Galactica: General Discussion

[James]

All Galactic needs is a repaint/retheme and the station sorted. Link it in with the rest of FV somehow, add one or two large theming pieces and you’ve got something that feels a little more coherent.

Everything we’ve seen with FV this year indicates that Merlin/Towers want to go down the route of complete themed areas again. I don’t feel there would be any benefit in making Galactic its own area.

 

[Imagination]

Galactica needs investment and I’m pretty sure that will come next year. I think the jet wash was to try and help spruce it up…however, some areas have been missed completely.

It’s nice to see the portal speakers back along with some of the portal SFX but I think that her days in her current guise are numbered.

I think a revert to Air would be the best in my nostalgia loving era. However looking at this logistically, a link in with the rest of FV will probably be best. I wonder if she may become some form of surveillance contraption for the Phalanx?

 

[jibbsie]

I think galactica needs more theming, wether a retheme or the same theme (a retheme would help with this) it needs either a big center pieace, like the other rides or its own well themed area that is very unique and recognisable, it needs its wickerman, marmaliser etc as currently its main theming is the portal

 

[Trooper Looper]

I think galactica needs more theming, wether a retheme or the same theme (a retheme would help with this) it needs either a big center pieace, like the other rides or its own well themed area that is very unique and recognisable, it needs its wickerman, marmaliser etc as currently its main theming is the portal

Not all rides need center pieces. I just think it needs better theming scattered around the ride. The Plaza is actually really good with the portal and Restaurant, but it's the queue and the ride area that needs it, and don't get me started on the tunnel...

 

[Jb85]

Not all rides need center pieces. I just think it needs better theming scattered around the ride. The Plaza is actually really good with the portal and Restaurant, but it's the queue and the ride area that needs it, and don't get me started on the tunnel...

Bring back the tunnel thread!!!!

I think the plaza is a great idea but always feels dead. It needs something to make you hang around the area. Some stalls, or a flat which drawers in a viewing crowd would be ace.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Bring back the tunnel thread!!!!

I think the plaza is a great idea but always feels dead. It needs something to make you hang around the area. Some stalls, or a flat which drawers in a viewing crowd would be ace.

IDK, maybe a small lake by the portal with bubble effects and some rockwork? That'd be really nice!

 

[Josh555]

Not all rides need center pieces. I just think it needs better theming scattered around the ride. The Plaza is actually really good with the portal and Restaurant, but it's the queue and the ride area that needs it, and don't get me started on the tunnel...

It has no theme, not really.

It’s allegedly ‘space travel’ but has absolutely no relation to anything to do with space travel other than a kind of futuristic station.

I’ve said it before but it was better with the VR in terms of the actual experience, at least it made sense then.

Given that they’ve gone down the space route with it and the fact that they have a ride next door based on a creature from another dimension, you wouldn’t think that it would be too challenging to link the two together.

The issue is that whilst for us that would make sense and would be something most of us want to see, I’m not sure Merlin would be arsed because it’s not marketable, the whole Galactica thing was obviously sold on the basis of the VR. I can’t really see them spending much on a retheme of an existing ride without some further USP personally, I’m not sure when the last time they’ve done that properly would be?

 

[jibbsie]

Not all rides need center pieces. I just think it needs better theming scattered around the ride. The Plaza is actually really good with the portal and Restaurant, but it's the queue and the ride area that needs it, and don't get me started on the tunnel...

I was trying to say that it needs something in there, with either a big theming element (something towers dose really well) or a well themed area, I think a big problem the ride dosn't have much of an identity in my oppinion, unlike the smiler, nemesis, oblivion etc where they all have well themed and really good identities with backgrounds.

 

[Trooper Looper]

I was trying to say that it needs something in there, with either a big theming element (something towers dose really well) or a well themed area, I think a big problem the ride dosn't have much of an identity in my oppinion, unlike the smiler, nemesis, oblivion etc where they all have well themed and really good identities with backgrounds.

The ride still (unofficially) has one
Unfortunately it's been messed with over time, now stuck with an underwhelming space theme, and the ride never had the budget to have originally planned theming that'd be scattered around the area as shown below.

The tunnel was even gonna be themed as well, with it being sponsored to Cadbury Hero's.
Though we all know what really happened instead of all these concept arts proposed. But hey, at least we've got the portal now, that's a cool piece of theming personally.

