In the Star Trek universe, there’s no better place to vacation than Risa. It’s an entire plant dedicated to pleasure, with sandy beaches, palm trees, bars around every corner, and perfect weather all the time. The planet is a favorite destination for Starfleet officers on shore leave as well as beings from all over the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Quadrants (after the wormhole opened, of course).
Though Risa is undeniably a paradise, it hasn’t always been that way. And even in paradise, trouble always seems to find Star Trek’s heroes. Here’s what fans should know about this planet.
The History & Culture of Risa
Ages ago, the planet’s natural terrain and climate were far different. The planet was covered in dense, barely inhabitable jungles and was prone to extreme weather events, especially storms and earthquakes. The beings indigenous to Risa are humanoid aliens called Risians. A technologically advanced society, they developed a weather control system that prevented the storms that used to rage on Risa, ensuring sunny days and balmy temperatures year-round. It also improved geological stability to prevent earthquakes.
By the 22nd century, when humans first visited Risa, it was a thriving vacation spot whose economy was based almost entirely on tourism. However, since the planet was highly trafficked by tourists, it was also an unintentional hot spot for criminal activity.
The Risians are welcoming, accommodating, and kind, and their culture is based on the pursuit of happiness and pleasure. They’re famous for their liberal attitudes about relationships and sex, and though it’s never explicitly stated, non-monogamy seems to be the norm. Statuettes called horga’hn, which symbolize fertility and sexuality, are common on Risa. Obtaining or having a horga’hn indicates that the possessor is “seeking jamaharon,” a Risian ritual. Although it’s never explained in the shows, it’s heavily implied that the jamaharon includes some kind of sexual activity.
In “Star Trek: Enterprise”
In the episode “Two Days and Two Nights,” crew members of the Enterprise NX-01, commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, visited Risa for in 2152. This marked the first visit humans ever made to the pleasure planet. The crew of the very first Enterprise had heard stories about Risa from beings they encountered in their exploration of the Alpha Quadrant, and they were eager to take in all the delights that this paradise had to offer.
While some of the crew members had a good time, Captain Archer, Commander Trip Tucker, and Lieutenant Malcom Reed experienced the seedier side of Risa. Captain Archer met a beautiful woman who turned out to be a Tandaran agent looking for information about the Suliban. Tucker and Reed, meanwhile, got kidnapped, beat up, and robbed. Ensign Hoshi Sato, on the other hand, met a gorgeous man and spent the weekend having the time of her life.
In “Star Trek: Discovery”
Though fans never got to see the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery visit Risa, the pleasure planet was mentioned in two different episodes of Star Trek: Discovery. In the season 1 episode “Context Is For Kings,” crew members of the Discovery discussed previous trips to Risa and teased a crew mate who said they’d never been to the planet.
In the third season episode “Terra Firma Part 2,” fans got their only look at the version of Risa in the Mirror Universe. This version of Risa was part of the Terran empire, and was surrounded by a planetary ring, unlike the planet in the Prime Universe. In typical Star Trek fashion, the discrepancy between the planets’ appearances is never explained.
Discovery has so far been the only Star Trek show to feature a Risian as a major recurring character. In the fourth season, Ruon Tarka, a Risian scientist working for the Federation, was assigned to the Discovery to help Commander Paul Stamets research the Dark Matter Anomaly. Tarka had been enslaved by the Orion Emerald Chain and forced to research alternatives to dilithium after the Burn.
He befriended another enslaved scientist named Oros, and together they discovered an alternate universe that was completely peaceful. Tarka had to leave Oros behind when he escaped the Emerald Chain, but they promised to meet in the alternate universe. Tarka became obsessed with making it there to the point that he stole Federation technology and tried to harness the power of the DMA to make the trip.
In some ways, his quest for a life in a universe free from conflict seems in line with Tarka’s Risian roots. However, he tells the crew of Discovery that he hated growing up on Risa because he felt like he was surrounded by idiots who cared only for pursuing pleasure, while he strove to pursue knowledge.
In “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
Trekkies who watched the shows in the order that they aired, or who are old enough to have watched the shows when they were actually on television, got their first introduction to Risa in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG). In the season 3 episode “Captain’s
Holiday,” both Dr. Beverly Crusher and Commander William Riker suggested that Captain Jean-Luc Picard needed a vacation. Riker recommended Risa, and eventually, Picard gave in.
On the planet, he met a woman named Vash, a rogue archaeologist who was on Risa looking for a legendary artifact called the Tox Uthat. Several other visitors, all with less than savory values, also sought the Tox Uthat because it could be used to stop nuclear fusion, making it dangerous in the wrong hands. In her attempts to keep others from finding the artifact, Vash swept Picard up in her heist. The two went on a wild adventure, falling for each other in the process. They did find the Tox Uthat, but Picard destroyed it to prevent it from being used for nefarious deeds. Picard returned to the Enterprise, and though he said he did have a good time on Risa, he did not share the details of his exploits.
In the fifth season episode “The Game,” Riker visited Risa and spent his shore leave in bed with Etana, a Ktarian woman he met on the planet. She introduced him to a game played on a headset that gave the wearer a very pleasurable sensation every time they beat a level. Riker took the game back to the Enterprise and shared it with his crew mates, and soon, most of the crew were addicted to the game. It turned out Etana was a Ktaran operative, plotting to take over the Enterprise and infiltrate the Federation. Her encounter with Riker was a calculated plan to render the Enterprise crew distracted and defenseless. Luckily, Wesley Crusher refused to play, and helped liberate the crew from its influence.
Picard and Riker’s trips to Risa demonstrated that though the pleasure planet was relatively safe and peaceful, it still attracted a criminal element. Unsavory characters there could easily exploit vacationers while their guards were down.
In “Deep Space Nine”
While Risa is frequently mentioned as a favorite hedonistic vacation spot in Deep Space Nine (DS9), fans only see one visit to Risa in the series. In the fifth season episode “Let He Who Is Without Sin…”, Worf, Jadzia Dax, Leeta, Julian Bashir, and Quark all decide to spend their shore leave on Risa.
When they arrive, Worf is immediately put off by the frivolity. Soon after, Dax is greeted by a female Risian who knew Curzon Dax, the previous host of the Dax symbiont. Dax flirted with the Risian, Worf got jealous, and they fought. Bashir and Leeta’s relationship didn’t fare well on Risa either. Soon after arriving, they were both enjoying the company of other people. Later, they revealed that they’d come to Risa to break up.
The Risian culture continued to offend Worf. As he sulked around the planet, he met people from the New Essentialists Movement, a group dedicated to stopping what they saw as the moral degradation of Starfleet. Members of the Essentialists let Worf in on a plan to sabotage Risa’s tourism by sabotaging the planet’s weather control system. Worf agreed, but backed out when he discovered they were willing to go to achieve their goals. The Enterprise crew members helped the Risians thwart the Essentialists and repair the weather control system, and afterward, Worf and Dax celebrated by swimming naked in one of Risa’s pristine oceans.
A ‘Lower Decks’ Appearance?
In the third episode of Lower Decks’ fifth season, Commander Ransom, Chief Engineer Billups, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Boimler go on a mission to track down an Admiral who’s gone AWOL on a vacation resort planet. When they arrive, they’re all drinking at a bar called “The Risa Bar,” suggesting they may be on Risa. However, the episode does not confirm that the planet they’ve gone to is Risa.