Reman

The Remans are the humanoid race that inhabited the planet Remus until 2380. (movie: Star Trek Nemesis; novel: Articles of the Federation.) A nocturnal race, the Remans shun light, and are characterized by their imposing heights, grey skin, large ears, keen eyesight in the dark, and the possession of telepathy. As of the late 24th Century, it was commonly believed by the people of the Federation that the Remans were a mutated offshoot of the Romulans. (novel: Articles of the Federation)

The Remans were an oppressed caste within Romulan society, with their world having long ago come under the auspices of the Romulan Star Empire. The Remans were, in fact, little more than slaves to the Romulans; many were forced to work under harsh conditions in Remus' dilithium mines, while other worked as personal servants or bodyguards to rich and powerful Romulans. Still more were drafted into the Romulan Imperial Fleet, forced to work as ground forces -- cannon fodder, in other words. (movie: Star Trek Nemesis; TTN novel: Taking Wing; ENT episode: "United")

In the late 2370s, the Remans came under the leadership of a Human clone named Shinzon; Shinzon had been created as a clone of Federation Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Earth to infiltrate the Federation in Picard's place, but had been condemned to live amongst the Remans early in life. Shinzon's tactical brilliance allowed him and his Reman brethern to rise to prominence within the Imperial Fleet, so much so that the Star Empire's ability to control them was questioned, with many in the Romulan government believing them to now be a private army. These fears proved well-founded; after winning the support of key members of the Senate and Imperial Fleet, Shinzon had the Senate and Praetor assassinated and assumed power. Shinzon intended to bring revenge upon the Romulans for his and the Remans' suffering, but died before this could be accomplished. (movie: Star Trek Nemesis.)

In December of 2379, the Remans had come under the leadership of a Reman colonel named Xiomek; in the midst of Federation-mediated power-sharing negotiations between several Romulan factions, Xiomek's forces sought to attack Romulus. Using numerous abandoned starships, some of which were centuries old, the Remans gathered a fleet and launched an orbital battle. The battle was ended when Federation Starfleet Captain William T. Riker of Earth, commanding officer of the USS Titan, negotiated a treaty whereby Remus and all Remans were made protectorates of the Klingon Empire. Under the treaty, ships from the Klingon Defense Force were stationed throughout Romulan space, and the Remans were granted the right to settle on a continent on Romulus called Ehrie'fvil. (TTN novel: Taking Wing)

Unfortunately, however, this plan proved a failure. Numerous firefights between Romulan forces and between Klingon and Romulan forces hampered the Empire's ability to protect the Remans, and a great many hate crimes were committed in Ehrie'fvil, including the vicious muders of numerous Remans. Federation President Nanietta Bacco's administration later developed an alternate agreement whereby all Remans were voluntarily transported out of Romulan space and re-settled on an uninhabited Klingon planet called Klorgat IV. In the midst of resettlement, rogue Romulan Admiral Lhian Mendak, commanding officer of the IRW Rhliailu and several other ships, decloaked and pulverized a Klorgat moon. The Reman settlement was on the other side of the planet at the time; nonetheless, the destruction of the moon would sigificantly damage the planet's environment. The fact remained, however, that Klorgat was still much more hospitable than Remus. (novel: Articles of the Federation.)


 * Many fans believe the Remans to be the native inhabitants of Remus, a view confirmed by the Shatnerverse novel Captain's Blood. The origins of the Remans in the mainstream novel continuity will be revealed in the Vulcan's Soul trilogy, volumes one and two of which is currently available.