year-old Aussie college professor who lit up breaking at the Paris Olympics (and didn’t score a point)

Rachael Gunn, or B-girl Raygun, became an internet sensation for her look and her performance in the breaking competition on Friday.

2024 Paris Olympics: USA artistic swimming earns silver with help from viral underwater moonwalk

USA artistic swimming, which started off with a viral Michael Jackson-inspired routine, wrapped things up to take its first medal since 2004.

Paris Olympics: Italy's Angela Carini abandons fight with Algeria's Imane Khelif, who failed unspecified gender test, after 46 seconds

Khelif’s dominant showing will only inflame the debate over whether she should be allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics.

Hannah Neeleman, mom of 8, let a reporter into her 'tradwife' farm life. Then came the Ballerina Farm backlash — and the backlash to the backlash.

Is Hannah Neeleman a pageant competitor, a mother, a co-CEO, a "tradwife" or all of the above? Ballerina Farm has the internet divided once again.

MLB executive Billy Bean, one of the first openly gay figures in baseball, dies at 60 after battle with leukemia

Bean, who publicly came out in 1999, was MLB's senior vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Aroldis Chapman freezes Manny Machado with record 104.7 mph fastball at 36 years old

The pitch was tied for the fastest in the history of the pitch-tracking era to secure a strikeout. It wasn't even Chapman's fastest pitch of the at-bat.

Paris 2024: Sobbing Mozambique sprinter the latest victim of the cruelest rule in sports

Steven Sabino was disqualified after a false start in his men's 100 preliminary round, ending his Olympic Games without ever running.

The Romulan Commander (female)

You may be looking for the The Romulan Commander (male) .

The Romulan Commander is an unnamed female character in the Star Trek: TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident". She is one of the most intriguing and fannishly-imagined characters in Star Trek and is featured in many fanworks .

Brief Canon Description of the Romulan Commander

We've certainly seen more beautiful women on Star Trek, but our nameless Commander proved more powerful than T'Pring ("Amok Time"), much sexier than Leila ("This Side of Paradise"), and more persistent than Nurse Chapel (in almost all episodes). She not only seduced Spock, but she got him to enjoy it as well. Will we ever forget those passionate scenes in her bedroom? [1]

Fontana's Comments

In 1979, D.C. Fontana gave an interview in which she explained why she'd left "Star Trek" after the second season, citing a change in leadership and laziness and ignorance in script writing (which Fontana called " drek ) and that "I didn't want to work for anybody who didn't even have a working concept of the show.":

The Romulan Incident—"The Enterprise Incident" was heavily rewritten much to my alarm, and I wanted to take my name off it. Gene talked me out of it Well, let's face it, the romantic scene between the Romulan commander and Spock was totally out of context. It was wrong. Any Romulan worth her salt would have instantly suspected Spock because they are related races. That was wrong. Kirk's attitudes were wrong. A simple thing -- the cloaking device was supposed to be a very small thing, about the size of your watch, for instance, and it could be easily hidden, and here's Kirk running around with this thing that looks like a lamp. You know, highly visible. This is stupidity as well as illogical thinking. Visually it was stupid, conceptually it was very bad. There were a lot of things, little things, that were changed, but my biggest objection, my really biggest objection is the scene between Spock and the woman because I really did not believe it. And I did not believe that the Romulan did not suspect Spock of something underhanded, because they are related races. She does know enough about Vulcan and Vulcans to know something's afoot. [2]

Fans Imagine Her Name

One of the earliest speculations on her first name was in December 1968, about five weeks after the show aired in the U.S.: "Just out of curiosity — a good Vulcan trait — what do you think would be a good name for the Romulan Commander in "The Enterprise Incident"? If you have a name for her, send it in and we'll print a list next issue, just for the logical mental exercise of it. (How about Dicifontana ?) [3]

In 1987, a fan asked: "Could someone in fandom, please give our favorite Romulan a real name?" [4]

Some fanon speculations:

• Rho from Courts of Honor
• Lexa from Dreadnought Explorations
• Lareesha in Time Warp
• Mara Tokan in In a Different Reality #18
• Dion Charvon in The Enemy of My Enemy eBook [5]

The licensed fiction (novels, comics and games) also used several names for the character over the decades: Liviana Charvanek; Di'on Charvon; Thea; and Nevesa. [6]

