Ressikan flute

"When I awoke, all that was left of my life there... was the flute I'd taught myself to play."
 * - Jean-Luc Picard reminisces about his life experience as a Ressikan.

The Ressikan flute was a small flute made of a tin-like material, native to the village of Ressik on the extinct planet of Kataan.

Kamin's flute
In 2368, Captain Jean-Luc Picard acquired a Ressikan flute through an experience he had related to a probe launched from the dead planet. Picard knew how to play the flute, as all the memories of a man named Kamin had been planted in his memory through the probe. Among the memories was the ability to play the flute. 

Picard considered the flute to be one of his most prized possessions. It represented, to him, an entire lifetime he lived in only 25 minutes, a life completely different from that aboard the Enterprise, with a wife, children and even a grandson. As of 2379, Picard kept the flute on his desk in his ready room aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E). 

The Picard Mozart trio was a musical composition Picard wrote for the Ressikan flute. 

Background

 * The music of the Ressikan flute was not played by Patrick Stewart, but by Brice Martin.
 * The tune played by Picard in was an excerpt from "Scottish Fantasy", originally composed by Max Bruch and re-composed by Jay Chattaway.
 * The sound of the flute is closer to a tin whistle, but can be matched fairly well with the higher notes on the piccolo.
 * The prop was sold as Lot #537 at the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. The buyer paid $48,000 for the lot, after winning it with a bid of $40,000. Patrick Stewart commented in an interview after with laughter "It doesn't play; it's not a real flute." The catalogue estimate for the lot was 800 to 1200 dollars.

External link


Ressikanische Flöte