Star Trek: The Experience facts for kids
Star Trek: The Experience was a super cool themed attraction that opened in January 1998. It was located at the Las Vegas Hilton (which is now called Westgate Las Vegas) in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. This attraction was all about the exciting Star Trek universe!
In 2004, the attraction got a big upgrade. They added the Borg Invasion 4-D attraction. This new part used amazing technology to make visitors feel like they were really meeting the scary Borg. Star Trek: The Experience was run by a company called Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. It closed its doors in September 2008. There were plans to reopen it later, but unfortunately, it never did.
Exploring the Future: Attractions Inside
When you visited Star Trek: The Experience, you could explore different parts of the Star Trek world. There were museums and exciting rides that made you feel like you were part of the adventure!
The History of the Future Museum
After getting your ticket, you would walk through a museum filled with awesome items from Star Trek history. Imagine seeing props and costumes from the shows! The museum also had video screens and a timeline showing important Star Trek events. Later, they added displays for famous alien races like the Borg, Klingons, and Ferengi.
The last part of the museum was a hallway that led to the rides. One side was for the Borg Invasion 4-D, and the other was for the Klingon Encounter. The Klingon Encounter could hold 27 people, while the Borg Invasion 4-D held 48. The museum closed when the whole attraction shut down in 2008.
The Klingon Encounter: A Space Adventure
This adventure made you feel like you were really beamed into the Star Trek universe!
Your Mission Begins
First, visitors entered a small room that looked like outer space. A TV showed scenes from Star Trek films. Then, you moved into a dimly lit waiting area for a shuttlecraft simulator ride. Suddenly, the lights flickered, and you heard transporter sounds. When the lights came back on, you were on a transporter pad! You had been beamed aboard the Enterprise-D, just like in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Meeting Starfleet
A uniformed Starfleet officer greeted you. They explained that you had been brought to the future. You were then led to the bridge of the Enterprise. On the main screen, Commander Riker appeared. He told you that Captain Picard had disappeared the moment you arrived. It turned out that one of you was Picard's ancestor!
A Klingon Commander named Korath had used a time-rift to try and kidnap Picard's ancestor. Starfleet had intercepted the Klingon beam to save everyone. Riker told the group to board a shuttlecraft with Geordi La Forge to escape the time-rift and return to your own time.
Escape and Return
As you were in the turbolift, the Klingons attacked the Enterprise! The turbolift felt like it was falling. Finally, you arrived at the shuttle bay and boarded the shuttlecraft. The shuttle ride began with an exciting battle between the Enterprise and Klingon ships.
The shuttle then flew back through the time-rift, returning you to present-day Las Vegas. You landed right next to the "motion simulators" you were originally waiting for! Captain Picard appeared and thanked everyone for saving his existence. He said, "While only one of you is my ancestor, each of you hold that same opportunity for the future. Guard it well." This exciting ride closed in 2008.
The Borg Invasion 4-D: Facing the Borg
Just like the Klingon Encounter, the Borg Invasion pulled you into a Star Trek adventure. While the Klingon Encounter was based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, this one was based on Star Trek: Voyager. This adventure also featured actors in costumes and video messages from Star Trek cast members.
A New Starfleet Base
Instead of being on the USS Voyager, this adventure took place at a special Starfleet space station built just for the Hilton attraction. You were quickly introduced to the danger you were in. On-screen, Star Trek stars like Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo helped explain the situation. The story involved you having several close encounters with scary Borg drones.
The 4-D Experience
This adventure didn't use a ride simulator. Instead, it ended with an amazing space battle against the Borg Queen in a 3-D movie. What made it "4-D" were the physical effects you felt! These included water vapor, wind, and even feeling like you were "stabbed" by a Borg probe. It was a truly immersive experience!
Secrets Unveiled: A Behind-the-Scenes Tour
In 2006, you could take a special tour to see what happened behind the scenes! The tour guides would explain the history of the attraction and share fun stories about the large model ships and items in the museum.
Going Backstage
You would get to go backstage for the first time as you were guided towards the ride queues. Throughout the tour, you visited areas like wardrobe and makeup. You also got to explore the actual sets used for the rides. This gave you more time to see all the cool details you might miss during the fast-paced rides. It also revealed some of the secrets of how the show worked to make guests feel like they were truly in the 24th century.
Taking photos was not allowed on the tour because of copyright rules. At the end, guests could sign a guestbook and received a certificate with their name and the tour guide's signature. You also got to keep the VIP badge you wore! These special tours were not included in the regular ticket price.
Closure of the Experience
The number of visitors started to go down, and talks between Cedar Fair and the Las Vegas Hilton didn't go well. Because of this, the attraction closed on September 1, 2008.
Farewell Ceremony
A special closing ceremony was held on September 1, 2008. It was like a naval decommissioning ceremony, where a ship is officially taken out of service. Actress Suzie Plakson, who played several characters in Star Trek, gave a speech and introduced all the staff members. April Hebert, who played the Vulcan T'pril, was honored as the longest-serving cast member. Other Star Trek actors like Avery Brooks, Chase Masterson, and Garrett Wang also attended. The Operations Manager, Chad Boutte, gave the final speech, ending with the famous words, "live long and prosper."
What Happened Next?
After the closure, there were talks about moving Star Trek: The Experience to a new location called the Neonopolis Mall. It was even rumored to reopen around the time the new Star Trek film came out in May 2009.
However, these plans didn't work out. Many items from the attraction, like the Quark's Bar sign and furniture, were sold off in auctions. Anything that couldn't be sold was destroyed. The plans to move the attraction stopped because the Neonopolis Mall lost the license. This happened because they couldn't get enough money to follow the contract rules. As of 2021, there haven't been any announcements about a new, permanent Star Trek attraction to replace the old one.
