Species Format Submission Form 35489.2321A
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SPECIES NAME: Betazoid
IMAGE:
CULTURAL DESIGNATION: Federation
HOME SYSTEM: Beta Zeta system
HOME REGION: United Federation of Planets, near Earth and Vulcan
HOME QUADRANT: Alpha Quadrant
PLANETARY INFORMATION:
Betazed is a tropical world with clear blue oceans. It has many swamps and water covers some 80% of the planet. It has many forests where wild animals are hunted for the preferred meat that Betazoids consume. There are mountains and cliffs on many continents as well as many lakes. One of the most famous and romantic spots on the planet is the Janaran Falls, one of the largest waterfalls on the planet.
DISCOVERY DATE & SHIP: Unknown
EXTINCTION DATE:
AFFILIATION: Federation member since 2270s
CAPITAL: First City
POLITICAL SYSTEM:
Betazoids are a matriarchal society with a caste system. It has a parliamentary body made up of one member of each of the noble houses and one commoner. This body both drafts laws and passes them into law.
POPULATION: Eg. 13.7 billion
APPEARANCE:
Betazoids appear almost human except for their eyes: their irises are slightly larger than normal and pure black. They usually have brown or black hair and a tanned complexion, but not always; some fair-skinned or blond Betazoids are known to exist and it is quite common for them to have curly hair. Betazoids are able to have children with Klingons, Humans, and others and the gestation period is normally around 10 months. When the mother places her hand over the head of the baby on her stomach, she can sense the peace and contentment of her baby. Betazoid women are said to not have fully matured sexually until their 40s when their sex drive quadruples or more, also called 'the Phase'.
Betazoids are telepathic and prefer to communicate with their minds among themselves which has led to Betazoids being honest to a fault, and not seeing the point of lying to spare people’s feelings. The more powerful Betazoids are usually from the Great Houses as they are said to be directly descended from the ancient Betazoids. Generally, hybrids are able to communicate with other telepaths, but not non-telepaths, however it is possible for them to be telepaths if the Betazoid parent is strong enough; they can, however, sense emotions. Betazoids cannot sense the thoughts or emotions of Ferengi or Dopterians, theoretically because of the structure of their four-lobed brains. This telepathy usually develops during adolescence, and can be quite traumatizing to a child, however some Betazoids are born with the full abilities and thus lack the ability to block out the thoughts and emotions of others. It is possible, with specialized training, for certain Betazoids to awaken latent telekinetic abilities.
They also 'bond' with another person, that forges a telepathic link between the two people.
LANGUAGE: Betazoid is a liquid language that is long in vowels and kind to consonants. It is easy to learn, if the Betazoids will bother to speak it. The local tradespeak is Federation Standard.
CHARACTER: Betazoids are very peaceful and do not lie, as it is impossible to lie to a telepath. They are honest to a fault as they do not see the point in lying to spare someone’s feelings. Strict rules surround telepathy, such as the rule in Starfleet about not using it without the other person’s permission.
Betazoid culture is a matriarchal society where women inherit wealth and titles. Men are seen by some women as less intelligent and less able to get things done. Betazoids are betrothed at around age 9 and they rarely see the other person again until they meet for their wedding. One thing unique to the Betazoids is something called “Imzadi”; a person’s Imzadi is their beloved, the first one to enter their heart whom they often marry.
There are thirteen Great Houses on Betazed. The Fifth House is the home of the Troi family. Other families in the Great Houses are unknown. These families are often the holders of sacred relics of the Betazoid religion or culture. However, there is not much distinction between the ‘wealthy’ and the ‘poor’.
LOCATION: Beta Zeta system.
HISTORY:
Because of their telepathy, honesty and compassion were paramount in their culture and warfare was a largely foreign concept to the Betazoids. They had a spiritual conflict with non-corporeal entities in the past that were driven away by the Betazoids through their telepathy. However, this unified the people of Betazed and their values of honesty and compassion became even more important. They broke the warp barrier in the 22nd Century and were contacted by the Federation soon after. However, because they were happy not being part of this group, they did not apply. They became full members in the 2270s but the exact date is unknown. By the 2280s, they were important members of the Federation.
In 2374, the Jem'Hadar invaded Betazed; these Jem'Hadar had been given telepathy by the Dominion, however this backfired. The Betazoids used the Jem'Hadar's new telepathy against them, bombarding them with images that drove them to kill each other. Many Betazoids died in the attempt, but under the combined assault of Starfleet and the Betazoids' retaliation, the Dominion was forced to leave the planet.
In 2375, at the end of the war with the Dominion, Betazed was one of the biggest supporters of the admission of Bajor into the Federation.
TECHNOLOGY:
Betazed is a member of the Federation and thus has warp technology, replicators, holodecks, and airtrams. Betazed is known for its art institute, widely accepted as one of the best in the Federation along with the Andorian Art Academy.
RELIGION:
Not much is known about the Betazoid religion; what is known is that they have four gods called the Four Deities. When Betazoids eat a meal, they sound a gong whenever someone takes a bite to give thanks to the four deities for their food.
Weddings:
No one on Betazed wears clothes to weddings. This is for two reasons: to show they have nothing to hide and to respect the purity of the love and selflessness of the families involved. The bride sits in the front row on the aisle and the maid of honor stands at the altar. When the groom appears at the end of the aisle, the maid of honor says “You are summoned to the alter of marriage," and the bride stands up to face the groom. The groom walks forward towards the bride, his eyes never leaving her. His mother pulls on his arm, trying to pull him back. The father of the groom steps from the crowd in the middle aisle and steps in front of the groom to tell him to turn back. The groom continues forward, going around his father; this is symbolic of the groom leaving his family for his wife’s. The bride wears a white ribbon in her hair which she throws instead of a bouquet. Whoever catches it knows that the great love of her life is at the gathering with her.
CONTACT: They were contacted by the Federation sometime between the late 2100s and early 2200s. Contact was awkward, since they expected the newcomers to be telepathic but they soon realized that none of them were, and they began to speak with their mouths.
GOVERNMENT:
The Betazoid government is ruled by a parliamentary body made up of a person from the Great Houses and the equal number of commoners. These people draft, vote on, and pass the laws of the planet
One law of note is that it is illegal to ‘mind rape’ another individual.
MILITARY:
Starfleet is the military of Betazed and the rest of the Federation members and many of the Betazoids in Starfleet are doctors or counselors. The counselors generally use their telepathy in their work. If the officer is not a counselor, it is against regulations for them to use their telepathy without the other person’s permission or orders from their superior.
The planetary police is very effective as they are all telepathic and can sense the intentions of other people and accost them as soon as they commit the crime.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:
Chocolate is an extremely strong aphrodisiac to Betazoids and many become addicted to it.
Family names are passed on through daughters, so Betazoid parents always hope one of their children will be a girl.