Fan Fiction About the Romulan Commander

• The most well-known fan fiction featuring the Romulan Commander is Courts of Honor by Syn Ferguson .
• L.P. Santos wrote a series of stories, published mostly in More Missions, More Myths , about Subcommander Tal, his wife the Romulan Commander, and their son, Ty, who is actually the biological son of Spock.
• Time Warp includes " The Cytherean Cycle " by Anne Elizabeth Zeek : another explanation of the the Romulan Romulan Commander from the episode, 'Enterprise Incident,' explores her background and mission.
• Orion Archives: 2272-2275 The Second Mission includes "Homecoming" by Rick Endres (Spock is reunited with the Romulan Commander from the "The Enterprise Incident" under less than desirable circumstances: a pon farr brought on early by his mental contact with V’ger.)
• First Time #1 has the story "Lantern in the Dark" by Chris Waken (Kirk and Spock are abducted by the now insane female Romulan commander and forced to have sex with her.)
• " Whither Thou Goest " by Carolyn Spencer (Kirk is used as bait for the Romulan commander to get Spock to go with her where she has Spock tortured, not knowing of the link that he and Kirk share.)
• From Abode of Strife #5: "Who But Thine Own Enemy" (Spock and the Romulan Commander must team to defeat a threatening superrace.)
• " The Enemy of My Enemy " eBook by Glenn E. Smith takes place after the live-action fanfilm episode, " Phase II : Kitumba". When Commander Dion Charvon returns home to a reception unlike anything she ever expected, her younger sister, Sub-Lieutenant D’Vahn Charvon of the Tal’Shiar , is afforded one opportunity to make things right and save her sister’s life. [7]

Fan Art Featuring the Romulan Commander

from Farthest Star #2 (1981), artist is Kathy Carlson

from Fantasies of the Heart ( 1987), artist is Anja Gruber

artist is Dotty Barry , from the zine Star Canticle #1

inside Berengaria issue #10, from the poetry and art section-- M.S. Murdock

Spock and The Romulan Commander, inside page from In a Different Reality , art by Gennie Summers

from Kaiidth #1, for Orpheus Syndrome , art by Suzan Lovett

inside art for issue #1, Vel Jaeger , the Romulan Commander

cover of Courts of Honor , art by Sat Nam Kaur Keahey

inside art from In a Different Reality #18, Rick Braunshausen

inside art from TREKism at Length #5, Vel Jaeger

art by Suzan Lovett for Courts of Honor , printed in Nome #9, see here for more examples

from Pastaklan Vesla issue #2, artist is Karen Flanery (photocopy)

art by Lana Brown from Beyond Antares #23

artist is Nancy Gervais , from Grip #27

from Impulse #5, artist is Liz Danforth

from T-Negative #12, artist is Anthony Tollin

from Nourishment , artist is Kathy Carlson

from The Farthest Star #2, art by Kathy Carlson

from More Missions, More Myths #9, Tom Howard

Inside art by Gayle F. from Grup #5, probably illustration to her story Beloved Enemy

• Behind closed doors - Female Romulan commander by Becky2009
• Trouble ~ The Romulan Commander/ Spock, (Spock/Kirk) by killerwhaleocelot
• i've been nothing but good to you, Spock by Baxssy
• Strobelite | Star Trek Femslash by Little Whatsername

Fan Reaction

• A fan comments on this character in "Courts of Honor": The biggest reason I have to love this book is Ferguson’s fleshing out of the Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident". I worship her, and although I do take issue with some of her actions as dictated by DC Fontana, she's one of my favorite Trek characters. In CoH she is so real, so perfectly imperfect it hurts—in the very best way." [8]
• "I've always liked Tal and wondered what happened to him and the Romulan Commander. The characterization of Tal was crisp, gentle, and intelligent. I didn't particularly like the subservient role of the Romulan Commander, but this is Tal's story and a good one it is, too." [9]
• "...an after story following up the events surrounding the Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident." It has quite an interesting plot, namely, the overthrow of the Romulan empire because of internal corruption and other factors and how Lareesha (the Commander) winds up in charge of things by default." [10]
• ^ from Anti-Matter #2, published in 1968
• ^ from an interview with Fontana in Enterprise Incidents #7
• ^ from Plak-Tow #12
• ^ from Treklink #8
• ^ Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II International (Accessed 8 January 2021)
• ^ Memory Beta
• ^ sans-pertinence. Big List of ST:TOS book recs , 17 June 2009. (Accessed 30 July 2010)
• ^ from Datazine #49
• ^ a review of "The Cytherean Cycle" in Spectrum #33
• Star Trek TOS Characters

Navigation menu

Star Trek: How One Dead Crew Member Returned - as a Romulan

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The Entire Star Trek Reboot Trilogy Now Streaming for Free

The umbrella academy: the keepers, explained, the simpsons bringing back major guest star 33 years after character's introduction.

