There are some unintentional inconsistencies spotted in various television shows. One thing that fans noticed in Star Trek: Picard, is the differences in the Romulans' looks. The people of the said race don't all look alike, with others having more alien-like features. However, the Romulans' difference in looks actually indicate where they are from.
Picard showrunner Michael Chabon had a Q&A with some fans via his Instagram account where he was asked why some Romulans look more human than the others. "If you are referring to the forehead ridges, they are a facial feature common to the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere of Romulus," Chabon writes. "Denizens of the Southern Hemisphere have smooth foreheads."
He then pointed out that there is actually an entire "scabrous vocabulary of mutual insult" between Romulans based on their "anatomical divergence."
The said difference between the Romulans from the north and the south was mentioned in the third episode of Picard. Laris and Zhaban, who lives with Picard at his vineyard, captured a Zhat Vash agent and was refusing to answer any questions. Zhaban has forehead ridges but Laris doesn't, so the latter pointed out the agent's cranium, to show that he is a "stubborn northerner." This distinction essentially explains the inconsistencies of the Romulans' looks and clarifies why they look different in other versions of Star Trek.
Basically, the Romulans that have settled in the north have forehead ridges while those in the southern hemisphere didn't develop those alien-like features. It is yet to be explained why this has happened but it is an intriguing part of the Romulans' story.
New episodes of Star Trek: Picard stream Thursdays on CBS All Access.
Also Read: Simon Pegg Says Star Trek Movies Can't Compete with Marvel Films at the Box Office
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