Summary
- Romulans have weaponized the Kolinahr ritual, using it to sharpen their emotions for war.
- The Romulans have a corrupted version of Kolinahr, turning it into a tool of hatred and anger.
- The Romulans' use of Kolinahr makes them one of the deadliest races in the galaxy.
Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #15!
Star Trek has revealed that the Romulans have weaponized the Kolinahr, a ritual their cousins the Vulcans use to purge emotions. In Star Trek #15, Captain Sisko learns the Romulans have opened relations with the violent Tzenkethi. As the Romulans try to curry favor with the enormous Tzenkethi, fans learn that they have taken the Kolinahr rite and perverted it into a weapon of war.
Star Trek #15 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Marcus To. Ariennye is asked by the Tzenkethi if they have pre-war rituals. She replies they do: making sure their weapons are tested and optimized, and this includes their minds. Ariennye reveals that they practice a form of Kolinahr that, instead of purging emotions, actually sharpens them. She tells the Tzenkethi representative that “the most deadly blade a Romulan can wield is their intent.”
Romulans then use that intent to destroy their enemies.
The Kolinahr is an Intense Vulcan Ritual
Despite their strict adherence to the principles of logic, the Vulcans have a deep tradition of rituals and ceremonies, and the Kolinahr is one of them. Introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Kolinahr is a series of rites that Vulcans can choose to undergo that will purge all remaining emotions. Meditating upon the planet’s hot sandy surface, adherents undergo rigorous training that frees them from emotions. Upon leaving Starfleet after the end of Kirk’s five-year mission, Spock returns to his home world to study Kolinahr. Spock was unsuccessful, his human side too strong.
The Vulcans are naturally telepathic, and it has been assumed that the Romulans have lost touch with this. It was believed that centuries of divergent evolution, mixed with the Romulans’ brutal and violent natures, caused their psychic powers to atrophy. While a Romulan has yet to perform a mind-meld on screen, certain comics and novels have shown that they can indeed harness these gifts. Nero, the antagonist of 2009’s Star Trek, developed his mental powers during his time in a Klingon prison. Nero had to take drugs to unlock the ability, but it showed that the Romulans still had it–and it could manifest under the right circumstances.
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What Other Psychic Secrets are the Romulans Hiding?
The revelation that the Romulans practice a perverted variant of Kolinahr forces Star Trek fans to rethink what they know about the race. The Romulans see the value in the rite, and have corrupted it, turning a tool of contemplation into an instrument of war. Ariennye does not state what the Romulan version of Kolinahr entails, but given their violent nature, it cannot be pleasant. As the Romulans think of their enemies during the rite, they are no doubt channeling their hatred and anger. While the Vulcans use Kolinahr to purge emotions, the Romulans use it to heighten theirs–and make themselves one of the deadliest races in the galaxy.
Star Trek #15 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
