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Betazed was an inhabited Class M planet in the Beta Zeta system, Alpha Quadrant. This world was in Betazoid space. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds")

This was the homeworld of the Betazoids, a warp-capable humanoid civilization. Multiple Betazoids were known to have served in Starfleet. The planet was run under the supervision of the Betazed government. (TNG: "Manhunt")

Betazed was a Federation member as of the mid-to-late 23rd century. (TNG: "First Contact") Following the Burn in the 31st century, Betazed left the Federation and became an isolationist power, sequestering itself and several other worlds behind a psionic wall. They eventually agreed to rejoin the Federation in 3196, on the condition that their world would become the new Federation capital. (SA: "Beta Test")

Planetary details

The surface of Betazed near Lake El-Nar

The surface of Betazed near Lake El-Nar

Betazed orbited its sun at a distance of 3.154 astronomical units, with an orbital period of 2035 sols. Its rotation period was 25.1 hours. It had a radius of 6148 kilometers. The atmosphere was composed of 74% molecular nitrogen, 23% molecular oxygen, 1.3% argon, 0.24% carbon dioxide, and 1.1% water vapor, with trace amounts of methane. (SA: "300th Night")

The planet was devoid of ionized beryllium and gadolinium-154. (DIS: "Erigah")

History

Main article: Betazed history
A garden on Betazed and...

A garden on Betazed and...

..

... its resident flora

By the 2250s, the Betazeds had become a warp-capable civilization. By 2259, they had been or were in the process of being inducted into the Federation. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds")

In the 23rd century, con man Harry Mudd robbed a bank on Betazed. Using a time crystal, Mudd was able to learn everything about the bank's complex security measures, a fact he bragged about to Ash Tyler during their imprisonment in 2256. (DIS: "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad")

In the mirror universe, Emperor Philippa Georgiou and Captain Sylvia Tilly conquered the Betazoids together sometime prior to 2256. (DIS: "Will You Take My Hand?")

In 2350, Captain Jean-Luc Picard received the Betazoid Loyalties award for his work in assisting developing worlds. (PIC: "Remembrance")

In 2364, Counselor Deanna Troi took a shuttle from Starbase G-6 to Betazed. (TNG: "Hide And Q")

The Betazed Federation ambassador during the 2360s and '70s was Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the Fifth House, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed. (TNG: "Angel One", "Manhunt"; DS9: "The Forsaken")

Betazed took part at the Pacifica conference in 2365 and hosted the biennial Trade Agreements Conference in the following year. (TNG: "Manhunt", "Ménage à Troi")

On its way to Kaelon II in late 2367, the USS Enterprise-D passed fairly close to Betazed, enabling Lwaxana Troi to visit the ship. (TNG: "Half a Life")

As of 2369, Vash was unwelcome (persona non grata in Q's words) on Betazed. (DS9: "Q-Less")

In the 2370s, although Deep Space 9 was quite far from Betazed, transports from the station often left for the planet. (DS9: "The Muse")

During the Dominion War in 2374, Betazed was invaded by the Dominion from the Kalandra sector. The Federation Tenth Fleet had been assigned to defend Betazed and its outlying colonies but was caught out of position on a training exercise. The obsolete and undermanned planetary defense system was overwhelmed, and the planet fell in under ten hours. With Betazed captured, with other nearby worlds, including Vulcan, Tellar, Alpha Centauri, and Andor at risk of Dominion attack. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight")

Near the end of 2374, the Second Fleet struck the Dominion forces occupying Betazed three times in a single month. However, each time the Dominion sent reinforcements and fortified their surface positions. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")

In an early revision of the final draft script of "Extreme Measures" (when the episode was titled "Night Tremors"), Betazed was referred to as a subject of surveillance by Section 31 as of 2375, with multiple Section 31 operatives serving there. Evidently, this was ultimately rewritten as a reference to Qo'noS instead.

Betazed was eventually freed from Dominion control by at least 2375. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind", Star Trek Nemesis)

According to the novel The Battle of Betazed, the Betazoids were finally able to drive the Jem'Hadar away by the application of a highly dangerous, offensive form of empathy. There was also a less risky but far more cruel telepathic way of handling the Jem'Hadar, but the Betazoids rejected this solution, since it would have cost them their peaceful culture.

In 2379, Will Riker and Deanna Troi planned to have a traditional Betazoid wedding ceremony on this planet and then spend their honeymoon at Betazed's Opal Sea. (Star Trek Nemesis)

In Brad Boimler's 2381 holonovel Crisis Point II: Paradoxus, Betazed was one of the worlds labeled on the star map tattooed on Illustor's loose skin. (LD: "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus")

Jack Crusher, under his alias "Jack Canby", was charged with the distribution of illegal firearms on Betazed in the late 24th century. (PIC: "Disengage")

Following the Burn in the mid-31st century, Betazed was abandoned by the Federation and suffered devastating losses to attacks by the Venari Ral. In the 3090s, the Betazoids erected a psionic wall around their home system. Over time, some thirty additional worlds joined them in sheltering behind the wall, isolating themselves from the wider galaxy. However, their isolation also meant that Betazoid technological progress began to stagnate. (SA: "Kids These Days")

Later that year, the Betazed Youth Delegation convinced President Emerin Sadal to open negotiations for Betazed to lower its wall and rejoin the Federation. Sadal, an isolationist, initially had little intention of doing so and made unrealistic demands in exchange for Betazed's renewed membership. He changed his mind after the Federation pledged to build its new capital on Betazed, demonstrating their commitment to a shared future. (SA: "Beta Test").