The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation became a tight-knit crew after years on the acclaimed series, but the first season had some big hurdles. For instance, the Enterprise's original security chief, Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby), departed before the end of the show's inaugural outing. Tasha didn't get much to do during the series' premiere season, leaving Crosby frustrated. Gene Roddenberry would kill Tasha off in "Skin of Evil," after Crosby requested a departure. The actress left on friendly terms, and she eventually found a way back through clever use of Star Trek 's alternate timelines -- and the Romulan Empire.

Crosby made a surprise return in the third season's "Yesterday's Enterprise." A sudden ripple in time alters the universe, leaving Guinan as the only person with a clue as to what's happened. Now the Enterprise-D is built for war, and the presence of an out-of-time Enterprise-C leaves everyone confused and dismayed. But at the tactical helm of Picard's grimmer command is Tasha Yar, and she eventually chooses a heroic death to spite the pointless one she's meant to suffer. In the end, only Guinan remembers what happened and the crew that Yar joins is presumed dead, their actions stopping a near-apocalyptic war with the Romulans.

Like the original Star Trek , The Next Generation was an anthological series, although changes in behavior or past events offered a sense of time. That meant there was no easy way to tell that "Yesterday's Enterprise" ended up planting the beginnings of a story arc. Crosby enjoyed her guest appearance and looked for more ways to return. According to James Van Hise's Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book , she pitched the original idea of a woman named Sela, who was raised by Romulans after her mother, the alternate history Tasha Yar, was captured and eventually killed by the Romulans.

RELATED: Star Trek: Why Notable Frenchman Jean-Luc Picard Speaks With a British Accent

The production team liked the idea but made some changes. The crew that Tasha Yar assists in "Yesterday's Enterprise" would be revealed to have survived the Romulan clash and been taken prisoner, as Crosby suggested. But in a darker twist, Sela would be half-Romulan, the daughter of an enemy general who took Tasha Yar as a barely-willing consort. Yar later attempted to escape with her daughter, but Sela's cries alerted the guards. With her mother's execution, Sela might have human traits, including her mother's light blonde hair, but she had chosen the Romulan way of life.

Sela first became a shadowy influence working against the Enterprise-D in Season 4's "The Mind's Eye." Voiced by an uncredited Denise Crosby, a female Romulan Commander oversees the Manchurian Candidate -style brainwashing of Geordi LaForge . Like the classic film, Geordi is urged to assassinate a Klingon politician. If the plot succeeds, relations will strain between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, creating an imbalance where the Romulans could thrive. The episode never fully unveils the Commander behind the plan, but she's not done trying to break the Klingons.

Two episodes after Geordi's brainwashing attempt, the Worf-centric two-parter "Redemption" brings Sela into the spotlight. The shock of seeing a Romulan that looks and sounds like Tasha pauses Picard, and it's only Guinan's memories of that alternate history that can verify that Sela's story about her origins is true. Tasha is dead twice over, and her daughter is a threat to the Federation. While her plans to use the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'tor, are ultimately stymied just before the finish line, Sela's not done yet.

RELATED: Star Trek: How the Series Enforces Ethics With the Prime Directive

Sela returned in Season 5 for another one of Next Generation 's biggest two-parters, the Spock-centric and critically acclaimed "Unification" event. Attempting to turn Ambassador Spock's mission to end the hostilities between Vulcan and Romulus against itself and kick off her own invasion, Sela was again only foiled in the nick of time. A final showdown between Sela and Data leaves the Romulan commander unconscious via a Vulcan neck pinch, yet incapacitated enough to never return. It's another dangling thread of Star Trek history that deserves another tug.

The depth and variety of Romulan beliefs and appearances became a highlight of Picard 's premiere season. Through Elnor and the sect of philosophical warrior women that raised him, audiences got a new look at the way Romulans were raised. By "Absolute Candor," Sela wasn't the only blonde Romulan, either. Yet, the fate of Sela is a mystery, one Picard might have room to answer. There's no hint of the show making its once-deadly opponent a priority, but with the dangers of Romulan Intelligence still fresh in Picard's mind and the weight of history looking to be a feature with new Season 2 teasers, it might be worth hoping that fans will see Commander Sela one more time.

KEEP READING:  Star Trek: How Picard and Seven of Nine Recognized Each Other

• CBR Exclusives

All 8 Star Trek: TNG Episodes Directed By Women (Including Gates McFadden)

• Women were underrepresented in directing Star Trek: TNG until season 3, but Gabrielle Beaumont broke barriers with 8 episodes.
• Episodes like "Suddenly Human" and "Face of the Enemy" showcased strong storytelling led by female directors on TNG.
• Gates McFadden shone in directing TNG season 7's "Genesis," proving women's impact behind the camera on Star Trek.

