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Vegas Star Trek Experience Closing Down
Leebert writes "Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton is closing its doors today after the attraction owner and the hotel could not work out a renewed lease deal. In its 10-year tenure, more than 3 million people have visited the Trek themed exhibit. 'Trekkies are incensed. They've scrawled reminiscences about the exhibit on the walls inside, and they're calling Cedar Fair and the hotel to complain. But their online rumor that the space the exhibit occupies will become a theater for pop star Michael Jackson is unfounded, Sternberg said. He said nothing's decided.'"
I had never heard of this, but then again I have never actually gone to Vegas.
Anyway, would that make this the longest running Star Trek franchise?
Thoughts on tech, Software Engineering, and stuff
They never kissed a girl yet this is the greatest affront to their existence?
Priorities, people.
Seems to me a great opportunity to pack it up and move it to the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle.
-- I really need to bleed off some of this
I wish I would have known, I would have gone and visited! Oh well, Beam me up Scotty, there are no intelligent life form in the vicinity.
why can't businesses and their representatives give us the the straight story about what's happening? why all the lies? i call bs; whatever is going to happen has been planned for at least a year, maybe longer.
Got the chance to go there while visiting a friend in LV a couple years. It embarrassed the hell out of her, but I had to go.
Anyway, it's all mostly sub-Disney type rides and prop filler, but still lots of fun, shame it's shutting down.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
I doont hav tha poower
I've been to it twice over the years, both times I visited Vegas when flying over from Ireland.
Enjoyed both times and its sad to see it go :(
"WebTV: bringing the Internet into the shallow end of the gene pool since 1995" - Martin Bishop
Enrage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jd1Ih8EUmw
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 is the magic number.
It was lame anyway
That weird space beer they had was like bud light with food coloring
...Ferengi bastards!
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
It was on a par with Star Tours in Disneyland--better because of the costumed actors as part of the show. I enjoyed it, took both sets of adult kids to it over the years. My wife would never open her eyes in teh shuttle. "My, God. Open your eyes and experience the thrill!" The costumed Ferengi in the restaurant was great and the props and timeline were top notch. Guess there's no reason to go out of your way over to the Hilton any more. Oh, well.
How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
Most Vegas attractions get 1 million plus visitors a year, so 3 mill over 10 years is really bad.
I liked it. With luck the props will be salvaged for some museum somewhere.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
I found the musueum exhibit at The San Diego Air & Space Museum to be far more rewarding. I spent hours at the San Diego exhibit, looking at the detail at which items were presented. Set reproductions, models from the show, props and costumes. It was fantastic.
The vegas experience was something I walked through and felt like I was being shuffled through like cattle - there are people lining up, looking over you, and many don't even want to be there.
I hear that the San Diego exhibit was part of a much larger exhibit that was broken up - I wish I could have seen the original.
I guess that's why it isn't getting beamed up to somewhere else.
I'm sure enough nerds sending in 10 dollars can save it. I should start a fund.
And while I'm at it I'll hit up other religions; if you send me $9.95 God will forgive your souls.
So you guys never heard of the Star Trek experience? That really surprises me, it's pretty huge. Read "Least I Could Do" the webcomic this last week all took place there.
The first time I went, I was expecting something extremely cheap and stupid. I was so very pleasantly surprised by the transporter the first time. The recreation of the bridge was top notch and the surprise transport blew me away, since I was expecting something stupid.
It was definitely worth seeing and it's sad that it's closing down, since it was a pretty decent "show" for fairly cheap. The shuttle craft bit was standard motion ride fare, but otherwise the actors did a good job and Quarks bar was pretty good for ambiance and such.
Oh, did I mention the surprise transporter was excellent? :) I took a few people over the years just for that effect.
KHAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!
Awesome "Get a life" William Shatner sketch reference.
A sign that Vegas needs a entire Star Trek Themed hotel.
Quarks Casino, Shopping on the Promenade, The Risa Day Spa, The 10 forward lounge, Sulu's bath house err ahhh
I went there once: when I was in vegas, saw both the exhibits. It was really neat to be on the bridge and the shuttle craft. I was caught pushing the buttons and was jokingly yelled at by the "Lieutenant"for messing with the gravity systems. All the star trek memorabilia was worth seeing and I had a cup of something blue in the Quark bar afterwards where I spoke with a bomber pilot (no kidding) who was a member of the Canadian air force. I'm still not sure if he was part of the exhibit. In and all, sad to see it go... Was great to read the Wil Wheaton's rememberances after attending the exhibit shortly after it opened, which is why I decided to check it out.
My aunt (A major Trekkie) and I made plans to go next year after her last year of teaching, when she was officially retired.... ... her treat!
