Probably one of the most memorable sequences in Star Trek: Nemesis was the big push-in to the Romulan Senate Chambers. Ron Thornton was subcontracted by Sy Dutton of Illusion Arts to create a 3D model of the Romulan Senate and surrounding area. Syd had created several matte paintings for Next Gen, and DS9 of Romulus, and wanted to make sure that continuity was served.
(Below) Pierre’s naked, and unprocessed push-in to the senate chamber.
Jörg’s mini history of Illusion Arts television mattes -
The matte painting first appeared in “Unification I”. It was seen again one episode later in “Unification II”, here it appeared in two versions, the day-version already seen in the first part of the two-parter and a dusk version with a red sky.
Many years later, the matte painting appeared in “Inter arma enim silent leges”, again in two versions, a day and dusk version. For both, the cloud patterns were changed, so basically, there are 4 versions of the same matte painting.
After that, the surface of Romulus was seen in “Star Trek: Nemesis”. The slightly modified 3-D model of the surface with the Imperial Senate also appeared in “Babel One”, this time with a zoom out in contrast to Nemesis’ zoom in.
Many years later, the matte painting appeared in “Inter arma enim silent leges”, again in two versions, a day and dusk version. For both, the cloud patterns were changed, so basically, there are 4 versions of the same matte painting.
After that, the surface of Romulus was seen in “Star Trek: Nemesis”. The slightly modified 3-D model of the surface with the Imperial Senate also appeared in “Babel One”, this time with a zoom out in contrast to Nemesis’ zoom in.
Screen Caps cortesy Jörg
(Below) Illusion Arts mattes of Romulus for broadcast Star Trek -
(Below and Above) “Inter arma enim silent leges”
(Below) “Unification”
(Below) “Babel One”, the repurposed “Nemesis” model.
(Below) The final push-in sequence from Star Trek: Nemesis.
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SSAAAA WWSWEEEETTTTT
That is awesome Doug!
Hey just saw Caprica Pilot. You working with them?
Ryan! Yessir!On it!
” … wanted to make sure that continuity was served.”
Conti-what?? You just said the dirtiest of words, Doug!
Like Sister Keeler said, you see the same things that I do. We speak the same language.
And we like the same gorgeous matte paintings!
I remember this sequence well! Truly stunning!!
Thanks for posting
Fantastic!
Thanks so much Doug!
I would tell people to look at the Nemesis DVD, he talks about this. Also it was talked about in “The Star Trek” Magazine.
I loved the matte paintings. The CG version is beautiful too but city didn’t look as sprawling as the painting. Great work indeed.
Wow. the original TNG matte paintings are beautiful, but the Nemesis version ramps it up to 11.
I like how the later version has a more distinctive Romulan “style” to the architecture. It’s like 2 parts Roman Empire to 1 part Art Deco.
I see a little World’s Fair influence in the TNG/DS9 matte painting, there are three round tower buildings that echo the NY State Pavilion/Starbase 11 aesthetic.
Oh, man, those are amazing pieces. I didn’t realize Ron Thornton worked on any of this stuff. I’m a fan of his work.
I’ve always loved the Romulans and the CG capital city is truly stunning. Excellent work!
As always, Pierre has made a beautiful model! Though, I agree with Tim, the CG model, while beautiful, isn’t quite as sweeping as the matte paintings.
Absolutely stunning! Romulus is truly one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy, too bad it was destroyed
I just noticed there are some stylistic similarities between the cgi model and the monastary of P’Jem. No doubt they are unintentional, but still very interesting.
“Romulus is truly one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy, too bad it was destroyed.”
We’ll always have Romulus.
I see this as more like a feudal castle and the main city being elsewhere.
I was fascinated by the Romulan Archetecture. Too bad it’s all space dust now. :p
Romulus and Vulcan as Space Dust – I’ve been assured that it’s all for the best. We never liked those civiliations anyway, right?
I am very glad you are on Caprica Doug. At least I can be assured that some of the things I like will have some continuity. ( aka be reboot-less)
Keep on keeping on, You are da man.
Peace and Light
Jeff
Oh, and I loved this scene on Romulus. I find the Romulan “world” interesting anyway. However, I was struck just now at how the Senate bldg, from above resembles the Opera House on Kobol from The Book of Pythia. Which is cool in my book
Peace and Light
Jeff
I like these scene of Nemesis, and I love the scene in ENT, when the camera fly over the city and get in to a building to see the head of the Romulan guy giving the orders…. Really cool !!!
