$1.5 Billion 'Star Trek' Theme Park in Jordan Will Run on Clean Energy

Fifteen years after King Abdullah II of Jordan made a cameo appearance as a science officer on the 1996 “Investigations” episode of the TV series, Star Trek: Voyager, he now wants everyone to travel “where no man has gone before.” In fact, the King , who is an unabashed Trekkie, will be the majority investor in a $1.5-billion theme park – to be called the called the Red Sea Astrarium – which celebrates the cult U.S. sci-fi program.

Rubicon Group Holding (RGH), a Jordan-based diversified global entertainment organization producing innovative digital animated content and location-based attractions, will design and produce The Red Sea Astrarium (TRSA), on a 184-acre property in Aqaba, Jordan. The park will offer four hotels, generate 500 jobs, and “serve as a model for green energy,” RGH said. In fact, the developers are planning to generate 100 percent of the park’s energy from wind and solar power.

The producers plan to feature state-of-the-art renewable technologies throughout the facility, as well as to host a “future” pavilion, where visitors can learn about alternative energy sources, ranging from solar and wind energy to greywater harvesting.

RGH has joined with CBS Consumer Productsand Paramount Recreation, a division of Paramount Pictures (News - Alert), to create a futuristic Star Trek-themed center that will deliver a variety of multisensory 23rd-Century experiences, culminating with a state-of-the art space-flight adventure that takes real-time immersive entertainment experiences to bold new heights.

Architectural firm Callison, based in Seattle, has been engaged to work with Rubicon Group Holding and its team of visionaries, including Paramount Recreation and CBS, to master plan and create a world class destination resort.

“TRSA will be a destination showcase in an extraordinary part of Jordan,” said RGH founder Randa Ayoubi. “The opportunity to lead the design on such a remarkable project and to work with such world class partners as CBS and Paramount is a dream-come-true for the entire RGH family. We are honored, elated, and proud to have our Themed Entertainment team in charge of moving this project forward.”

Bordering Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, Aqaba is a popular tourist center and close to the ancient rose-red Nabatean city of Petra and Wadi Rum in the desert. The team expects the theme park to become a family destination, attracting visitors from the 350 million residents of the Middle East, as well as thrill seekers from all over the world. The park will open for business in 2014

“At its core, Star Trek is about bringing worlds together and about a profound hope for the future,” said Liz Kalodner, executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Consumer Products. “We are proud to bring such a unique, interactive Star Trek property to this part of the world to be a part of Jordan’s future.”  

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