I'm pretty sure Trekkies could find room for their gatherings at Bellevue.
Knowing Google's lust for data collection, the Soviet Union is still alive and well inside the psyche of Sergey Brin....
This was always a favorite thing to do in Vegas, even if I didn't do it every trip. But knowing that it was closing, I made two trips this summer that both included visits to it.
It was more than a couple rides, it was near total immersion into the world of Star Trek. I even took the behind the scenes tour of how it all worked. Quarks Bar and Grill was a cool place to have a drink or a meal and it's unfortunate that it will be closed with the rest of the Star Trek area.
how did the part where they transport you work? That part always confused me! I want to know!
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
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I, for one, am going to miss the Warp Core Breach drink at "Quarks" bar/restaurant after the show/ride.
Dry ice in a drink the size of a fishbowl! Make it *_hic_*... Make it *_hic_*... Engage.
The Klingon, Ferengi, and Borg actors made for some better than average atmosphere.
[annecdote] friend of mine knew how to speak some "klingon" and got into it with one of those staff actors at the bar. received a head butt and mock beat-down for his trouble.[/annecdote].
Good times.
For those who haven't seen it, it was pretty great. I went on it when it first opened on a company event (General Magic) while at a trade-show and went back on my own a couple more times over the next several years. It went something like this:
1) After you buy your ticket you get in line to get in. The line winds around a kind of museum that goes through the time-line of the Star Trek Universe. It's kinda like reading a big comic book summary of all the different shows and movies.
2) Then you get together for a shuttle simulation ride. But before you can get on the ride, while watching a safety video, you get accidentally beamed aboard the Enterprise (Next Generation vintage).
3) Then you are put on a "real" shuttle and go on a crazy ride involving battle with Klingons before you're brought back to your own time through a wormhole or whatnot.
4) After the ride you can go hang out and Quark's bar and stuff like that. At the bar there's usually at least one Klingon in character with a working knowledge of Klingon (at least the three or four things I'm geeky-enough to know). I hear more recently that there was a Borg-related ride added on as well.
Wikipedia has all the details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Experience
Anyway, it wasn't geek nirvana but it was kinda close. I can only hope that the Genesis Planet that is Vegas produces a new better one someday...
My favorite quote doesn't fit into 120 characters. Now no one will like me.
I thought it was a skitzo soap/court drama with occasional western themed episodes?
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
I've not been to Vegas since 2001 and to be honest, I'm pretty sad that I won't get to do the ST experience again. It was fantastic with one of the best 'wow' moments ever served up by any theme park ride I've ever been on.
Oh well, saves me having to go anywhere near the pit that is LV: Hilton I guess, least time spent that end of the strip the better :)
I used to go to Vegas all the time when I lived in California (10+ years ago) and have been wanting to go visit lately to see how it's changed. My wife would go though she has mentioned she wouldn't be thrilled with going there since it doesn't seem like her type of place.
A couple of months ago she found an article somewhere that mentioned this Star Trek attraction and she started saying she wanted to go to Vegas to check it out!
Now this.
Just when I thought I caught a break. I'm sure she'll go but she probably won't enjoy it as much now.
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Usually when something like this closes down, they send out a message saying "we're closing in six months".
I'm bummed I can't go to it one last time.
Just goes to show it was crappy marketing that ruined this exhibit.
If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
63 comments in and still no one has made an "it's dead, Jim" joke? What happened to the slashdot I used to know?!
"Flag on the moon. How did it get there?"
I was in Las Vegas for Defcon and had not been in 4 years. The wife had come along and was very excited to go to the Star Trek Experience. That is when we found out it was closing. I got to go on it one last time, and the wife got to see it before it closed. I feel we were very lucky. RIP Star Trek the Experience. I will remember you always!
I went about two years ago and I will also agree that it was looking a bit run down at that point. But the museum was spectacular, especially the 15ft Galaxy-class model. And that transporter effect, it completely surprised me and I still wonder how they pulled it off.
A lot of the sudden scene shift are a case of changing the lighting under the floor so the floor appears to have changed, and at the same time they drop in or drop away walls that suddenly cause the entire surrounding to change. You don't go anywhere, but everything you see moves. And they shuttle you between multiple sets while they reset the previous ones, that's why you're never in one place for too long. The lights of course go out in the brief interval where the walls are dropping.
But if you're not expecting it, it's very involving. You don't have time to question what you're seeing, which makes it so much more realistic.
The canned video conversations between picard etc and the on-set actors was fairly well done but still looked a little artificial imho.