 

[jon81uk]

Bring back the tunnel thread!!!!

I think the plaza is a great idea but always feels dead. It needs something to make you hang around the area. Some stalls, or a flat which drawers in a viewing crowd would be ace.

I still think adding a playground structure on one side of the plaza would be a good addition.

 

[RIPCorky]

It has no theme, not really.

It’s allegedly ‘space travel’ but has absolutely no relation to anything to do with space travel other than a kind of futuristic station.

I’ve said it before but it was better with the VR in terms of the actual experience, at least it made sense then.

Given that they’ve gone down the space route with it and the fact that they have a ride next door based on a creature from another dimension, you wouldn’t think that it would be too challenging to link the two together.

The issue is that whilst for us that would make sense and would be something most of us want to see, I’m not sure Merlin would be arsed because it’s not marketable, the whole Galactica thing was obviously sold on the basis of the VR. I can’t really see them spending much on a retheme of an existing ride without some further USP personally, I’m not sure when the last time they’ve done that properly would be?

There is or was only ever one true space themed rollercoaster at Alton Towers.....

 

[Matt N]

I don't mean this confrontationally, and I apologise if it comes across that way, but I have a question. If Air had such a strong brand identity, why did Merlin do away with it entirely when they added the VR? They could quite easily have just put the VR headsets on the ride, had them show a film to do with Air's original oasis theme and just added some kind of flashy moniker to the end of the name like a number of other parks did with their VR coasters in 2016/2017 (e.g. Kraken Unleashed at SeaWorld Orlando, The New Revolution VR Coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Linnunrata eXtra at Linnanmaki). This would have added the same VR gimmick to the ride and cost far less money, so if Merlin hadn't felt the need to retheme the whole brand identity into Galactica, why would they have spent the extra money on the new theming, soundtrack and such? They're a business; if they hadn't felt the need to shell out money on the new theme and brand, they wouldn't have done it.

Personally, I'd say that the ride has never had an overly strong brand identity in either of its iterations. As much as people on here have a lot of love for Air as a theme, I don't think it ever really cut through as a strong brand compared to some of the park's other greats from the Tussauds era, particularly Nemesis. I'd argue that a good indicator of brand identity strength is the amount of ride-specific merchandise, and you only have to cast your mind back to the contents of the former Air Shop to remember that Air didn't have a huge amount. Granted, it was quite a big shop, but from memory, it was mostly filled with completely generic stuff rather than much ride-specific merchandise. To my memory, it mostly consisted of things like TV show posters and generic t-shirts. Some of the newer coasters also have big shops, but in the case of Smiler and Wicker Man, they're much better utilised and are almost wholly filled with ride-specific merchandise.

Perhaps controversially, I don't see the benefit of reinstating the Air theme, as it was between 2002 and 2015 at least. Maybe I'm viewing it too obtusely, but for my money, it wouldn't alter the experience in much of a material way and wouldn't make the ride fit in any better with its surroundings. The ride now is a mostly unthemed turquoise flying coaster that goes through some tunnels and flies over some grass verges, and a reinstated Air would not significantly change that and would still not make the ride fit in with its surroundings. If anything, it would likely remove the little theming that the Galactica overhaul added. Yes, we can fantasise about the original Air theme being implemented in all its glory, but I think that would cost a lot of money for not a lot of return, and I don't think it's likely to happen. As much as I liked the thematic elements of the Galactica retheme (the less said about the VR itself the better), I accept that the Galactica theme has run its course, and a retheme of some description is probably the best thing for the ride now. However, I'd much prefer something new to a revival of Air; with how cohesive the rest of Forbidden Valley now appears following the opening of Nemesis Reborn, I'd love to see Galactica made to fit in with that theme in some capacity to really tie the whole area together.

 

[jon81uk]

I don't mean this confrontationally, and I apologise if it comes across that way, but I have a question. If Air had such a strong brand identity, why did Merlin do away with it entirely when they added the VR? They could quite easily have just put the VR headsets on the ride, had them show a film to do with Air's original oasis theme

Because flying through space makes for a better VR film and they thought it’s better to rename the ride too.

But without the VR I think Air was a great name and brand identity.

 

[Squiggs]

I don't mean this confrontationally, and I apologise if it comes across that way, but I have a question. If Air had such a strong brand identity, why did Merlin do away with it entirely when they added the VR?

