Archive through July 01, 2009
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Archive through July 01, 2009
So I've finally gotten around to reading Captain's Log #37 and noticed the alternate timeline Fed & Empire scenario where a Tholian BB shows up early in the Great War, changing the status quo.
And it got me thinking.. SFB is already basically an 'alternate Trek timeline' but there's another timeline in "The Original Series" which could be utilized 'under license', and that's the one from "Mirror, Mirror".
For those not 'in the know', this alternate timeline is one where there's no Federation. It's been replaced by the Terran Empire which appears to be one in which officers achieve positions through ruthlessness and assassinations, where resisting peoples are subjected to genocide, etc.
One of the nice things is that in 'Mirror, Mirror', none of the other major races are even mentioned, so any past or future to that one episode could be imagined. Yes, other Trek series expanded on the Mirror universe, but of course SFB wouldn't be (and couldn't be) beholden to those episodes. And one could posit that those mirror universes were other alternate universes that happened to be quite close to but not the same as the one in TOS.
Anyhow... so we have this mirror universe. What kind of products could be produced? My initial suggestion would be something along the line of "Stellar Shadows" but with more of a focus on scenarios and history.
Potential specifics might include:
Key events that led to the change in history. This could have occurred in The Early Years which leads to all sorts of Alpha Octant changes. Perhaps the Seltorians had found the Tholians quite soon after they arrived in the Milky Way, eliminated them and then decimated the Klingons and/or the Romulans, allowing humans to take more territory from both races. Various chain reactions could then occur.. the ISC turned warlike early to fight off the Seltorians, but perhaps acting more like the Federation in the 'real' time line; races like the Paravians and Carnivons surviving due to wars the Federation fights with the Kzinti and Gorn. This is all 'off the cuff' as far as thoughts, and some (most?) elements might not work (the Seltorians might be too dangerous), but the point is that there's certainly some fertile ground here.
It's implied in "Mirror, Mirror" that an upheaval might begin in the Terran Empire due to the actions of one ruthless, but still logical, Vulcan, leading to a potential series of scenarios regarding a Civil War.
Anyhow, that's my initial thought on the subject. Anyone else? 
Most likely "Mirror, Mirror" is off limits to ADB and the SFU. At least that was the understanding a few years ago when this subject came up.
The solution discussed then was to instead create a Vulcan Empire. The overall effect would be pretty much the same, as the Vulcan Empire would be based on a non-logical, ruthless Vulcan culture. (I think Sarek was killed or something.)
I don't remember all of the details, but I am sure others do ...
Surak.
Though one wonders whether SFB could refer directly to Surak.
Still, that's a fascinating change (pun intended). You lose the Romulans (since the canon as far as I remember is that Romulans were a splinter group who refused to accept Surak's teachings).
Not knowing where the discussion led previously, I'm hesitant to offer my own extrapolation as I don't want to step on any toes.
I think what triggered this general thought in my mind was the F&E scenario in CL#37 combined with flipping through Y2 and seeing the empires, and even weapons (the Hellgun for instance) that disappeared.
My (and admittedly this is not the same as anyone else's !) ideal alternate universe would involve the same players except with the central power (the Federation) being a ruthless Empire but with different alliances and wars, while also allowing the Carnivons and Paravians to still exist.
I asked SVC about Federation Commander ship cards for a mirror universe and he replied on 5/17/2008:
"Trek had a mirror universe but never did ships for it. So you could propose your version of a ship for an alternate evil universe..."
Then he referred to ADB's policy, specifically, "Ships you invent by yourself are postable under our internet policy, which requires you to "sign them over" to us to that somebody doesn't collect 72 of them and publish his own book. Note, if you seriously think we might publish the ship, send it to us first as we might decide not to publish an otherwise cool ship just because it's already free on the internet."
Sounds as if ADB might be open to something with a mirror universe featuring an "evil" Terran Empire instead of a Federation.
After the first contact with Vulcans (either logical or the ruthless types mentioned in the previous post), humans would see that space is filled with some real nasty dudes bent on their destruction. This would lead humans into a policy of expansion for Earth's survival. This could easily morph into a strategy of conquest to protect humanity's strategic interests...hence the Terran Empire.
Vulcans would not necessarily have to be non-logical. In "Mirror, Mirror" the Vulcan was appealed to on the basis of logic. I think the big difference could be "the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many" instead of the other way around. Either way could be considered logical.
