Betazed

For the mirror universe counterpart, see Betazed (mirror).

Betazed (also known as Cyndriel) is a class M Federation member world, and home to the Betazoids. It is the fifth planet in the Beta Veldonna star system. It was within a standard shuttlecraft's range of Starbase G-6. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation, ST website: Startrek.com)

The (ceremonial) ruling family of Betazed is the Fifth House of Betazed.

The planet's capital city is Rixx. (ST reference: Star Charts)

The Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP gives Betazed's capital as Medara. Rixx could be another name for Medara, or it has two capitals, but that is pure speculation. In addition, the FASA RPG module: Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual states that the home world of the Betazoids is called Haven II though canonical sources state its called Betazed.

According to Deanna Troi, the planet has a similar government to the one on planet Angel I (a constitutional oligarchy that has six elected women headed by another woman). (ST website: Startrek.com, TNG episode: "Angel One")

SceneryEdit

The majority of the time, the weather is calm, pleasant, and bordering on tropical. But when the atmospheric conditions shift, they do so with startling speed. Betazed has a blue sky with pink clouds. There is a lot of farmland on Betazed, and cities that are devoted to philosophical studies.

SitesEdit

Lake Cataria is a beautiful place on Betazed. Janaran Falls is a waterfall in the Jalara Jungle on Betazed. It is rare for anyone to travel any distance into the jungle. It has dangers such as mud pits, but there are very few dangerous animals. Bacarba Lake is a lake located on Betazed. The Valley of Song is located on Betazed. The northern cliffs in the Valley of Song is a popular location for scattering the ashes of deceased loved ones. The Loneel Mountains is a mountain range on Betazed. Loneel Valley is the caldera of an ancient volcano. It is honeycombed with tunnels and caves. High concentrations of fistrium in the rock prevented detection by sensors. There was a resistance stronghold in these mountains during the Dominion occupation of Betazed.

HistoryEdit

In an early extraterrestrial observation, Betazed was surveyed by the Vulcan civilization's starship Yeht Fai-Tukh. (Decipher RPG module: Starships)

The Yeht Fai-Tukh is of the T'Plana Hath-class, which was commissioned in 2053, and such ships were in operation as late as 2135.

In the 21st century, the human astronomer, Sir John Burke of Earth, observed the planet and named it Beta Zeta V. (ST reference: Star Charts)

In 2139, the Avandar was the first Betazoid starship to successfully break the light-speed barrier. Its crew went on to make first contact with the Terabians. (Decipher RPG module: Player's Guide)

Betazoids explored their home sector and maintained relations with several neighboring worlds; however, they had no knowledge of Humans and Vulcans in the years leading up to the founding of the Federation in 2161. (Decipher RPG module: Aliens)

Earth's Enterprise (NX-01) even flew past Betazed's home system within a few light-years, unaware of the civilization there due to limited sensor technology and the circumstances of their mission. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

But its central location made contact imminent, and more comprehensive exploration by the early Federation ensured contact. (Decipher RPG module: Aliens)

Though they initially feared another conflict like with the Terabians, the Betazoids eventually saw the benefits in joining, and they became a quiet but visible component of Federation affairs by the 23rd century. However, they had to abolish the religious requirements of their matriarchal government before they could join. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Betazed was finally admitted into the Federation at some point not long prior to 2246, as the 81st member world (Federation: The First 150 Years), after accepting its invitation for membership. Enamori Jenn was one of the first Betazoids to join Starfleet. (DSC novel: Drastic Measures) Betazoid involvement soon proved essential to negotiating a number of important agreements of the time, including the Second Khitomer Accords and the Treaty of Algeron in 2311. (Decipher RPG module: Aliens).

The reference work Star Charts gives a much later membership-date of 2273, while the Last Unicorn RPG claims a date of 2294 for the same event, but they do not necessarily contradict. The two settings normally agree with each other, so it seems likely that it took around a century to make the necessary reforms to qualify for membership, and these conflicting dates may indicate different degrees of membership. Meanwhile, the FASA RPG module: Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual meanwhile says that the Betazoids were first encountered by the Federation nearly a century before its setting of circa 2364; i.e., after 2264. However, as it also says they came from Haven, and contradicts with the above sources, this is assumed to be incorrect.

