For the mirror universe counterpart, see Risa (mirror).

Risa was the capital planet of the Risian Hedony, a Federation Member State, homeworld of the Risian species, and a well known tourist planet. It was the second planet in orbit of Epsilon Ceti B in the Epsilon Ceti star system in the Risa sector of the Beta Quadrant, or the third planet in the Granicus system in the Alpha Quadrant^[2]. By runabout, the planet was at least a six-hour trip to Deep Space 9. (ST reference: Star Charts; Decipher RPG module: Worlds, ST website: StarTrek.com)

StarTrek.com did not name the sector, but said it was the same as Starbase 12; the sector name is derived from the Starbase 12 article.

History and specifics[]

Risa relied on mostly automated systems to make the stay of their guests as simple and as pleasurable as possible. If those automated systems failed, Risa would be in jeopardy. Before the introduction of automated technology, Risa, in its natural state, was a paradise. Risa, having become dependent on technology, then became an illusion of the paradise it once was. There were those who wanted to return Risa to its natural state, however, Risa had been unstable for centuries. Technology stabilized Risa's atmospheric and meteorological state with tectonic equipment to keep it from sliding over the edge. (SCE eBook: Paradise Interrupted)

A starship, the Risa Express, transports people to Risa. (DS9 - The Maquis: Soldier of Peace - Issue 1 comic: "Vacation's Over")

Tourism[]

Risa is famous throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a place of tourism and recreation, and is referred to as a "pleasure planet." It got that reputation because of its constant, stable climate, its attractive landscapes, and most of all, its very friendly staff. (SCE eBook: Paradise Interrupted) Its native species, notorious for their open sexual mores, number approximately three billion, and the planet hosts about one billion tourists at any given time. (SCE eBook: The Future Begins)

Many resorts on Risa also house gambling casinos. One of which was the Midas Casino. (TOS novel: The Case of the Colonist's Corpse; VAN novel: Precipice)

The world is also alternatively spelled, "Riza." (TOS video game: 25th Anniversary)

History[]

Risa was first visited by Humans and Starfleet in 2152 when the Enterprise (NX-01) arrived at the planet and several crew members took shore leave. Those crew members included Captain Jonathan Archer, Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather, Commander Charles Tucker and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed. (ENT episode: "Two Days and Two Nights")

At this early date, although Risa was a warm and pleasant Class M world it still was not the lush tropical paradise that it would later become. The planet was often subject to frequent storms and its three moons created tectonic strains which made it geologically unstable. The Risian themselves were often found in small, isolated groups with limited technology and oral histories which cited how their ancestral settlements had often been destroyed by the gods. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Risa was admitted into the Federation in 2249. (ST reference: Star Charts)

In April 2260, the art gallery of the Midas Casino was burgled. The crime was unsolved as of August 2267. (VAN novel: Precipice)

There was little interest in Risa until the turn of the 24th century, when a man named Arlo Leyven came to Risa. In life, his past and means of arrival were a mystery; rumors persisted that he was affiliated with the Orion Syndicate and that he had crashed on the planet while trying to escape the law. Later investigation after his death confirmed them as all true.

Leyven had a vision for the planet, as the premiere vacation destination for the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. To this end he obtained hefty loans from the Orion Syndicate and invested them into technology that would stabilize the climate and seismic activity to within habitable bounds and transforming it into a paradise in less than a decade. In 2313, Leyven officially opened Croesus' Palace, which became the planet's principle resort for decades, and popular through the Federation. Leyvan grew wealthy off tourism and Risian real estate, but not wealthy enough to pay his debts. Finally, in 2317 when his Syndicate partners suspected him of taking a slice of their share of the profits, they had him assassinated in his penthouse suite.