Sorry about the Surak name screw-up.
Anyway, maybe the Vulcan Empire Vulcans were logical. Like I said, it was quite a while ago, and I don't know if I saved any of it. But, you can still get Romulans if you want.
Hey! I know: In this case it was Surak's *followers* who left! So, the "Romulans" are logical and relatively peaceful, but the "Vulcans" aim to take over the galaxy. That would give you a really different evil universe.
But, doing a Terran Empire is probably possible, too. Just make it different from "Mirror! Mirror!". How about making it a Terran Empire AND have Surak lose? The logical Romulan Republic is an implacable foe of the expansionistic Terran Empire. Meanwhile, despite a very bad start, the vastly outnumbered passionate Vulcans are a valued partner to the ruling Terrans of the Empire. (I.e. the Terrans run the show, but the Vulcans are full members, not subjects like with the Klingons.)
Sarek is actually a very nice place
We can mention Surak...he's mentioned in the Prime Directive Romulan book and in the upcoming Federation book.
I've given some thought to developing background for a Vulcan/Human empire but haven't had time to develop it.
Mike, I'd had the same thought as you, last night regarding having the 'peaceful Vulcans' be the expatriates. Great minds and all that... Of course you get credit due to writing it down first. ;)
Perhaps the Romulans (the peaceful Vulcans) would be the main influence on the Gorns growth, mediating a peace between them and the Paravians. Maybe they even discover that the Paravian star is going to go supernova, and allow the Paravians to resettle in part of what was Romulan space in the 'real universe'.
Due to being much more aggressive, I could see the Vulcan empire participating in war after war against the Klingons and Kzinti. That might release pressure on the Carnivons.
The West would be even more chaotic than it is in the real universe.
Hmmm, definitely some potential.
Of course, one way of getting out product would just be scenarios sent to Captain's Log with some sort of marker (like Y136 - Alternate Universe). After all, SFB's history is referred to as being built one scenario at a time. ;)
The odd (but great) thing is that you don't even have to change *any* of the ships! (Just a few paint-jobs.)
Granted, these "Romulans" would likely not have trouble figuring out warp power, but since they are not trying to take over the galaxy, that isn't a problem. However, there is no reason they couldn't still have the same basic designs. The pressures and influences that caused the real Romulans to pick those designs are still present on Romulan. So, it is entirely possible that these "Romulans" would do the same. And, if they were saddled with inferior designs, and being pressured by the aggressive Terran Empire, they could end up making a "deal with the Devil" (i.e. the Klingons) and get the Kestral ships.
Then, just for fun, the idea of a modular design to meet immediate needs for versatility is a very logical response.
And the borders don't need to change much, if any. The Feds declared the Y102 border as a nifty land-grab under the cover of a "peace initiative". For the TE, just make it a literal landgrab, and that is where the fighting stopped.
Ooo! Another idea: The area that the Tholians settled was actually initially settled by the *Terrans*, as they just got there faster than the Klingons. Or, maybe they had *just* defeated the Klingons as the Tholians arrived and finished everyone off. Then, the Tholian's active enemy is the TE, not the Klingons. (Or not. Just an optional change up.) Then, the standard weapon of the Tholians would be the photons they stole from the TE, not the disruptor they stole from the Klingons ...
Back to the ships, in "Mirror! Mirror!" it was heavily implied (if not outright stated) that the Enterprise was exactly the same. That means you don't have to make any new ships for the TE; just use the Federation ships with a new paint job. (Even the labs can make sense, as they are ever expanding. Even the TE knows you have to study things to rule them effectively ...)
Unless, of course, you *want* to change their ships.
I would imagine the Terran Empire would have infrequent uprisings to put down. Perhaps a renegade fleet or squadron captain might attempt to take advantage of a political or military situation to carve out a niche for himself. (S)he gets the support of at least one planetary system (perhaps more) and maybe even a foreign neighboring empire...
I wonder how the Terrans would deal with Orion and how the pirate cartel development would be affected?
Well, the ships would change if it were a 'Vulcan Empire' (as opposed to a Terran Empire) and to some extent I'd find that just as interesting as leaving the ships the same with a different paint job. But if you leave it as a Terran Empire then keeping very similar ships works too. It could be fun though to have 'General War' era ships based on Early Year Vulcan designs, at least in addition to the usual Federation designs.
