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» LCARS » Xenology Database » B » Betazoid (Alpha Quadrant)
 | Betazoid |  |
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| Playable: Yes | |
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Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi with her assistant, Mr. Hohm.
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Data with Betazoid diplomat Tam Elbrun.
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|
 Physiology  |
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Betazoids appear identical to humans, except for solid dark color of their pupils and irises.
Telepathic ability usually develops during adolescence, but in some rare circumstances, Betazoids are born fully telepathic. These individuals have great difficulty controlling their ability, and are often driven mad by it. They are unable to screen out the telepathic noise of other people, and require extensive therapy. Telepathic ability varies from person to person. Most can easily read minds, only the strongest can project thoughts to non-telepaths.
The telepathic lobe of the Betazoid brain is called the paracortex. The paracortex utilizes a neurotransmitter called psilosynine. The Betazoid brain also has a Metaconsious, which helps them recover from mental trauma. They also have a REM frequency different from other races. Psilosynine is a neurotransmitter chemical present in the Betazoid brain.
Betazoids cannot read Breen, Ferengi, Dopterians or Ullians.
Betazoid pregnancies last 10 months. The mother can somtimes sense the thoughts of her unborn child.
When they reach their forties, Betazoid women go through the 'Phase' a time of increased sexual energy. Their sex drive is normally quadrupled during the phase.
Betazoids can cause endorphins to be released into the bloodstream through a technique called plexing. |
| History |
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Betazoids are a telepathic race from the Class-M planet Betazed in the Alpha Quadrant. Betazed became a member of the United Federation of Planets in 2273.
Four hundred years ago, a small secret society arose on Betazed. Memers of this cult dedicated themselves to developing in creative ways, such as amplifying and projecting intense emotions into the mind of another. They also learned to kill telepathically. They were discovered by authorities when they realize that the cult had found a lethal potential in all Betazoids. They stepped in and arrested the entire movement, imprisoned them for life, and destroyed the instructions for their special skills and made their activities and even their existence classified. They killed by drawing all a person's bioelectrical energy to the pain receptors in the brain and literally fried the synapses there. The resulting deaths were slow and excruciatingly painful, with prolonged and indescribable suffering.
Hent Tevren was a Betazoid serial killer, the worst Betazed has ever known. He killed with his mind, using the same methods developed by the earlier cult. He was kept in a prison for the criminally insane on Darona. Most Betazoids have never heard of Tevren, as his crimes were classified.
In 2374, Betazed was occupied by the Dominion. The Dominion's desire to do experiments with telepathy played a big part in their decision to annex Betazed. The Dominion had control of Betazed for over 4 months. In 4 months, tens of thousands of Betazoids disappeared. Groups were being rounded up at an alarming rate. Jem'Hadar were rounding up the most talented telepaths for use in experiments conducted by the Cardassian scientist, Crell Moset.
The Betazoid resistance had elected 12 leaders, including Lwaxana Troi. They lacked sufficient weapons or skills to fight back, so Lwaxana wanted Hent Tevren to teach them how to use their minds to kill.
Crell Moset made the Jem'Hadar telepathic, but they contained a fatal flaw. Because the Jem'Hadar mind processes emotions very differently from other humanoid, the ones that were made telepathic suddenly found themselves bombarded empathically, with no way to close off their new perceptions. Immediate, fatal seizures were the result. It also effected unaltered Jem'Hadar in close proximity. This same flaw made the Jem'Hadar vulnerable to projected emotions. It made them catatonic for 1 hour or so.
Betazed was freed by taking advantage of this flaw by using invasive empathy on the Jem'Hadar. The strain killed 40% of the Betazoids performing the technique, and some of the Jem'Hadar went berserk and killed each other, but most were catatonic. |
| Society |
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The Betazoid telepathic ability has led to a culture of complete honesty, which can sometimes be disconcerting for non-telepaths. Betazoids detest violence. They gave up war centuries ago. They believe in full communication with each other and their world. Betazoids communicate telepathically, even in groups. Gatherings can be eerily silent for off worlders.
