Summary
A tragic event destroyed the Romulan homeworld and forced them to reunify with an oldStar Trekrival and turn the planet Vulcan into Ni’Var – but how? Fans ofThe Original Seriesknow that only the most drastic of circumstances could have brought these distant cousins back together. After all, their hostilities were plain for all the Enterprise crew to see in season 1, episode 8, “Balance of Terror,” and that was over a video call.
But they weren’t always enemies. The two once shared a planet and were bonded by distant ancestors, as well as by their lust for violence and domination. Then, the Vulcans had a change of heart that made them start following the peaceful teachings of Surak. Romulans, on the other hand, had no desire to change. So, they kept their warmongering ways and established Romulus as their homeworld. Centuries later, their sun went supernova and left them with nowhere else to go and no choice but to return to their original home.
Re-Integrating Vulcan & Romulan Society
Thedestruction of Romulus in the year 2387of theStar Trektimeline left its people without a home. Despite Ambassador Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) best efforts, its collision course with the red matter was unstoppable, and the impact was fatal. This created a whole new batch of problems for the Enterprise crew of the 2009 reboot movie.NuTrek shows likePicardbrought in a new perspective on theRomulan supernova event.
In season 1, episode 1, “Remembrance,” the iconic captain (Patrick Stewart) calls Starfleet out for abandoning Romulans in their hour of need. Some survivors swore their allegiance to the newly formed Romulan Free State government. Others resettled on Vulcan as their forebears had done centuries before them.Discoverytook a more hopeful approach, suggesting that over the years, they were able to reconcile. Season 3, episode 7, “Unification III,” (which takes place in the year 3188) discussed the reunification of two estranged peoples and the subsequent birth of Ni’Var.
The Naming of Ni’Var
Before getting locked into their iconicStar Trekfeud, Vulcans and Romulans shared a passion for war. When they split, Romulans continued cultivating a culture of combat on Romulus.Vulcans began following Surak’s pathof enlightenment and peace on Vulcan. Naming their shared planet Ni’Var makes sense to anyone familiar with the lore behind this term. It first appeared inStar Trekfanzines in the late 60s and early 70s. Then,Enterpriselater canonized it in season 1, episode 15, “Shadows of P’Jem.”
I am home and I had almost forgotten its beauty – Spock
Ni’Var means “two form"and was initially used to describe the duality ofSpock’s half-Vulcan/half-human heritage. It was also established as the Vulcan art form of examining the contrasting and compatible duality of a subject. Basically, the name “Ni’Var” acknowledges the ways something can have two sides that both contradict and complement each other. Like logic-forward people coming together with warrior people to establish the Vulcan-Romulan homeworld of Ni’Var.
Ni’Var After The Discovery Time Jump
Star Trek: Discoveryjumped into the 32nd century at the end of Season 2, where they arrived to learn about the Burn, which had happened about a century prior. Thiscatastrophic event destroyed the galaxy’s supply of dilithium. The scientists of Ni’Var thoughtStarfleet project SB-19was to blame, so they left the Federation. However, the two maintained an unofficial alliance that came in handy later on. Ni’Var’s President T’Rina (Tara Rosling) even gave the Federation access to research conducted by the Ni’Var Science Institute to discover the Burn’s origins. While she warned of the potential of civil unrest as a result of this partnership, she adamantly believed they needed all the help they could get.
Luckily, Michael Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) reunion with her crew revealed the true source of The Burn: a Kelpien child named Su’Kal (David Benjamin Tomlinson). Unlike the villainousCharlie fromThe Original Series,Su’Kal accidentally did psychic damageafter witnessing the death of his mother. Michael was instrumental in making the partnership between Ni’Var and the Federation official, and they’ve been BFFs ever since.
Ni’Var Rejoins the Federation
Star Trek: Discovery’s protagonist, Michael, was ahuman raised on Vulcan by Spock’s family.Naturally, she turned out to be the perfect person to negotiate talks of an official alliance. It just took Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) contracting a stomach worm for her to get a chance to prove her diplomatic skills. Ni’Var President T’Rina and Federation President Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) ended season 4, episode 4, “All is Possible,” by folding a Federation flag in honour of their official partnership.
TheKlingon-Federation alliance inThe Next Generationwas the result of centuries of tense conflict and bloody confrontations. But the one between Ni’Var and the Federation was no less of a hassle to obtain. Therefore, achieving it made it one of the greatest moments inStar Trekhistory.T’Rina argued her side and spoke on behalf of her people. Once her concerns were met, or at least acknowledged, she was willing to work with the Federation once more.
That being said, theRomulans were more than just a footnote in this important moment.TheRomulan warrior nuns of the Qowat Milathelped establish trust between their peers and the Vulcans early on in Ni’Var’s establishment. They were among many of the Romulans who had tried to stop Ni’Var from leaving the Federation in the first place but to no avail. Their hard work didn’t pay off until theDiscoverycrew lent their diplomatic skills to the negotiating table. Michael’s impromptu reunion with her mother Gabrielle (Sonja Sohn) was the cherry on top of a political sundae.
Starfleet had always had many Vulcan officers, but Romulans only started joining the Federation ranks after Ni’Var rejoined the Federation.Discoveryrevealed in season 5, episode 7, “Erigah,” that Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) had a Romulan officer on her security team. This put them in the ranks of Elnor (Evan Evagora) and Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley/Robin Curtis) in genuinely upholding their position as a Starfleet officer.
Ni’Var has since enjoyed relative peace. Now thatDiscoveryhas come to a bittersweet end, they’ll hopefully see more of it. At least until the next dramaticStar Trekseries comes along.