Also, remember that when it comes to the new Romulans and warp power, that the original Romulans HAD warp power. They just didn't have Tactical Warp power (which allows fighting at warp). That would work for the Alt-Romulans too, especially if their relations with the Gorn (and ISC?) were more peaceful.
I'm not sure I could see the Alt-Romulans focusing on things like Plasma Torpedoes and Nuclear Space mines as their weapons base though.
An alternative to getting ships from the Klingons would be either the Gorn or ISC who would be more natural allies. The ISC's probably out due to philosophy, although it might be interesting for them to pick up some of the 'forgotten technology' the ISC used and incorporate that into their ships.
I do like the idea regarding the Tholians... Of course, if the Terrans had taken the area from the Klingons first, then both races might raid the Tholians from time to time.
When the Seltorians arrive, they might become more natural allies to the Terrans, and if the Terrans didn't realize the Seltorians' secret, could end up fighting a desperate war of survival against a race that turns against them...
Hmmmm....
So... One possible outline of the Alt-Universe (as to the changes):
Surak Dies
Surak's followers leave Vulcan for regions unknown, and eventually settle south of the Gorn Empire, becoming the Romulans (although perhaps their name should be changed to reference a more peaceful theme?) For the purposes of the rest of this 'timeline', I will call them the Alt-Romulans.
When the burgeoning Terran sphere of influence meets the Vulcan one, conflicts are sparked initially by the two empires, but something unites the two.
Non human/vulcan races are enslaved or eliminated completely (perhaps the Andorians and Tellarites).
Terran/Vulcan empire expands rapidly, initially 'West and South', coming into conflict with the Kzinti and Klingons. These wars are bloodier in scale than the wars in the normal universe. Kzinti and Klingons are forced into an alliance to survive, and pressure is reduced on the Carnivons who fight primarily against the Lyrans and manage to carve out their own chunk of space. Lyrans feel the pressure and can either move against the Klingons (weakened by the war with the Terran/Vulcan Empire, or the Hydrans who may be stronger now. The Klingons might make a deal with the Hydrans or Lyrans in order to perhaps gain some territory from the other.
When the Tholians arrive, they boot out the Terran/Vulcan empire which had just taken the region from the Klingons, earning enmity from the Terran/Vulcan empire.
Over in the East...
The Alt-Romulans expand, peacefully. They encounter the Gorn and the ISC and are relieved to find kindred spirits in both empires. However, they plant the seeds earlier that 'warp power does not always equal peaceful' in the minds of the ISC due to relating their experiences with the Terran/Vulcan empire.
The Romulans mediate a peace between the Paravians and the Gorn, offering a region of space that has been explored, but not yet settled, by the Alt-Romulans.
Eventually the Terran/Vulcan empire turns its attention East, after having forced surrenders from the Kzinti/Klingon coalition. They meet the Gorn first, but having been forewarned by the Alt-Romulans, have built up to similar levels in the Historical universe, and the Terran/Vulcans can make little headway. Trying to find a weak spot, they blunder into the Alt-Romulans who had hoped to remain hidden much longer as their ships are designed more for exploration and are incapable of Tactical Warp combat. They use stealth technology they had developed against monsters on their ships.
In desperation, they turn to the ISC who are willing to provide older styled ships and weaponry, while the Gorn provide the secret of Tactical Warp.
Eventually, the Alt-Romulans remake their navy using the logical concept of modularity.
The ISC stay out of the wars of this era, but do provide material support to both the Gorn and the Alt-Romulans.
(The Paravians are a wild card.. They might still perceive the Gorn as enemies and skirmish against them, or perhaps turn against the ISC)
Mike... So something along the lines of the 'LDR' or Wyn Cluster inside of the Terran/Vulcan empire's space? That could be entertaining...
Well, I don't see that the Orion pirates would change much.. After all, the Klingons haven't elimimated them in their space in the Historical Universe, and the Terran/Vulcans would be so busy fighting wars that they wouldn't be able to concentrate as much as they would like.
How about this:
The Kzinti and Klingons ally against the Terrans. The Carnivons survive. The Lyrans cannot ally with the Klingons, as the Klingons are allied to the Kzinti. The Lyrans won't ally with the Kzinti, even indirectly, and the Klingons desperately need the Kzinti. So, it becomes Kzinti/Klingon and Lyran/Hydran. The Carnivons won't ally with anyone and fight both the Kzinti and Lyrans.