Regardless, in the decades following, more reputable individuals and corporations took over Risa's tourism trade and it lost its Orion-dominated image. However, rumors continued that the Orions maintained involvement through under-the-table business partnerships and controlling the workers' unions. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Over the next few decades, Risa would become a location for several dubious and noteworthy events in the Federation's history. In 2366, two Vorgons from the 27th century arrived on Risa and were searching for a device known as the Tox Uthat which was suppose to be able to stop the fusion process occurring within a star. The Vorgans approached Captain Jean-Luc Picard who was vacationing on the planet at the time and claimed that history recorded him as discovering the device on Risa. (TNG episode: "Captain's Holiday") In 2368, a Ktarian agent on Risa offered Commander William T. Riker a game, which although seemingly harmless, was intended to gain control of Starfleet. (TNG episode: "The Game")

In 2373, the New Essentialists Movement sabotaged the planet's weather control system (the most "elaborate" in the Federation) claiming that the Federation was ill-prepared for an attack by the Dominion. The hedonism of Risa was proof of the Federation's softness. The sabotage would result in several days of inclement weather and a large number of dissatisfied tourists. (DS9 episode: "Let He Who Is Without Sin...", ST website: StarTrek.com)

In 2376, Risa was listed as the host location of a current or past marathon. (New Worlds, New Civilizations short story: "The Footfalls of Tradition")

Simulations[]

In 2381, the malevolent artificial intelligence Badgey trapped USS Cerritos personnel on the holodeck. During the lower deckers' effort to earn enough merit points for Badgey to release them, they participated in drills, one of which was a Risa simulation overseen by Commander Jack Ransom and Ensign Fletcher. (LD video game: The Badgey Directive)

Ensign D'vana Tendi and Dr. T'Ana beamed to Risa as part of Badgey's "vacation" drill, but were wisely suspicious of traps. Klingons A'rikk and Ghenn invited them to a party at some caves, then robbed the women of their Starfleet uniforms. (LD video game: The Badgey Directive episode: "One Rave and Two Sights")

Another Badgey drill recreated the 2366 search for the Tox Uthat, this time involving Gul Madec and Section 31 operatives Tuvok and Julian Bashir. Madec and Brad Boimler came across the artifact while participating in a sand castle competition. (LD video game: The Badgey Directive event: "Captive's Holiday")

First Splinter timeline[]

Unfortunately, in 2381, Risa was devastated by the Borg attack on the Alpha Quadrant. (ST - Destiny novel: Lost Souls.) Thanks to advanced warnings about the Borg armada, many Risians and their guests managed to be evacuated in time, though the planet itself was devastated by the Borg. After some time, the planet was rebuilt. (TNG novel: Losing the Peace)

The Federation had begun a massive repair effort on Risa by 2385. (DS9 eBook: Rules of Accusation)

Geography[]

Years of tectonic activity resulted in the planet's surface being fragmented into ten small continents, all about the same size, and all located around the equator. As for the climate, Risa had warm temperatures and tropical humidity tempered by mild breezes and light rains. The planet had two very small ice caps which gave it a hint of natural coldness. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)

Bodies of water[]

• Northern Ocean
• Southern Ocean
• Sea of Partheous
• Leyven Sea

Settlements[]

• Nuvia - the capital city
• Hanotis Harbor
• Suraya Bay
• Temtibi Lagoon
• New Atlantis
• Sunset Acres

Points of interest[]

• El Dorado Hotel and Vacation Resort
• Tolari Tower
• Malone Towers
• Catona Bluff
• Crystal Ranch
• Croesus' Palace
• Grasha's Resort
• Straight of Andre
• Montasmery Cove
• Central Weather Control
• Monagas Peninsula, one of the more popular regions on the planet. The largest resort in the Monagas Peninsula is the Sheltered Arms resort. (SCE eBook: Paradise Interrupted)

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

• ENT episode: "Two Days and Two Nights"
• ENT episode: "The Seventh"
• DSC episode: "Terra Firma, Part 2"
• TNG episode: "Captain's Holiday"
• TNG episode: "The Game"
• DS9 episode: "Let He Who Is Without Sin..."
• LD video game: The Badgey Directive

References[]

• Last Unicorn RPG module: Raiders, Renegades & Rogues
• ST video game: Infinite
• ST video game: Fleet Command

External link[]

• Risa article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
• Risa article at Star Trek Online Wiki.