Not a tech heavy episode by any means, but still an enjoyable lightweight episode way better than the franchise's previous visit there. Some interesting surprises to be found, and the one person who *didn't* go to get laid sees the most sheetbound action. Ah well, c'est la Hoshi vie.
-Timestamp: February 18, 2152. Nine days after they decided to go, the crew finally gets to Risa. Drawing lots, half of the crew get to go down. It’s not clear whether the other half get to go down next, or even at all. Regardless, Trip, Hoshi, Malcolm and Travis get to go down.
-We see a near-simultaneous shuttle launch – no mention is made of one potentially lost in the previous episode. I believe Drexler said they have at least one spare that they could ready in a day or two?
-Hoshi knew 38 languages when she left Earth, and makes a point of leaving the UT behind when she goes down, to keep her skills sharp.
-Cutie Cutler is back! And Phlox isn’t around to enjoy it. No, he’s hibernating for two days; but hey, it’s down from the usual six he enjoys. When he’s inevitably awakened prior to this, he’s a little… off.
-Risa has two moons visible at night. I don’t really remember the other Risa episodes, but are there multiple moons there too? No mention is made of funky statues or other Risan clich�s, except for the little white sticker that is on their foreheads.
-Trip and Malcolm get mugged by a couple of (male) aliens sporting holobabe disguises. One wonders why we generally don’t see this in the TNG era…While I’m at it, I’m sure we’ve seen more of this cast in their underwear in one season than any other Trek cast over its whole run!
-Tandarans! And they’re sorta smart, too! As with last week, this is a continuity mine, with tons of references to previous episodes.
Mark
[ May 15, 2002, 08:53: Message edited by: Mark Nguyen ]
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
So the people who go down to Risa are looking for some action? Well at least they most likey won't die like Curazon Dax did... To think Hoshi decides to leave the universal translator to practice her oral skills... and get's her freak on.
The show's use of underwear could be due to Gap Inc. being a show sponsor. I've seen what Starfleet gives to wear under their uniforms at Body Gap now.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
To revive an older topic on the likeliness of Risa being a UFP member world: was there any word or sign of a weather control system? And is there conclusive evidence that the inhabitants of Risa are native to the planet?
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Yes and no, in that order. Why whouldn't they be?
Mark
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
They were never actually called Risans, and some people thought that they were colonists, or plain simply employees that work on the Risa resort. And there were some doubts about whether the weather system was Federation-built or something older.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
I don't recall any reference to a weather modification grid in the episode, Mark... Where/When?
Considering a Risan language is shown, the implication is strongly given that the inhabitants are native to the planet.
[ May 15, 2002, 11:16: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
It's not directly referenced, but heavily implied. At one point one of the older Risans tells Hoshi that it must be her first visit to the place - 'cuz the weather is ALWAYS nice on Risa.
Mark
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Since we know what Risa looks like without weather modification, nice weather would seem to imply such technology is in use...
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Additional: Risa is about 90ly from Earth. I'm thinking now that Enterprise is somewhere on the "west" side of town relative to Earth, given various DS9 refs to where it is ("stopping over on the way there", etc.). Archer further makes a point to say that his ship is the first time humans have been out this far... One wonders how far the human sphere of influence actually is, even with ships only capable of less than warp 2. One also wonders where the Botany Bay, the Charybdis, the Mariposa, and the Ares IV are in relation to all this.
And a minor comment - after Trip and Malcolm are mugged and stripped, they seem rather embarassed to be walking around town in their underwear. Why? I mean, this is a BEACH RESORT. What's to differeniate Starfleet skivvies from anyone's swimsuit? And why did the muggers not swipe those as well?
Mark
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
It's the principle of the thing, I imagine.
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
That or the combined lenght of Malcom and Trip's things would alarm the natives...
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
...or please the natives, but alarm Trip and Reed while they're being chased. Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
I think they might have been more concerned about the smell. As Reed said, they smelt 'bloody awful' due to whatever was smashed to get them free.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)