ottawacitizen.com
Star Trek exhibit invites Trekkies to boldly go to Canada Aviation and Space Museum
There is lots to see, but more importantly, lots to touch and interact with. You can tell that those behind the exhibit were the most ardent of Trekkies.
When you’re sitting in the captain’s chair on the bridge of a Starfleet ship, it’s hard not say the words, “Make it so” out loud.
I know just how hard it is, because within seconds of sitting in the oversized chair I had to say those words. There’s something very natural about it, especially for someone who grew up watching Star Trek on TV.
You might prefer the word “Engage”. I disagree. Let’s move on.
Fans of Star Trek in Ottawa are about to get the opportunity to be fully immersed in the science fiction world of the famous TV franchise thanks to a new exhibit that opens Friday at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
The exhibit — Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience — lets visitors shoot phasers, transport to a faraway world, use Tricorders to diagnose the medical condition of two Klingon patients, and even try their hand at the Kobayashi Maru, the impossible-to-pass Starfleet test.
The exhibit, set in a 10,000-square-foot space in a warehouse adjacent to the actual museum, is the passion project of Erin Gregory, the assistant curator at the museum. Gregory is a long-term Star Trek fan who has fond memories of watching the show after school with her father.
When the museum wanted to do something to celebrate this year’s 50th anniversary of Star Trek, she jumped at the opportunity.
Gregory said the museum was initially thinking small. But, after getting involved with interactive exhibit company EMS Entertainment, the idea ballooned to be a major “experience” piece that aims to give visitors the feeling of training at the Starfleet Academy, where all Starfleet cadets are trained.
(Source: ottawacitizen.com, via talk-nerdy-to-me-thyla)