More On The Closing Of 'Star Trek: The Experience'

[TrekToday]

Star Trek: The Experience is closing, but there is a small glimmer of hope for the future.

As reported by reviewjournal.com, more information is coming out regarding the closing of Star Trek: The Experience and attempts to find a new home for it.

"I know they are definitely investigating other Las Vegas possibilities [for The Experience]," said Leslie Ryan, a CBS representative.

Fans are hastening to visit before the doors close for good. "We are going to have our flood of fans returning," said Chad Boutte, marketing director for the attraction. "Over the last three days, I've responded to over five-hundred and seventy e-mails from fans alone." Some of that flood of fans may occur during a 'Star Trek' convention slated for August 6-10th, just several weeks before The Experience will close for good.

Other fans are mourning the loss of the unique attraction, as reported by TrekMovie. Steven Biggs, who worked at The Experience until 2002, playing the part of Kralk the Klingon, was instrumental in encouraging fans to contact CBS and Cedar Fair in hopes of keeping The Experience alive. "I was hoping to nudge them," he explained. "But now that it is decided...that's it." He added that he understood that it was a business decision, but "...it was the last bastion of Star Trek and a great presentation of the whole forty-year history of Trek, and I just didn't want to see it go."

It is still unsure which of the three organizations responsible for the attraction; Cedar Fair, the Hilton or CBS, was responsible for the decision. It was suspected that the Hilton might want to find a more profitable use for the space now used by The Experience but according to Hilton spokesman Ira Sternberg, "I think it was really a decision from their [Cedar Fair] end, not a decision from our end."

To read more, head to the articles located here and here.

[AntonyF]

The CBS quote sounds like marketing bull.

Their contract was till the end of the year. They shut in September. That wreaks of running away from it, not wanting to keep it alive.

This is like the whole "the show has been cancelled, but there's a chance it'll go to another network" bull.

[Dale]

That was my thought... same crap you hear when your favorite TV series gets cancelled. "It may move to cable... we may produce a wrap-up TV movie..." It translates to "You can't change our minds about this but we don't want you to hate us, either."

[Temis the Vorta]

Sometimes shows really are picked up by other networks. Just look at Scrubs moving from NBC to ABC.

[ssosmcin]

Oh man, this sucks. It was the only place where Star Trek (real non-remake Star Trek) was really existing. I hate the summer Vegas heat and I can't afford to go before September.

But I'm going anyway.

This is very, very sad...

[Pioneer]

I still say pack up the whole shootin' match and re-install it in Branson, MO. Now, who's going to pay for the move? Any volunteers? Hey, don't look at me!

[ST4EVA]

Hilton is crazy - the only reason people bother to go off the strip to the Hilton is to visit The ST Experience!!! They should be trying to keep it there no matter what!
This is the mecca for every trekkie and for it to go even for a subspace second is lunacy. Someone tell cedar Procedure is Not Recomended.

The Shat could buy it!!

[The Old Mixer]

With the recent series of (Ronald D.) Moore topics in this forum, I glanced at the thread title and thought, "God, the guy's got an opinion about everything...."

[nx1701g]

^ I did too.

It's sad that the Experience is closing. I wonder what they'll do with the set pieces. I smell another eBay sale coming...

[T'Cal]

My wife and I just renewed our vows there last month on our 20th anniversary. The staff couldn't have been nicer, but then they always have been professional and kind. It's too bad that it's closing, but it has remained somewhat stagnant for far too long. The small casino just outside the Experience could've been turned into a third attraction perhaps based on TOS/STXI; I have never seen it crowded. Moving the Experience to the strip would be a great idea, but I'm guessing that that won't happen. If the movie does well, maybe there will be a Star Trek attraction at one of the big theme parks such as in Florida.

[cyberyukon]

Sorry. I've been a big fan of the "Experience", having been to it countless, countless times in the past ten years. I love that thing. And as a resident of Las Vegas access is pretty easy. But I have to say yes...it's time for the attraction to go.

