Last month we reported that Star Trek The Experience (which closed its doors at the Las Vegas Hilton in September) may be resurrected at a new location. Since that time TrekMovie as well as local Las Vegas journalists have confirmed that Star Trek The Experience is moving to a new home at Neonopolis, in downtown Las Vegas. Today some new details have emerged.
The New (Old) Star Trek The Experience
In Business Las Vegas has a new feature story on the future of the Neonopolis complex which covers the opening of both a new art museum and the move of Star Trek the Experience. Rohit Joshi, a representative for the owners of Neonoplis is quoted staying:
The museum and the arts center will represent the past and the present and the Star Trek Experience will represent the future.
There are no specific details yet, but the article states that all five components of the Experience will be moving over:
- Restaurant/Bar
- Shops
- Museum of the Future
- 4-D Theater
- Simulator rides
The article notes that the Experience will be "similar but different from its predecessor and includes significant upgrades." This is a welcome sign, as noted in previous reports from TrekMovie, The Experience at the Hilton was becoming less relevant to the entire Trek franchise, especially regarding The Original Series and the new Star Trek movie.
What isn’t clear is what will be upgraded. For example will the 4-D theater still be based around the Voyager themed ‘Borg Invasion’ or will they have something new. One source told TrekMovie that the simulator rides will continue to feature the TNG-themed Klingon Encounter, but new footage will be added (replacing the part where the shuttle lands at the Hilton to where it lands at Neonopolis). Sources also indicate that Quark’s Bar and Restaurant and the ‘Promenade’ shops will be part of the move and likely the first elements to open. The plan is to open these before the Star Trek movie in May.
Regarding the ‘cast’ of characters, it is expected those who were let go when The Experience closed at the Hilton will be offered positions before auditions begin to bring on new staff.
TrekMovie has contacted Mr. Joshi and Neonopolis and will hopefully have an update on the future of Star Trek The Experience coming up soon. To date, CBS will not comment on Star Trek The Experience, so it is likely that details are still being worked out.
alright!
eggcellent!
Oh, thank the Prophets!
Anthony, any word if the original workers have been offered their jobs back? Or will it be a new “crew?”
trekdigious!!! yup new word for the day =)
Where theres profit, the Ferengi will find a way…THANK THE NEGUS !!!!!
5,
Someone must’ve been following Rule #113, if ya’ know what I mean. ;)
Either that or 95.
Mayhaps 202?
284?
I bet it will open next year along with the new movie.
I can’t get ’em straight either, Shark. I always was a poor student.
Oh thank goodness! This is great news! Neonopolis is that place over near Fremont Street, isn’t it? I think I remember it as the place that had the genie lamp from the old Aladdin. If my memory is correct.
YES!!! GREAT NEWS- and now official!
Trek “live” Lives!
Good. I’m there.
Whoo hoo! Going to celebrate!!!!
This is great news. The Experience was a wonderful….errr…experience. :)
I have great hopes for the new one.
This is excellent news!
I was in total awe at the 4d borg attraction. I haven’t seen a whole lot of 3d stuff in recent years anywhere, but that was amazingly 3d! I seriously think they should make an entire 3d movie like that. It was breathtaking.
Very cool. Even more reason to go back to Vegas!
Awesome news! Now I will have a place to hang out at again! Very cool indeed!
I hope that it gets a significant upgrade in line with the new movie and the original Trek.
This is great. Ill be moving back to vegas soon and ill be there on opening day. can’t wait to have my faveroite drink. The warp core breach!. I hope the original actors will be there. Theres a certen ferriengi i want to talk to about some merchendise he sold me. Im not happy about it. !!
17, I agree but I hope they don’t replace the TNG stuff in favor of TOS items. Remember, the TNG era comprised 14 years (in a row) of Star Trek and is therefore an important part of it. That said, they should introduce TOS and ENT related items in order for “Star Trek: The Experience” to represent the entire Star Trek franchise.
seeing as how it didn’t make enough money for the hilton to continue its run, they’ll need to do something different to draw in bigger crowds.
ooh! laser tag! er… ‘scuse me. *PHASER* tag. game rooms (lan trek games, arcade games, console games, etc)
Awesome. I’ll get to go a third time. Wonder if the two bartenders from last December will get rehired. They were awesome.
Parts will open before the movie! Wow, that’s pretty quick – I’m sure they are going to use this to promote the film.
Yay!
Take out the lame Borg ride, and make a TOS/TNG ride.
Well this is extremely encouraging! I’m glad they plan to update the technology and am VERY glad they seem ready to acknowledge that the actors who worked at the original STTE (STTOE?) were the main reason fans returned over and over again.
I sincerely hope Quark’s will remain Quark’s and not adopt some new theme. At the same time, I hope Abrams’ new Trek vision will be featured. STTE was/is the one place all incarnations of Trek can coexist in harmony.
I’d also like to offer a word of encouragement to any and all former performers and employees of STTOE: PLEASE COME BACK! WE MISS YOU!
…Well, this means that when I get my new fake leg, I’ll once again have a reason to finally go to Vegas.
YAY!!!! I’ll actually be able to go! I thought all hope was lost. Woot!!! YAY!!! Again!
