It’s far from uncommon for theme park attractions to go through changes, both big and small, during their life. Right now we’re less than a month away from the totally redesigned Splash Mountain, which has been transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. However, it’s somewhat unusual to see a ride get changed after it’s announced but before it opens. But that’s what has happened here, as Starfall Racers one of the major attractions of Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe park has been renamed Stardust Racers a year before anybody will ride it.
Of all the Epic Universe details that have been officially confirmed by Universal Resorts and Destinations, the first thing we learned about was Celestial Park. Epic Universe will use a hub and spoke design similar to Disneyland’s. But unlike many hublands, Celestial Park will have several attractions of its own, including a major roller coaster.
Why Epic Universe Was Sued
The coaster, which is a duel launch coaster that will reach speeds of 62 miles per hour, was originally called Starfall Racers, however, earlier this month. A lawsuit was filed in Colorado District Court by the Starfall Education Foundation (via Blomberg) over the trademark to the name Starfall. The suit claimed Universal was misappropriating the trademark to attract children. Starfall Education Foundation runs a website for children that teaches reading and writing skills.
The lawsuit itself was still in the very early stages so no decisions had been reached. Although it seems Universal has simply decided to end the issue the simplest way it can, by changing the name of the coaster and moving forward.
Changing the name certainly won’t impact the coaster design so nothing about the ride experience will be different. This is certainly a better situation than Cedar Point's Top Thrill 2, which implemented a safety policy that required the use of lockers for many to ride, but only did so after it was too late to add lockers to the queue.
If any signage using the Starfall name had already been created, it would have to be destroyed and recreated using the Stardust name. If the name Starfall was specifically important to the story being told by the attraction, some of that may need to be rethought; but it’s possible, even likely, they’ll just be able to do a find and replace on any text and be done.
Epic Universe Will Open In 2025
It’s unlikely any other parts of Epic Universe will run into any similar issues as Universal owns the rights to everything else that is going to be in the park. The hub was the only original land, with all the attached lands set in different IPs.
Thus far, beyond Celestial Gardens, Universal Orlando has confirmed lands based on How to Train Your Dragon and Orlando’s version of Super Nintendo World. Two other lands are set to be revealed. We know we will get a Dark Universe based on Universal Monsters and a third Wizarding World land which will include the Ministry of Magic and an area inspired by the Fantastic Beasts movies. The specifics of what will be in those lands have yet to be confirmed.
Epic Universe is set for a 2025 opening, and since it seems likely Universal will want the park to be open for the busy summer season, we’re likely just about a year, or even slightly less, from the park opening. Stardust Racers is sure to be a popular draw, whatever it's called.
