- For other uses, see Betelgeuse.
Betelgeuse (also known as Alpha Orionis) is a star (spectral class M2Ib supergiant) located about 130 parsecs (430 light-years) from Earth, where it is visible in the constellation of Orion. The Betelgeuse star system was the original home of the Betelgeusian species of Betelgeuse II. (TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Last Unicorn RPG module: Star Trek: The Next Generation Core Game Book)
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture production info mentioned Betelgeuse's name and inhabitants, but since it is a "real" star system, modern scientists know a few things about its makeup that were not in Star Trek.
It was described as a dying star, similar to Alpha Ceti and Antares. There are at least 13 planets in the system, three of which are class M. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Star Trek: The Original Series Core Game Book, Decipher RPG module: Aliens)
It was located in the Beta Quadrant. (ST reference: Star Charts)
History and specifics[]
Betelgeuse vicinity.
It was a misnomer that Betelgeuseans evolved in the Betelgeuse system. They actually derived from a planet orbiting a main-sequence star near Betelgeuse. Nonetheless, Betelgeusians have lived on all three class M planets in the system. (TOS novel: The Face of the Unknown, Decipher RPG module: Aliens)
One star chart showed it in the general vicinity of Organia and the Janus system. (FASA RPG modules: Trader Captains and Merchant Princes, 1st edition, Cadet's Orientation Sourcebook)
A chart depicted it in Quadrant 2 in the general vicinity of Bellatrix, the Vendor system and Sauria. (ST reference: Star Charts)
A third chart assigned it to Quadrant 4 between Starbase 11 and Axanar. (FASA RPG module: The Federation)
Betelgeuse was cited as an example of a bright star near a major border that could have up to 50 different names, due to various cataloging systems and star charts. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
Several Federation vessels have been named after the star, including an Earth sleeper ship as well as Antares-class, Constitution-class, Constellation-class, and Excelsior-class starships.
History[]
In August 2058, a subspace warp field test of the Earth L-5 Colonies went awry, dispersing all six asteroid colonies through space. At the Vanguard colony, Zafirah al-Arif was the first to notice that, from their point of view 200 light years from Earth, Bellatrix and Rigel were out of position from Betelgeuse, distorting the appearance of the Orion constellation. (TLE novel: The Sundered)
Centuries prior to the 23rd century, the Betelgeusians became aware that their sun would soon enter an expansion phase, rendering Betelgeuse II uninhabitable, and the species completed an exodus from their homeworld. (TOS novel: Ex Machina, TOS novel: The Face of the Unknown)
In 2230, Betelgeuseans were accepted as members of the United Federation of Planets. (Last Unicorn RPG module: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook)
Betelgeuse XIII was home to a major Orion population centre, known in the 23rd century for a cheerfully decadent lifestyle and thriving criminal activity. (Last Unicorn RPG module: Star Trek: The Original Series Core Game Book)
- No history or specifics are established for this location in Starfleet Command III, as its name was arbitrarily selected for a Federation system on the game map by the game software, with random attributes.
System makeup[]
- Primary (Betelgeuse)
- Betelgeuse I
- Betelgeuse II
- Betelgeuse III
- Betelgeuse IV
- Betelgeuse V
- Betelgeuse VI
- Betelgeuse VII
- Betelgeuse VIII
- Betelgeuse IX
- Betelgeuse X
- Betelgeuse XI
- Betelgeuse XII
- Betelgeuse XIII
Items of interest[]
- Betelgeuse boreworm
- Phoenix Enterprises Limited offices
Appendices[]
Connections[]
| Stars, systems and objects of the Orion constellation |
|---|
| 46 Orionis (Alnilam, Epsilon Orionis) • 54 Orionis (Chi-1 Orionis, Coridan) • 74 Orionis • Alnilam (46 Orionis, Epsilon Orionis) • Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) • Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis) • Alpha Orionis (Betelgeuse) • Beta Orionis (Rigel) • Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) • Chi-1 Orionis (54 Orionis, Coridan) • Coridan (54 Orionis, Chi-1 Orionis) • Delta Orionis (Mintaka) • Epsilon Orionis (Alnilam, 46 Orionis) • Gamma Orionis (Bellatrix) • Mintaka (Delta Orionis) • Orion Nebula • Orion system (Pi-3 Orionis) • Pi-3 Orionis (Orion system) • Rigel (Beta Orionis) • Sigma-1014 Orionis • Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) |
Appearances[]
References[]
- TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- TOS novel: Ex Machina
- TOS novel: The Face of the Unknown
- ST reference: Star Charts
- FASA RPG module: Cadet's Orientation Sourcebook
- FASA RPG module: The Federation
- FASA RPG module: Trader Captains and Merchant Princes, 1st edition
- Last Unicorn RPG module: Star Trek: The Original Series Core Game Book
- Last Unicorn RPG module: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook
- Last Unicorn RPG module: Star Trek: The Next Generation Core Game Book
- Decipher RPG module: Worlds
- Decipher RPG module: Aliens
External links[]
- Betelgeuse article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Betelgeuse article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Betelgeuse at the Internet Stellar Database.