Battlestar Galactica (roller coaster)

Battlestar Galactica
An overview of the nested tracks of Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon.
Universal Studios Singapore
Park section	Sci-Fi City
Coordinates	1°15′14.92″N 103°49′20.27″E / 1.2541444°N 103.8222972°E / 1.2541444; 103.8222972
Status	Operating
Opening date	18 March 2010 (2010-03-18)
General Statistics
Type	– Dueling – Launched
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Model	Custom
Lift/launch system	LSM
	Cylon (Inverted)	Human (Sit-down)
Height	140 ft (42.7 m)	140 ft (42.7 m)
Speed	51.0 mph (82.1 km/h)	56 mph (90.1 km/h)
Inversions	5	0
Height restriction	49.2 in (125 cm)
Trains	8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train.
Theme	Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica at RCDB Pictures of Battlestar Galactica at RCDB

Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is a pair of steel, dueling roller coasters at Universal Studios Singapore. One of the coasters is an inverted roller coaster track in blue (gray from 2017 onwards), and the other half is a traditional seated roller coaster in red. The coasters, which opened in 2010 and was inactive between 2013 and 2015, reach 42.5 metres (139 ft) in height and are the tallest dueling coasters in the world.

Universal Studios Singapore is the only Universal Studios amusement park to have a Battlestar Galactica roller coaster. It was the first Vekoma coaster, after the Flying Dutchman, to feature four-abreast seating that is similar to coasters by Bolliger & Mabillard.

Coasters[edit]

The roller coaster trains are launched from the start of their lift hill (used to be launched from the station) at high speed instead of the traditional chain lift. Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) are used for high-acceleration speed during launching. Similar to the now-defunct Dragon Challenge at Universal's Islands of Adventure, these coasters feature several near collisions mere inches apart. Part of the ride took place over the park's central lagoon. The coasters are the tallest dueling coaster in the world at 42.5 metres (139 ft).^[1]

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon[edit]

The Cylon coaster is a coaster designed like the Cylon Raider suspended from the track with legs free that performs intense manoeuvres that includes five inversions, a cobra roll, a corkscrew, a vertical loop and a zero-g roll. The Cylon coaster also plunges into a 5-metre (16 ft) deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a near miss with the ground. It also includes sudden turns close to buildings emphasising the sensation of a near miss. Before the ride starts, a short monologue spoken by a robotic voice states “This has all happened before. This will all happen again.”

Ride Description[edit]

The ride is a suspended coaster capable of reaching speeds up to 51.0 mph (82.1 km/h) and has 5 inverted parts.

Battlestar Galactica: Human[edit]

Pre-show[edit]

The queue for the Human ride firstly is a narrow walkway. The riders enter the ride building where Galactica Actual and Cag Starbuck explain the mission. Then the riders are loaded into the trains. Upon departure, the riders hear the dialogue, "Happy Hunting. So say we all."

Ride Description[edit]

The Human coaster is designed like the Colonial Mark II Viper for riders who want a roller coaster experience without inversions. According to Universal Studios Singapore engineers, riders on the Human track experience more G-forces than those on the Cylon track.^[2] At certain points in the ride, the coaster reaches speed of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph).

History[edit]

On 18 March 2010, Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon was one of the 16 attractions that opened during Universal Studios Singapore's soft opening. A week after its opening, Universal Studios Singapore identified a problem in a ride vehicle during routine testing. The ride closed for repair on 25 March 2010.^[3][4][5] Both rides remained closed for about 11 months thereafter.^[6]

In August 2010, Resorts World Sentosa publicly addressed the reason for closure of the ride, stating that the problem lies with the design of the ride vehicles and not the track layout.^[7] Higher than anticipated stress and vibration levels caused fatigue cracks to develop in the seat-post supports of the "Human" coaster car.^[8] The redesigned component was to eliminate the weld entirely and was also to be installed with additional strength-reinforcement parts. Extensive ride testing cycles and inspections were conducted, as the ride needed to be re-certified before it reopened to the public.^[9] In early February 2011, Universal Studios Singapore announced the rides would re-open on 21 February 2011.^[10]

On 21 December 2010, Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon entered the final testing stage with newly reinforced cars for both the "Human" and "Cylon" coasters.^[11] On 4 February 2011, the ride was opened unofficially for "technical rehearsals",^[12][13] with the ride officially reopening as planned on 21 February 2011.^{[10][14][15][16]}

On 21 July 2013, the ride was closed again for review.^[17] More than a year passed before Resorts World Sentosa announced, in November 2014, that Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon would reopen in early 2015 with new trains.^[18] On 25 May 2015, Universal Studios Singapore announced that the ride will return with all-new ride vehicles on 27 May 2015.^[19] The ride was officially reopened as planned two days later, with the ride vehicles being changed from four-abreast seating to two-abreast seating.^[20] On 6 April 2016 riders were stuck for about an hour when a technical error occurred on the ride.^[21]

See also[edit]

• List of amusement rides based on film franchises
• Universal Studios Singapore
• Battlestar Galactica
• Dragon Challenge

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon, Universal Studios Singapore.