Category:Beta Quadrant

The Beta Quadrant is the common designation for one of the four quarters of the Milky Way galaxy. It lies in the "south-east" region of the galactic map, adjacent to the Alpha Quadrant and the Delta Quadrant.

Overview

For much of the last two hundred years, the Beta Quadrant has been largely divided among three major political entities. The largest of these has traditionally been the United Federation of Planets, followed closely by the Klingon Empire, and the former Romulan Star Empire. Their sizeable territories and political dominance have left little room for other local powers. Most were either conquered by the Klingons or the Romulans, or joined the Federation out of cooperation or a desire for protection.

Two notable exceptions to this have been the Gorn Hegemony and the Ritorian Confederacy. Whether due to their distance from the core worlds of the "big three" or some other as yet unknown factor, both have managed to navigate the balance and to emerge as minor regional powers in their own right.

Things changed dramatically following the supernova of 2387, casting the Beta Quadrant into unprecedented chaos. The collapse of the Romulan Empire and the dissolution of the former Romulan Neutral Zone has given rise to a number of smaller Romulan factions. Of these, the most powerful and dominant appears to be the Romulan Free State, though it remains to be seen how these events will affect long-term stability moving forward.