Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton

[BeeastFarmer]

I recently binge watched Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager. I was feeling nostalgic and wrote a journal entry to remember my times I went to Star Trek: The Experience.  I am going to share that here, along with a decent YouTube video I found.  Did anyone else here get to experience this?  I'm not a Trekkie, but a fan.  It's hard to believe that the same company that presented this pretty much destroyed the OG vision of the Taft Parks.

To be transparent, I used Grammarly for edit and AI suggestions.

My Reflection on ST:TE at the Las Vegas Hilton

For a glorious, warp-speed moment in time, Las Vegas wasn't just about Elvis impersonators and slot machines. It was about starships, phasers, and the final frontier. I'm talking, of course, about Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Stepping into the attraction was like entering a temporal anomaly. Before you even got to the "experience" itself, you wandered through a museum, a curated collection of Star Trek props, costumes, and set pieces. It was a fascinating glimpse into the show's history, a tangible reminder of the fantastical worlds that had captured our imaginations.

Then came the "pre-show," a delightfully cheesy affair. Actors, playing enthusiastic but slightly off-kilter Star Trek re-enactors, guided you through a series of "exhibits." Their performances were intentionally over-the-top and campy, a knowing wink to the fandom, setting the stage for the immersion to come. You were, in essence, watching a low-budget, fan-made Star Trek presentation.

And then, just as you were settling into the campy vibe, the magic happened. You "disappeared into the future."

Suddenly, you were no longer a spectator. You were a participant, a time traveler on a critical mission. You were beamed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, the iconic starship from "The Next Generation."

The sets were incredibly detailed, from the familiar corridors to the imposing bridge. You walked those hallowed hallways, feeling the weight of Starfleet history. On the bridge, you received briefings from Captain Picard, Number One, and Geordi La Forge. They barked orders, assigned tasks, and made you feel like a vital part of the Star Trek storyline.

The journey continued with a ride in a turbo lift, descending to Shuttle Bay 1. You boarded a shuttle, your mission: return to your own time. But, of course, things never go smoothly when time travel is involved.

You entered a nebula to escape the Klingons, who were charged with destroying the time travelers, of whom one is a direct ancestor of Jean Luc Picard.  They eliminate the ancestor, they change the future.  You see some sort of alien life form in the nebula before being thrust through a temporal rift, a dizzying visual spectacle, and emerged back over Las Vegas. But this wasn't the Vegas you left behind. It was the stuff of magic because you were still being chased by the Klingons in their Bird-of-Prey, sleek and menacing, pursuing your shuttle through the skies above the neon-lit cityscape. You weaved and dodged, iconic Vegas landmarks flashing by a surreal backdrop to the interstellar chase.

The climax was a dramatic crash landing into the Las Vegas Hilton itself, with the Klingon ship destroyed in the process. The mission was complete.

Picard, in voice only, congratulated you on your success but sternly reminded you of the Prime Directive: don't reveal what you've seen or done, lest you disrupt the timeline.

As you exited the "experience," the illusion continued. TV screens displayed local news reports, complete with grainy footage and breathless commentary, about UFO sightings over the Las Vegas Strip. It was a clever touch, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Finally, you emerged into Quark's Bar, a bustling hive of alien activity. Klingons grumbled over drinks, Ferengi schemed at tables, and other familiar Star Trek species mingled with the crowd. The atmosphere was electric, a perfect coda to the immersive journey. The Romulan Ale was pretty tasty!

Beyond the Vegas Strip: A Missed Opportunity?

Star Trek: The Experience wasn't just a fun diversion; it was a powerful demonstration of what Paramount could achieve in the amusement industry. It showcased a level of immersive storytelling and themed environment design that was truly groundbreaking. It was a testament to the potential for creating truly transformative experiences.

And it begs the question: why didn't this level of immersive theming trickle down into the Paramount Parks? Imagine Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Great America, Canada's Wonderland, and Carowinds transformed into immersive hubs of Paramount's vast intellectual property. Imagine stepping into a Star Trek starbase, exploring a "Mission: Impossible" training facility, or venturing into a "Wayne's World" concert.

Sadly, Paramount Parks, by and large, did not fully realize their potential. While some properties were integrated, the parks never achieved the level of immersive, cohesive theming that Star Trek: The Experience demonstrated. The opportunity to create truly unique and captivating theme park experiences was largely missed.

Star Trek: The Experience was a glimpse of what could have been, a blueprint for a new era of themed entertainment. It was a testament to the enduring power of the franchise and a reminder of the magic that can happen when imagination meets technology. Sadly, the experience closed its doors in 2008, but for those who were lucky enough to experience it, the memories remain, as vibrant and compelling as ever. It was a truly unique and unforgettable slice of Las Vegas history, and a lost opportunity for the wider world of theme parks. Sadly, ST:TE closed in 2008 after Cedar Fair chose not to continue the attraction.

 

This longer video contains the closing ceremony as well as the second experience that was added a few years into the run--The Borg Encounter:

 

 

  

[jzarley]

Yes! I think I visited a total of three times—2x before they added the Borg 4D film and once after. It really can be considered the predecessor of the current day fully integrated single themed lands (like Harry Potter at Universal, SW Galaxy’s Edge at the Disney Parks, etc.) that combine attractions, retail, food & beverage and employees “acting the part” around a common storyline. They were really years ahead of their time.

I totally agree with you—ST:TE showed exactly what Paramount Creative could do when given the resources. I also could never understand how the Paramount Parks were never able to produce anything even reasonably close. (Despite the announcement hype coming every year with each new PKI announcement that never even came close in reality.) I realize that ST:TE was a year-round attraction in one of the largest tourist destinations in the world vs. regional seasonal theme parks, but still—the parks never produced anything close to that quality. I also never could understand why the Star Trek brand (arguably, probably the most valuable IP Viacom/Paramount owned) was never really utilized to its potential in the parks. Sure, they did the half-assed themed relocated coaster at Carowinds, but that was about it (aside from the walk-around characters early on the Paramount Parks life).

I’m curious as to what the annual attendance at was at ST:TE in its best year? I’m sure it was still dwarfed by the attendance at (P)KI.