History
The history of the Reman species can be traced to the Vulcans during the time of the Sundering when several starships left the planet in order to continue their way of life elsewhere. These ships discovered the twin worlds of Romulus and Remus; at the time of the Arrival, the First chose their own worlds for their own reasons thus Romulus was settled where homes were built, plants were seeded and the people lived a free life. However, in order to continue their civilization, a lot of resources were required. Thus, it was decided that Remus itself needed to be settled as it possessed a wealth in riches and resources that were needed to fuel the creation of a new society. To set an example, Karatek of the Shavokh decided that his ship-clan would develop a settlement on the hostile world of Remus. Those amongst the First that settled on Remus consisted of miners and engineers who believed that their labor would be rewarded with a life on Romulus with the rest of their kind. Even before their work began, Karatek and his people were betrayed and left in exile on Remus where they worked essentially as slaves. It was during this time that the Remans were born.
The population on Remus was quickly isolated and environmental pressures combined with an insular community created genetic drift and eventually the Remans were created as an offshoot species specifically adapted to life serving in the mines of a hostile planet.
The Romulans have purged almost all of the ancient history of the Remans and while there are indicator that the Remans have revolted many times over the yeras, the Romulan official history is that the Remans have always been a proud and loyal member of the
Romulan Star Empire.
Biology
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 telepathic abilities. 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.
It was known that similar to the Romulans, the Remans possessed the Vulcan genes for telepathy within their DNA. (TOS novel: Captain's Blood) Unlike their Romulan brothers, however, the Remans have demonstrated telepathic abilities that can dull the sense of pain among those suffering from disease and allows them to invade the minds of others.
Society & Culture
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 or shock troops, in other words.
Their fearsome warrior nature meant that the Romulans often employed Remans to serve as bodyguards to senators that were used to intimidate possible opponents.
The life of the Remans has been a long and painful one where they endlessly toiled within the harsh surface of their homeworld. Their spirit had long ago been crushed and the concept of freedom is somewhat alien to them at times. In addition to this, the concept of what is a Reman is somewhat fluid. The race believes that anyone who is banished to Remus is considered a fellow brother and is, thus, a Reman. Their species even lacked doctors as such and Romulan Assessors only allowed basic medical knowledge to be provided to Remans. This training ranged from wounds sustained in the mines to childbirth, which were the limits of their medical knowledge.
