Although Marina Sirtis didn’t wear any prosthetic space alien makeup in Star Trek: The Next Generation, any of the feature films, or Picard, the truth is, like Spock before her, the character of Deanna Troi was not entirely human. The dark contact lenses on Troi’s eyes, and her mother, Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett Roddenberry), were a hint, but the empathic and sometimes, telepathic powers of the alien species known as the Betazoids have been Star Trek legend for nearly 40 years since the debut of The Next Generation.
And now, in the second episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the abilities and nature of the Betazoid people have suddenly been expanded in a big way.
Mild spoilers ahead for Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 2, “Beta Test.”
The various mental abilities of the empathic/telepathic Betazoids have always been a little murky. In the first Next Generation episode ever, “Encounter at Farpoint,” Troi was fully telepathic, able to speak to Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in his mind. Later, because it was established she was half-human, were made to understand she was only empathic, able to sense various emotions.
But in Starfleet Academy’s “Beta Test,” Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) refers to the Betazoid people as a whole as “empathic.” We also learn that in the aftermath of the cataclysm of the Burn, the entire planetary system of Betazed constructed a “psionic wall” to keep its citizens safe from the ravages of the rest of the galaxy, notably, the Venari Ral, and ad hoc group of pirates, of which Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) is a member.
Not all the Betazoids in “Beta Test” have the dark black eyes like Troi did in TNG; notably, regular cast member, Tarmia (Zoë Steiner), has hazel eyes. But this change in eyes isn’t the only thing new about the Betazoids. “Beta Test” implies that Tarmia has very strong telepathic or psionic powers, and the existence of the psionic wall — even though we don’t “see” it — is a massive revelation for longtime Trek fans.
In DS9, TNG, and Voyager, the planet Betazed is seen briefly, notably in the humorous episode "Ménage à Troi.” But in all of the TNG-era of Trek canon, we never saw a huge group of Betazoids working together, using telepathic powers to protect their planet. In fact, the existence of this power is somewhat new, since it implies that Betazed could weaponize the psionic powers of its people in ways we never thought possible.
In Starfleet Academy, the existence of the psionic wall is more of an existential problem, something that represents a barrier: Will Betazed rejoin the Federation or not? But from a nitty-gritty canon POV, it presents something else. Perhaps, all this time, the Betazoids were one of the most powerful alien species in all of Star Trek. In fact, by the end of the episode, it’s clear that Tarmia alone is super powerful, maybe more powerful than any other telepathic or telekinetic character Star Trek has ever seen.
Since The Original Series, Trek has been obsessed with psionic powers, and the proof is that the first two pilots of TOS dealt with telepathy and telekinesis. And now, all the way in the 32nd century, Trek has now casually presented the idea that one very beloved alien species can use the power of their minds alone to create a barrier around their planet. It’s unclear if Starfleet Academy will explore this idea more, but clearly, as of now, the Betazoids are one of the most formidable species in the Star Trek universe.