In seven seasons and 178 episodes, only 8 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were directed by women. From Nichelle Nichols' Lt. Uhura to Kate Mulgrew's Captain Kathryn Janeway, women have always been an integral part of the Star Trek franchise on screen. However, this did not always translate to more opportunities for women behind the scenes. Actress Majel Barrett and writer D.C. Fontana both contributed to the success of Star Trek: The Original Series and several episodes were written by women. But no Star Trek episode was directed by a woman until TNG's third season.

Beginning with Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 6, "Booby Trap," eight total episodes of TNG were directed by women. Seven of these episodes were directed by British director Gabrielle Beaumont, and one was directed by Dr. Beverly Crusher herself, Gates McFadden. Beaumont went on to direct one episode each of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager , and she will always hold the title of the first woman to direct a Star Trek episode. TNG season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" remains McFadden's sole directing credit, but she brilliantly reprised the role of Dr. Crusher in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Here are all 8 TNG episodes directed by women.

All 5 Star Trek: TNG Episodes Written By Melinda M. Snodgrass, Ranked Worst To Best

Melinda Snodgrass wrote some great episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including one of Data's best outings.

"Booby Trap" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 3, episode 6.

While it may not be a perfect episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Booby Trap" has the distinction of being the first Star Trek episode to be directed by a woman. When the USS Enterprise-D finds an ancient Promellian battlecruiser adrift in space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) cannot wait to see the historical ship for himself. As Picard and the away team investigate the ship, however, the Enterprise soon gets trapped in the same snare that caught the battlecruiser centuries ago.

As Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) works to find a way out of the predicament, he recruits the help of a holographic version of Dr. Leah Brahms (Susan Gibney), a scientist who helped create the Enterprise's engines. This storyline gets somewhat awkward when Geordi begins to develop feelings for Brahams, despite the fact that he has never actually met her. While "Booby Trap" would have worked better without Geordi's romantic subplot , the episode still delivers some fun moments.

"The High Ground" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 3, episode 12.

In a stand-out episode for Dr. Beverly Crusher , the USS Enterprise-D gets caught up in a terrorist conflict on the war-torn planet of Rutia IV. When a group of terrorists kidnaps Dr. Crusher, she must hold out until her crew mates find a way to rescue her. "The High Ground" does a good job of depicting the reality of terrorism, both from the side of the terrorists themselves and the security officers opposing them.

As the always compassionate doctor, Beverly does her best to help however she can, eventually coming to sympathize with the terrorists. Still, even she cannot prevent the death of the terrorist leader. With a compelling turn as a guest star, Kerrie Keane brings Alexana Devos to life as the head of Rutian security, making "The High Ground" a story of strong women. It's appropriate, then, that the episode was written and directed by women, and it remains a solid TNG story.

"Suddenly Human" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 4, episode 4.

When the Enterprise responds to a distress call from a Talarian ship, they find a human teenager among the crew. The boy, who goes by Jono (Chad Allen), had been orphaned ten years before when the Talarians killed his parents. The Talarians have raised Jono as their own, and he has come to see himself as one of them. Although Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew members try to convince Jono to return to the Federation, he insists on remaining with the Talarians.

Throughout "Suddenly Human," Jono becomes friends with Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and begins to view Captain Picard as a mentor. When Jono expresses his fear of betraying his Talarian father, Picard realizes that he has been viewing the situation through an entirely human lens. In the end, Jono returns with the Talarians, which feels like a bit of a foregone conclusion, but the episode still has its moments.

"Disaster" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 5, episode 5.

In this incredibly fun Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, several USS Enterprise-D crew members are stranded in various parts of the ship when all of the systems suddenly shut down. Captain Picard finds himself trapped in the turbolift with three frightened children, while Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) is left in charge on the bridge. In Ten Forward, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) hilariously acts as a midwife for Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao), while Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) work to save the ship.

While the story may not be revolutionary, every major character gets something to do in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Disaster," with Picard and Troi, in particular, getting stand-out moments. Picard's story with the children is incredibly charming and Troi makes some smart calls that ultimately help save the day. A bottle episode set entirely aboard the Enterprise, "Disaster" offers a glimpse of some underused areas of the ship and the directing keeps the whole thing feeling tense.

"Imaginary Friend" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 5, episode 22.

When a young girl named Clara Sutter (Noley Thornton) moves to the USS Enterprise-D with her father, she creates an imaginary friend named Isabella (Shay Astar). When Isabella appears one day, seeming to be real, she gets Clara into trouble. Clara eventually reaches out to Counselor Troi, who helps her navigate her feelings. After Isabella attacks Troi, Picard and the Enterprise crew members discover that she is actually an energy-based alien lifeform.