This is awesome news!
Thank you a lot for resurrecting the star trek the experience in downtown las vegas, i thought that it’ll never come back or it’ll move on forever. but i’m sure that all the us fans want it back again.. thanks to cbs. I would love to go again
to the experience over and over and again and again forever this time.
“.Live Long and Prosper Star Trek The Experience” WELCOME BACK!!!
QUARK’S BAR HOORAY!!!!!!!!
My BAR STOOL BETTER BE NICE AND WARM FOR ME!!!!!
Yes!!!
One of the only reasons I go to Vegas every year is for the Experience… the other reasons we can’t talk about!
Has it been confirmed that the former employees will be given their old positions back or is this purely speculation on the part of Trekmovie.com?
Sounds AWESOME! I dont think anything about the former employees and performers is solid info yet….We are just now getting the newest information. I agree with the other poster who pointed out that the new owners obviously realize that it was the great staff, employees, bartenders, and performers that made trek live for us fans….They will have to do without Their boss Chad B. as we heard from Gerry and Francine that hes gone….not sure if he still works for Paramount or not. ..I have a feeling if they do offer the positions to the former employees some will be available and some will have moved on and some probably are not sure about whether or not they want to come back. We will see….
It is awesome news to hear there will be updates….that means that Paramount itself is involved again!!! I was afraid they would just basically move whats there downtown and then what? Other than Trek fans who else would go out of their way to go downtown? I still wish they were moving on the strip where tons of families teens etc….go they would have easy crowds and popularity on the strip..Still not sure about downtown. I hope it works…I hope they are doing more than just updating the simulator movie….I agree that more should be added but still keep the tng aspects as well….all the treks should be represented by rides and artifacts and even performers…..that would be cool…but yes QUARKS needs to STAY QUARKS!
I finally managed to get a couple of those blue star trek experience glasses with the beginning and ending dates on the glass…Found em on E bay and they cost me a TON of money! I have a feeling not too many of those were made…
Best of luck to all concerned lets hope the new similar but different Star Trek Experience will ROCK! and be popular forever…..and ever!
Yay, I’ll get to have another Warp Core Breach with my Shipmates !!!
Yum …
As an employee at the old Experience (not a high-ranking employee, mind you), I’ll say that I’m learning all of this as you are, and so far I’ve not been contacted for employment. Outside of the official news, there have been a few rumors I’ve picked up from other employees, but very little specifics and nothing real reliable.
I’m glad to read that the character staff will be offered spots, and hope to see them all there. Although I have no indication, I would assume that some of the management might be offered positions as well (after all, they would already know how to run the place). Beyond that, I understand if the “regular” staff isn’t given the same priority, but I don’t see any reason why experience at the old Experience wouldn’t be a huge factor in any employment decisions. And I’ll be there the moment I know where to apply!
Trekcellent!
Good story. I didn’t know Vegas had other things of interest. Nice to know.
It’s over by Fremont Street? Cool…so I can hit the Experience and then the strip clubs? What more can you want??
Seriously, as long as I can get a warp core breach again one of these days, that rocks.
#19, I agree with you. But while the TNG era is my favorite, I do think there does need to be more of a presence of TOS than there was at the Hilton. It will be interesting to see how they juggle everything in. It would be cool to have the bridges for both 1701 and 1701-D or 1701-E.
#36… I hope everything works out for you and the rest of the STE staff. On my final trip to the Hilton, I took the backstage tour and afterwards had wonderful chat with the tour guide. I’ve forgotten his name, but I can tell you he was the guy who made a lot of the resin props for the actors. Part of what made the Experience so fun for me was the dedication of the staff — they knew there stuff and were very passionate about All Things Trek.
#38
We’ll have to let our friend the conductor/Star Trek fan know that he can look forward to the reopening of the Experience in Las Vegas. He told me that he was disappointed at never being able to catch it when he was there,
I can now put Vegas back on my list of vacation spots.
As for the Ferengi angle on this, it just goes to show that all you have to do is trust in the Great River and it shall provide opportunity for profit.
I smell gold pressed latinum…..
F’n A! I guess my boycott of Las Vegas for 2009 has been lifted.
just 3 words
MAKE IT SO
WOOHOO! I Can finally go to vegas and celebrate my 21st (although i turned 21 on September 29th) Of course the first thing to do will be to go to the Experience.
A working Guardian of Forever that I could leap through and land at Desilu Stage 9 in 1966 would be ideal.
Short of that, I’d love to see a complete 360-degree enclosed original series bridge and a “Galileo 7” ride.
Maybe they can show a bird of prey crashing into the hilton :)
HA HA Justin!!! Or maybe at least a battalion of Klingons Beaming Down and giving everybody at the Hilton Wedgies! Heheheh……Thats what they get for calling us nerds n closing us down…
Actually there is one point in the simulator movie where a car on the strip is vaporized…hmmm…..just aim a little bit higher and back a couple of blocks at the Hilton haahh…
Just imagine if thanks to Star Trek the Experience NEonopolis is popular and the Hilton Loses popularity due to lack of the Experience. I know I will never go there again..including the convention…..Creation better move it downtown fast…..