The Tholians are raided by the Klingons and the Terrans, but the Klingons decide to mostly leave them alone, as the Terrans are the bigger fish, and if both keep attacking, the Tholians will die. This keeps the Tholians around to be a thorn in the Terrans side.
The Terrans subjugate everyone inside their Empire. However, they are a brutal meritocracy. If your race can fit in and work the system, you are accepted, just as the Vulcans were. If you can't, you are isolated to your world as a subject world. (You aren't enslaved, per se; just trapped and made to pay taxes.)
The Orions were the one race that openly resisted, and paid the ultimate price. The core of the Orion pirates are the remnants the Orions. In the end, the Orion Pirates operate like our Orion Pirates, but there is no enclave; it was destroyed.
The aRomulans make the Eagles right off the bat. With their friendly relations with the Gorns, both develop tactical warp together and both develop plasma weapons together. The aRomulans don't get anyone's ships; they just make "full" eagles (a la the KE and SNB) and then skip straight to their modular ships.
The Paravians are still dead. The aRomulans might have tried to negotiate, but once the Paravians discovered that the aRomulans were friendly with the Gorns, it would be all over. The aRomulans would have seen the sequestering as terribly unfortunate, but the only possible response. Sunsnake comes, and they all die. No Paravians.
The ISC still wouldn't be found until Y160, but this time they observe a joint aRomulan/Gorn colony and open relations. As you say, when the GW starts, they lend material support, and possibly some expeditionary fleets. There is no ISC war, as they get past their "warp=peace" by finding both friendly (aRomulan/Gorn) and enemies (Terrans) at the same time.
So, the alliances are (initially), Lyran/Hydran, Klingon/Kzinti, aRomulan/Gorn/ISC, and Terrans by themselves. The Lyrans attack the Kzinti. The Klingons (by treaty) attack the Lyran. The Hydran (by treaty) attack the Klingons. This would have been just another 4PW (with different allegiances), except that the Terrans sense weakness and attack the Klingons.
This could have been it, except that the Klingons, with pressure from two sides, reaches out to the aRomulans. The Klingons convince the aRomulans that they are next if the Terrans win, so the aRomulans are (reluctantly) forced to join the fray, which immediately pulls in the Gorn.
There you go: the new General War with basically the same timeline (and non-results), but with totally new allegiances and the Terrans and aRomulans.
One more idea ...
If we leave other things as they are, the Paravians are completely doomed. Don't see a way around that.
Now, how about if we *combine* this alternative history with the Paravian alternative history?
What would happen here is that the Gorns and aRomulans are *friendly*. This means that the Gorns would not scatter, but would *all* go to the aRomulans. Then, you would have an expanded aRomulan/Gorn Republic, and the majority of Gorn space is replaced with the Paravian empire.
Plus, the Paravians would hate EVERYONE. The Terrans, while brutal, still have principle and are not going to be bullied into eliminating a member world (Skoleos). The aRomulans now have merged the Gorn into their Republic. And the ISC have the Prons.
There is another huge benefit to doing this: The ISC in Y160 will see a fight between an aRomulan/Gorn ship which is defending a colony against a Paravian raider! This means the ISC don't trust *anyone*, even the quite reasonable aRomulan/Gorn Republic.
The result of this is that you *can* have the ISC War following the General War.
The General War would still unfold as I mentioned above, but the aRomulan/Gorn Republic would fight the Terrans straight up. The Paravians would simply continue to operate as always, and continue to snipe at both.
Just to make sure you guys are on the right page (without my having to read this)...
We can do A mirror universe of our own creation.
We cannot do THE mirror universe.
The problem with such things is that there are so many options, that it's hard to see one of them being marketable, and doing more than one is just not practicable.
Ok, so we have Steve's comments.
I personally am willing to continue this as a thought exercise because I think that people might like a mirror universe concept with the 'Feds turned evil' as the main difference.
As for 'initial products' either scenarios in a Captain's Log or something like the 'E' modules (as in, public playtest modules) to gauge interest would work. Again, if the scenarios were prefaced with 'Alt Universe' (or some such...) it would work.