10 Best Star Trek: TNG Episodes For Kids To Watch

Star Trek: The Next Generation has plenty of episodes that could turn kids into Trekkies. Here are 10 episodes kids should check out.

Captain Picard sits down and chats with Isabella about why children need to listen to adults sometimes, and Isabella eventually allows the Enterprise to pass safely through the nebula where she lives. While Picard's speech may seem overly simplistic to adults, "Imaginary Friend" does a good job of exploring how the loneliness of living on a starship would affect a young child. Plus, Noley Thornton is adorable as Clara and Troi gets to prove why she's a great counselor.

"Face of the Enemy" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 6, episode 14.

In this Deanna Troi-centric episode, the USS Enterprise-D's Counselor finds herself on an undercover mission disguised as a Romulan. Troi then has to pose as Major Rakal of the Romulan secret police known as the Tal Shiar. Troi learns that she has been recruited for a mission to help a high-ranking Romulan defect to the Federation. Marina Sirtis did not always get much to do as Counselor Troi, be she admirably rises to the occasion here.

Troi navigates her situation well, proving that she should have been given the spotlight more often. In the end, the Enterprise arrives in time to rescue both Troi and the Romulan defector just as their ruse has been discovered. "Face of the Enemy" also serves as a follow-up to TNG's "Unification" two-parter and the work Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has been doing to reunify the Vulcans and Romulans.

"Lower Decks" Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont

Star trek: the next generation season 7, episode 15.

One of Star Trek: The Next Generation's most heartbreaking episodes shifts the focus to a group of junior officers aboard the Starship Enterprise. When the Bajoran Ensign Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill) is recruited for a top-secret mission, she works with Worf and Captain Picard to prepare. Meanwhile, Sito and her friends discuss their hopes for promotions over games of poker. Tragically, Sito is killed by Cardassians while on the covert mission, to the horror of her friends.

Shannon Fill briefly reprised the role of Sito Jaxa for a flashback in Star Trek: Lower Decks, the animated series that was loosely inspired by this episode.

By cutting between the senior officers' regular poker games and the young officers playing poker, "Lower Decks" shows the similarities between the two groups. While the senior officers may be the ones who save the day from the bridge, it takes an entire crew to run the ship. Sito's death highlights the dangers of life as a Starfleet officer and shows that every casualty affects Picard and his crew.

Every Star Trek: TNG Guest Star In Lower Decks

Several characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation have made the jump to the world of animation on Star Trek: Lower Decks.

"Genesis" Directed By Gates McFadden

Star trek: the next generation season 7, episode 19.

In her one and only directing credit, Gates McFadden got to take on one of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's most bizarre episodes. In "Genesis," a mutated cell from Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) spreads throughout the crew, causing them to de-evolve. Captain Picard and Data return from retrieving a wayward torpedo to find that Troi has become an amphibian, Riker a caveman, and Lt. Barclay a spider-like creature.

Data eventually finds a cure, releasing it into the ship's ventilation system and reverting everyone back to normal. In the end, Dr. Crusher names the condition "Barclay's protomorphosis syndrome" after its patient zero, and Barclay winds up with a lot to discuss in therapy with Counselor Troi. "Genesis" may tell a weird story, but McFadden's directing makes the episode suitably scary and it remains one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's most memorable moments.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Screen Rant

Star trek: insurrection almost had better villains until patrick stewart said no.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Every Star Trek TNG Movie Ranked (Including Picard Season 3)

Star trek: ds9 writer “begged, insisted, screamed, pleaded” for a big romulan change, where was picard's enterprise during ds9's dominion war.

• Patrick Stewart vetoed the involvement of the Romulans in Star Trek: Insurrection, pushing for new villains like Admiral Dougherty, the Son'a.
• Michael Piller's original concept for Insurrection drew inspiration from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
• Stewart's Romulan veto led to the Son'a as villains in Insurrection, reducing Insurrection's impact on the wider Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Insurrection almost had more compelling villains than the Son'a, but they were turned down by Patrick Stewart. Released in 1998, Insurrection was conceived by Rick Berman and Michael Piller as a lighter movie, following the dark tone of Star Trek: First Contact . However, the development of the third Star Trek: The Next Generation movie was a somewhat tortured process.

Michael Piller's posthumously published book Fade In: From Idea to Final Draft details the various treatments he wrote for Star Trek: Insurrection , many of which sound better than the finished film. Piller's original idea was to do a Star Trek version of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness , which would see Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) sent to the wilderness. Picard's mission was to track down an old Starfleet Academy colleague who had gone rogue to defend a planet from the Romulans. Unfortunately for Michael Piller, Patrick Stewart had other ideas for his third Star Trek movie .

