Battlestar Galactica may have heard its last whoop
END OF THE LINE? The Battlestar Galactica ride at Universal Studios Singapore may be revamped as visitors "cannot relate to the current theme". Shut for the past nine months, the ride boasts sharp turns and vertical loops and can hit 90kmh. (FILE PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN)
BATTLESTAR Galactica, the star roller-coaster ride at Universal Studios Singapore (USS), may soon be history.
The outdoor attraction is said to be undergoing an overhaul, some nine months after it was shut down.
Sources said the theme park is looking to replace the sci-fi-themed ride, which is based on the hit television series Battlestar Galactica, with another movie theme.
The revamped ride is expected to get a new name, new interiors and a fresh coat of paint, among other proposed changes.
The new ride is slated to be launched by the end of this year.
In response to queries from MyPaper, Resorts World Sentosa, which manages USS, said that Battlestar is "unavailable as it undergoes an attraction review". It declined to elaborate.
Billed as the world's tallest pair of duelling roller coasters, dubbed Human and Cylon, the 90-second ride has sharp turns, vertical loops and can go as fast as 90kmh.
Sources told MyPaper that the ride is being overhauled because visitors "cannot relate to the current theme".
One of them said: "They (the visitors) don't even know it's called Battlestar Galactica. People know it only as the blue track and red track."
The latest suspension is unlike the previous closure in March 2010, when a seat had fallen off during a routine test. No one was hurt in the incident.
It reopened after nearly a year of investigations, redesign, reassembly and testing.
MyPaper understands that, this time round, Battlestar's closure was planned.
Singapore Polytechnic marketing and retail lecturer Amos Tan said that visitors, who were disappointed by the prolonged closure of the popular roller-coaster ride, may not want to return.
"If this particular ride always has problems, it will be good for them to change to something more relevant."
He added: "A theme is very, very important. Theme parks' (revenue) relies a great deal on merchandise...You would want a piece of Sesame Street, Toy Story, but Battlestar Galactica doesn't sound like something you take home."
Executive Jolene Koh, 25, who went to USS for the first time in January, said: "I was quite disappointed. It's supposed to be a highlight of USS. I think it hypes up the atmosphere with people on the roller coaster screaming in the background. It's less of a theme park without that."
~News courtesy of My Paper~
END OF THE LINE? The Battlestar Galactica ride at Universal Studios Singapore may be revamped as visitors "cannot relate to the current theme". Shut for the past nine months, the ride boasts sharp turns and vertical loops and can hit 90kmh. (FILE PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN)
BATTLESTAR Galactica, the star roller-coaster ride at Universal Studios Singapore (USS), may soon be history.
The outdoor attraction is said to be undergoing an overhaul, some nine months after it was shut down.
Sources said the theme park is looking to replace the sci-fi-themed ride, which is based on the hit television series Battlestar Galactica, with another movie theme.
The revamped ride is expected to get a new name, new interiors and a fresh coat of paint, among other proposed changes.
The new ride is slated to be launched by the end of this year.
In response to queries from MyPaper, Resorts World Sentosa, which manages USS, said that Battlestar is "unavailable as it undergoes an attraction review". It declined to elaborate.
Billed as the world's tallest pair of duelling roller coasters, dubbed Human and Cylon, the 90-second ride has sharp turns, vertical loops and can go as fast as 90kmh.
Sources told MyPaper that the ride is being overhauled because visitors "cannot relate to the current theme".
One of them said: "They (the visitors) don't even know it's called Battlestar Galactica. People know it only as the blue track and red track."
The latest suspension is unlike the previous closure in March 2010, when a seat had fallen off during a routine test. No one was hurt in the incident.
It reopened after nearly a year of investigations, redesign, reassembly and testing.
MyPaper understands that, this time round, Battlestar's closure was planned.
Singapore Polytechnic marketing and retail lecturer Amos Tan said that visitors, who were disappointed by the prolonged closure of the popular roller-coaster ride, may not want to return.
"If this particular ride always has problems, it will be good for them to change to something more relevant."
He added: "A theme is very, very important. Theme parks' (revenue) relies a great deal on merchandise...You would want a piece of Sesame Street, Toy Story, but Battlestar Galactica doesn't sound like something you take home."
Executive Jolene Koh, 25, who went to USS for the first time in January, said: "I was quite disappointed. It's supposed to be a highlight of USS. I think it hypes up the atmosphere with people on the roller coaster screaming in the background. It's less of a theme park without that."
~News courtesy of My Paper~
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