I last went on it just a week ago. Before that, back in January and then in November. Here're some of my gripes:

On the Klingon shuttle ride a matrix of gold grid lines could be easily seen reflecting on the screen. Panels, perhaps. But horribly distracting. And the film footage was so blurry it was almost unwatchable. And when the shuttle returns home all of those old-and-gone Vegas icons (e.g. Sigfried and Roy) make the thing look dated.

It wasn't always like that.

On the Borg Encounter ride the friggin' 3-d was gone!! Huh?? When did this happen?? Now, instead of the whole "glasses" thing, which made the ride abit more enjoyable, they play the same film footage on a giant screen like a movie. It's very odd when it's clear that they're trying to do the "3d" thing (Borg drones spending a few moments waving prongee-things out at the audience) with no 3d.

It wasn't always like that.

There were maybe ten people in line for the ride when I last went through. The long corridor/waiting area and the Borg Encounter theater looked ghostly in their emptiness.

It wasn't always like that.

Now you have to buy tickets for both rides. You can't just buy for one. And it's forty some dollars (less if you're a Nevada resident) for this. Ouch!! The caveat: you can ride the rides all day. But who really wants to do that?

It wasn't always like that.

The museum pieces are pretty much the same as they were ten yars ago. Spock's robe..the champagne bottle...Nomad...the funky gravity-cum-ski boots...My complaint?

It's always been like that!!

So if they do move this to somewhere else they need to give it an overhaul. Otherwise, it will be missed...but its time has come and gone. I hate to say it...

[Hoser]

Frelling Cedar Fair. They're getting rid of the only reason I ever wanted to go to Vegas, after buying Canada's Wonderland and getting rid of all the Trek stuff there as well.

Meh, I'll always have my hideously overpriced dvds.

[Biggshow]

Inside sources say it was more of a Hilton decision. And with CBS/Paramount auctioning off their warehouse, I'm sure there just wasn't any new stuff that The Experience could get its hands on. Weird about The Borg ride though. They had the glasses went I went a couple of months ago.

[RobertScorpio]

cyberyukon wrote:

---

Sorry. I've been a big fan of the "Experience", having been to it countless, countless times in the past ten years. I love that thing. And as a resident of Las Vegas access is pretty easy. But I have to say yes...it's time for the attraction to go.

I last went on it just a week ago. Before that, back in January and then in November. Here're some of my gripes:

On the Klingon shuttle ride a matrix of gold grid lines could be easily seen reflecting on the screen. Panels, perhaps. But horribly distracting. And the film footage was so blurry it was almost unwatchable. And when the shuttle returns home all of those old-and-gone Vegas icons (e.g. Sigfried and Roy) make the thing look dated.

It wasn't always like that.

On the Borg Encounter ride the friggin' 3-d was gone!! Huh?? When did this happen?? Now, instead of the whole "glasses" thing, which made the ride abit more enjoyable, they play the same film footage on a giant screen like a movie. It's very odd when it's clear that they're trying to do the "3d" thing (Borg drones spending a few moments waving prongee-things out at the audience) with no 3d.

It wasn't always like that.

There were maybe ten people in line for the ride when I last went through. The long corridor/waiting area and the Borg Encounter theater looked ghostly in their emptiness.

It wasn't always like that.

Now you have to buy tickets for both rides. You can't just buy for one. And it's forty some dollars (less if you're a Nevada resident) for this. Ouch!! The caveat: you can ride the rides all day. But who really wants to do that?

It wasn't always like that.

The museum pieces are pretty much the same as they were ten yars ago. Spock's robe..the champagne bottle...Nomad...the funky gravity-cum-ski boots...My complaint?

It's always been like that!!

So if they do move this to somewhere else they need to give it an overhaul. Otherwise, it will be missed...but its time has come and gone. I hate to say it...

Having been there several times, and just again about two months ago...I agree. They never kept the place up...what a shame.


Rob
Scorpio

[Smiley]

They definitely had the 3-D glasses there this week. I attended on Wednesday, and I was freaked out by the apparent proximity of the Queen.