Mike: I'm not sure I understand the thought process behind Paravians take over Gorn space... in your above post, specifically the reference to the Gorns not scattering and instead join the aRomulans. Why would they have to scatter to begin with?
That said, I like either possibility and I don't mind if the Paravians get eliminated as in the real universe.
Another potential alteration though might be the Vudar. During and after the General War, the Klingons are so smashed, and had been unable during it to pay much attention to the Vudar, that the uprising is much more successful. Perhaps the Seltorians ally with the Vudar and given that both really don't care about the General War, they manage to take a couple of Tholian territory 'hexes' on the F&E map. The Vudar then learn 'the secret' and turn on the Selts, eliminating them. So you have a slightly smaller Tholian empire, and slightly larger Vudar one.
One final note about the aRoms and one of my 'hidden' motivations in how I've been framing some of the alt-history: I've never liked that the Gorn feel so vanilla (even the carronade doesn't quite do it for me). If the Plasma Torpedo was a 'Gorn Only' weapon (at least through the general war) and the aRomulans had something different (whether an ISC weapon, or something completely different based on Vulcan technology) it would make the Gorn more interesting to me.
Maybe disruptors!
Nah...been done.
I think the Vulcan Empire option would work best in terms of developing the historical background, since we have an obvious diversion point....Surak's side loses.
Robert,
Re: The Paravians
Go read CL28/SSJ2. It has the "alternative history" that allows the Paravians to live until the GW period. Short version: Sunsnake destined for Paravia hits one of the Gorn suns instead, crippling the Confederation. Paravians smash Gorns, who them must flee for their lives. In CL28, they scatter in all directions as the only other known destination is the hated Romulans.
In this version, the aRomulans are *friends*. As such, there is no reason to scatter; they can just go to the aRomulans. In fact, the aRomulans are probably able to help the flight and might even save a few border worlds, turning that into the new aRomulan border with greater Paravia.
If the Gorn/Paravian relationship continues as normal (and the sunsnake eventually hits Paravia), then the Paravians are doomed. There can be no negotiations, as they are irrationally genocidal. That is part of their make-up. (That is also why the Kzinti/Lyrans/Carnivons can never be on the same side. It must always be a three-way fight. It just their make-up.)
So, to me anyway, it would seem the main choice around the Paravians is dead like usual, or use the CL28 situation to crush the Confederation.
Re: New weapon
I admit my goal was to completely change the background, but keep as much of the balance and technology the same. This gives it a better chance to actally see the light of day. New weapons require testing. Testing requires lots of time. No new weapons requires much less testing.
There is also the lack of existing options. The Vulcans used special sensors and Ph-1s in Y1. Presumably, at the time of their departure, they had phaser predecessors and atomic missles (like everyone else). There was probably something about Romulus and its environs that lead the Romulans to develop plasma. That will all be pretty much the same for the aRomulans.
But, if you want them to get something from their neighbors, that leaves plasma or, uh, plasma. The Gorns used the same plasma that the Romulans did. If we do the CL29 scenario, then it is *guaranteed* they would use plasma. If they get something from the ISC, it would be plasma. (The PPD is not developed until later.) So, unless you make a brand new weapon out of whole cloth, the aRomulans get the same thing that the Romulans get: plasma.
So, here I only see two main options: plasma or something completely new. The Steves would have to comment as to whether something completely new would be a benefit or detriment. But, even if it is something new, you are *still* screwing the Gorn, as then the aRomulans get the new shiny toy, and the Gorns are left with the boring old plasma. Personally, I just vote for plasma for the aRomulans.
Also, if you use the CL28 scenario (which is kinda growing on me), then there is no independent Gorn empire. You will have a mixed aRomulan/Gorn empire. It is only logical that they would end up with plasma and phasers in that case.
As an aside, that also neatly solves the ship problems. You get Bird/Eagles prior to the Gorn merger, and after that you get some minor variation on the Gorn ships.
Oooo! Here is another way to do that: They combine ideas. They have base Gorn ships that don't have the rear bubble, but the rear bubbles are designed to be modular. So, instead of modular Sparrowhawks, they have modular Gorn ships, with the changes in the rear bubble. That could work ... (Yeah, I know. I just made Petrick throw up ...)
Anyway, the other nice thing about the CL28 scenario, is it keeps from creating a boring "half" of the map with the Gorn, aRomulans, and ISC all playing nice. The CL28 scenario keeps the ISC in their traditional role, and the Paravians provide a nice powerful lunatic wildcard to the equation.
