Beemela 4

This article describes the planet Beemela 4 as depicted in Space Battleship Yamato 2199. For its counterpart in the original series, see Beemera.

Beemela 4
Astrographical information
Galaxy	Outside of the Milky Way Galaxy
System	Beemela system
Suns	1
Physical information
Class	Terrestrial
Atmosphere	Breathable
Societal information
Native species	Beemelians Giant arthropods
Affiliated	Beemelians (until c.1870) Great Garmillas Empire (2199, manga)

Beemela 4 is the fourth of five planets in the Beemela system, lying outside the Milky Way Galaxy less than four light years from Carell 163.

Overview

Beemela 4 orbits within the habitable zone of its parent star, and bears substantial bodies of water, an atmosphere that is amenable to humans, and landmasses covered by green foliage. A rain forest ecology in at least one region of Beemela 4 sustains lush tree-like plants and robust animal life, all native animal life seems to be arthropodic in nature. Beemela 4 was home to the Beemelians, a sentient species which went extinct around the 19th century.

History

The remains of two Beemelarian people

Beemela 4 was once home to the Beemelians, an indigenous technological civilization that practiced animal domestication, sculpture, and stone architecture. Around the year 1800, a mission was sent to Beemela 4 by the planet Iscandar as part of its goal of bringing "salvation to all life in the universe." The native people treated the mission with a measure of reverence, placing a wave-motion core and data storage device from the crashed Iscandar ship inside a temple-like structure nearby. The civilization collapsed about seventy years later and its people were driven to extinction. One of the Beemelarians' livestock, a large insect-like species capable of flight, escaped the fall of its masters, thrived in the wild, and evolved into aggressive forest-dwelling creatures.

In the year 2199, Beemela 4 remains mostly untouched. The Great Garmillas Empire knows of the planet but has little interest in it. The Earth ship Yamato identified Beemela 4 as a potential source of food and water to replenish its depleted stocks, and as a place to complete repairs following a ferocious battle. A portion of the Yamato crew went further and saw Beemela 4 as a second home for the Terran race, and attempted a mutiny in order to return to Earth and begin relocating survivors from their own ravaged world. As the mutiny unfoldeds and eventually failed, a landing party entered the temple and found the wave-motion core, brought it back to Yamato, and used it in their continuing quest to reach Iscandar.

Manga

Yamato approaches Beemela 4/Vorzon

Yurisha, in the body of W.O. Yuria Misaki, stands in fron of the Vorzon royal palace

In the Yamato 2199 manga the name Beemela 4 is given to the planet by Program Yamato headquarters rather than being found in Iscandar's charts. Its original name was Vorzon, meaning "scented planet". The planet was home to a sentient species, which seemed to be more technologically advanced than their animated counterparts. They were ruled over by a monarchy headed by a Queen. Their civilization came into contact with Iscandar, and disappeared in still unknown circumstances around 1800. Together with their architecture, they left behind a giant memory database stored in their royal palace, where they also kept a wave-motion core given by Iscandar. The database contained a perfect recreation of the planet's queen personality, which could manifest in holographic form and speak directly into an visitor's mind through a universal translation device.

The queen of Vorzon's holographic projection

By 2199, the planet was under the control of the Great Garmillas Empire which maintained some automatic defense facilities. Yamato landed on Vorzon to replenish their supplies, and after a small skermish with the Garmillas forces, they made their way to the royal palace. They accitdentally reactivated the queen's hologram, who initially mistook them as thieves. The Iscandarian princess Yurisha, who unbeknownst to the Terrans had possessed the body of one of their officers, reassured the monarch, who immediately recognized her. Following a brief discussion the queen allowed the Terrans to do as they please so that they could reach Iscandar and save their homeworld, in exchange for eternal friendship between her planet and the Earth. The queen then revealed to the group about the fate that had befallen her and her people, greatly shocking Yurisha and causing her to faint.

Gallery

Yamato flies over a Beemelarian rain forest.

Beemelarian fauna

A landing party from Yamato investigates ruins.

Notes

• The name Vorzon used in the manga for the planet is taken from the first novelization of the original Space Battleship Yamato. Planet Vorzon was ruled over by a King who communicated through his mind rather than with words, which may have inspired the translation device used by the queen in the manga.
  • Coincidentally, the name was later reused by Space Battleship Yamato 2205: A New Journey

Japanese language information

ビーメラ4 Bīmera 4