Betazed

A lush, temperate world, Betazed is a member of the United Federation of Planets and homeworld to the Betazoid species. It is famed for its scenery, natural beauty and pleasant climate, as well as its enlightened and gentle natives. Its gravity is exactly that of Earth’s, and water covers 78% of its surface. Betazed is located near the Argolis Cluster, in a region of Federation space that is very close to the core worlds and sectors of great economic and cultural importance, while almost paradoxically also adjacent to regions that remain largely unexplored. Betazed is one of the closest Federation planets to the Cardassian Union, whose foreign policy it has long been a vocal opponent of, but it is considered to be well within Federation territory. Although it is not a major political player, it is a popular tourist destination and is regularly visited by traders. In particular, and possibly due to its position conveniently near to the Tagus/Kaelon trade route, it hosts an annual interstellar trade conference.

Designation: Beta Zeta V. 

Class: M.

Quadrant: Alpha.

Sector: Betazed Sector

Star System: Betazed system (Beta Zeta system).

Position: Fifth planet from its sun (orbiting at a similar distance to Earth). The sixth planet in the system, Darona, is also inhabited.

Day: 25 Hours.

Political Affiliation: United Federation of Planets (admitted 2273). Betazed was occupied by the Dominion for a period of five months in 2374-75, with the Cardassian Union playing a leading role in the invasion.

Native species: Betazoid (civilized), Betazoid Pachyderm (wild).

Population: 1.3 Billion in 2374, 1.05 Billion in 2375 (15% of the population died during the Dominion invasion and occupation). The population consists of Betazoids (around 96%), Humans (around 2%), with the remainder representatives from other Federation species including Andorians and Bolians. There are also several million Betazoid Pachyderms, a sapient but wild species.

Government: A Parliament.

Major imports: Technology, industrial materials, somalin.

Major exports: Works of art and music, Betazoid Gift Boxes, medicinal plants, food crops, Versina.

Languages: Federation Standard, Betazoid.

Terrain: Ocean, grassland, forests, rainforest, farms, cities, mountains. There are fewer large cities and more small villages than on most Federation worlds.

Points of Interest: Azure Peaks, Bacarba, Carven Institute, Cataran Mountains, Condar village, Dalaria city (Dalaria Spaceport), Emrin River, Enaren University, Great Whirlpool, Hedayan Archipelago, Indar Ocean, Jalara Jungle, Janaran Falls, Katara city, Khara Archipelago, Lake Cataria, Lake El-Nar, Loneel Mountains, Loneel valley, Medara (Amick Hall, Byram Hall, Plaza of Contemplation), Ridani Spaceport, University of Betazed, Valley of Song, YloTrap.

Nearby systems: Capella, Minos Korva, Quandra Sigma, Rakon, Starbase 19, Starbase G-6, Tandar, Tohvun III.

Looking like a large cloudless oceanic planet from space, Betazed is a shockingly blue world. Still, even though its hydrosphere is slightly more prevalent than Earth’s, the temperate (albeit occasionally stormy) weather means that more of the land masses are habitable. Betazoids therefore live on just about every part of the planet, and the continents are riddled with a disproportionate number of placid lakes. Betazed’s many islands often remind Human visitors of the Pacific Islands of Earth: Warm, tropical, mountainous, with wonderful jungles and beaches. Betazed may not be a deliberately formed vacation world like Risa, but it certainly places a close second. Thanks to Betazed’s five well-watered continents and many archipelagoes, the Betazoids developed quickly as a species. Lots of habitable room translated into fast population growth, which in turn led to rapid technological development. Because Betazed is less geologically active than Earth, mountains are rarer and less severe on its continents. Only two of the continents have more than a single range of central mountains. Betazoids who see the more severe mountains of Earth and Andoria often have difficulty comprehending their sheer starkness at first. Indeed, the climate and geography of Betazed combine to give Betazoids a feeling of security. Used to temperate climes and forgiving geography, many Betazoids find other worlds stark or even hostile by contrast.

Thanks to Betazed’s strong ecological programs, the world still hosts a wide variety of native fauna that aren’t found anywhere else in the Galaxy. These range from the elusive nightwind falcon, a type of raptor that can be domesticated through empathic training, to the mysterious whispering men, a sort of proto-humanoid similar to Earth’s legendary sasquatch and named for the fact that they telepathically have a sort of quiet whisper that never quite reaches the level of language. Many Betazoid plants and animals have very specific tolerance requirements. On Betazed, where the ecology is strong and the planet not subjected to unusual heat or cold, such requirements are not harmful, but this does mean that efforts to export Betazoid creatures, whether for transplantation or for conservation programs, almost always fail.

Animals native to Betazed include the Amra, the Eridat, the Flanarian Bird, the Ollafish, and the Spoon Whale. Rodents infest the mountain wilderness, and they carry Rigelian Fever microbes- the only ones known to exist outside of Federation medical laboratories. Plants native to Betazed include Betazoid Weeping Willlows, Cavat, the Chameleon Rose, Corzon, Gavaline, Hilrep, Jul trees, Katarian emerald grass, Muktok, Oskoid, Poinciana trees, Sadi, Tarna, Toyar, Uttaberries and Zintaba. Plants originally native to neighbouring Darona, such as Teskalli trees, have also been introduced to parts of Betazed.

Betazed wholeheartedly contributes to and partakes in Federation science and technology projects, and this shows. Their cities are built with large mushroom- shaped structures that rise up on thin spires, leaving more of the ground open for natural growth. Betazed contributes its telepathic expertise, psychological experience and philosophical developments to Federation civilization, and in return the Federation’s strongly technical members help with advanced replication technology, engineering, and land reclamation. The result is that the average Betazoid has a very high and enjoyable standard of living, while the citizenry have little fear of discontent; an unhappy Betazoid is often quickly discovered and counseled by friends, neighbors, and family, all of whom want to re-establish the pleasant environs.

Betazed’s capital is Medara, an ancient holy city turned civic center. The center of the city still contains tremendous temples, academies, and monasteries. Government buildings surround this center in a hublike fashion, and residences then spread outward along giant ring patterns. While Betazed government centers here, the city retains a powerful contingent of religious and mystic factions. As a result, the architecture also bears distinct differences from many other parts of Betazed. While modern cities have reclaimed natural areas and high-tech construction, the temples of Medara garner the occasional restoration project but almost never have a technological makeover. As a result, the center of Medara is a sort of mecca of stone buildings, cobbled roads, and wooden arches—all often containing soothing, meditative patterns or historical artwork and statuary—that offer a look back into the history of Betazoid civilization. As one travels outward from the hub, the technology involved improves, until reaching the residential rings, which are built with state-of-the-art designs.