A couple of things spring to mind:

a) They needed something relatively cheap and relatively safe to advertise as new for 2016 in the aftermath of The Smiler crash. A refresh of Air, simply would not have done this job - you can't have a special event at the Science Museum to announce you're giving a bit of a refresh to a 15-year-old ride. I would posit that if The Smiler incident hadn't occurred, we might not even have got Galactica at all, or certainly not the Galactica we got, which is at best a light-touch retheme of Air.

b) Merlin have never really been great at the ol' theme park game. They are getting a bit better at it these days, but it has been slow and incremental progress - specifically around theming (from evidence maybe not so much around operations). I suspect there wouldn't have been an in depth analysis of Air's brand identity before it was removed. They will have more likely identified a gimmick they want to slap on a coaster, and Air was the one that hit the top of the 'pro v con list' - I suspect, with RMT in a close second.

Edit: I realised after I posted that the bit I've crossed was unlikely, as the Rollercoaster Restaurant plans were submitted earlier, so clear changes were already planned for this area.

 

[RIPCorky]

A couple of things spring to mind:

a) They needed something relatively cheap and relatively safe to advertise as new for 2016 in the aftermath of The Smiler crash. A refresh of Air, simply would not have done this job - you can't have a special event at the Science Museum to announce you're giving a bit of a refresh to a 15-year-old ride. I would posit that if The Smiler incident hadn't occurred, we might not even have got Galactica at all, or certainly not the Galactica we got, which is at best a light-touch retheme of Air.

b) Merlin have never really been great at the ol' theme park game. They are getting a bit better at it these days, but it has been slow and incremental progress - specifically around theming (from evidence maybe not so much around operations). I suspect there wouldn't have been an in depth analysis of Air's brand identity before it was removed. They will have more likely identified a gimmick they want to slap on a coaster, and Air was the one that hit the top of the 'pro v con list' - I suspect, with RMT in a close second.

Possibly part of this is Merlin trying to make old rides "their own"

Oblivion next?

 

[jibbsie]

Personally, I'd say that the ride has never had an overly strong brand identity in either of its iterations.

I would agree that AIR didn't have too much of an identity

 

[Matt N]

My question isn't why they put VR on Air in the first place, but more why they felt the need to do away with the Air theme entirely when they added it. As I said above, they could quite easily have followed the lead of numerous other parks worldwide by just slapping a VR film on there that vaguely followed Air's original theme in some capacity and been done with it. This would still have offered the main USP of Galactica and the "new for 2016" draw with a fraction of the secondary spend on new theming and branding. It would also have made the move a lot more "reversible" in the event of the VR flopping (as it arguably did), although this may admittedly not have been a large part of Merlin's thought process.

If Air had been such an iconic brand, I'd wager that they would have done a little more to protect that brand when putting the VR on it. You only have to look at the recent retrack project of Nemesis retaining the Nemesis brand and staying pretty sympathetic to the original theme as proof that Merlin will protect a strong and iconic brand identity while still marketing a "new for X" draw if they feel the need to. They certainly didn't have to keep the same name and theme when they did the retrack. Even among cheaper refreshes, the Duel retheme of The Haunted House in 2003 kind of kept The Haunted House's brand identity alive; the technical full name of Duel was Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back after all. Admittedly, that one wasn't Merlin, but it's the same principle.

 

[jon81uk]

My question isn't why they put VR on Air in the first place, but more why they felt the need to do away with the Air theme entirely when they added it. As I said above, they could quite easily have followed the lead of numerous other parks worldwide by just slapping a VR film on there that vaguely followed Air's original theme in some capacity and been done with it.

Airs original theme was that you can fly. What would VR offer that just looking through your eyes doesn’t?

 

[DiogoJ42]

Airs original theme was that you can fly. What would VR offer that just looking through your eyes doesn’t?

Well, it hid the tunnel.

 

[Matt N]

Airs original theme was that you can fly. What would VR offer that just looking through your eyes doesn’t?

The VR could have provided the "oasis" type theming that John Wardley was originally intending to add by having you flying around an oasis in the VR film. I seem to remember Wardley even saying in a Q&A once that he was initially excited by the possibility of VR on Air because he felt that it offered the opportunity to far more easily theme the ride in the way in which he had originally intended.