Star Trek: The Experience Finds A New Home?

TrekToday · October 17 2008, 12:12 AM

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Neonopolis developer Rohit Joshi confirm that ST:TE may be headed downtown.

As reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal, Joshi confirmed that a deal was in the works. "You kind of shocked me," he said when asked unexpectedly about the possible move. "I don't know how to respond to that. We are in very serious negotiations. We think it would be a fantastic addition to downtown."

Joshi then showed a bound agreement with CBS licensing, who owns the rights to the Star Trek name.

Cedar Fair, who operated The Experience when it was at the Hilton, said it would not be operating the attraction downtown, but it was possible that it could be sold to a different operation. "We wouldn't be moving it," said Stacy Frole, Cedar Fair spokesperson.

According to Joshi, if the deal is made, Star Trek: The Experience could open as early as the first quarter of 2009 in the Neonopolis development, much to the pleasure of Mayor Goodman. "It would be ironic," said Goodman. "Perhaps the most successful place downtown could be Neonopolis, even though it has been an albatross around my neck all these years."

To read more, head to the article located here.

Turbo · October 17 2008, 01:09 AM

Sweet! The rumors of negotiations are true after all!

Herkimer Jitty · October 17 2008, 01:21 AM

Wow, I wasn't expecting anything like this so soon, I mean it's not set in stone, but I think we can safely say HELL YES!

Loneknight · October 17 2008, 01:44 AM

I'm not trying to get my hopes up, but here's all fingers and toes crossed...

I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope....

...ok, so maybe my hopes got up.

ArthurKing · October 17 2008, 03:33 AM

I would specifically fly out to Vegas to patronize this if it happens - I like the city anyway, so this is a great excuse. I sincerely hope it happens (although hopefully it happens alongside an update). Pulling the plug on this in the run-up to a MAJOR Trek movie release seemed pretty foolish. Obviously, others agreed and are trying to remedy the situation.

Searider Falcon · October 17 2008, 03:47 AM

Awesome! I was really bummed out that I never was able to make it to Vegas before it shut down, so the possibility of a second chance is really exciting.

James Bond · October 17 2008, 04:20 AM

Wow! I was very disappointed having never made it out to Vegas to check out the Experience when I had a chance. If this goes through, I'm there on opening night!!

Dale · October 17 2008, 05:13 AM

Please oh please oh please...

I have a couple friends who visited STTE GM Chad Boutte at the LV Hilton site where he is overseeing the dismantling, and he took them on a tour of the defunct facility which included a bunch of uniforms (not sure whether they were STTE cast uniforms or unis from the museum) packed up "to be moved to Neonopolis." So it's just possible that "talks" are further along than we know.

I hope I hope I hope...

captaintish · October 17 2008, 05:45 AM

I'm not sure what to think about this. On the one hand..... YES, the Experience lives! I won't have to boycott Vegas for the rest of my life! On the other hand.....it won't really be the same, will it? I mean, NEONOPOLIS? Doesn't sound very classy.

Is it still going to be run by the same people? They're saying Cedar Fairs would be selling it? So, how different would it be?

I'm not trying to be a downer, here, I'm just worried.

But yeah, if it does open up somewhere, I'll be there opening day.

Dale · October 17 2008, 05:58 AM

Cedar Fair would not be the ones running it... a new corporation would be formed.

Neonopolis is a very high-end, stylized, non-casino enertainment venue along the lines of CityWalk at Universal Studios, but smaller. It was championed by the Vegas mayor, but has floundered financially and never achieved full occupancy due to poor advertising and the fact that they, unlike everyone else is Las Vegas, charge for parking. Depending on the size of the installation, I have to think STTE would take a large portion of the place over. I am strictly guessing here but I'd think it might be a lesser version of STTE than we've seen... perhaps without the rides but with the museum, shopping promenade and of course Quark's (the heart of the place) and the actors.

Captain Robert April · October 17 2008, 06:05 AM

After the idiocy coming out about the new movie, this is very welcome news.

Dennis · October 17 2008, 07:25 PM

Certainly anyone who invests money in reviving this thing will make sure that it focuses properly on the Abrams movie. After a decade of declining profits on an attraction based on so-called "modern Trek" and its aesthetics, an update/reboot of the thing is logical and inevitable.

Loneknight · October 17 2008, 07:35 PM

What they need to do is have it span all incarnations of the franchise. Maybe it was the same article, but people often said that the theme of the first Experience was reminiscent of TNG, so trying to incorporate TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, and Abram's re-boot might be tough.

My question is: if they're looking to try and push a Q1 '09 opening, will they have time do an update?

Personally, I don't care either way. While the Experience could stand some updating (i.e.: replacing all of the CRT displays with flat-panel monitors, etc), just seeing it open again is all I need. It was more than just being surrounded by all things Trek when I used to go...it was being with good friends and family that made it all the better.

*hoping, hoping, hoping, hoping, hoping, hoping....*

T'Bonz · October 17 2008, 07:48 PM

If possible, all incarnations with an emphasis on the newest (Star Trek XI) would seem to be the best way to get as many interested as possible.

