Vegas Star Trek Experience Closing Down 234
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.'"
SciFi Museum (Score:4, Interesting)
Seems to me a great opportunity to pack it up and move it to the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle.
Although I enjoyed the Vegas experience (Score:4, Interesting)
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. [aerospacemuseum.org]
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 went expecting... (Score:3, Interesting)
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.
A nice experience for the casual fan... (Score:5, Interesting)
Warp Core Breach (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:so..how DID their simulated transport work anyw (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:Wow 10 years! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:so..how DID their simulated transport work anyw (Score:3, Interesting)
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.
Kudos to the actors! Some pics ... (Score:2, Interesting)
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 [whiteoaks.com]