Galactica

When it first opened in 2002, Galactica, then known as Air (short for Aerial inversion ride), was the first Bolliger and Mabillard flying steel coaster to be created. The concept for the ride was originally conceived in 1994 with John Wardley wanting to create a ride which simulated the feeling of flight. Due to technological limitations it would be 8 years before he saw his vision become reality with B&M manufacturing the ride, Consign the computer systems, and Tussauds Studios creating the theming.

Galactica is located on the site of the former ‘New Beast’ which called Forbidden Valley home from 1992, until its removal in 1997 (The Beast has previously been located behind Talbot Street from 1988-1992). The New Beast’s removal left a significant gap at the far end of Forbidden Valley and it would only be a matter of time before this was filled by a new attraction.

Plans for Secret Weapon 5 were first submitted in August 2000, with permission being granted in October that year. Construction began in mid-2001 with the site being cleared and Alton Towers Resort officially announcing that the then unnamed ‘Aerial Inversion Ride’ would open in March 2002. Testing of the ride began in early 2002 with specially designed crash test dummies. A full scale marketing campaign was also launched in conjunction with Cadbury Heroes (who had signed a 5 year sponsorship deal), featuring the slogan ‘Assume the position’ – referring to the prone position riders would be placed in to experience the ride – and saw adverts screened across televisions and cinemas nationwide.

The ride finally opened on 16th March 2002, however it was not without its teething problems as the ride experienced a number of reliability issues in its first few months of operation. Despite its early issues, Air quickly became one of the most popular rides at the resort and remains the only flying rollercoaster in the UK.

During late July 2015, an application for minor enhancements to Air, including changes to its station as well as the addition of two theming features and a photo-opportunity kiosk, was submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Towards the end of the 2015 season teasers telling guests to ‘prepare for a new flight’ then appeared around Air’s plaza and on the Resort’s website, fueling speculation over what might happen to Air in 2016. On 12th January 2016, at a media event held at the London Science Museum, Alton Towers Resort announced that Air would become Galactica from April of that year, claiming it to be “the world’s first rollercoaster full dedicated to virtual reality”. Whilst there would be no physical changes to the ride’s layout, guests would now have the option to wear a VR headset for the duration of the ride to simulate an interstellar adventure. The VR hardware and content would be provided by Figment Productions.

In late February 2016, Alton Towers Resort updated their website to state that Galactica would open 24th March 2016, slightly earlier than originally expected. As the opening date approached the Resort offered a series of previews on the attraction with Commander Chris Hadfield (famous for his work on the International Space Station) the first to ride, followed by invited press and media. During the opening weekend of the theme park, annual pass holders who had managed to obtain one of a very limited number of preview tickets also got the opportunity to try out the ride for the very first time. Responses to these previews were largely positive, and although there were one or two technical glitches during the preview stage, most agreed that the ride was a strong addition to the Resort.

On Thursday 24th March the attraction officially launched to the public with guests keen to experience the intergalactic ride for the first time. The ride attracted steady queues throughout the day, averaging at around 50 minutes. Although some guests commented that, due to the process of having to put on the virtual reality headsets, loading times were a little slow, overall the attraction initially proved popular.

The virtual reality experience was as follows:

Once the ride began, you made your way through the Galactica launch station with Eve, your artificial intelligence guide welcoming you and talking you through the first part of your journey. Once you left the station, you passed through a round doorway and began your ascent towards the portal ready for departure. Around and below you, droids, service-bots which ensure your individual jet-pack is ready for the journey, could be seen making the final preparations before a countdown from three to one signifies you are about to pass through the portal and begin you intergalactic adventure.

After being transported through the portal to a distant galaxy you were taken on a breathtaking and immersive journey visiting the fiery and hostile Nero 5, the frozen ice flows of Keplar 9, and even witnessing the birth of a new planet as your craft twisted, turned and banked throughout the far reaches of outer space, dodging asteroids and space stations before finally heading back towards Earth. Every movement in the virtual reality world was synced to the physical movements experienced as you made your way along the track.

As your craft returned to the Galactica station, you re-entered the tunnel and the virtual reality video came to an end, with audio instructions to remove your headset.

With technical issues persisting with the Samsung Gear VR headsets, the Resort replaced them with headsets manufactured by Pico in the early part of the 2017 season. However, 2018 then saw the headsets removed from all rows except the rear three, with guests who wanted to ride with the VR having to enter a separate queue upon reaching the station.

During the 2018/19 closed season, rumours began to surface that the virtual reality element of the attraction would be removed altogether ahead of the 2019 season. These gained more traction when the Resort released the 2019 theme park map around a week prior to opening day, on which it was noticed that the riders shown on Galactica no longer wore VR headsets, as they had done since the retheme to Galactica in 2016. Shortly after, the Resort confirmed in responses on social media that the VR element had been removed as a result of guest feedback.