The only part I didn't care for were the klingons trying to make idle chat with me. I know they were just doing their acting jobs but it seemed a bit corny.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.
First they close and sell off a good portion of Geauga lake and now their dropping Star trek.
Whats next? Sell off Cedar Point's Magnum XL200?
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
Make that more than 2,999,999 - I went twice.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Does anyone have a Wil-signal?
I had a wonderful time staying at the LV:Hilton while in Vegas. I went all-nerd and wore my uniform down to the Experience and on the second day of the weekend, a couple of the actors in Quark's Bar started up an in-character conversation with me. I played along and we had a great time. By the end of it we had a crowd of about 12 people all enjoying listening in.
They'll just reverse the polarity and it'll all work out.
I'm not exactly a trekkie, well maybe a litte, but I wish I would have gone while I was in Vegas for DEFCON. I almost went to :(.
The transporter effect was one of the few things that made me think "wow!" It was seamless, and fantasticly done. I was expecting some cheap crap, but everything was well done, and the actors were very good.
As for the Ferengi, you could tell they were having fun with the part. Kind of felt sorry for the person(s) who drew the short straw, and had to walk around as Borg. Although it would be ok if you were hung over.
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
Why don't they just program in the exhibit into a holodeck? I'm sure they could find some space for something that small.
I am officially gone from
The reality is that most nerds don't flock to Vegas anymore. At its peak, Comdex attracted more than 250,000 attendees - most of which are Trekkie-loving IT people. It's no surprise that Hilton, which is next door to the LV convention center, seized an opportunity to capitalize on the crowds. Unfortunately, Comdex was decimated by 9/11; STE kept hiking its prices to keep up with the attendance decline, which only exacerbated the problem. As an aside, I really enjoyed going to STE every time I was in town. Just being able to walk onto a replica of the Enterprise bridge was the best part of the show in my opinion. I wonder what they'll be doing with the set pieces...
Well, just like the final episode of TNG, the Star Trek Experience is now coming to an end as well. While other people might lament its passing I think that it might actually be better for the franchise if some (most perhaps?) of the sets and models were moved into a smaller exhibit (the SF museum in Seattle has been mentioned by others) with somewhat fewer rides and attractions in exchange for attracting more serious fans who made the trip just for the Star Trek exhibit and not just as another theme stop on their Las Vegas post-modern consumer fantasy vacation. The scale and money available in Las Vegas had its pluses (bigger areas, better rides, lots of costumed actors and staff extras) but of course it also brought with it some fairly obvious minuses (large crowds of half-interested and half-drunk tourists who either wanted to gawk and laugh at more serious fans or else hekcle the staff and get someone to speak out of character). Perhaps CF, Paramount, and the SF museuem can work something out. They could call it Star Trek The Experience: Phase II or something like that. Maybe Bill Gates could stand in for Locutus of Borg and his tractor beam could fail when the communications screen displays BSOD allowing the shuttle to "escape" into the exhibit (of course that wouldn't make for a very serious experience, but it would be funny).
Was planning on taking Dad there for his 50th Birthday in 2011. Drag.
Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
... are there any high quality videos of the rides, Quark's bar, etc.? I have seen photographs, but I'd like to see them in actions.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
This was revealed in an online line comic, least i could do, about a week ago.
http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20080821
lol, slashdot really should try to keep up with these things.
I see this as a disturbing trend in our society's prosperity. Star Trek was a symbol of a rational, secular future that was peaceful and optimistic. It was a world I wanted to live in as a child. But in reality I grew in a backward part of the world as a child: The American South. I wanted to explore space. But I was considered a weirdo and a nutcase as a kid because nobody in my Elementary school knew what a Borg was.
We have no active star trek series. Our science fiction authors are croaking off. And now this. Slowly, the optimistic future that Star Trek represented is falling vanishing in favor of a backward religious future. Its really sad.
I was planning on going there in December!!! Oh the humanity! What am I going to do now? The entire trip... RUINED! I might as well kill myself now!
... and in the DRM, bind them.
They had a wedding experience too, where you could get married on the bridge of the Enterprise - with one of the actors as a witness.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Both rides were fun. I see lots of people posting about the classic trek ride with a
reproduction NCC-1701-? bridge, but there was a second Borg themed ride where you sat in half-circle
theatre and watched a 3D film instead of taking a shuttle ride on a motion simulator. Just like on
the shuttle, the best place was on the front row but doubly so for the 3D ride as you could feel the
triggered FX: jets of cold, moist air. There were also seat "pokers" that jammed you in the ribs
as you were assimilated.
Fun and very sorry to see it go. Also the price tag was a bit steep, but they did let you do the ride
as many times as you wanted for that price. So it wasn't too bad if you had the patience.