Re:Vudar
I hadn't really thought about them. Unlike you, I don't see the Klingons getting crushed. Instead, they get pressured, then recover and push back. (Kinda like the Feds in the historical background.) Since the parties involved (Klingons and Hydrans) are still enemies, the Vudar don't really even have to change. They can work just like they did historically.
Actually, the ones who get totally screwed in this endeavor are the LDR. They don't have the Hydrans to help anymore, and I don't know that the Klingons would. As such, they would probably be eventually subjugated by the Lyrans eventually (probably before the GW). Regardless, the LDR as we know them would be gone.
(Another interesting side effect are Lyran fighters. With no Klingon alliance, the only source of fighter technology would be the Hydrans. Say hello to squadrons of Stinger-Ds!)
Robert,
You mean the "Feds turned evil" isn't the real timeline?
I ran a Serenity game in the SFBU under PD-D20 and remarkably you can pretty much just assume that the Federation is Core Worlds and you're good to go. In everyone's business, making rules and keepin' you out of the skies.
Evil is (almost always) a matter of perspective.
Mike
The problem with the Gorns absorbed by the romulans is that there's no industrial base for Gorn ships.
Suppose we moderate the CL28 scenario and the sunsake doesn't hit the paravian capital, doesn't cripple the Gorns. Or doesn't cripple them as badly.
Gorns make nice with Roms because they can't make nice with the paravians. But they are their own power.
If we wanted to depart from historical gorn plasma torp development, we can try to turn the carronade into a full-blown heavy weapon.
I think the simlest approach and probably the most effective is to generate a history that allows each race to opperate reasonably opposite of what the real universe provides.
There are all sorts of great histories that can be told but the point of producing one for the game is to allow each race to explore how they would work in the others shoes. As such it boils down to only one mirror universe is necessary so long as it allows each race to explore its alternative side.
Simplest, yes.
Unfortunately the product that will result of that is a scenario book and maybe a campaign setting.
Loren,
What I was trying to do is the exact opposite of your suggestion. I was trying to change the nature of just one empire (i.e. Federation -> Terran Empire), but leave the rest essentially untouched. That gives a widely divergent feel, but things are still recognizable.
Sorry, but seeing not only an "evil" Federation, but carnivorous Gorns, pacifist Romulans, jihadist ISC, pansy Klingons, democratic Lyrans (with a break-away kingdom), vegetarian Kzinti and [something] Hydrans just doesn't do it for me.
I would much rather see how the Klingons react to an aggressive Terran Empire. Changing the "western" allegiances to Kzinti/Klingon and Lyran/Hydran does not really change the natures of those empires. That type of arrangement *could* have happened; it just didn't. They are still the same Klingons, Kzinti, Lyrans, and Hydrans.
The only reason I suggested swapping the Vulcans and Romulans was because I didn't want a vaccuum in Romulan space. So, we get the aRomulans. But, the Gorns are still the Gorns, the ISC are still the ISC, and so on.
John,
There isn't an industrial base for *any* of the aRomulan ships outside the Eagles. Whatever they do has to be new. So, if its gotta be new, why not use designs that work well and you will have a lot of help creating? Plus, it uses recognizable ships that don't have to be created out of whole cloth, since they really wouldn't have the Hawks regardless. (The Hawks are designed from Klingon influences, which disappear in this case.)
There are several reasons for the aRomulan/Gorn merger. First, having Gorns, aRomulans, AND Paravians just doesn't fit in that space. Someone is reduced to "LDR" status. So, since Gorns and aRomulans are gonna be tight, just put them together. Second, if the ISC witness the Gorn/aRomulan lovefest AND the Paravians, their whole worldview shatters. They are fundamentally changed, and the whole ISC war disappears. Let there be a combined aRomulan/Gorn empire and a more ascendant Paravian terror, then the ISC can keep their original mistaken view and we can still have the ISC War. Third, it eliminates the need to develop all new technology. It gives a convenient replacement for "third generation" aRomulan technology (there is no "second generation", but it keeps the equivalency), it requires no new weapons, but still increases the technological diversity because of the Paravians.
In summary, the aRomulan/Gorn just gives a real good cover to keep the various races with the same characteristics, but still change it up massively.