The old Experience was pretty cool. The Bridge may have been TNG, but the bar was all DS9. I did miss seeing a TOS-themed room though, that would have been great.

Dale · October 17 2008, 10:46 PM

I agree... the fact that TOS was missing from the original STTE atmosphere was a glaring omission. Now they have a new conundrum: how to include both TOS and the new/old movie side-by-side... plus how much do they feature the now defunct next generation. Quark's was the heart of that place, but that setting is decidedly old school at this point. I think any reincarnation of STTE is going to be very different from the one we knew.

Biggshow · October 18 2008, 12:03 AM

Having never been to Neonopolis, I have no idea of the size of the thing. However, it sounds like the place would be ripe for expansion if the place takes off. I'm completely guessing and speculating here but how about this scenario (and if the fine folks at Neonopolis are lurking, please feel free to use any of these ideas):

They do a quick-and-dirty reinstallation of Quark's, the museum, and retail (maybe with some version of the captain's lounge, maybe more TOS themed). There will probably be some use of the new movie sets, props and costumes. They could also probably recreate the Borg Invasion fairly quickly (they did at the original STTE site). If it takes off, there might be room to add the second half of the Star Trek Tour (excuse me, Exhibition) into the mix, helping that financially beleagured company in the process. If it continues to draw, a new simulator mission with state of the art production and technical values could be added, either recreating the original Klingon Encounter (now ending in an updated Vegas and at Neonopolis) or a new ride using the new movie actors or a Sulu era adventure (a full on TOS era ride would be impossible unless you get Doc Brown to go back and get those actors from 40 years ago). In this way, they could make it an homage to all Trek incarnations and a true Trek Experience.

Now I have to go shake the Trekkie dust out of my eyes

captaintish · October 18 2008, 03:55 PM

Being a NextGen trekkie myself, I have to say that the TNG era bridge, and DS9 Promenade and Quark's are all part of what made the place feel so very Star Trek to me. It would sadden me if they redirected the focus onto Enterprise and the new Abrams movie, just because they are newer.

I agree with BiggShow, that they could put in all the stuff they already had at the old Experience, but add in some TOS stuff, and Enterprise and the new movie, so that everything is represented. Plus they really did need to update the Vegas portion of the Klingon Encounter ride. For the last few years, every time the ride ended, and they talked about getting us back to our own time, I would say, "No, they brought us back to the wrong time, they brought us back to the NINETIES!!!"

Herkimer Jitty · October 19 2008, 02:09 AM

captaintish wrote:

Being a NextGen trekkie myself, I have to say that the TNG era bridge, and DS9 Promenade and Quark's are all part of what made the place feel so very Star Trek to me. It would sadden me if they redirected the focus onto Enterprise and the new Abrams movie, just because they are newer.

I agree with BiggShow, that they could put in all the stuff they already had at the old Experience, but add in some TOS stuff, and Enterprise and the new movie, so that everything is represented. Plus they really did need to update the Vegas portion of the Klingon Encounter ride. For the last few years, every time the ride ended, and they talked about getting us back to our own time, I would say, "No, they brought us back to the wrong time, they brought us back to the NINETIES!!!"

Clearly you weren't paying attention to the bilboards for Mike Tyson, and the Moody Blues on your way into town.

Well, if the vegas portion needed updating before... it definitley needs it now, what with the location change (Assuming they keep the Klingon Encounter, which they may not.)

Dale · October 19 2008, 03:13 AM

My theory is that the rides we already know will be absent... that this will be the Museum of the Future with some additional exhibits that feature out the new movie, leading to a shopping promenade that may or may not still resemble DS9, and of course Quark's Bar and Restaurant. Installing the old rides, particularly Klingon Encounter, would be a major undertaking... and as people have mentioned Klingon Encounter's ride film is extremely dated. The rest of STTE was, in most basic terms, a large theme restaurant which wouldn't take a huge amount of space or represent an unreasonable amount of construction or expense... about the same as any other large restaurant start-up.

I think someone else has already said something like this in this thread or another... it'll start small with what will install cheap and is a proven moneymaker - an attraction centered around Quark's - and then expand if business warrants to include all-new rides/experiences, probably based in JJ Abrams new vision of the Trek universe. Keep in mind CBS Paramount is going to be more interested in promoting their new movie and the revived franchise than they are in milking the now old and dated TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT era of Trek.

Hopefully it'll still include all incarnations of Trek, but surely the concentration will eventually be on the freshest version. Keep in mind, time travel is a facet of the new Star Trek movie, so there's plenty of room to create something along the lines of Klingon Encounter featuring the new cast, new Enterprise, new Romulans and the same basic time-travel scenario that drove the original TNG-based adventure.

Temis the Vorta · October 22 2008, 01:19 AM

"Neonopolis"? That's the perfect place for the BRIGHT BLUE BRIDGE!

Already looks like a Las Vegas casino...