Star Trek Lives - Life-Forms

Life-Forms

Betazoids

Physiology
Betazoids hail from the Federation member planet Betazed. A peaceful race that have developed highly telepathic abilities, the Betazoid people appreciate fine arts, literature, and philosophy. As all Betazoids are telepathic, they usually do not need to vocalize their thoughts to one another in order to communicate, but can do so for the benefit of offworlders. It is a natural ability, and likewise the strength of the skill varies from one to another. Most develop the ability in adolescence, but a few have congenitally active telepathic abilities that may cause severe mental problems due to their inability to screen out other peoples minds. Screening is a skill that is absolutely necessary for the well-being of a Betazoid, particularly for those with keen telepathic sensory skills. betazoid gift box

Externally, Betazoids are among the most humanoid species on record, and are indistinguishable from humans in every aspect. They can reproduce with humans, although this often dilutes the telepathic abilities of the offspring, case in point: Cmdr. Deanna Troi. The children of such a union often develop empathic rather than full telepathic abilities, though they can still communicate telepathically with their Betazoid parent and a bonded mate. Full Betazoids are unable to read the minds of Ferengi, Breen, Ullians or Dopterians due to their unusual brain lobe formations, but some half Betazoids have been occasionally successful in sensing the emotions of these species.

The telepathic and empathic abilities of Betazoids need strict discipline to control and confine to oneself. In more mature Betazoids, medical conditions such as "Zanthi fever" can occur and a breakdown of control mechanism allows empathic thought to influence surrounding people. Ambassador Troi had once been aboard Deep Space 9 when she was under the influence of the fever and she unqittingly projected her emotions onto those in close proximity to her for the duration of her condition. For even the most disciplined Betazoid, the ability to feel what thousands of people are feeling can be too much, and a mental block must be firmly placed between the Betazoid and the outside sources. Cmdr. Deanna Troi of the U.S.S. Enterprise has more than once been incapacitated when an alien influence jammed her mental blocking mechanism and tortured her with a flood of thoughts or a continuous play of music.

Society
Betazoid society tends toward more formal and elaborate traditions and ceremonies than most cultures in their present evolutionary stage. Some of the rites often make the more conservative Federation offworlder uneasy at first, most notably the traditional wedding ceremony in which no clothing is to be worn. Though there are no official gender-based restrictions in place within Betazoid society, women have traditionally held many positions of authority.

According to Peter David's popular book Imzadi, the proper Betazoid wedding is rich with symbolism. It is customary that all people, guests and participants, attend the ceremony nude, to symbolize that, physically and spiritually, there is nothing to hide, that all are sharing in complete cooperation in the spirit of harmony and unity. The ceremony itself is also rich in symbolism. The groom walks in, followed by his mother, who pulls on his arm, trying to stop him. The groom keeps walking, and his father steps into his path, holding up a hand in a signal for the groom to stop. The groom gently but firmly pushes his father out of the way and walks to the front of the room. At this point, the bride's parents enter, the bride's mother sobbing loudly. The bride sits in the front row. A woman who is equivalent to a maid-of-honor enters and walks up to the bride, saying "I summon you to the place of marriage." She then escorts the bride to the side of the groom and the ceremony proceeds. The bride wears a white band in her hair, which she tosses over her shoulder to a crowd of waiting women, much like the Terran tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet. To the woman that catches the band, it means that the love of her life is at the gathering.

Betazoids are a race of pacific philosophers who are more likely to observe than act, and consequently have little use for weapons or even defense systems. Their planetary defense system were outdated the moment they were finally in place and proved to be quite useless when the Dominion. Nonetheless are considered a major world of the Federation and their fall during the Dominion war in 2374 struck home the devastation that had eaten away at the Federation's formerly secure borders

They are Betazoids

Rang / Beruf	Charakter	Schauspieler	Episode / Film
Counselor Ambassador	Deanna Troi Lwaxana Troi	Marina Sirtis Majel Barrett	"Encounter at Farpoint" (TNG) "Haven" (TNG)

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von medical log: supplemental

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