Star Trek: The Experience is closing. The big-budget SF attraction, which has drawn Trekkers worldwide to the Las Vegas Hilton for the past eleven years, will fly its final mission on September 1. Then ST: The Experience, with its DS9 promenade of souvenir shops, and Quark’s Bar and Restaurant, will leave this planet for good.
The Promenade outlets have long offered a varied and unique collection of Trek memorabilia. Online orders for remaining stock will be taken up until August 15.
Over the years, millions of visitors have journeyed to this particular version of the 24th century. The original Klingon Encounter saw visitors being beamed aboard the Enterprise E for a simulator ride through space and above the Vegas strip; in 2004, a second attraction, Borg Invasion 4-D, was added. The venue even hosts Trek themed weddings.
Some may think it curious that the attraction should be closed prior to JJ Abrams big-screen reboot of the Star Trek franchise, due to hit cinemas May 2009, but falling footfall reportedly convinced the Hilton Hotel group that this particular inner space could be made more profitable by other means. In truth, a decade is a pretty good run for an attraction of this type, and clearly the show is beginning to show its age. The video quality of the Klingon simulator ride in particular is absolutely dreadful.
Chad Boutte, Operations Manager and Director of Marketing for Paramount Parks paid this tribute: “We’d like to thank all the fans and friends of Star Trek, whose constant and amazing support we’ve enjoyed throughout our tenure at the Hilton. As we boldly go into the futures that await, know that we take your love of Star Trek: The Experience with us. We share the memories of time spent in the most unique place in the Galaxy, and we carry those memories into our futures with us. Live long, and prosper.”
Those looking to make a final pilgrimage are advised to visit between August 6-10. That’s the date of a full-fledged Star Trek convention at the hotel. Expect fans to be weeping buckets as they queue in lovingly made costumes for one final transporter ride.
