This year is 123rd annual Rose Parade, a New Year’s Day tradition preceding the Rose Bowl football game. 2012 is also the 100th anniversary of Paramount Pictures, and to celebrate, the studio has created a float that prominently features the U.S.S. Enterprise amidst other Paramount film icons such as Danny Zuko’s Grease car and Bumblebee from Transformers. The float, which measures 26 feet high, 18 feet wide, and 55 feet long, features a new design which allows it to shrink to 16 feet in order to navigate city streets during the parade.
The Enterprise, in keeping with the rule that all floats must be made mostly of floral and other natural resources, is comprised of white coconut chips, silver leaf protea petals, and black seaweed, and has strobe lighting effects.
This is not the first appearance of an Enterprise at the Rose Parade. In 1991, for Star Trek’s 25th Anniversary, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 D and its shuttles adorned a giant float sponsored by Nestle.
Photo from the 2004 DVD documentary
The Rose Parade: A Pageant for the Ages which is hosted by William Shatner and Stephanie Edwards. Shatner was the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade in 1994. As a fun historical note, William Shatner also rode in the 1967 Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade, in costume as Captain Kirk!
The Rose Parade is shown on many networks beginning at 8:00AM PST, January 1, 2012.
For a list of networks, visit the Rose Parade website.
You can order the documentary The Rose Parade: A Pageant for the Ages hosted by William Shatner and Stephanie Edwards on Amazon.