Nothing ever ends, Adrian.
I cannot speak to the internal decisions of /r/StarTrek, but I can speak to /r/DaystromInstitute's decisions.
As of yesterday, noncompliant moderation teams are under threat from /u/Spez and his lackeys. We reached the decision to reopen, in a limited capacity, to prevent the community from facing a hostile takeover by those who do not properly appreciate its use or its value, and to hopefully funnel traffic here, and we intend that soon those will be the only purposes of the subreddit. In coordinating this move I trust my collagues on the other subs to act in the best interests of the community first, this instance second, and the profiteering bastards last.
"Empire" generally implies "imperialism" which generally implies a racial hierarchy. Or at least that's one argument.
I woulda liked "four nostrils, but otherwise the TNG design" to become the standard.
Oh, what if it's a World War 3-era combat drug, like the stuff Q alludes to soldiers being addicted to in Encounter at Farpoint?
Structural differences in their larynx, tongue, or lips seem likely.
I must say I'm already a big fan of Pelia.
As always, I feel compelled to point out that Turkana IV was never said to have been a member of the Federation - they “severed relations” with the Federation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were a member (in fact, I think it strongly suggests that they were not, as that’s a very clunky way to refer to secession).
That's a reasonable objection to raise but I'd counter with the point that it seems unlikely that a human colony could be established except under the auspices of the Federation, or at least United Earth.
Gene always said that TOS Klingons would have had ridges the whole time if they'd had the budget for more elaborate makeup. Kor, Kang, and Koloth had the redesign. There's no proof that anyone outside of a handful in that Enterprise arc ever lost their ridges-- and would you really put it past the Klingons to lethally enforce a quarantine?