Spoilers Star Trek Academy [spoiler thread]

[Dire Bare]

I mean, it might really be all about their deaf leader, but I wonder if that psychic shield might also come at a prize to the Betazoid telepathic abilities.

They definitely need ways to communicate non-telepathically if they are also protecting several non-Betazoid worlds. Unless those all happen to be species with psychic abilities.

I was surprised that the Betazoid brother joined the Academy. I expected the characters to be one-time deals. So we might learn even more about the Betazoids, and possibly the War College.

The betazoid leader was deaf. The other betazoids (outside of his family) only used ASL when communicating with him. Both of his children used ASL when talking with him, and with each other. It's only about being able to communicate with the betazoid leader, and the two siblings used it with each other out of familial habit.

It's Star Trek being inclusive, that's it. I thought it was pretty cool.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The betazoid leader was deaf. The other betazoids (outside of his family) only used ASL when communicating with him. Both of his children used ASL when talking with him, and with each other. It's only about being able to communicate with the betazoid leader, and the two siblings used it with each other out of familial habit.

It's Star Trek being inclusive, that's it. I thought it was pretty cool.

But Betazoids are telpaths, so they don't really need sign language among each other, they can just talk telepathically.
However, if the daughter must suppress her telepathic abilities for health reasons, she can't use it with her father, so that's why they picked up sign language as communication tool in their family.
But it appears she actually still can communicate telepathically with the whales to figure out one is pregnant, so it doesn't seem her abilities are entirely blocked?

So maybe there is more going on. Maybe the Betazoids psychic shield suppresses their telepathic abilities, too, or requires too much focus to spend on communication.