Not that there is a lot of Trekkie places. But this was a four star in detail.
I hope they move this to an amusement park.
It was a great show, but overpriced.
It was very similar to Star Tours. And Quarks bar was great.
WhatMeWorry!
I liked the Klingon 'acting'. It took you by surprise to have someone actually talking to you.
You weren't allowed to photograph the attractions. I have a few shots of the bridge of the Enterprise and the attractions. I'll try to put some up.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Reopen Quark's!
I can't imagine there's no room for a Quark's restaurant these days. The thing is, if they decide to open that someplace else, I would never hear about it. The restaurant could very likely stand on its own without the ride before it. I'm trying to think of the city that would be most likely to bring such a restaurant enough traffic.
When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
That's no fun. :(
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Complete with authentic fake ears, hair, nose etc.
You made the magic go away! :
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Was that he didn't see the MPAA's trap before he died. Now the cultural icons he created and his contribution to our culture will be gradually forgotten, locked away in the vaults, his message lost as the icon vendors grope to fine unexploited pop memes.
They have defeated him, and us. A shame, too. His was a message of hope.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
...I'm sad to see this go. I went once at the urging of my friend, and if he didn't drag me to it, I wouldn't have went. I'm glad he dragged me because it was the coolest thing I experienced in Vegas. Yeah, the boobies at Zumanity are neat to look at and stars are certainly talented, but they (unfortunately) weren't interactive. Star Trek: The Experience was a lot of fun and I'm glad that I got to go.
I gave the cab driver at our hotel $5 and told him we wanted to go there. He told the driver exactly which door to go to and told us the quickest path. He shut our door with a 'BEAM EM UPPPP!' what a crack up, fun ride, fun times
Too bad. You get 'em anyway. Link
Help stamp out iliturcy.
lol deal w/ it nerds
you watch your star trek movies every time i make out with my hot gf on my bowflex
Thanks. Wait, tribbles have tags? [grin]
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
A few years back, just before having kids, my wife and I decided to take a trip to Las Vegas. During our trip, we went to The Star Trek Experience. Overall, it was quite fun, but one experience in particular stands out. My wife had to use the restroom. To get there you went through one door. Past that door was a very short hall with three doors: One for the men's room, one for the women's room, and a door leading to the staff area. As my wife opened the hallway door to go in, a staff member dressed as a Ferengi started walking out. Both were taken by surprise, but what impressed me was that the Ferengi stayed in character the entire time. Even when he shrieked in surprise, it was with a standard "Ferengi shriek." Then he said "Hello hu-mon. Female." and walked off.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
"Computer, end program."
Me too.
Don't underestimate the power of The Source
Why yes. If you look closely at the footage from TOS, the tags could be there :-). To quote a brilliant parody: "Merchandising! It's where the real money from the movie is made!"
Really, though, it was cute to see little colonies of tribbles hidden in corners throughout the set and the store. It was a little crass that both the "experiences" exited in the gift shop.
Rabid fans will be glad to hear the next movie opens May 8, 2009 and lots of spoilers are available here.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Man, where can I get those furry tribbles? I assume they purr and scream too?
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
For the record We recorded, for our podcast Technroama, a private tour of the Star Trek Experience (Behind the Scenes) just 2 weeks ago, and will be releasing the 1st part tomorrow. Our tour guide was there from the opening so there is a lot of history and how things work in the audio.
We couldn't release the audio until after it closed! For the record, they were fantastic to work with.
Just FYI... http://www.chuckchat.com/technorama
"If you have done 6 impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways" -- hhgg
Where you can get everything else, of course. eBay.
The place had so much to it that each time I went I came across something new. The rides/experiences were great. The time line and wardrobe exhibits were amazing. The food in Quark's Bar was anything but typical tourist food and put other Vegas restaurants to shame. The actors and actresses (especially the female Klingon "Security Chief") were knowledgeable about the smallest details of the franchise. The visual aspects of the whole area were impressive each time I went. I'll miss it.
I first visited the attraction back in '98 and I've been on a it a few times since. It was always great fun. On my most recent visit (2007) I happened to glance into an alcove as we exited the ride and was amused to note that the application controlling the "Enterprise" was running on Windows 3.x.
Wil Wheaton's got a good blurb on the ride on his blog:
http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2008/07/star-trek-the-e.html
what is a geek to do? Are any of you old enough to remember Mr. Toad's at Disney in Florida? The ride through his world and into hell was excellent - good scary nightmare geek fun.
Absolutely no reason to go to the hilton in Vegas now - how stupid of them.
