Betazoid? why zoid?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Although they were originally called Vulcanians...

 

[marksound]

When I first heard Troi was a "betazoid", I didnt know what that word meant. The suffix 'oid' was odd there.

I thought she would look like, I dont know, a squid or whatever.

Then someone said, betazoids are from Betazed.

The universal translator must have had a glitch. The word don't sound like a demonym.

Why Betazoid and not Betazedean, like Organian, Andorian, Vulcan, Alderaanian, Romulan, see what I am saying?

I see absolutely nothing wrong with it.

And those who do* must be xerographic. Or something.

*Monty Python, The Spanish Inquisition

 

[Nerys Myk]

^ Although they were originally called Vulcanians...

from the planet Vulcanis.

 

[Gary7]

Because it's better than "betamax."


Seriously, I guess with the "Zed" ending a "Betazedian" was too many syllables. Maybe Betazan? Sounds better to me...

 

[Christopher]

Maybe Betazan? Sounds better to me...

Hard to figure out how to pronounce it, though. It looks like "Beh-tazz-an" to me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Betazed was probably named just like Delta was: A code name given to it by the human explorers who made first contact. Similar to the Deltans (who are actually from 'Dhei' of the star 'Lta', and the humans who visited them simply shortened it to 'Delta' - thank you Christopher), the Betazoids' own name for the planet is probably completely different. I'm guessing whoever made first contact with them simply gave it a letter combination, i.e. 'Beta' and 'Zed'.

Why would members of the species then happily refer to themselves as Deltans and Betazoid without correcting others as to what their true name is?

Crewman Dax from TUC was a Megazoid.

 

[scotpens]

Why zoid? Because it sounds science-fictiony.

Could just be their own term that made it into Fed standard. Like Michigander.

Or Liverpudlian. Why aren't Liverpudlians from Liverpuddle?

Crewman Dax from TUC was a Megazoid.

And the Outer Limits episode "The Duplicate Man" featured a murderous, dangerously unpredictable creature called a Megasoid. It looked like a guy in a chicken suit.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Betazed was probably named just like Delta was: A code name given to it by the human explorers who made first contact. Similar to the Deltans (who are actually from 'Dhei' of the star 'Lta', and the humans who visited them simply shortened it to 'Delta' - thank you Christopher), the Betazoids' own name for the planet is probably completely different. I'm guessing whoever made first contact with them simply gave it a letter combination, i.e. 'Beta' and 'Zed'.

Why would members of the species then happily refer to themselves as Deltans and Betazoid without correcting others as to what their true name is?

They probably didn't think it was a big deal, certainly nothing to ruin a promising new friendship/alliance over. And in the end, it's just another new word in the language.

 

[Third Nacelle]

Why would members of the species then happily refer to themselves as Deltans and Betazoid without correcting others as to what their true name is?

Probably for the same reason the Deutsch don't mind being called German, Tedesco, Allemand, Tysker, Német, Niemiec....

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Well, Germans is not that far off. The region where we lived was once called Germania populated by the Germanen. They gave Julius Caesar a bloody nose.
Not sure when it became The Deutsches Volk and Deutschland.

 

[Takeru]

Deutsch comes from "Diutisc", a word meaning people iirc, "diutisc land" would then mean "land of the (german speaking) people", naturally more inclusive than naming it after a specific tribe which happened in other languages, the Alemannen lived close to what would become France so their tribe's name became the name of Germany in french for example.

 

[marksound]

Wasn't that dude on Talos IV?

 

[Tiberius]

*Glares*

I was going to make that joke!

 

[Hober Mallow]

Maybe Betazan? Sounds better to me...

Hard to figure out how to pronounce it, though. It looks like "Beh-tazz-an" to me.

"Ask your doctor about Betazan today."

 

[Gary7]

"Ask your doctor about Betazan today."

Well on the flip side of that, every time I heard "Betazoid" I kept wondering if Deanna ever ate Altoids. So... do Altoids come from the planet Alted?

 

[scotpens]

Wasn't that dude on Talos IV?

Yep, same costume. Part of it, anyway.