In 3196, the Federation seat of government was completed. Nearly half the Federation fleet, including the USS Athena, arrived at Betazed for the dedication, making it the most protected location in Federation space. However, the discovery that several cadets had stolen a shuttle to go after Anisha Mir prompted Chancellor Ake to leave her cadets and most of the Athena's crew behind on Betazed while she, Commander Jett Reno and the Doctor went after the cadets. (SA: "300th Night")

When the Venari Ral laid Omega-47 mines around the core of Federation space, this system was within the enclosed region. (SA: "Rubincon")

After the end of the Venari Ral threat, the Athena returned to Betazed with the fleet for the dedication. (SA: "Rubincon")

Geography

Betazed was a lush, beautiful world. Nahla Ake described it, before the Burn, as a "paradise". The planet's geography varied from dense jungles to wide canyons and cliffs. Many of the major continents were dotted with lakes. (SA: "Beta Test")

A carving of the Janaran Falls

A carving of the Janaran Falls

In a deleted line from "Barge of the Dead", the Sea of Gatan was identified as one of the seas of Betazed.

Lifeforms

Points of interest

Stellar cartography

The coordiantes for this planet were 04-9438512.1532484+23.7. (SA: "300th Night")

In 2259, the location of Beta Zeta (Betazed) was labeled on a stellar cartography chart that was seen on the USS Enterprise's ready room viewscreen. This planet's symbol had a blue color, indicating that it was affiliated with the United Federation of Planets. It was already warp-capable at that time, and either a member of the Federation or in the process of becoming one. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds", "Children of the Comet", "Spock Amok")

On stardate 1292.4, the location of Beta Zeta (Betazed) was labeled on a star chart used during a Section 31 Alpha Team briefing. (Star Trek: Section 31)

In 2371, the location of Betazed was labeled in the star chart Data and Jean-Luc Picard were studying in stellar cartography aboard the Enterprise-D. (Star Trek Generations, display graphic)

The planet's location was labeled in a Federation star chart that was in Fleet Admiral Kirsten Clancy's office at Starfleet Headquarters in 2399 and on the bridge of the USS Titan-A in 2401. Betazed was in or near to Federation space. (PIC: "Maps and Legends", "The Next Generation", "Disengage")

In 3189, the location of Betazed was denoted on a holographic star chart of the galaxy at Federation Headquarters. (DIS: "Scavengers")

In 3195, the position of Betazed was labeled on a Federation star chart which was used in Starfleet Academy's Stellar Cartography laboratory. (SA: "Beta Test")

In 3196, during the Omega-47 crisis, the location of Betazed was depicted on star charts and readouts used across several locations on the USS Athena to locate, monitor, and respond to the Omega-47 mines laid by the Venari Ral. (SA: "Rubincon")

Appendices

Appearances

References

Background information

In the script for "Q-Less", the pronunciation for Betazed was given as "BAY-tuh-zed". [1]

The original non-remastered planet model for Betazed was first used for Mintaka III in TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers". It was later used for Barkon IV in TNG: "Thine Own Self".

The scenes on Betazed in "Ménage à Troi" were originally written with studio filming in mind as their shooting locale, because the notion of using filming locations was at first prohibited for the episode. When more money became available, however, this plan was revised, with a day of location shooting planned instead. (Starburst, Special #29, p. 57) The footage was ultimately filmed at the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, California, where "Justice" had also been filmed two and half years earlier. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 2nd ed., pp. 40 & 128)

In the Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 33), Betazed was the fifth planet in the Betazed (Beta Zeta) system. The official name of the government was the Fifth House of Betazed, which governed this planet from the capital city of Rixx. Betazed was admitted into the United Federation of Planets in 2273. As reported in the census of 2370, the planet was populated with 1.3 billion Betazoids living there. Betazoids had been warp-capable since antiquity. Major attractions on this world included Lake Cataria, Janaran Falls, and the University of Betazed.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 1, p. 81 classified Betazed as a class M planet.

Apocrypha

Alternately, The Worlds of the Federation placed the Betazoid homeworld, called Cyndriel, as the fifth planet in the Beta Veldonna system. The Star Trek: The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook placed Betazed as the second planet in the Beta system, and Planets of the UFP described Betazed as the second planet in the Betazed system, with its capital city being Medara. The Worlds sourcebook placed Betazed as the third planet in its system.

The Star Trek: Federation Travel Guide described local attractions including the University of Betazed (with classes open to visitors), Janaran Falls, and the ornate mansions of Betazed's "exalted houses" - especially the Fifth House. Restaurants included "The Oskoid" with its vegetarian menu and "Apolloni's Retreat" with its uttaberry pudding. The recommended lodging option was "The Mountain House" at Lake Cataria, which allowed visitors a view of beautiful sunsets and swimming during the appropriate season. A Betazoid key phrase was, "May good fortune attend you."

External links