It’s a pity that the Senate interior set left something to be desired in terms of scale, but the set designers, at least, did the best they could with the budget they had. If we ever get to see Romulus again, hopefully CGI set extensions will give us something truly imperial. (And hopefully the hypothetical writers in this scenario wouldn’t be beholden to that Countdown comic in which Romulus is blown up, either.)
I for one was fascinated by the view, but also but the tiny ships buzzing around, I think at least 6 different types, any shots of those?
What an awesome look at these different renditions all together! I’m a *big* fan of the Romulan architectural style. What is super cool about what I consider to be the capital seat of Romulus is that each element has it’s own character and style.
The mattes for “Inter Arma” and “Unification” and the CG shot for “Babel One” just take my breath away! The lines are so clean and intentional. The first shot shows the well laid out design…I can see people coming from all over to view monuments of battles and those that served in them. Much like the Mall and Reflecting Pool areas in D.C. I can even imagine one or two of the walls and towers with the inscriptions in a couple of the views.
Jeff: I am very glad you are on Caprica Doug.
NNOOoo, we need you here on Earth, Doug!! ;D I’m just starting to watch new BSG, and will check out Caprica when I’m done. Hopefully Caprica will keep you busy for many seasons to come!
BTW, who actually originally designed the layout and style? Was it Syd?
DEa – I believe it was Syd who designed the basic layout.
I personally like the newer look, very Roman. I’d love to see the mesh.
Yay, I’ve been waiting for this! Seeing the Romulan senate in 3D was one of the good points of Nemesis!
The opening sequence of Nemesis really impressed me as, not only did it look great, but it felt like real money was being spent on the effects. Comparing the CG model and the matte paintings, though, I also think something was lost. The CG version looks impressive and is really well detailed, but it doesn’t feel like the capital city of a huge empire, particularly when you consider how the Romulans use gigantic warbirds to show off. The matte painting makes it look a much grander scale than the CG version.
The top photo looks like it has elements of an abandoned or destroyed aqueduct?
Interesting view of the layout of the city and surrounding landscape in the first two images. I wonder, were those canals carved out of the existing landscape to create the circular island within them, or was the circular island artifically constructed/expanded?
And to Ian Stewart: The destruction of Romulus in 2387 occurs in the actual film; Countdown merely depicts the surrounding events in more detail. The comic isn’t binding on future screenwriters, but presumably the film is.
The Nemesis scene was very nice indeed. But the old matt painting feel grander. I wonder why the city is now coastal.
Speaking of the new movie, really miffed they single-handedly destroyed both Romulus and Vulcan. What’s next? Kronos?
The Vulcan architecture was one of my favourite elements of design in the new movie. Shame we won’t see it anymore (unless they visit the New Vulcan colony at some point).
Although I couldn’t decide whether skyscrapers hanging down like stalactites were a really logical use of available space, or really illogical from presumably taking a lot more effort to build.
“Speaking of the new movie, really miffed they single-handedly destroyed both Romulus and Vulcan. What’s next? Kronos?”
Destroying two of Star Trek’s signature worlds in the new movie struck me as very appropriately metatextual. Assuming that’s actually a word.
>>Romulus is not space dust in the main TOS to Nemesis tiumeline!<<
It just is in the movies from now on… sigh.
Throughout the movie I kept hoping that someone, maybe Uhura, would go to the bathroom and Patrick Duffy would be in the shower….
Not to be a nit-picker on this, but Romulus isn’t “space dust”. It’s actually still out there in this new time line.
Remember that Nero comes from the future while pursuing Spock from THEIR time-line. It’s the entry of Nero’s ship, and the ensuing destruction of the Kelvin that trigger the changes in the time-line.
The problem with this entire mess of course is that the Vulcans in this period are still very much an influential part of a very early federation. With the destruction of their planet so soon after the cultural revelations brought about by Capt. Archer’s discovery and return of the Kir’shara; and the obviously necessary task of rebuilding their civilization on a new planet, I would suspect that they have very little time, resources or energy to lend to the growth and direction of this new federation.
We can assume the ‘future-past’ involving Capt. Archer’s NX-01 remain intact due in no small part to Scotty’s reference to losing Admiral Archer’s prize beagle during his flawed transporter experiment.
So, Romulus still exists. It’s Vulcan that’s been destroyed.
