Space Needle - in Culture

In Culture

Being a major symbol of the Pacific Northwest, the Space Needle has made numerous appearances in films, TV shows and other works of fiction. A few examples of films include It Happened at the World's Fair (1962), where it was used as a filming location, and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). In the 1974 film The Parallax View, the inside and outside platforms of the observation deck are the setting for a political assassination, and there's a brief chase on the roof above it. In the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, it served as a base of operations for the villain Doctor Evil with the word Starbucks written across its saucer after his henchman Number 2 shifted the organization's resources toward the coffee company. It's also featured prominently in Chronicle (2012), and is a key element in the film's climax.

In TV shows, one of the most prominent showings is in the series Frasier where an outline of it appears in the opening credits and the base of it is visible from the high-rise condo although the view is really a composite image as there are no high rise condos in the right area of that height. It also appears in nearly every episode of the Seattle-set series Grey's Anatomy, often in helicopter fly-by shots. The Space Needle also makes appearances in Nickelodean TV show iCarly where it can be seen with other surrounding buildings in the Seattle area.

Other TV appearances include The History Channel's Life After People where it falls because of corrosion. It was also destroyed in the TV miniseries 10.5 when an earthquake hits Seattle. The needle is also featured in some episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, such as the episode "Storms" where Bill Nye uses the lightning rod on top of it as an example of conducting lightning strikes. It also appears many times as a refuge for the hero of Dark Angel. In video games, it has been used to represent Seattle in Pilotwings 64 and Rock Band and it appears in the Seattle Circuit reverse of Gran Turismo 4. The Space Needle and the area around it also appear in the last campaign mission of World in Conflict as the site of the Soviet invasion force's last stand.

The Space Needle has been used for some other purposes as well, including a large 57 piece Lego construction set of it that has been released as part of Lego Architecture's structures. The Needle is also featured on the logo of the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC.