There’s a brand-new traveling Star Trek exhibit, and if you’re lucky, it may just beam its way into your town!
‘Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds’ makes its first stop on its US-wide tour as it opens today, February 2nd, at the world-renowned Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Don’t let the name fool you: the Indy Children’s Museum is an amazing place for all ages, young and old.
I had the opportunity to see the exhibit in advance of today’s launch, courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Below you will find dozens of photos that I took during my time there, shared exclusively here with ScienceFiction.com (please forgive some of the reflections and photo imperfections, no flash photography was allowed due to the aged nature of some of the pieces on display). Each photo has a caption giving you some additional information as to what you’re seeing.
If this exhibit isn’t making a stop near you, I recommend making a day trip to check it out in person! Indianapolis is an 8-hour drive away from over 50% of the United States, and the amazing exhibit itself combined with the world-class hospitality of the Indy Children’s Museum and the city of Indianapolis itself makes a trip well worth it.
Here’s the “official description” of the exhibit itself:
Discover Star Trek all over again! This immersive exhibit will showcase Star Trek’s impact on culture, society, art, technology, fashion, and more through 100+ rare artifacts, set pieces, and props from the original series, its spinoffs, and the films!
Snap a selfie while sitting in a replica of Captain Kirk’s command chair
See the navigation console of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the original series
Step into the booth and record your own version of the memorable “KHAAAAN!” scene from ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’
Step into a transporter simulator and beam yourself to an alien planet.
Check out rare costumes including Spock’s tunic worn by Leonard Nimoy, Lt. Uhura’s (Nichelle Nichols) dress, Khan’s (Ricardo Montalban) open-chest tunic, Captain Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) costume, a Borg costume, and more
See models and props from the different series and films, including the Enterprise filming model from ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’ Geordi LaForge’s VISOR, a Borg cube, a tricorder from the original series, and tribbles
See the actual escape pod movie prop used in the 2016 film ‘Star Trek: Beyond.’ Discover how the Star Trek communicator of the 1960s ended up as the inspiration for the cell phones of today! This multimedia experience shows how popular science fiction has inspired and shaped scientific and technological advancements. Featured in the Schaefer Planetarium and Space Object Theater, “The Future is Here—How Sci-fi Becomes Reality” showcases artifacts from a variety of popular sci-fi films and shows how science fiction enthusiasts or fans of today become the futuristic designers of tomorrow!
The original Sulu himself, George Takei, is be the voice of the multimedia experience “The Future is Here—How Sci-fi Becomes Reality,” filmed exclusively for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis!
And here are some detailed photos for you! Click the images to see larger, higher-resolution versions of the photos.
The huge Starfleet insignia and placard that greet you as you enter the exhibit, giving a bit of general info about the franchise.
One of the centerpieces of the exhibit, a massive (12-ish foot diameter) screen-used model of the USS Enterprise-D, as seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987-1994.
A very large (approx. 8 ft. tall and 20 ft. long), very in-depth, and only partly convoluted timeline of the entire Star Trek franchise
A display of the actual helm and navigation console used in the original Star Trek series from 1966-1969. Also featured are screen-worn uniforms from the original series, as well as a replica of the command chair.
A very cool “Borg Yourself” photo op, side by side with a life-size Borg replica.
Star Trek: The Next Generation display, featuring screen-used outfits for Geordi LaForge and Jean-Luc Picard.
The Khaaaaaan Booth! Step in, watch the iconc scene from ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ and play your part when it comes time to scream. So much fun.
The “golden” Enterprise display ships from the ready room of the USS Enterprise-E in the 1996 film ‘Star Trek: First Contact.’
A beautiful screen-used model of the USS Excelsior as used in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The central “Viewing Room” of the exhibit, housing the USS Excelsior model along with other pop-culture artifacts and a screen running a loop of Star Trek spoofs and homages from TV & film through the years.
An informational display on eveyone’s favorite “starship sewer system,” the Jeffries Tube!
Everyone into the Jeffries Tubes – women and children first! (pictured: my adorable wife and son, who visited the exhibit with me)
An absolute workhorse of a model: the Klingon K’tinga battle cruiser, in use on screen from 1978-1996.
The Star Trek: Voyager display, featuring outfits worn by Seven of Nine and Captain Janeway, along with an actual USS Voyager command chair used in the series.
A screen-used model of the Romulan D’deridex warbird, featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1988-1994. Notice the bevy of wires trailing out of the back of the model – the warbird was so intricately lit that the creative team was forced to use external power to keep it lit on-screen.
I’ve been captured! A very cool “Borg Yourself” photo op, side by side with a life-size Borg replica.
A tale of two Khans: screen-used wardrobe and prop items from both Ricardo Montalban in ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness.’
An amazing “miniature” (in reality, about six feet around) model of the iconic Deep Space Nine station used for filming of the series, 1993-1999.
Yours truly, making it so! An awesome background shot of the original series Enterprise bridge crew along with a replica command chair for fans’ sitting and posing pleasure.
Another shot of the USS Excelsior model featured in the central “Viewing Room” – because it’s just so darned beautiful!
This is an amazing exhibit, and I had a great time attending its preview night. I highly recommend coming to check it out if at all possible!
Tony Schaab is a freelance pop-culture writer in addition to being an award-winning author and best-selling review critic, with his book series “The G.O.R.E. Score: A Review Guide to All Things Zombie” being an 8-time #1 best-seller (Amazon Kindle, Pop Culture chart, 2012-2019). Working as a DJ and Master of Ceremonies since 1999, he has performed MC/DJ work for the NFL, MTV, NBA, Wizard World Comic Con, PGA, IndyCar, and countless private events. Tony lives in Indianapolis with his 14-year-old daughter, 6-year-old son, and rambunctious rescue dog. Learn more about Tony at TonySchaab.com and chat him up on Instagram or Facebook @TonySchaab.