Just don’t ask me how I feel about J.J.’s new “Trek”.
Jeff Kincaid sez: “Throughout the movie I kept hoping that someone, maybe Uhura, would go to the bathroom and Patrick Duffy would be in the shower….”
I always hoped to find Persis Khambatta in mine.
V’Jay NEEDS the in-fo-MAY-shun!
I’ll say it again: We’ve got characters from two somewhat different universes in that movie. Each universe is going down its own set of roads. I’m fine with it.
Dwight, Why not? Each must find their own path.
Anyway, getting back to this version of Romulus: When do we call it Dartha(per Jeri Taylor), when do we call it Ra’tleifeh(sp.?, per Diane Duane) and when do we call it Ki Baratan(per several other novelists)?
Well, here’s one vote for Ra’tleihfi.
On that note, has anyone here not read “My Enemy, My Ally”, or “The Romulan Way”?
Go. And. Read. Them. Now.
Novels like those ones are the reason the “it’s non-canon so I won’t read it” mindset drives me up the @!#$% wall.
“Not to be a nit-picker on this, but Romulus isn’t “space dust”. It’s actually still out there in this new time line.” – F.E. Spencer.
True.
Roddenberry Timeline = Vulcan’s intact and in 2387 Romulus is space dust.
Abrams (Alternate Timeline) = Vulcan’s space dust and Romulus is intact (well until 2387 in the alternate timeline, providing Hobus’s supernova was natural).
Dwight Williams wrote: “Anyway, getting back to this version of Romulus: When do we call it Dartha(per Jeri Taylor), when do we call it Ra’tleifeh(sp.?, per Diane Duane) and when do we call it Ki Baratan(per several other novelists)?”
I thought those were the name(s) of the Romulan capital. Don’t the Romulans call their planet ch’Rihan and Remus ch’Havran?
Also, shouldn’t we use the name Rihannsu to describe the Romulans? It was my understanding that “Romulus”, “Remus” and “Romulan” were used by Starfleet officers ignorant of the true names.
These terms sound better to me.
If I recall correctly, the Rihannsu term was coined by Dinae Dunae in her Trek novels and are not canon.
I loved the “fly-in” shot of the Romulan Senate building in Star Trek: Nemesis. It was one of the few things that I actually liked about that film!
Thanks for the images, Doug!
I hope some day, even if it’s in ten, fifteen or twenty years, someone returns to the original TNG/DS9/VOY timeline, ignores what Abrams did, including destroying Romulus in a “oh btw, one of the most important planets the galaxy just vanished, you know” moment, and does a proper sequel that continues the 24th century as it came to a hold in 2002.
But I guess that’ll never happen, unless someone will let ME do it.
Bob, I’ll let you do it!
Lovely collection of consistent treatments of essentially the same view. Reminds me of some of the coffee-table books that compare photos of NYC intersections one hundred years apart.
Also, I love the fact that Abrams destroyed two major worlds in his Trek, for the same reason that Whedon killed two major characters in Serenity. This isn’t series television. Important things have to happen if you expect your audience to believe that the dramatic stakes are high.
Moeskido, You’re right about the stakes being higher, I totally agree. But Wash? Not Wash!! High stakes, indeed!
Deanne, that’s why it mattered so much. Wash is a huge loss. I hadn’t heard specific spoilers about the movie (apart from Joss in interviews making dire warnings). When I finally saw it, that moment hit *hard*, and that’s all that matters to me.
I came late to the Firefly ‘verse, so I saw it last fall after gobbling up the series. I was shocked.
The planets of Romulus (in Countdown) and Vulcan were a shock as well, but it leaves the door open for the Vulcans to shine in their logical approach to a new planet and their future, albeit with a *whole* lot less of them (the most important element of the tragedy). If treated right, it could be a compelling story of the survival of an amazing culture.
We would like permission from the artist to use a Romulan Senate image in our fan based game, Star Trek Supremacy. http://www.startreksupremacy.com/
I guess that would be Ron Thorton? As a free and fan based game Paramount has left us alone but we do not want to upset the original artist. The comic and gaming artist Slim Soluzo, AKA TSS, has developed some images ideas as window background for special missions in the game and one of these calls for the Romulan Senate. We want to use one of the still images above as our background but only with permission. Do you know who we can ask and how to reach them?
Kenneth – You would want to contact Paramount licensing.
Thank you Mr. Drexler