Betazed society has a number of families that are considered founding families, tracing ancestry back all the way to the earliest writings of Betazoid history and culture. There are twenty of these senior houses. They are numbered according to their age (example: the 3rd house is the third oldest). Females are called 'Daughter of' their house, and Males are called 'Scion of' their house. The Fourth House is Heir to the Blessed Books of Katara, and Holder of the Sacred Scepter of Betazed.
Some Betazoids practice genetic bonding, where children are betrothed at a young age.
To Betazoids, weddings are a celebration of the physical act of love, and the entire wedding party and guests attend in the nude. Bonding gifts is the Betazoid term for wedding presents.
Betazoids are not considered mature until they reach their forties.
The Fifth House of Betazed is a family that is still considered something of royalty to the Betazoids. Ambassador Lwaxana Troi is a daughter of the Fifth House.
Betazoids are not modest about their bodies. |
| Betazoid Food & Drink |
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Oskoid is a leaflike Betazoid delicacy. Uttaberries are a blueberry-like fruit found on Betazed that can be used in crepes. Cavat is a vegetable that is grown in fields on Darona. It is similar to corn. Sadi fruit is a Betazoid fruit. It is sometimes eaten chopped.
Moog is a Betazoid drink that is served hot. Daronan spring water from the Betazoid colony Darona has a distinctive sweet taste.
A Betazoid chime is a small, flat crystalline gong traditionally used by some Betazoids. It it rung throughout a meal as a means of giving thanks for the food being eaten. |
| The Planet Betazed and the Betazed System |
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The Capital of Betazed is Rixx. The population of Betazed is 1.3 billion.
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.
Lake Cararia 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 mudpits, 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.
The chameleon rose is a flower native to Betazed. It changes color according to the mood of its owner.
The University of Betazed has a psychiatric hospital. The Carven Institute is located on Betazed. Psychopharmacology and behavioral conditioning can be studied there. There is a Federation Embassy on Betazed.
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.
Darona is a small colony in the Betazoid system known for it's agricultural, medical and scientific research facilities. Darona is the 6th planet in the Betazoid system. Darona also has a prison. Darona has a rose-colored sky and an atmosphere of serenity and natural beauty. Jarkana is Darona's capital city, and the Jarkana spaceport is just outside 'the city'. Jarkana Mountains are near Jarkana. Jarkana is a large villiage of less than 100 squat square houses, built from adobe made from the indigenous red clay, with broad avenues between them, and extensive gardens filled with exotic flowers surround each residence. There are a few larger governmental and research buildings in the center of the capital. The Teskalia tree is found on Darona. Cavat is grown in fields on Darona. Less than 1,000 Dominion troops were stationed there due to it's low population. |
| Betazoid Language |
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Imzadi means "beloved" or "dear one". It can also mean "the First", indicating your first lover, or the first lover to touch your soul.
RaBeem means "I understand".
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| Betazoid Art |
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| Betazoid abstract paintings have no name, because they do not want the artist imposing his own world view on the viewer. |
| Notes |
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The Holy Rings of Betazed are relics of some significance to Betazoids. The holder of the Holy Rings of Betazed was mostly recently Lwaxana Troi.
B'thoon is a Betazoid game that uses long staffs with lights on each end. The lights illuminate when you come in contact with your opponent. Moves can be to anywhere, but only a strike between the neck and waist counts as a point. Participants wear padded clothing.
