Star Trek The Exhibition, formerly Star Trek The Tour and also referred to as Star Trek: Anniversary Tour, was a traveling Star Trek-themed exhibit, produced by CBS Consumer Products and Premier Exhibitions. The exhibit was originally produced by SEE Touring Productions, Inc., and presented by Metropolitan Talent.
An ad for Star Trek The Tour, from the Official Star Trek Las Vegas Convention 2007 program
The exhibit was first announced in an advertisement carried in the program given to attendees at the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas in August 2007. The tour originally planned to call at forty cities in the United States and Canada over a period of five years. Some initial reports also included a mention of ten European sites being part of the tour, but the press release launching the tour on 5 December 2007 referred solely to North American venues.
The original exhibit covered a total of 50,000 square feet, and includes four motion simulator rides, a 360-degree theater, recreations of sets from the various series (including the bridges of the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-D), and various interactive events.
Wil Wheaton filmed a four-minute segment for the tour, appearing as Lieutenant Commander Wesley Crusher, assistant chief engineer aboard the USS Titan. [1] Tim Russ also appeared as Commander Tuvok, the ship's second officer and tactical officer
Long Beach[]
Brian Demonbreun with the saucer section of the Enterprise-D at Long Beach, January 2008
The tour opened at the Queen Mary Dome in Long Beach, California, on 18 January 2008. Three types of ticket packages were available – a general admission package (~US$30), a "Commander" package (~US$100; valid Saturdays only, included a private guided tour, priority access, invitations to special events, and exclusive gifts), and a "Captain" package (~US$150; as the "Commander" package, but valid for a full weekend).
The tour's engagement – originally scheduled to last until 17 February 2008 – was extended until 2 March 2008 due to popular demand. Originally open seven days a week, the tour's opening hours were reduced to Friday-Sunday with effect from 11 February 2008. [2](X)
According to reports, following the closure of the exhibit, disputes arose between SEE Touring and Plainfield Asset Management (who held a security interest in the exhibit, providing investment capital for SEE), and between SEE Touring and the operators of the Queen Mary. An unpaid debt in the region of US$200,000 (for security, food and lodging) resulted in the Tour's equipment being retained at the Queen Mary, preventing the exhibit from moving on. An agreement was reached between Plainfield and SEE in mid-May 2008, with the former acquiring the exhibit in its entirety from SEE. The outstanding debt was then paid by Plainfield. The tour facility, which was originally believed to be opening in San Diego on 15 May 2008, was expected to be moved from the Queen Mary by 6 June 2008. [3]
Relaunch[]
The exhibit relaunched on 21 June 2008 at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, produced by Premier Exhibitions, and renamed as Star Trek The Exhibition. This first exhibit was a scaled down version of the original Tour display, but featured more interactivity. The Enterprise-D bridge, amongst other items, did not appear, and formed part of a second exhibit touring at the same time. The second engagement began in Phoenix, Arizona in November 2008.
A parallel tour was launched as an international branch of the exhibit, starting in 2010 in Valencia, Spain. Somewhat smaller in scale than the US version, it did showcase original props and more interactivity, but none of the actual studio models, they being reserved for the US. Instead lesser detailed replicas served as stand-ins.
In 2011, Austrian "Event Marketing Service GmbH" (EMS Exhibits) acquired the license from CBS Consumer Products to operate the tour, the Saint Louis venue being the first under the new management. [4]
Kuala Lumpur's (only the second time an official Star Trek-exhibit landed at an Asian city – remarkably having passed over any in the otherwise science-fiction friendly Japan – , after the 1999 Singapore Star Trek World Tour venue [5]) Pusat Sains Negara venue proved to be the last exhibition for 2012 and later planned tour legs were initially postponed indefinitely. Still, Star Trek The Exhibition went on tour again in the US in 2013, making it the longest running Star Trek exhibit tour to date. [6]
Venues[]
| Venue | Location | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Mary Dome | Long Beach, California | 18 January 2008 | 2 March 2008 |
Star Trek The Exhibition[]
- "First" indicates the exhibit featuring the Original Series bridge. "Second" indicates the exhibit featuring the Next Generation bridge.
| Venue | Location | Exhibit | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Air & Space Museum | San Diego, California | First | 21 June 2008 | January 2009 |
| Arizona Science Center | Phoenix, Arizona | Second | 16 November 2008 | April 2009 |
| Detroit Science Center | Detroit, Michigan | First | 14 February 2009 | 7 September 2009 |
| The Franklin (Formerly called The Franklin Institute) [7] | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Second | 16 May 2009 | 20 September 2009 |
| TheTech: Museum of Innovation [8] | San Jose, California | First | 23 October 2009 | 11 April 2010 |
| Hollywood & Highland Center | Hollywood, California | Second | 10 October 2009 | 28 December 2009 |
| Aerospace Museum of CA [9] | McClellan, California | First | 28 May 2010 | 5 January 2011 |
| Riverside Metropolitan Museum [10] | Riverside, California | Second | 19 June 2010 | 28 February 2011 |
| Louisville Science Center [11] | Louisville, Kentucky | First | 23 January 2011 | 22 May 2011 |
| Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex [12] | Cape Canaveral, Florida | First | 11 June 2011 | 31 October 2011 |
| Saint Louis Science Center [13] | Saint Louis, Missouri | Second | 28 October 2011 | 28 May 2012 |
| San Diego County Fair [14] | San Diego, California | First | 8 June 2013 | 7 July 2013 |
| Los Angeles County Fair [15] | Los Angeles, California | First | 30 August 2013 | 29 September 2013 |
| Arizona State Fair [16] | Phoenix, Arizona | First | 11 October 2013 | 3 November 2013 |
| Mall of America [17] | Bloomington, Minnesota | Second | 16 May 2014 | (Closed) |
| International Venue | Location | Exhibit | Opening | |
| Museo de las Ciencias Princeipe Felipe [18] | Valencia, Spain | Second | 22 July 2010 | 28 February 2011 |
| Filmpark Babelsberg | Potsdam, Germany | Second | 1 May 2011 | 31 October 2011 |
| Pacific National Exhibition [19] | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Second | 18 August 2012 | 3 September 2012 |
| Pusat Sains Negara [20] | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Second | 19 December 2012 | 31 March 2013 |