The Commonwealth of The Starr of Betelgeuse is a huge, socially progressive nation, ruled by Ezra Starr with an even hand, and remarkable for its smutty television, irreverence towards religion, and absence of drug laws. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 781 million Starr of Betelgeuseans enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The medium-sized government prioritizes Education, with Healthcare, Administration, and Welfare also on the agenda, while Defense and Spirituality aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cairo Alexandria. The average income tax rate is 31.5%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Starr of Betelgeusean economy, worth 81.7 trillion Pecunias a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Retail. Average income is an impressive 104,618 Pecunias, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

Pre-takeoff checks last longer than the flights themselves, traumatised refugees have a full bedpan shoved into their hands along with their immigration papers, public ferries only carry enough lifeboats for the first-class passengers, and cash-strapped junkies lick rabbits for a cheap high. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. The Starr of Betelgeuse's national animal is the Honey Badger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

The Starr of Betelgeuse is ranked 27,733^rd in the world and 125^th in Refugia for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring 6,690.04 on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.