Corozon plant stems were once used to make tubes for blow-dart weapons. Tarna thorns dipped in the deadly poison of the zintaba root were the dart's poison. It killed instantly. |
| New Info |
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Half-Betazoid individuals can only sense strong emotions. (TNG: Encounter at Farpoint) Betazoids cannot telepathically read Ferengi. (DS9: The Forsaken)
The Ab'brax is a Betazoid tradition that hasn't really been in use for 200 years. During the Ab'brax, the mother of an adult, unmarried daughter goes into mourning. She mourns the hope her daughter will contribute to the propagation of their people and the hope that the daughter will ever find a mate to share the rest of their lives with. The Ab'brax was from a time when life spans were shorter and when a woman's niche in society was to be married, have children, and tend the house, so if you weren't married by a certain age, it was anticipated that you would never marry and the family would go into mourning generally in order to raise such a fuss that people would be forced to realize that someone the family was eager to marry off was in the house. This would, in theory, attract someone who needed a good wife in the same way that he needed a good farm animal, and he knew the family would not protest overmuch. (ST: TNG: Q-in-Law by Peter David)
Betazoid males are taught to emphasize contemplative congress... to think with their heads, not with their fists. By Betazoid contract law, a person can forbid someone they are betrothed to from marrying anyone else. (ST: TNG: Q-Squared by Peter David)
It is Betazoid tradition to die in a sparse room. Some feel that you come into the world with virtually nothing, so when you leave, you try not to surround yourself with the things you’ve acquired. They also die in the nude, to rid themselves of excess baggage. Mausoleums are rare on Betazed, as cremation was usually chosen. The ashes are scattered in various places. The northern cliffs in the Valley of Song are a popular scattering point. Only older families clung to the tradition of burial. Those that do are buried in the nude. Caskets can perfectly preserve bodies. Betazed society has a number of families that are considered founding families, tracing ancestry back all the way to the earliest writings of Betazoid history and culture. There are twenty of these senior houses. They are numbered according to their age. The 3rd house is the third oldest. Betazoid telepathic ability varies from person to person. Most can easily read minds, but only the strongest can project thoughts to non-telepaths. Betazoid weddings are always done out loud, in consideration for any off-worlders that might be present. At a Betazoid wedding, the bride, groom, wedding party, and all guests attend nude. This symbolizes that physically and spiritually, there is nothing to hide, that all are sharing in complete cooperation in the spirit of hamony and unity. Noone would think less or take offense if an offworlder didn't disrobe. The wedding ceremony begins with a gong then the Bride and Groom make symbolic entrances. The Groom enters first, his mother pulling him back. The Groom's father pushes her aside. The officiant stands in the center of the room with a long scroll in his hands. Then Bride's parents enter, the mother sobbing. The "Maid of Honor" equivalent enters, and says to the bride, who is seated in the first row. "I summon you to the place of marriage." The Bride wears a white band in her hair, and tosses it like a bouquet. If a single girl catches it, it means the love of her life is at the wedding. Betazoids communicate telepathically, even in groups. Betazoid gatherings can be eerily silent for off worlders. Betazoids value honesty. Betazoids believe in full communication with each other and their world. Betazoid abstract paintings have no name, because it would be like the artist imposing his own world-view on the viewer. (ST: TNG: Imzadi by Peter David)
It is Betazoid Tradition after announcing an engagement the parent slaps one cheek and kisses the other, then tells their child, "The slap is to remind you of the pain of married life, and the kiss to remind you that, with love, all can be solved." The women of the 5th house of Betazed have drunk from the Sacred Chalice of Rixx at their weddings for over six centuries. (ST: TNG: Triangle: Imzadi II by Peter David)
The Betazoid Peace Keepers Force wears pale blue uniforms. They are mostly figurehead since crime was nearly nonexistent. Their function was to provide a nominally comforting presence to tourists, and look good on a float during the annual Betazed Unity Parade. (ST: TNG: Triangle: Imzadi II by Peter David)
Contributed by: Clare Bradley |
| Sources |
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TV: TNG: Haven; Manhunt; Realm of Fear; Tin Man
TV: DS9: The Forsaken
Book: Star Trek Star Charts by Geoffrey Mandel
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q-Squared by Peter David
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Imzadi by Peter David
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Triangle: Imzadi II by Peter David
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Battle of Betazed by Charlotte Douglas and Susan Kearney
Non-canon information is shown like this. Use with caution or not at all. |
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