Betazed System

The Betzed system is an inhabited unary star system containing the planet Betazed, an M-class planet and homeworld of the Betazoid species. The system primary is a single G-class main sequence star. The Betazed system is an important Federation core world, having been associated with the Federation since the mid-23rd century.

Overview

Betazoid culture is one where honesty, potentially to the point of being considered rude by others, developed early, as the idea of hiding falsehoods amongst a race of telepaths became impossible. As such forthright and honest feedback is the norm amongst Betazoids and something those that venture into the galaxy at large find themselves having to adapt to, lest they offend someone not expect a brutally honest response.

Governance of Betazed is handled by a constitutionally managed oligarchy, with elected members of the Great Houses primarily responsible for the planet’s affairs. What does and doesn’t constitute a Great House is a matter of great debate and import amongst Betazoids, with no clearly defined criteria. As Betazoid society tends towards matriarchial leanings, the vast majority of the planet’s ruling body are women, though men who do rise to prominence are not any less respected.

The internal politics of the great houses are just as important to the politics of Betazed as the politics of the planetary government since a radical change in a house can result just as quickly in changes in those that represent the house, impacting all of Betazed. The relationships between the great houses form a complex web of alliances via obligations, promises of support and marriage, the severity of which is determined by how close to the head of a given family the prospective individuals are.

During the 2360s and 70s, the Fifth House had risen to such prominence that one of their own had named Betazed’s ambassador to the Federation. The Fifth House has maintained a hold of the head of government over the last few decades by carefully managing the needs and wants of the other great houses.

During the Dominion War in 2374, Betazed was assaulted and occupied by Dominion forces. While the Tenth Fleet had been assigned to defend Betazed and its surrounding colonies and outposts, the fleet had been caught off-guard during training exercises, allowing the Dominion to breach the planet’s obsolete and undermanned defence system and occupy the system in its entirety. The entire assault lasted only ten hours before the Dominion declared victory over Betazed. This occupation had extensive strategic ramifications as it placed numerous Federation core worlds within striking distance of Dominion forces.

Towards the end of the year, the Second Fleet assaulted Betazed three times, failing to oust the Dominion in each engagement. During 2375 a combination of Starfleet assaults and local resistance from the Betazed populace was critical in the eventual withdrawal of Dominion forces from the system and the liberation of the planet.

With the hard, bloody lessons of the Dominion War, the Betazed government lobbied hard for Federation assistance post-war for a fully developed, modern planetary defence system to protect their world. Initial efforts were made to replace what was lost, but further development into something more substantial was delayed and eventually shelved as the post-war reconstruction of the Federation switched over to a more peacetime development project. With the Romulan crisis, further discussion of Betazed’s planetary defence fell by the wayside until the Attack on Mars.

Previously automated systems were in short order crippled and switched to purely manual operation, once more creating a manpower issue with the planetary defences around Betazed. While the hardware was more modern and numerous than before the Dominion invasion, the fundamental staffing issue was still there and made worse by the larger system. While the Betazed government has made a commitment to maintaining and modernising the planetary defence systems, expanding the scope of the system is still limited by a small planetary defence force that routinely suffers from recruiting and retention issues. This does mean that while Betazed would still be a tough fight for any would-be occupiers, the world still relies primarily on Starfleet to provide active defence should a probable threat be identified.

In Play

Betazed is a prosperous, cosmopolitan world within the Federation. Idyllic scenery is paired with responsibly managed urban development. Luxuries are never far at hand, giving the feel of an opulent, possibly spoiled world.
Politics, especially family politics, are not for the faint of heart on Betazed. Best avoided, if at all possible.
The scars of the Dominion invasion of the world have mostly been hidden, but still linger in the minds of some of the populace. While a whole generation have risen in the aftermath, there are those that still remember and are determined to ensure such doesn’t happen again in their lifetime.

External Information

Betazed at Memory Alpha