It's true, the heart and soul of Star Trek: The Experience came from the talented actors who played Ferengi, Klingons, Vulcans, Borg, and Star Fleet lieutenants.
I was able to visit four times or so, and took a few pictures of my most recent trip, available here
For God's sake, I'm a doctor, not an entertainment mogul!
I hate being bipolar; it's awesome!
Nothing to make my day like a good genocide joke.
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
"Trekkies are incensed."
I hope the hotel owners are prepared for a lengthy barrage of Klingon insults. They'll rue the day.
Since we're talking about nuking the Michael Jackson Theatre, wouldn't it be ... (drumroll, please) Billie-Genocide?
Ha ha ha!!! Wow, we've never heard a joke about Trekkies never kissing a girl before, I totally didn't see that one coming! Man, you should consider becoming a comedian!
In fact, come to think of it, wouldn't it be just a stitch if we stereotype all Trekkies as nerdy goofballs and relentlessly make fun of them? OMG, I have one, let's act like they all live in their parents' basements, that would be a riot! I'll bet no one has ever heard of that one either!
Quick, someone mod the OP up to +5 funny, that one is so original that EVERYONE should see it!
I went there the first time when my wife and I went to Vegas and she was in a seminar. Loved it. Couple of years later I took my 7 year old son and we went through the whole thing again. He had a blast. Real shame this won't be available anymore...the rides, the actors in costume, even the opportunity to get your picture into a crew photo. Quarks Bar was excellent, everytime I went to LV I would stop by...it was the best.
It was a bit out of the way to get to, but it was great to go and do the ride. My in-laws and wife went, and we still get a laugh recalling how the Borg actor chased my mother-in-law around the store asking if she was one of two. It's unfortunate it's closing, but without a current series on TV and it's previous location, I imagine it was hard to get a good draw. Perhaps they'll reinvent it a bit and someone else will give it a home closer to the main strips.
I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria
The first two Star Trek TV captured the imagination and energy of the baby boomers. The first was optimism of Kennedy years and the second the yuppie energy of the Reagan decade. By the time the fifth series rolled around four decades after the first, the steam has run out.
Post boomer scifi moved to cable- Andromeda, Star Gate, Galactica II. No longer are the crews polished teams of WWII-vets or yuppies, but the more ragged individualist of the post-boomers.
The "show" itself was mostly goofy but the overture was nifty. It's a motion-sim ride and they queue you up in the traditional row/multiple-door manner. But here's where it got cool. All the lights go out and it's COMPLETELY black. When the lights come up, you're standing on the Transporter. Everything around you has changed INCLUDING THE FLOOR.
The other fun bit was Quark's Bar although they never quite figured out a way to make a true blue Romulan Ale. It was beer with blue food coloring which made the drink green.
Chances are the venue will become yet another Cirque du Soleil show since there aren't enough of those in Vegas.
The Hilton suffers from bad location. Unless you're doing a tradeshow at the LVCC you wouldn't stay there. You'd want to be on the strip where the action is.
On my last trip to Vegas, I stayed at the fugly Stardust Hotel, which was imploded shortly after our departure (a coincidence, I'm told). There are links to pics and movies at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardust_Resort_&_Casino It would be amazing if the Star Trek sets got the same treatment instead of the much more likely outcome of being parted out and sold on Ebay. I enjoyed the "Star Trek Experience" but like the TV shows, it hasn't aged well and the stylized paramilitary "culture" shown in this world really grates on my nerves. Blow it up!!!
I went there just last month with a good friend. My first time in Vegas and I'm a huge trekkie, so I had to see the Experience before it closed. The timeline and museum leading up to the attractions was amazing to me, to be able to see (and in one case, touch) props from the shows and movies was just... well, amazing. Standing on the bridge of the Enterprise D left me a bit misty-eyed, I'll admit. Something about a fantasy come true kinda got to me. I could even overlook the Trek-styled "EXIT" signs on the replica bridge.
After talking with a few of the employees, the rumor of the day was that the props would go back to paramount, the rest would go to the dumpster, and the area was to be stripped to drywall and concrete. People were already talking about dumpster diving and seeing just what they could take away.
And one of the best parts for me was the actor, before the attraction started, telling us Klingon jokes. ... Bwahahahaha!"
"Two dead Ferengi are in a box.
I visited on my one and only trip to Las Vegas. It was one of the things I liked most.
RogerWilco the Adventurous Janitor
Quark's bar at the Star Trek Experience was the ONLY bar that I've ever been so drunk in that I blacked out for 5 hours and had to be taken out in a wheelchair vomiting all over the Las Vegas Hilton! Ahahaha. That was great. Thanks for the memories...