Other Romulan Logos
by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider
Communicator BadgeTal Shiar EmblemSenate or Continuing Committee BadgeStylized Nemesis LogosRomulan Rebirth Movement EmblemSem n'hak kon Emblem
Besides the bird of prey emblem that represents the Romulan Star Empire (or, without the two planets, the Romulan Free State), we could see various other Romulan logos or insignias.
Communicator Badge
When TNG: "Face of the Enemy" was in pre-production, it was decided to provide the Romulans with a communicator which, like the Starfleet and the Klingon devices, should be part of the uniform. We never saw the communicator being used though. Since the beginning of the sixth TNG season it can be found at the bottom of the right sleeve of the undershirt. In TNG, it looks like the device always has exactly the same color as the sash and the badge of the corresponding Romulan uniform. So there are communicators in different shades of gray and coppery colors. The communicator badge shows a bird of prey in profile. The head, the right wing and the right leg are clearly visible. Below the wing there are Romulan characters.
Communicators in TNG
In all episodes of the fifth season (and of course in the previous TNG episodes as well) the communicator badge is not yet visible.
Beginning with "Face of the Enemy", all members of the Romulan military wear such a communicator with the characteristic "bird of prey in profile" motif. In this episode, Commander Toreth's badge is in copper to match the color of her sash. Vice-Proconsul M'ret and his assistants do not have communicators, so at this point the communicators are restricted to members of the military.
None of the Romulans on Carraya IV in "Birthright II" carries a communicator; they also do not wear normal Romulan uniforms.
In all other TNG episodes of the sixth and the seventh season, Romulans always appear with the communicators. In "The Chase" the communicator only briefly comes into sight. In "The Pegasus", it is clearly visible that Sirol's communicator badge is coppery, as well as his sash and the other badges. Tomalak keeps his hands in "All Good Things" in a way that we do not see the communicator. He almost certainly wears one too.
In "Generations", there is a dead Romulan at the Amargosa Observatory. We do not see his right arm, but it is a good assumption that he also carries a communicator, like all Romulans before in the last two years of TNG.
Communicators in DS9
Romulans show up for the first time in DS9 in "The Search I+II". T'Rul wears a regular TNG-style Romulan uniform and her communicator can be seen in both parts of the episode. The Romulans in "Visionary" also wear the old uniforms and the communicators.
"Improbable Cause" and "The Die Is Cast" is the first time we see Romulans with new uniforms. The communicator is no longer on the undershirt, but directly on the uniform jacket. Again, the device is always worn down the right sleeve.
In "Homefront" we can see a video recording of the Antwerp Conference. Here are Romulans in TNG uniforms, in DS9 uniforms and in previously established civilian clothes (from "Unification I+II" and "Face of the Enemy ", recognizable by the black lines). For a moment, we can glimpse the Romulan communicator in the background.
The imprisoned Romulans in "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light" do not wear any insignias, so the sashes and communicators are missing. At the end of the second episode, two Romulans in full uniform walk across the promenade. It's hard to see, but these Romulans are wearing their communicators again.
All Romulans who come to the station with Vreenak in "In the Pale Moonlight" carry the communicator. However, Vreenak, as a member of the Romulan Senate, has no such badge.
The same is true of the Romulans in "Tears of the Prophets". The members of the military carry communicators, Senator Letant and his assistants don't. In the latter two episodes, the new uniforms for members of the Senate (or civilians) can be seen very well. They still have black stripes, but the sleeves no longer have the eye-catching shoulder pads from the 2360s (or 1980s).
Something interesting happens in "Image in the Sand": Members of the Romulan military as well as civilians Senator Cretak and their assistants carry communicators. This was not the case for both Vreenak and Letant. From now on, all Romulans serving in the military or affiliated with the Senate should wear these devices. In "Shadows and Symbols", Senator Cretak's right hand is not visible, but we assume that she also carries a communicator in this episode.
All Romulans in "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" have communicator badges, whether they are members of the military, members of the Senate or the Continuing Committee. During the big reception on Romulus, there are Romulans in TNG uniforms, DS9 uniforms, civilian uniforms (Senate members, for example) and, in the case of Koval, a sort of Romulan dress uniform.
General Velal appears in "When It Rains..." as well as in "The Dogs of War". In both episodes he can be seen with a communicator. For some reason, he wears the badge on his left sleeve during his second appearance. This is the only time the communicator is worn on the left.
"What You Leave Behind" is the last time Romulans appear on DS9. However, since the Romulan, who is a member of the Senate, has her arms crossed behind her back, we can not tell whether she has a communicator.
Communicators in VOY
Romulans appear in a total of six Star Trek: Voyager episodes.
