Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers Have a Fun Movie Easter Egg That’s Easy to Miss
When you hop on the Stardust Racers ride at Epic Universe, be on the lookout for a hidden detail.
This month, ahead of its grand opening in May, Universal's new Epic Universe park hosted a press preview, allowing fans everywhere the first glimpses into the park's many new attractions in action. While there, NBC Insider learned that Stardust Racers, perhaps the biggest draw for thrill seekers in Epic Universe, contains an Easter Egg related to one of the greatest film franchises ever.
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The ride, which features two dueling roller coaster tracks is at the heart of Celestial Park, which joins other worlds like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe within the park. Those other worlds are meant to immerse travelers in the films they love, but Stardust Racers is seemingly powered by a well-known component from elsewhere in the world of Universal Pictures.
What is Stardust Racers?
Located in Celestial Park -- the section of Epic Universe which represents an entirely new creation of the park, and not an existing Universal IP -- Stardust Racers is a dual-track "racing coaster" designed to make riders feel like they're cruising alongside a comet throughout the universe. The ride features two trains of cars which will launch at the same time, reaching speeds of up to 62 miles per hour as they travel across 5,000 feet of track, reaching heights of up to 133 feet. Which train of cars will finish first? You'll have to ride to find out!
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The ride packs plenty of cool features, from an inverted crisscross known as the "Celestial Spin" to its lighting scheme, which lights up the cars at night, but not the track itself, giving observers the impression that they're watching a pair of comets intertwining as they fly across the sky. All that plus a cool retrofuturistic design is enough to make the coaster one of the most exciting new attractions in Epic Universe.
But there's more to this ride than speed and cool lighting. It also includes a very fun hidden sci-fi detail.
SPOILERS FOR STARDUST RACERS AHEAD
An Easter egg on Stardust Racers
During the press preview for the ride, and Epic Universe overall, in early April, NBC Insider was able to get a closer look at Stardust Racers, and we noticed one very fun detail. When you climb into your coaster car, take a look at the back of the car before you do, and you'll notice a box that looks a little different from the design of the rest of the car.
That's right, it's a Flux Capacitor, the time travel device at the heart of Back to the Future, the legendary science-fiction comedy from director Robert Zemeckis. According to the lore of the movie, this is the device that came to Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in a flash of inspiration brought on by hitting his head during a fall, which he then built into his time machine as the core of the entire system.
Sadly, we couldn't snap a photo of the box because, per safety guidelines, phones and everything else on your person need to be properly stored in the free lockers at the beginning of the ride. That said, it's best to see this little Easter egg in person, isn't it? Still, the above photo from Universal Studios Mega Movie parade has one on the front offering an idea of what you'll spot all lit up on the back of the Stardust Racers.
Now, let's be clear: Stardust Racers is not a Back to the Future ride. Like pretty much everything else in Celestial Park, it's a creation all its own, but part of the fun of Epic Universe is the sense that you're journeying across all the various fantasy and science-fiction worlds brought to life by Universal Pictures over the years. Throwing Flux Capacitors onto this particular ride adds the sense that maybe Doc Brown kept working on his time machine designs, and gave humanity the gift of racing like comets across the sky. Or it's just a fun little Easter egg for fans. Take your pick.
Universal's Epic Universe opens May 22, 2025. Get tickets now.
