Crimson Alert Expertise at Common Fan Fest Nights

io9 lately went on a behind-the-scenes tour of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights to get an early glimpse at its immersive sights. One of many headliners we’re most enthusiastic about is Star Trek: Crimson Alert, which can take Star Trek followers on a journey from Earth into area, and thru a recreation of the Starfleet Museum and the Enterprise-D for an unforgettable galactic journey.

Stephen Siercks, Director of Leisure Manufacturing at Common Studios Hollywood, was readily available for our first take a look at Star Trek: Crimson Alert. And whereas we got a play-by-play of the entire expertise, we’ll hold this report principally spoiler-free and can chorus from making a gift of too many large plot factors.

Right here’s 10 issues we discovered about Crimson Alert forward of its April 25 arrival at Common Fan Fest Nights 2025.

The pulsed immersive expertise will probably be a bunch endeavor, the place you’ll journey along with your get together from room to room. Every room will play out a unique phase of the story that you simply’ll get to participant in, with mild improvisational exchanges between company and gamers. Siercks shared that “the story will unfold round you,” and added that the structure expands a bit on the same attraction that Common Studios Hollywood followers know and love: “This attraction runs about 10 to 14 minutes in complete size, so longer than a typical Halloween Horror Nights attraction does.”

A part of that features a pre-show which can catch guests on top of things on the story—in different phrases, why is Starfleet inviting company alongside on a tour? “The idea is that we’re bridging one of many newer parts of the Star Trek franchise with a legacy side of the Star Trek franchise,” Siercks defined. “What I imply by that’s that our expertise takes place within the Picard period of the franchise, one of many newest iterations on Paramount+. We’re getting an unique alternative to take a shuttle craft as much as the Starfleet Museum which is an in-world ingredient in Picard. And on the Starfleet Museum we’re getting an unique tour of the Enterprise-D from The Subsequent Technology. So it’s an ideal method of bridging the most recent with the legacy. We study somewhat bit extra about what that tour goes to appear to be. We additionally study that the Enterprise-D goes to be modified for these tour teams. You may see enlarged turbolifts or different issues which have been adjusted particularly for such a tour that we’re about to take.”

The core of the story is that when you’re on the tour, you meet docents and ensigns after shuttlecrafting as much as the Enterprise-D on the long-lasting shuttle bay from the present. That is completed by immersive digital parts, Siercks defined, pointing on the large window beside us. “The pressure area in entrance of you, this can be a big LED display and what occurs right here is that as we’re being launched to the ship, hastily an entity seems within the distance. And it’s a light-weight kind that will get nearer and nearer and nearer and hastily it begins breaking by means of the pressure area—and in a second it breaks by means of and whooshes previous you.” He added that “by means of lighting, audio, [and] results [on] the ceiling, it makes it really feel as if this entity, this being, this mild kind has breached the shuttle. And so in that second every thing begins going haywire. In order that’s the place the inciting motion occurs and we’re thrust into the center of this [situation] the place one thing is taking up the ship, [and] we’ve to determine what’s happening.”

Followers will probably be delighted to participate in a mission of kinds in settings they love full with “swap doorways of the Enterprise-D [that] open up.” Siercks walked us by means of the actually neat impact: “So right here we discover ourselves in one of many sick bays of Enterprise-D. You’ll get to satisfy a number of completely different characters all through the expertise [and] each character represents a unique race or character kind from the franchise. It’s an effective way of not simply interacting with all of the characters whereas telling one singular story; right here you may see that issues are beginning to go somewhat bit on the fritz [as] the entity is taking up a few of the ship’s computer systems. Right here we additionally study that the entity is beginning to infiltrate features of the ship which are beginning to make it somewhat unsafe so there’s a little bit of uneasiness taking place.” However don’t fear, it’s not Halloween Horror Nights scary—simply alarming and enjoyable.

One of many foolish issues that occurs when issues go haywire as a result of the entity is bopping across the ship and shifting by means of the tech is an Easter egg. Siercks pointed at a projection mild trick show Trek followers will establish rapidly: “Over there’s a replicator. A replicator is one thing that manifests meals or objects and since the entity has began to take over it’s simply persevering with to copy tea or Earl Gray sizzling, which is Captain Picard’s favourite drink in fact”

The augmented side of the function play right here is that after issues soar into chaos, the ensigns propel the story ahead. “What we’re informed right here is that there’s a few individuals within the engineering room that we should always most likely get there to know what’s taking place,” Siercks defined. The hazard from the entity’s presence facilities across the warp of the Enterprise-D, which Siercks referred to as “the heartbeat of the Enterprise D. And thru sparks and audio and lighting and particular results, that it begins to actually de-stabilize. And in that second, we go to Crimson Alert, the title of the attraction. And at that time, we understand the ship is now not protected to be on. The tour is formally over. We obtained to get our company to the turbolifts to get you over the transporters to present you security again all the way down to Earth.” If the warp doesn’t get stabilized…the ship goes growth.

However whereas company are led by means of what they’re led to consider is a cross over to the transporters, the turbolift goes to additionally glitch out, “Hastily, the turbolift stops. And it says that we’re being redirected. We will’t entry the transporters. And hastily, when the turbolift stops, the door opens.” At that second, Siecks activated the swap doorways. “And we’re on the bridge of the Enterprise-D,” he mentioned, presenting the crown jewel of the attraction, an actual ship bridge to face in.

And it’s not only a recreation of the bridge of the Enterprise-D, it’s the bridge most lately utilized in Picard season three. “They did a complete throwback episode the place they really did a full recreation of the unique bridge set and had the unique solid are available to reprise their roles for a handful of episodes,” Siercks defined. “By that nice partnership with Paramount, we have been capable of truly take that film-used set and produce it right here for our company.” It’s breathtaking even with the principle viewport turned off.

The motion reaches a fever pitch right here because the entity sweeps out to the viewport, which with the digital display accuracy will put us out into area to see the sunshine kind in a confrontation that may not be what you’re pondering. Siercks shared, “With the ability to develop that story and that character as a part of this expertise has been actually particular for us as effectively.” After the entity is handled, “All the pieces returns again to operational state.” There’s one other second of interplay on the bridge that he promised is de facto particular: “We actually need to give company that chance, since we’ve been capable of dwell and spend a while in every of those scenes, to take in what that is and the expertise of being on the bridge earlier than our ensigns inform us, ‘We obtained to get you to the transporters’ [and lead guests] over down the hallway to get you again all the way down to Earth. ‘Thanks for every thing.’ [They] apologize for the inconvenience that this tour brought about they usually ship us on the way in which.”

And sure, this may embody some beaming—however don’t fear you gained’t be break up aside at a molecular degree to get again into Common Studios. Siercks defined that with the transporter beam finale, “We’re giving our company the sensation of the [transporter] beam. To get again all the way down to Earth [guests will pass onto] one in all two transporters. It would break up the group in half and there’s going to be a vapor present impact—so there will probably be a mister right here and it’ll really feel as if we’re passing by means of a transporter on our approach to the exit and get again into the remainder of the occasions. So simply once we suppose the expertise is over, there’s yet one more factor to supply our company.”

Common Studios Fan Fest Nights begins Friday, April 25 and runs choose nights by means of Sunday, Might 18. For tickets and extra data go to here.

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