The movies starring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation are notorious for their wildly varying quality, with plenty of highs and lows.

Patrick Stewart Didn’t Want The Romulans In Star Trek: Insurrection

"after the borg - the romulans oh, my".

After receiving a copy of the second treatment, Patrick Stewart wrote back with some harsh words about this early version of Star Trek: Insurrection , delivering particularly negative criticism of the Romulans. Michael Piller's book Fade In: From Idea to Final Draft reprints Stewart's letters, which include his dismay about Romulan involvement in Insurrection :

"It has little fun. It is dull. I think what dismays me most about the story is the dredging up of the Romulans - a race already unexciting in TNG - as the bad guys. It is revisionist and backward looking in a most disappointing way. After the Borg - the Romulans? Oh, my. [...] I am very sorry my reactions are so negative but they are so because my hopes to make this a superb film are so high."

Disappointed by Patrick Stewart's response, Michael Piller wrote to the Star Trek: The Next Generation star to address his concerns. While Piller passionately defends many of the elements of the film - many of which would feature in the finished version - he does concede that the Romulans could be a problem. Towards the end of his letter to Patrick Stewart, Piller offers to swap out the Romulans:

"The Romulans. We have, from the start, intended to re-invent the Romulans because we agree with you. We’ve been talking about a complete overhaul of their look as well as their character. If it means a great deal to you, I’d personally be willing to change it to another race. Do you have any suggestions?"

Patrick Stewart did have suggestions, some of which would eventually make it into the finished version of Star Trek: Insurrection . However, he was very insistent that the villains not be Romulans, especially not radically redesigned ones. Discussing this idea in his response to Michael Piller, Stewart says:

"Yes, the Romulan question does mean a lot to me. I think it is a deadly idea to have even an ‘overhauled’ Romulan villain. After the Borg Queen it will look as if we just couldn’t come up with any new bad guys. But we must. Could they be the Federation Executive Council? (Gene, stop spinning.) Or a cadre inside the Council? The bad guys are right there in the heart of the Federation. That is certainly contemporary and, God knows, depressingly relevant."

Of course, Patrick Stewart's concept of corruption at the heart of the Federation made it into the final version of Star Trek: Insurrection . His anti-Romulan feeling also led to the creation of the Son'a as new bad guys. However, it's fair to say that Insurrection 's villainous aliens didn't make anywhere near the kind of impression that the Romulans would have.

DS9 brought Star Trek's Romulans and the Federation closer than ever before as they united to fight the Dominion, but that wasn't the only big change.

Would Insurrection Have Been Better With The Romulans In It?

It's hard not to feel that Patrick Stewart's Romulan veto made Star Trek: Insurrection a less interesting movie. One of Stewart's criticisms of Michael Piller's treatment was that it " lacks peril ", but what could have been more perilous than the breakdown of the fragile diplomatic relations between the Romulans and the Federation during the war against the Dominion ? Insurrection 's story would have been more compelling if Captain Picard's morality jeopardized the Federation Alliance at a key stage in the Dominion War .

By taking out the Romulans as villains and not reckoning with what Picard's insurrection meant for the wider galaxy, the third TNG movie ended up as disposable fluff.

Although the TNG movies couldn't tread on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's toes, there were ways to reference the Dominion War. Michael Piller's script could have sketched in some evocative dialog that tied Star Trek: Insurrection into the larger story of the Dominion War, and added genuine stakes to the plight of the Ba'ku. Instead, there was a reference to the Son'a's role in ketracel white production and that was about it. By taking out the Romulans as villains and not reckoning with what Picard's insurrection meant for the wider galaxy, the third TNG movie ended up as disposable fluff.

Jean-Luc Picard’s Enterprise-E was notably absent from seemingly all the major battles of the Dominion War as depicted on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Patrick Stewart's Hated Romulans Became A Major Part Of Picard's Story

It's ironic, given Patrick Stewart's steadfast refusal to face the Romulans in Star Trek: Insurrection , that they became such a major part of Jean-Luc Picard's story. The very next movie, Star Trek: Nemesis , was all about political intrigue involving the Romulans, the very thing that Patrick Stewart opposed in Insurrection . Whether Stewart looked more favorably on Nemesis because it was co-written by his friend Brent Spiner is hard to say.

Rick Berman's original idea for Star Trek: Insurrection was to introduce a double of Captain Picard, an idea carried over into Star Trek: Nemesis .

