Vacation on Risa or Corsica - What did Picard mean?

[AdmiralBruno]

He once stated something about making decisions, and he was like "Should I vacation on Risa or Corsica?" Now, is there a planet called Corsica, or is he referring to the island? I have been perplexed by this for years. I lean towards him referring to the island, but I am not sure.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

He's probably talking about the island. I don't see any reason to suspect otherwise.

 

[uniderth]

He meant Wrigley's Pleasure Planet, becasue Risa is overrated.

 

[Tenacity]

The way he said it, I assumed that there's a planet Corsica.

 

[Karp666]

Corsica is a French island, I can see it as a nod to Picard being French as well.

 

[Timo]

...For all we know, Risa is an island or similar small region, too - the planet on which it is located might be otherwise uninhabitable (Risa proper has that fancy weather control net and all, as in DS9 "Let He Who Is Without Sin") or simply uninteresting (and for that reason never mentioned in connection with Risa the holiday resort).

It would be a bit odd for somebody today to muse "Now, should I take a holiday in Asia or Corsica?"; one would expect both options to be continents or islands for the comparison to make any sense. But it's certainly possible to choose between a vacation in Asia and a vacation on Corsica, that is, between something generic and something specific.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tenacity]

Interesting idea, "Risa" refers to a relatively small area on the planet, and not specifically to the planet itself. It would be like saying you're going to "New York" but not meaning the state.

Perhaps in the future there will be a island resort on Earth called "Earth," and people from across the galaxy will plan to one day vacation on "Earth."

Sisko: "Earth is a paradise,"

 

[Paradise City]

I took it to mean the island. The thought never entered my head that there's a planet Corsica. But maybe there is, I dunno.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Interesting idea, "Risa" refers to a relatively small area on the planet, and not specifically to the planet itself. It would be like saying you're going to "New York" but not meaning the state.

Actually, no, Risa is indeed the entire planet.

 

[AdmiralBruno]

Yeah. I want to ask whoever wrote that episode.

 

[uniderth]

Perhaps in the future there will be a island resort on Earth called "Earth," and people from across the galaxy will plan to one day vacation on "Earth."

Sisko: "Earth is a paradise,"

People from Earth don't use money.

I like where this is going!

 

[Tenacity]

Actually, no, Risa is indeed the entire planet.

Perhaps. But if that's the case it's strange that when someone states that they're going to Risa, no one ever says "really, what part?"

People from Earth don't use money.

(except when they do)

 

[The Old Mixer]

Trek is full of examples of mixing references to real things with fictional things...this is just one more. If you're going to mention the Giant Eel Birds of Regulus V, you have to mention salmon first to put things in context.

 

[Timo]

Yet such lists do tend to suggest that the Eel Birds are at least roughly comparable to salmon, rather than to chocolate, poetry or continents. In what sense is Risa like Corsica?

If the entire planet is a resort, it's probably a fairly small planet, to be inconvenienced by the antics of the two-bit moralists in the DS9 episode - or to result in all those "chance" meetings ("The Game", "Captain's Holiday") without the mark smelling the rat. But Trek does have midget planets with one-gee environments, so we can't completely rule that out.

OTOH, if just a small part of the planet is a resort, and needs a weather control net for that, the rest may well be quite inhospitable (I mean climate-wise, but I'd suppose there would be actual hostility towards the local equivalent of The Mouse there, too).

ENT "Two Days and Two Nights" is the only time we see more of Risa than would fit on a single beach in Miami. But that still doesn't require anything larger than Corsica...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Kor]

I wonder what it takes to retire to Risa.

Kor

 

[Lakenheath 72]

Corsica is a popular tourist spot.

From Resortworld.com,

A stay at one of the beautiful Corsica luxury resorts, where you can indulge yourself in lavish, sophisticated and stylish surroundings, will astound you on your luxury travel vacation. One thing is for sure: you will want to return to Corsicas luxury resorts with their pristine powder-soft beaches with dazzling turquoise azure waters time and time again. You will enjoy immersing yourself in the rich culture and mixing with the warm, friendly locals who pride themselves on delivering legendary first-class hospitality and service. Experience their genuine hospitality when you stay at your choice of Corsica luxury resort hotel or villa on your luxury travel vacation. (http://www.resortworld.com/index.html?sub=corsica-luxury-resorts)

Parts of this are reminiscent of what we see of Risa. As Risa was portrayed as a planet of hats, due to the episodic nature of television, I do not know if the Risians had a "rich culture".

 

[The Old Mixer]

n what sense is Risa like Corsica?

They're both vacation spots, which was the entire context of the reference.

 

[diankra]

Surely it's a joke, Corsica being close to home for Picard? Like someone from southern England (like me) saying "Bermuda, or Margate?"