Your eyes do not deceive you: those are indeed the iconic Vasquez Rocks taking their place on the Star Trek float rendering ahead of its debut at the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. Squint and use your imagination, and you can almost spot Captain Kirk battling the Gorn alongside them.
The rock formations—which couldn’t look more alien, despite being located in Los Angeles—have been used for multiple Hollywood productions over the years, but their association with Star Trek is the most immediate. Besides appearing in multiple classic The Original Series episodes (including “Arena”), they popped up in Star Trek: Picard, Voyager, and Enterprise, as well as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.
And now they’re coming to the streets of Pasadena, CA. As StarTrek.com reports, the 60th anniversary float was designed by artist John Ramirez and crafted by Artistic Entertainment Services. As you can see from the concept art, the colorful float also showcases the U.S.S. Enterprise and its bridge, various Star Trek planets, transporters, and glimpses of San Francisco and the campus as seen on the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
You can also see the Star Trek 60 logo, nodding at the series’ landmark anniversary coming in 2026, and the aptly inclusive theme of the float: “SPACE FOR EVERYBODY.” During the parade, Star Trek actors will also be riding along; there’s no word yet on who’ll be on Rose Bowl duty, but the fresh faces of Starfleet Academy seem like a good guess.