Battle of Betazed


This article is official Star Trek canon.This article is an official Galactic Anthropology Committee Article.
Battle of Betazed
Part of the Dominion War
Date:

2374

Location:

Betazed

Result:

Dominion victory

Belligerents
  • First House of Betazed
  • Third House of Betazed
  • Fifth House of Betazed
  • 10th Fleet
  • Jem'Hadar
Notable commanders
  • Vorta Commander Veris
Strength

114 ships

120 ships

Casualties and Losses

108 ships, 3.5 million people

43 ships

[ Source ]


With the Dominion War escalating, the Jem'Hadar and Breen were becoming ever bolder and more audacious, pushing farther into Federation territory. Targeting Betazed due to its strategic position, the Dominion placed itself within striking distance of several member planets in the heart of the Federation.

Prelude

The Dominion War was escalating at an alarming rate, with no hope of victory for the Federation alliance. The Romulans were becoming ever more distant, content to let the Federation bear the brunt of the attacks from the Dominion, protected by their non-aggression treaty with the Founders. Confident in their ability to win, the Breen and Jem'Hadar targeted the world of Betazed, placing them within striking distance of several key Federation worlds, including Andoria, Vulcan, Tellar Prime, and even Earth

Invasion of Betazed

In mid-2374, the Dominion invaded Betazed when it was early morning in the capitol city of Rixx, so as to catch the headquarters of the security forces unawares. Firing on the planet below they caused great damage to both people and property. People fled the cities and into the countryside to escape the photon torpedoes and disruptors fired by the enemy ships. When the Jem'Hadar beamed down, it quickly became apparent that the Jem'Hadar for this battle had been bred with telepathy in order to combat the Betazoids' own mental prowess.

Liarra Grax, Daughter of the First House, tried to protect the people in her charge by getting them out of the cities and into the countryside with the assistance of Lem and Tamera Jansum of the Third House; these encampments later became the headquarters for the Betazoid resistance. Starfleet ships arrived not long after this and began to attack the Dominion ships. Though a good number of their crews were onplanet, the Jem'Hadar ships were still able to fight off the Federation ships by means of guerrilla tactics taught by former Bajoran resistance fighters from within the ranks of Starfleet crews.

The Battle Escalates

The Betazoids had very specific laws concerning violence on their world, even to the point of forcing their thoughts away from violence. This proved to be their undoing and they could not stop the Jem'Hadar who proceeded to kill the Starfleet officers and crushed the 10th Fleet's marines. The Jem'Hadar took no prisoners and slaughtered anyone who did not get to safety in time, including children and grandparents. They destroyed homes, killed civilians, and the cities were reduced to rubble within a few days, the Dominion overrunning the planet before any resistance could be made.

In the skies above the planet, the fighting was just as fierce as it was on the planet below. The weapons used by the Jem'Hadar had been upgraded, similar to a Starfleet ship with type X phaser arrays being fitted with type XI. With these new upgraded weapons, the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar decimated the 10th fleet, leaving the morale of Starfleet very low. Only 6 ships made it back to the headquarters of the Federation Alliance.

Conclusion

The Battle was lost almost before it began due to outdated technology in the planet's defense network and the fact that 60% of the security forces were asleep at the time of the attack. Taking advantage of these and other mistakes on the part of the Betazoids allowed the Dominion to take the planet on a whim and thus take Earth a few weeks later.

Aftermath

The Battle of Betazed was widely known as one of the turning points in the war for Starfleet, however it was not because it was a victory for the Federation. On the contrary, it was a devastating loss for the Federation/Klingon Alliance and one of the biggest in the war. However it is also what prompted Captain Benjamin Sisko to bring the Romulans into the war, no matter what it took. It was only because of the anger, defiance, and audacity of one man that the Federation was able to win the war.