Put Shinzon from Star Trek Nemesis in a death match against Nero from the 2009 Star Trek, the J.J. Abrams reboot, and Nero’s the one who walks out. Two rounds to one. Shields up, because the round Shinzon takes is the one you’d think would decide the whole fight, and it doesn’t.

The Tale of the Tape

Shinzon was a clone of human Starfleet captain Jean-Luc Picard, created by the Romulans for the purpose of replacing Picard with a Romulan agent. He later became the leader of the Reman people, staged a successful coup against the Romulan Senate, and plotted the annihilation of Earth in the name of Reman freedom.

Nero was a Romulan miner from the 24th century and the captain of the mining vessel Narada. Following the destruction of Romulus in 2387, he sought vengeance against those he felt were responsible, and that ultimately got him transported back in time to 2233.

So both of these guys are pretty strong fighters in their own right. When you look at the matchup head to head, what comes out clearly is that Nero’s a very, very physical combatant. Shinzon has combat training and he’s physically combative too, but he’s got the much more interesting background. He grew up in the mines of Remus, and he’s got real military training on top of it.

Nero doesn’t have military training. He’s a miner. But he’s a miner who got himself some Borg technology, and he’s got a very powerful ship.

Round One: Shinzon Takes the Mind

Straight up, Nero versus Shinzon, I believe Shinzon takes the win intellectually. I believe that firmly. His military training and his prowess as a warrior take the cake.

Round Two: Nero Takes the Fight

Now go physical. Nero versus Shinzon, body against body, I think Nero comes through on top and wins that particular matchup.

Round Three: The Narada Against the Scimitar

Then you’ve got their ships, the Narada versus the Scimitar.

The Scimitar is a bird of prey. I mean that in the literal sense, not as the name of the ship. That’s a ship designed to hunt people down.

But the Narada has Borg technology, and I think the Narada wins out in a battle of ships.

Two for Nero, One for Shinzon

That puts two for Nero and one for Shinzon. In my opinion, it’s undoubtedly Nero who comes out on top.

I really hope this matchup’s given you something to think about.

If you disagree, let’s talk about it. I want to have the conversation for sure and see who you think wins this one head to head. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.