Benzite

**Benzites** were a bipedal amphibian species from the planet Benzar.

They were known as ***Ben'zar'yan*** in Bajorai and ***Bhin'zaarsu*** in Rihan.

*For a list of Benzite individuals, see Category:Benzites.*

## History and Politics

Large-scale conflicts were exceptional rare among Benzites. In their history, war was mostly relegated to localized skirmishes between geostructures. All conflict ceased several hundred years before the first Benzite warp drive was completed.

By the 23rd century, the government of Benzar was largely decentralized. The ruling body of the planet was a council called “The Forum”. It was comprised of representatives from the planet's many geostructures. The Forum had no strict authority, and largely served as a format for discussion and debate.

After peaceful relations had been established with the United Federation of Planets, some Benzites took in educational excursions to Federation worlds and officers in the Geostructure United Militia participated in Starfleet's Officer Exchange Program beginning in the 2360s.

With Benzar’s entry into the galactic community, Benzites recognized the need for a stronger single voice for their planet and people. The Forum sought to increase its political clout on Benzar in an effort to be that single voice. This was met with mixed reactions among the geostructures, though the overwhelming majority of Benzites had a moderate viewpoint on the subject. Eventually, when the option to join the Federation arose, the Benzite people were able to unite under The Forum, leading to Benzar's admittance into the Federation shortly before the outbreak of the Dominion War. This led to many Benzites in the planet's militia receiving commissions in Starfleet and serving in the war.

## Physiology

Benzites typically had smooth, hairless, blue or green skin. A thick protrusion of the Benzite skull extended down over the face, displaying a prominent nasal lobe and brow. Two facial tendrils hung from above the upper lip. Benzites were unable to breathe a standard oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere and required to wear a respiration device in those environments.

Benzites were unable to breathe a standard M-class atmosphere without wearing a breathing apparatus. This was do to the unique nature of their homeworld, where the air contained high amounts of chlorine. Benzites could go a short period of time without their breathing apparatus in standard M-class conditions, but prolonged exposure resulted in fatal lung damage. This restriction was eventually overcome in the late 24th century due to genetic engineering. Benzite blood was based on mercury and platinum, and turned the color orange when oxidized.

The Benzite's forced adaptation to high levels of atmospheric toxicity gave them a hardiness beyond their build and a potent resistance to most poisons. They were also capable of digesting a wide range of substances inedible to most species, but out of politeness, most limited themselves to the default menu choices of the non-Benzites with whom they lived and worked.

## Society and Culture

The nature of interconnection between members of the same geostructure caused Benzites to look very similar to outsiders, although Benzites themselves were able to tell the difference between each other. Confusing a Benzite’s identity was not considered offensive. Some even took it as a compliment as the confused party was assumed to be recognizing another Benzite from the same geostructure.

Benzites were highly meticulous, a characteristic reflected in a regulation of the Geostructure United Militia, which stated that no officer on a militia ship was to report any unexplained occurrence without providing a full analysis and solution.

Geostructures formed the basic building block of Benzite society. They were both cities created of crystalline deposits, and extensions of family units. A typical Benzite strongly identified with their geostructure, as most other species do with their family.

The government of Benzar was largely decentralized, consisting of a council called "The Forum." It was comprised of representatives from the various geostructures around Benzar. The Forum had no strict authority, and largely served as a format for discussion and debate. However with Benzar’s entry into the galactic community, the need for a stronger single voice to speak for the planet became apparent. As such, The Forum sought to increase its political clout on Benzar. This was met with mixed reactions among the geostructures, though the overwhelming majority of Benzites held a moderate viewpoint on the subject. Eventually, The Forum was able to unite the people of Benzar and they joined the Federation.

## Appendices

### Connections

**Agencies:** Starfleet • Diplomatic Corps • Department of Temporal Investigations • Federation Security Agency

**Facilities:** 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards • Antares Ship Yards • Beta Antares Ship Yards • Copernicus Ship Yards • Laikan Starfleet Shipyards • McKinley Station • Memory Project • New Aberdeen Shipyards • Proxima Maintenance Yards • Salazaar Shipyards • San Francisco Fleet Yards • TL-9139 Starfleet Maintenance Yards • Tranquility Base • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards

### Sources consulted

* Benzite article at *Memory Alpha*.
* Benzite article at *Memory Beta*.
* Benzite article at the *Star Trek Online Wiki*.