Well before Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser lived and perished, and certainly before the explosion of immersive fan experiences, the Star Trek franchise had a wild Las Vegas attraction called Star Trek: The Experience. From 1998 to 2008, you could drink at Quark’s Bar on Deep Space Nine and, after 2004, participate in an interactive pseudo-ride called Borg Invasion. Prior to that, between 1988 and 1994, Universal Studios Hollywood had Star Trek: The Adventure, a roleplaying attraction in which you could cosplay as Original Series movie-era Starfleet officers and star in your own mini-episode that you’d get to bring home on VHS.
In the bygone days of franchise-based theme-park attractions, Star Trek was a pioneer. And now, 16 years after Star Trek: The Experience closed up space shop, a new Star Trek ride will open... but the specific version of Trek that it’s based on might surprise you.
As reported by Globetrender and other outlets, The Land of Legends theme park in Antalya, Turkey, is opening a new area called “Nickelodeon Land” in January 2025. And, because the family-oriented Star Trek: Prodigy is technically a Nickelodeon-produced series, one of the rides will feature a trip on the USS Protostar. The ride, which will apparently be called Star Trek: Wild Galaxy, promises a “5D experience,” implying that smells or other sensations will be included alongside the traditional thrills and spills.
Buried in this reveal is also word that Antalya’s Land of Legends will add Star Trek-themed hotel rooms. Concept art for the rooms has been released, which shows a space that looks a bit like Janeway’s ready room on Voyager mixed with something you might find on Pike’s Enterprise in Strange New Worlds. That gives Star Trek fans another reason to make the trip to Turkey, as, outside of Star Trek: The Cruise, there’s never been a Star Trek-themed hotel before.
Land of Legends may not achieve the scale seen at Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars-themed section of Disney’s parks, but it’s clear both franchises see theme park experiences as a key part of their future. If you’d rather stay stateside, Star Trek “Fan Fest” nights are beginning at Universal Studios in Spring 2025, another sign that Trek is going in on theme parks; including the fact that the Enteprise-D bridge from Picard Season 3 will be reconstructed in Spring 2025. But anyone who can fly or beam over to Turkey could be in for a memorable ride.
