Romulan Senate Building

Romulan Senate Building, Romulus

The Romulan Senate chamber is a large, circular building located within the capital city on Romulus. It is within this grandiose building that the senate of the Romulan Star Empire convenes.

Within the chamber, there is a large statue of the Imperial Symbol over the main entrance to the room. The symbol is a Bird of Prey holding the two planets of the Romulan system, Romulus and Remus.

The main body of the Senate sits in three rows near the entrance of the room. The Praetor and the Continuing Committee sit on the other side of the chamber. The floor in the center of the room has a map of the Empire that also shows the Neutral Zone, this area is used for anyone wishing to address the Senate. On the wall oposite the main entrance there is a large display screen where the Senate can review information or communicate with anyone outside the Senate Chamber.

The Romulan Senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or Parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, the first of which was the Roman Senate.

The word senatorial is derived from the Latin word senātus (senate), which comes from senex, "old man". The members or legislators of a senate are called senators. The Latin word senator was adopted into English with no change in spelling. Its meaning is derived from a very ancient form of simple social organization in which decision-making powers are reserved for the eldest men. For the same reason, the word senate is correctly used when referring to any powerful authority characteristically composed by the eldest members of a community, as a deliberative body of a faculty in an institution of higher learning is often called a senate. The original senate was the Roman Senate, which lasted until 580. In the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Senate continued until the Fourth Crusade.

Senate membership are determined either through elections or appointments. In the Romulan Empire, the senate often serves a balancing effect by giving a larger share of power to regions or groups which would otherwise be overwhelmed under strictly popular apportionment.