In 2366, Betazed held a conference of the Federation's biennial trade agreements. (TNG episode: "Ménage à Troi", ST website: Startrek.com)

As of 2374, Betazed had a population of 5.6 billion Betazoids, 11 million humans and 6 million Centaurians. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

In 2374, the Dominion invaded Betazed while the Starfleet 10th Fleet was on a training run. (DS9 episode: "In the Pale Moonlight")

The Dominion used Betazoid slave labor to construct Sentok Nor in orbit of Betazed. Sentok Nor was used as a Jem'Hadar breeding facility during the Dominion occupation. Starbase 19 is only a few hours at warp from Betazed.

Captain David Gold's son, Nathan, was visiting Ambassador Lwaxana Troi just as the Jem'Hadar attacked. Her assistant, Homn, was killed when the Dominion fired on the surface. However, the inhabitants fought back, and eventually rid the world of Dominion forces, but not until after suffering heavy casualties themselves. (ST - Tales of the Dominion War short story: "The Ceremony of Innocence is Drowned"; TNG novel: The Battle of Betazed)

As of 2377, Betazed had a population of 1.3 billion. (ST reference: Star Charts)

The novel The Battle of Betazed indicates many Betazoids perished during the Dominion invasion and occupation, and that four out of ten telepaths were killed during the final drive to push back the Jem'Hadar. However, this does not seem adequate to explain a more than 75% reduction in population between 2374 and 2377. Either one figure is mistaken, or there was another, unrevealed population exodus we are not aware of.

GeographyEdit

Betazed is a remarkably lush, beautiful world, sometimes described as "the jewel of the outer crown" by traders and other visitors. Its gravity and atmosphere are comparable to Earth, and water covers 78 percent of the planet's surface. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)

The planet has five continents and hundreds of islands. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

High mountain peaks of multicolored crystal catch the rays of the Betazoid sun, throwing delicate layers of color upon the landscape. The soil possesses crystals of a faceted green mineral called versina. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)

The Betazoid sky is blue with pink clouds. Climatic zones range from tropical to arctic, with temperatures averaging 23 degrees Celsius in summer and 13 degrees in winter. The majority of the time, the weather is calm and pleasant in most areas, but when atmospheric conditions shift, they do so with startling speed. Average rainfall in all zones is roughly one and a half times that of Earth, though some seasons are wetter and some drier. No weather-control technology is employed. (TNG episode: "Ménage à Troi", Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

There is much farmland on Betazed, and many cities devoted to philosophical studies. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

Great expanses of natural wilderness cover much of the planet, varying from dense jungles to wide canyons and cliffs. Much of the major continents are dotted with lakes, and the planet is home to thousands of forms of native wildlife. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

Oceans, Seas and LakesEdit

• Opal Sea
• Thaxan Ocean
• Alarmante Sea
• Indar Ocean
• Lake Cataria
• Lake El-Nar
• Bacarba Lake
• Great Whirlpool

Continents (and Provinces)Edit

• Tharazad
• Kharazad
• Hedaya
• Dalar
• Arandel
• Thalzed
• Semizad

RegionsEdit

• Loneel Valley
• Valley of Song
• Jalara jungle
• Hedayan Archipelago
• Khara Archipelago

CitiesEdit

• Medara
• Rixx
• Dalaria
• Arar
• Melfi
• Dekoa
• Iscandar

Mountains and VolcanoesEdit

• Loneel Mountains
• Mount Traxanaxanos
• Veliko Mountains
• Vathax Mountains
• Cataran Mountains
• Azure Peaks

Places of InterestEdit

• Amick Hall
• Dalaria Spaceport
• Enaren University
• Janaran Falls
• Plaza of Contemplation
• University of Betazed
• YloTrap

Natural HistoryEdit

FloraEdit

• cavat
• corzon
• Katarian emerald grass
• Muktok plant
• sadi
• tarna
• Toyar
• Uttaberry plant
• zintaba

FaunaEdit

• Flanarian bird
• Wanoni tracehound

Alternate timelineEdit

In an alternate timeline in which Khan Noonien Singh won the Eugenics Wars and Humanity underwent genetic engineering en masse, the Khanate of Earth conquered Betazed during the 21st century. The Betazoids remained helots of Humans well into the 24th century. (DS9 - Myriad Universes novel: Seeds of Dissent)

ConnectionsEdit

External linkEdit

• Betazed article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.