Star Trek (!) Vibe at Space 220 in EPCOT

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

October 12, 2023

 

How about some Romulan ale in Ten Forward?

 

For those of you who have no idea what I’m referencing, it’s from Star Trek. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ten Forward is a bar/lounge on the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Meanwhile, Romulan ale is a strong, blue-colored alcoholic beverage courtesy of the Romulans, and illegal in the Federation during Star Trek: The Original Series.

Yes, I’m a Star Trek nerd (Trekker? Trekkie?). But what does any of this possibly have to do with a visit to the Space 220 Restaurant at EPCOT? Last time I checked, Disney didn’t buy Star Trek. Well, give me a second.

 

Let’s back up a bit first. I managed to grab a reservation at Space 220 on the night of October 11. Actually, it was a reservation for the Space 220 Lounge.

Upon entering the building, the décor is stark, clean sci-fi. A Disney cast member takes your name, and eventually you get in line to enter the next space elevator car to take you 220 miles into the sky and into space. The ride is a key part of the experience, and it’s fun as you look down at a receding EPCOT and then Earth. 

 

The doors open and you’re escorted into the restaurant, which features large, panoramic views of space and the Earth. Various ships occasionally and slowly journey by, as do various astronauts out for space walks.

It's as if an Imagineer looked at the Coral Reef Restaurant, with its large windows looking into a massive aquarium, and said, “Hey, let’s do this in space.” It works, generally. I have to say, though, that I actually expected more from the view – not that Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing should streak by (Wouldn’t that be cool? And yes, now I’m bringing in Star Wars) – but there should be … well … more going on out there in space while diners are eating.

As for the inside restaurant, this is where Star Trek’s Ten Forward comes in. The feel and look of Ten Forward is unmistakable – at least it was to me and my fellow diner. The carpeting, the bar area, the chairs, the windows, the view – yeah, this is Ten Forward. I know that this wasn’t Disney’s intent, but one wonders if an Imagineer (perhaps the same one thinking Coral Reef) happened to be a Trekkie and slipped one by the Walt Disney World execs. Either way, I enjoyed the feel of drinking and eating in Ten Forward. Yes, yes, Space 220, I know.

Now, let’s get to the food. After all, this is a restaurant. Since we were lounge dwellers – it’s all the same room, by the way, with the same views – our menu was more limited. But each dish we tried was quite good.

 

The Braised Beef Tostada ($18.00) came on tortilla chips, and was accompanied by saffron pickled onions, avocado crema and shredded lettuce. The beef was shredded, tender and had a pot-roast-like taste. There also was a hint of citrus, and the crunchy chip bed made for a nice presentation.

The Charred Octopus ($20.00) came with chimichurri and garlic aioli, and a pile of smoked paprika chips. This turned out to be a welcome surprise. The octopus wasn’t chewy, and instead, with the charring, it almost had a BBQ, smoky steak taste.

And the Chicken on Waffle ($18.00) was a combination of fried chicken, smoked bacon, spiced coleslaw and maple glaze. I don’t have a  great deal of experience with chicken and waffles, but this was very tasty. The chicken was a major upgrade from standard chicken fingers – tender, thick and nicely breaded. The waffle, maple and coleslaw all managed to combine into an enjoyable mix.

But the best dish was the Hoisin Pork Belly ($16.00), which was braised pork belly, with a smoky rainbow chard and golden raising agrodolce. I’m not a pork fan, so my enjoyment is saying something. The pork belly included the “good” fat and was incredibly flavorful, especially with the sweetness combined with the crunchy bed.

As for desserts, we ordered two. The Carrot Cake Callisto ($14.00) made a great first impression, with a sponge-like cake and a certain lightness to the icing. Unfortunately, the dish left a regrettable aftertaste that didn’t want to go away. And given that I’m a big fan of carrot cake, this resulted in some dining sadness.

Fortunately, the Chocolate Cheesecake ($14.00) swept away my carrot cake blues. The whipped chocolate ganache, chocolate sauce and white chocolate crunchy pearls were delicious. They seemed to burst with chocolate flavor. Plus, the dish was topped by large, thin, dark chocolate sails, if you will, that also were delightful. Yes, chocolate heaven among the stars.

Finally, let’s talk drinks. The non-alcoholic Solar Flare ($14.00) is very grapefruit-y, with a balance of some sweetness. It ranked as reliably refreshing.