When Patrick Stewart returned to the role of Jean-Luc for Star Trek: Picard in 2020, the character had led the efforts to evacuate Romulus and was living out his retirement in his château, staffed by two Romulans. All of that was before he was thrown back into action to expose a Romulan conspiracy at the heart of Starfleet, the exact same story that Stewart had opposed in Star Trek: Insurrection . Perhaps Patrick Stewart had learned his lesson with the Son'a, and was more willing to entertain a Romulan return in Star Trek: Picard season 1.

Star Trek: Insurrection

Star trek: the next generation.

Not available

Star Trek: Picard

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Aug 8, 2024

Living in Absolute Candor: How Elnor Offers Unique Neurodivergent Representation

Giving a community more unique versions of representation helps make the world see them for exactly who they are.

StarTrek.com

Let's start this off with a possibly controversial statement — autistic people love Star Trek because Star Trek is full of autism.

Now, with that hook out of the way, we should back that idea up a little and define what it means to be autistic. As described by the National Institute of Mental Health , "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave."

The Star Trek universe is a unique space that represents a wide variety of marginalized communities, whether on purpose or incidentally. If you go to Google and research autism and Star Trek , you'll find a lot of the usual suspects: Spock, Data, Worf, Seven of Nine.

With Data and Seven of Nine in particular, they're poster-children for what people expect from autism — stoic demeanor, a misunderstanding of basic human social cues, an emotionally withdrawn facade. However, Data and Seven only cover a certain spectrum of autism. They don't need academic or work accommodations, nor do they seem to have as many sensory issues (other than when something or someone triggers their "processors"). They represent a prodigal sect of the autistic community that excels academically/career-wise while their main challenge is ultimately emotional connectivity and empathy.

However, as autism is described as a spectrum disorder, not a monolith, there are many autistic people who don't fit that description. Furthermore, there's more to Star Trek 's autistic representation than stoic aliens and androids trying to find their humanity. Some autistic individuals struggle the most with their sensory issues, or with the modernized work structure. Some understand emotions just fine but constantly grapple with, when, and where they're "supposed" to discuss certain things. Some even are exceptionally emotionally intelligent, but still experience the social disconnect, the hyper-fixation, and the bluntness. So, Seven and Data's struggles to "feel" feelings is particularly inadequate for that kind of person. In fact, the emotional autistic often lacks any representation at all.

That's where Elnor comes in.

"Absolute Candor"

Elnor is a character introduced in the 2020 series, Star Trek: Picard . A young Romulan raised by the Qowat Milat — an order of truth-telling warrior nuns — Elnor is blunt, brash, sensitive, and very in tune with his emotions. He took their creed of the Way of Absolute Candor (a motto of complete honesty at all times) and devoted himself to it, even when it makes others uncomfortable. Elnor spends his time in Picard following the ex-Admiral to help protect him on his journeys. As a character, Elnor likes touch, doesn't stim, and seems to have a very close, intimate relationship with his own feelings. While being so young, he's easily the most emotionally open and honest character in the entire show. So, how can such an insightful person be autistic, you might ask?

Well, remember, autism is a spectrum.

When diagnosing autism, there are eight categories in which autistic people are scored by. Once they reach a certain threshold of impact during their autism assessment — where they answer questions, share life and medical history, and describe how these possibly autistic behaviors affect their day-to-day life — they are diagnosed as autistic. However, their diagnosis can come from wildly different combinations of the eight criteria, hence being a spectrum disorder.

If you ignore the preconceptions people have about autistic people and emotions, Elnor's way of approaching life is very autistic-coded. Within the eight criteria, he'd score more neurotypically on sensory processing, motor skills, and communication. He is a master swordsman comfortable with his senses and is well attuned to his emotions and how to express them.

However, there are still five more criteria on that autism assessment list. One of Elnor's most obvious autistic traits is his social awareness. In a combination of his Absolute Candor and rigid thinking, he speaks and acts whatever he thinks and feels, regardless of how those around him react. For example, though clearly being a sore spot for Picard, Elnor openly shares his bitterness and disappointment in the admiral abandoning him with the nuns (" Absolute Candor ").

Similarly, in his hug with Seven of Nine in " Broken Pieces ," Elnor throws his arms around her and openly expresses his grief despite her clear discomfort with it. She accepts it because he's had to witness something heartbreaking (the death of the Borg Hugh), but Elnor is not adept at "reading the room." He is unapologetically, emotionally honest and married to Absolute Candor, no matter the situation. And you could blame that on the Qowat Milat creed, but other warrior nuns have shown the ability to keep information to themselves until the right time (" Unification III "). They do not lie, but they also make personal decisions on just how honest to be. Elnor doesn’t. It's full, unabashed honesty and nothing else. That is the exact rigid thinking you'd expect out of an autistic person.

