Saturday, January 11, 2020

Did the Star Trek Experience Concept Inspired WDI Imagineers for Star Wars : Rise of the Resistance Attraction ?



When Star Trek Experience opened in January 1998 at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada, this attraction based on the Star Trek entertainment franchise and created by Landmark Entertainment was not only successful but had something unique at that time. Instead to have the regular queue decor and pre-show, guests were going from a themed museum that included numerous items from Star Trek history to a pre-show experience with a teleportation to the Enterprise transporter room.


Guests were then moved to the legendary bridge of the Enterprise, then to another scene, a red alert which hurry the guests in the hallways of the Enterprise which was leading to the main attraction, a simulation ride, for a battle against the Klingons.



At the exit, after Captain Picard thanked the crew, a custodian led the group to an elevator and then out to the Deep Space Nine Promenade and Quark's Bar.  More about this experience with more Eric Heschong artworks on D&M HERE.


The whole experience lasted at least 20 minutes, just like Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Rise of the Resistance, which also take the guests in several pre-shows and legendary setting this time from Star Wars, and although Rise of the Resistance is a state-of-the-art trackless ride instead than a large simulator like on STar Trek Experience, the principle of the "experience" which immerses guests in a world, Star Trek at Las Vegas Hilton, Star Wars at DL or WDW DHS Galaxy's Edge, is somewhat the same. So, did the Star Trek Experience concept inspired Galaxy's Edge Imagineers for Rise of the Resistance? Hmmm, i think we can put some bets on it, ot at least that Imagineers reminded the now extinct Las Vegas attraction.

Now, expedition Theme Park did a great video about the history of Star Trek Experience - and also talks about the first concept developed by Landmark Entertainment which was a full size Enterprise in the middle of Las Vegas. Here are some spectaculer artworks of this first concept, like for the others artworks above click on each to see them in big size.











And now, on with the show, as the video include footage of almost everything that guests were going through in this great Star Trek Experience.




Artwork: copyright Landmark Entertainment

2 comments:

x13 said...

Seems like Disney copied the startrek experience. Even the concept of physically moving from one section to the ride to the other

x13 said...

Seems like Disney copied the Star Trek experience exactly. Disney even has the physical moving from one part of the ride to the other