But it was the Galaxy Spritz ($17.00), a combination of Lagoon Bay Aperitif, Lychee Liqueur, lemon juice and Prosecco, that completed the Star Trek story for the meal. It’s a floral, sipping beverage – not too sweet but also not possessing a heavy alcohol bite. But it is blue. Yes, just like Romulan ale.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right? (Keating is a Disney shareholder.)

 

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PRESS CLUB C Podcast with Ray Keating – Episode #10: Streaming Fueling the Nerd, Including the Disney Nerd

Ray Keating goes full nerd in this episode – with plenty from Disney and on Disney+. He mainly focusing on how online streaming services are fulfilling many of his nerd dreams pertaining to DC comics and movies – the Snyder Justice League cut! – Marvel comics, movies and shows, Star Wars, Star Trek, film stuff, and yes, Chuck. Join Ray, and embrace your inner nerd.

Human Nature in Outer Space: Star Trek vs. Star Wars – Excerpt from “Behind Enemy Lines”

by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 4, 2020

(What better day to settle (?) the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate than International Star Wars Day? Well, I’m not sure this will settle anything, but it is one of my entries in this decades-long (dating back to the 1970s!) sci-fi dispute. I wrote the following column for Newsday in May 2005, and it appears in my new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques form Left-Wing New York. In terms of a little context, at this point in time, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith hit movie theaters and Star Trek: Enterprise finished its run – and no sci-fi fans knew if anything more would be coming on either front.)

Was it true – Star Trek and Star Wars ending within six days of each other? Have I beamed down to the dark side? 

Just in case George Lucas really has put down his light saber for the final time, and Paramount Pictures is through exploring the final frontier, I was determined to savor these moments. 

That meant no dinner with friends on Friday night, May 13, and instead eating in front of the television to watch the last episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. Then on Thursday, I saw Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the final piece in the six-part Star Wars tale, at 12:01 AM. This post-midnight show brought out the hard core fans, with two Darth Vaders engaging in a light saber duel before the film rolled.

Revenge of the Sith has ended the Star Wars epic with a bang, while the Star Trek: Enterprise finale whimpered as an unsatisfying send off. Either way, that each will live long and prosper in one way or another is stating the obvious. After all, Star Trek has been around for almost four decades, and the first Star Wars film hit theaters 28 years ago. These are pop culture icons. 

Interestingly, some of the reasons for such staying power differ in fascinating ways, including what’s said about politics and human nature.

The politics in Star Trek often reflect the times. For example, the original 1960s series dabbled in Cold War themes. Meanwhile, two Enterprise episodes airing earlier this month dealt with a radical group trying to force aliens to leave Earth, with echoes of today’s immigration debate.

But contrary to attempts to politically pigeonhole the latest film based on a line or two of dialogue, Star Wars ranks as a timeless warning about how liberty and democracy can be lost to claims of safety and other seductions, as well as a reminder that freedom must be fought for and protected. Star Wars politics reflect what Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” There’s some sound Jedi reasoning from a Founding Father.

While Star Trek and Star Wars each have those critical characters that viewers care about, the Star Wars story arch swirls around a distinctly unlikable character in Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. The fact that the central character is unappealing – indeed, much of the time detestable – speaks to the difference in how human nature is viewed in Star Wars vs. Star Trek.

With so much Star Trek spread over five television series (six if you count the cartoon) and 10 movies, various takes were offered on the state of mankind. But if a general outlook could be pegged, it would be a liberal utopianism. Particularly in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series, the message was that humans largely overcame their sins and shortcomings. The sinful aspects of human nature were beamed away.

In contrast, Star Wars directly grapples with the dark side of human nature. Anakin’s descent into Darth Vader comes to grim fruition in Revenge of the Sith. During the scrolling story update at the start, it’s declared: “Evil is everywhere.” That’s not liberal utopianism. But as with mankind’s story, Star Wars also is about hope. As we learned 22 years ago in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, even redemption for one as evil as Darth Vader was possible. 

Some late nights have been lost debating which is better – Star Trek or Star Wars? A few shouts before the movie started on Thursday morning reflected this conflict. I long argued for Star Trek. But while I still enjoy boldly going “where no man has gone before,” I must now bow to Star Wars as the richer space epic about the struggles of human nature.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback of Kindle edition of Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.