"Stardust City Rag"

Need more evidence? Beyond his lacking social acuity, Elnor repetitively trains (Repetitive Behavior), constantly focuses on threats (Preservative Thinking), and hyper-fixates on given rules and his own goals to his own detriment (Executive Dysfunction). For example, when Picard and co., are pretending to be undercover in " Stardust City Rag ," not only does Elnor need clarification that Rios is not actually a Facer when they're getting in disguise, but he also doesn't understand when the heist ends. He has to ask Picard, "Are we still pretending?" even when the fake voices have been dropped, there are several guns drawn, and Seven's hand is to Bjayzl's throat.

Yes, Elnor is a sensitive and thoughtful young man with few visible symptoms. And he's got very rigid thinking, aggressively hyper-focused goals, and zero social finesse. When combining all his traits, Elnor is more autistic than he is emotionally intelligent. It's just that too many people get distracted by the emotion to see him for exactly who he is.

In recent years, there's been a well-documented under-diagnosing of autism in girls and women . One of the major factors of this phenomenon is the emotional intuition and empathy found in this demographic. Because of the way society conditions young women in emotional acuity, even autistic women tend to have much higher attention and vigilance to others' feelings than the average autistic man.

However, gender is not the only determinant of this hyper-empathy . Studies have shown that autism is less a lack of empathy and more a "disequilibrium," meaning they have unexpected levels of lacking or overactive cognitive or affective empathy, which contrasts regular neurotypical empathy expectations. Basically, the gist is that autistic people aren't inherently underfeeling. For example, an autistic person is perfectly capable of empathizing with the pain of a death, but instead of focusing on the loss at hand, they might return to the remembered pain of their own losses. Or, they might focus more on everything the dead person might have lost instead of the people grieving in front of them. Autistic people don't often feel and empathize the exact same way neurotypical people do — that's where the neurological and social disconnect is. It's not a lack of empathy, but a difference in empathy. Therefore, some autistic people are still autistic while also being quite emotionally attuned to themselves and the people around them.

Whatever the conditions of this hyper-empathy, this behavior doesn't align with the original, narrow, white male-informed version of the autism diagnostic criteria, and is therefore under-diagnosed. And because this kind of "empathetic" autism is under-diagnosed, it's also woefully underrepresented and misunderstood. So, the autistic people who sit on this part of the spectrum can often feel like they don't properly fit in with the autism they see in the medical field, in their communities, and in media.

"Broken Pieces"

As a kid, I sort of identified with Data. Matter of factness. Social awkwardness. Hyper-fixation. Even if it wasn't perfect, he was a rare comfort for me. So many kids had characters they looked at and said, "I’m brave like Percy Jackson" or "I like being a free spirit like Jo March!" I had an android who wanted to find humanity and community. However, as much as I felt like that android, I also felt fiercely opposite to him, too. I was deeply emotional and intuitive, something Data never experienced. In fact, his whole goal was to learn how to understand and feel human emotions, while I oftentimes wished I felt them less. It was strange, knowing I felt alien to humans, but also was too alien for the android. I had no role models for what I might be. No kinship.

And then right around the time, my therapist and I figured out I was likely autistic, Picard came out on Paramount+ and I met Elnor. From the second he appeared on-screen, Elnor made sense . I never "fit" the stereotypical autism mold. I suppressed any stims. I was insightful and intuitive. I was emotional. I could take care of everyone's feelings around me, but I still felt like an imposter. Like something inside me was different and no one could see it.

"Farewell"

In Elnor, logic and bluntness meets emotion and feeling. That one missing part of me I saw nowhere else... I saw it in him, because in his life, emotions could be just as blunt and direct as logic. It took 25 years, but I finally felt seen . I finally felt like I was real.

My connection to Elnor as a character is exactly why it's so important to remember autism is a spectrum. Not just Borgs and Androids, but also Vulcans and Betazoids and Romulans. Autism has always been more than the Rain Mans and Atypicals, even if TV has made it seem like that's the default. Giving a community more unique versions of representation helps make the world see them for exactly who they are. Beyond that, more diverse representation means more people get diagnosed and more people understand themselves.

The spectrum of autism is vast and complicated and woefully underrepresented, but Elnor is a rare case where more emotionally attuned autistic people can see themselves. Honest and empathetic, passionate and direct. They can and do coexist. With Elnor, people like me can feel heard and embraced with Absolute Candor.

Get Updates By Email

Stephanie Roehler (they/she/he) is a freelancer who loves to write about video games, books, movies, TV shows, comics, and especially Star Trek.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.