Benzite

Benzites (sometimes also known as Benzenites) hail from the planet they call Benzar, which was originally designated Securis IV when it was discovered by the Federation in 2360. Its atmosphere contains higher levels of gaseous ammonia and much less oxygen than a typical Class M planet. Elaborate crystalline rock structures dominate the planet and supply the materials from which the Benzites built their huge cities, known as geostructures.

Personality

Benzites tend to strike non-Benzites as serious, tightly wound overachievers. They try to live efficiently and value quantifiable marks of personal success, like awards and commendations, above all else. Failure shames them deeply. As a result, they have difficulty understanding what others call "fun" and "a sense of humor."

Nonetheless, Benzites are keenly aware of these social deficiencies and, in typical Benzite fashion, they work hard at overcoming these problems when they find themselves having to work and live with other races.

Physiology

Benzites are slightly built humanoids with smooth hairless skin mottled blue and either purple or green. They have prominent nasal lobes and barbels like those found on Terran catfish hanging down from the upper lip, on either side of the mouth. Adapted to an atmosphere that most other humanoid races would find unendurable, Benzites needed respirators to breathe on Class M worlds until 2372, when advances in their medical technology made the devices unnecessary.

Benzites who come from the same geostructures are so physically similar that they look identical to non-Benzites.

History and Culture

According to Benzite mythology (for which considerable archaeological evidence actually exists), the Benzites descend from now-extinct species that they remember only as "the Forebears." The Forebears apparently came to Benzar from another world but quickly realized that they could not survive in the planet's harsh environment. They then engineered the Benzites as an intelligent lifeform that could prosper on Benzar, even as the Forebears themselves slowly succumbed to the inhospitable conditions. How and why a race technologically advanced enough to engineer a new species was unable to sustain its own existence remains a mystery, and one that the Benzites do not explore too closely. All legends of the Forebears remain couched in mystical significance, considered sacred and, thus, a taboo topic for discussions.

The Birthing Chambers

While other species struggle with theories of their creation, the Benzites needed to look no further than the very technology left behind by their Forebears. Young Benzites were subjected to resequencing through the Birthing Chambers, which altered their genome to produce hardier, more adaptable beings. Benzites who never went through a period of incubation in the Chambers frequently evidenced thin, translucent skin, poor health, deformities, and early death. Even though the Forebears left the Benzites with only rudimentary education and a host of mysterious, instructionless tools, the Benzites took matters with their characteristic stubbornness. Tinkerers learned to re-tune the Birthing Chambers, thus making differentiation possible among the species. As finer tuning led to more improvements, the scientists realized that even older Benzites could benefit from a second incubation period. Genetic deficiencies, disease, and biologically-based psychosis became nearly unknown in Benzite society even before they had developed social structures beyond the extended tribal family.

Experimentation led the Benzites to minor self-improvements and differentiation, giving them an early biological edge. After millennia of development, the orphaned Benzites developed the technology to mine their planet's crystal deposits and build great cities, known as geostructures, that became the physical centers of their society. Each geostructure became a nation unto itself, and periodically they engaged in war, fighting with the characteristic Benzite competitive drive. Eventually, the geostructures learned to channel their competitive urges into scientific and technological activity. As a result, the Belaxalar geostructure built the first Benzite warp drive in 2350. They made first contact with the Federation in 2360 and became members of the UFP in 2369.

Even though the Federation has strict protocols regarding genetic resequencing, the Benzites continue to use their Birthing Chambers with tacit approval. Benzites who don't go through the Chambers have a far greater degree of medical problems, and Benzite culture places strong inhibitions against making needless modifications to the Chambers and their programming. Thus, the Federation tolerates the Birthing Chambers as yet another example of cultural uniqueness.

Andragovian Philosophy

Thousands of years after his lifetime, the teachings of the Benzite philosopher Andragov still form the basis of his race's culture. He stressed efficiency and quantifiable success as the objectives of an ideal life. In accordance with practices enshrined in the Doctrine of Andragov, Benzites keep meticulous records of personal goals that allow them (and their peers) to measure their success (or failure) in achieving them. Every morning, each Benzite writes down a list of his objectives for the day, sharing the information with others from his geostructure so that they may subject him to public humiliation if he fails - and appropriate recognition if he succeeds. This practice begins in early childhood and becomes so ingrained that it forms the underpinnings of achievement throughout most Benzites' lives.

The Doctrine of Andragov also lays out a system of numerical values by which Benzites still measure their relative success or failure, and when a Benzite dies his final lifetime score is inscribed on his tomb. Moreover, if his score reaches a low enough number through continual failure to meet his goals (-500 according to the Doctrine of Andragov), custom dictates that he commit ritual suicide, the ultimate expression of personal shame. Recently, though, the supporting calculations of the social mathematician Fathen have challenged this notion and rendered the practice of ritual suicide obsolete, claiming that it is inaccurate to judge a score before all data from a full lifetime enters the equation.

Reference(s)

• Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.