In "Eye of the Needle", Telek R'Mor wears no communicator. This may have different reasons. Firstly, the year is 2351, and Romulans wear the communicators only since 2369. Furthermore, he does not seem to be a member of the military, but commands a science ship and therefore also wears a civilian uniform.
The Romulans seen in "Unity" and "Infinite Regress" are those assimilated by the Borg. They therefore no longer carry a communicator (or a Romulan uniform).
All Romulans in "Message in a Bottle" wear the communicator, along with the DS9 Uniform.
Even the holographic Romulans in "Flesh and Blood" and "Q2" all have a communicator. After "Q2", such communicators will never be seen again, as the Romulan uniforms were completely redesigned for "Nemesis".
Tal Shiar Emblem
Only in one episode, in DS9: "The Die Is Cast", the Tal Shiar logo is visible on the bridge of the Romulan flagship. This logo picks up on the bird of prey depiction of the communicator, but appears even more stylized. The head (now with splayed feathers at the back of the head), the right wing (with other characters below it as the communicator) and the right talon can still be seen. To the left and right of the central light-blue bird of prey there are two large shapes that look like the letter "E". In addition, there are two planets, probably Romulus and Remus. As with all later appearances of the Romulan logo, the left half is green, while the right half is blue. The symbol is surrounded by several angular frames. These too are green on the left and blue on the right. After this appearance, the logo was never seen again.
In secondary literature, the logo has not yet been reproduced in the colors as it appeared in "The Die Is Cast". The oldest reproduction of the logo from the second edition of the Star Trek Encyclopedia, for instance, still has brown planets, and the one from the newest edition still has white outlines although these should be colored in green and blue.
Senate or Continuing Committee Badge
In "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges", several civil Romulans wear a new badge on their chest, which should only be seen in this episode and in "What You Leave Behind".
For the first time, we can see the badge on Senator Cretak. Since she is not yet a member of the Continuing Committee, but a Senator, I assume that it is a badge of Romulan senators. Two Romulans on board the USS Bellerophon and Romulans during the reception carry the badge as well. However, they are not all members of the Continuing Committee, as we will see later, so it likely is a badge of the Romulan Senate. No Romulan in military uniform wears the badge.
In "What You Leave Behind", there is a Romulan civilian, who is present at the signing of the peace treaty. She also wears the Senate badge.
Stylized Nemesis Logos
In "Star Trek Nemesis" a striking, star-shaped logo stands out on the bridge of the Valdore. This logo is located at the front of the central console of the captain of the Warbird. At the center of the logo there is an 8-pointed star resembling a compass rose. The lateral, upper and lower spikes of the star are extended. This star motif can be found in many areas of the Romulan Senate. Looking at cut "Nemesis" footage and at production photos, we can see that the two side corridors of the Senate (left and right next to the window and the main screen) also had candlesticks in such a shape. Further production photos show that the complete logo could also be seen on other side consoles on the bridge of the Valdore. Furthermore, the ceiling lighting on the bridge contains patterns that recur in the logo.
Just like the Romulan Valdore type ship itself, the star emblem on the bridge console also appears in the holodeck scenario in LOW: "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus".
The compass rose on the floor of the Senate is similar in design. In addition, there are torches in the adjoining room of the Senate, in which Shinzon talks to Picard, who are also based on the star motif. We can see the simple wind rose on the front and back of the captain's chair to. So this is a Romulan logo that appears in many places in the film, in more or less simplified form.
Beneath the large screen in the Senate there are three tall windows, at the bottom of which a distinctive logo can be seen. With a bit of imagination we recognize this as a highly stylized version of the Romulan emblem. There are two wings and the triangular head of the bird of prey. Above the bird there is a trapezoidal beam that mimics the beams from the Romulan logo seen in TNG, DS9 and VOY. Such windows can also be found in Shinzon's side room where he meets with Picard. Two of these windows were later reused in ENT: "Exile" in Tarquin's estate.
Romulan Rebirth Movement Emblem
The Romulan Rebirth Movement, an apparently xenophobic organization, is mentioned in the exposition of PIC: "Absolute Candor". We see an emblem later in the episode that most likely represents this movement.
Sem n'hak kon Emblem
In PIC: "Assimilation", Elnor wears a medallion that signifies "Sem n'hak kon" ("Now is the only moment"). A very similar metal pin could be seen as soon as in TNG: "Contagion", here as part of the uniform of Sub-commander Taris. The latter first appeared on Q's post-atomic horror uniform in TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", and was later seen again on Peliar Zel outfits in "The Host" and on Zef'No's Kressari outfit in "The Circle".
See Also
The Evolution of the Romulan Emblem - exhaustive survey of all variants
Alpha and Beta Quadrant Emblems L-Z
Credits
Some screen caps from TrekCore.
