Stage Two: Las Vegas; Star Trek The Experience

In February 1998 I paid a return visit to Las Vegas, which I had first seen in 1990 (briefly).  This time I was here for a week, and I got to see most of the sights, including the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, as well as visiting most of the casinos along the strip.
Pride of place (for me at least) must go to "Star Trek The Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton; this had almost literally just opened up, (less than a month previously, in fact) and, when I realised that I would be one of the first to visit it I was 'over the moon'!.
I wrote about the trip in great detail in "USS Beagle" issue 23, which I edited; lengthy extracts from this write up follow!
In the first part of this article, I described the 'ride' and museum section of "Star Trek The Experience", (Note: this is not included here as it is a bit of a 'spoiler' for the ride!) but what of the Bar/Restaurant and shops?  One thing that most Trek fans do is spend money on Trek stuff; surely the Experience would be an ideal place to stretch that credit card limit?
Well, yes it is.  Once you exit, blinking, from the ride, you emerge in the shop/restaurant area.  The whole area is built to DS9 designs, and actually resembles the Promenade set as seen in the series.  All the staff are Bajorans, and all are friendly and helpful.  If you chose at this point to enter Quarks, you are seated and presented with a menu.  The food is excellent; I visited twice and was not disappointed on either occasion.  There are smoking and non-smoking sections, and video screens play highlights from the various series as you eat and drink. There is a wide selection of starters, main courses and desserts, including Bolian Chicken, Sisko's Sirloin Steak, and Ham, Cheese and Bacon Cheese Borgers.  Everything offered has a Trek themed name, and you can even order Gragh, (which turns out to be gummi worms!)  Drinks range from the usual soft drinks, (Pepsi), through frozen drinks, such as Raktajino, which is frozen coffee and Mocha, and Wesley's Crush, (a blend of Strawberry, banana and coconut), to the alcoholic beverages, such as Klingon Blood Wine, (French red!), Romulan Ale, (German Lager!) and 'Warp Core Breach', a potent blend served in a large bowl with dry ice (or similar) so that the drink actually smokes when it arrives!  It's meant for two people, and you would only want to drink one, it's strong stuff!  Many of the drinks are available in a 'collectors glass', a standard feature of most theme restaurants in Las Vegas.  Until stocks last, a extra special, limited edition "Quark's Bar and Restaurant" glass is/was available; a vivid blue shaped glass with the logo printed in gold.  (Yep, I did get one!)  Deserts include some excellent chocolate covered tarts, ice cream etc.  Finally, you can have a cup of Janeway's coffee, or try ordering "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" in your best West Coast French/British accent...  The prices are reasonable, and on a par with other 'themed' restaurants in the area, although the overall quality of the food and service is much better than average!  An average two course meal, with a drink and coffee, should set you back around $20 per person.
Having stuffed yourself silly, it's time to do some SERIOUS shopping.  There are a variety of shops and kiosks on the promenade, covering every budget.   "The Admiral's Collection" contains limited edition and signed items for the serious collector.  Cast pictures, signed CD's, chess sets and loads more.  (For more details on the sort of things available here, see 'The Bazaar' section at the front of the newsletter!)  I found the prices to be a little high here, especially when compared with the Official Star Trek fan club, but you have the advantage of being able to take many of the items away without having to pay delivery or, if you're lucky, customs duty.  "Garak's" sells, as you would expect for a tailor, assorted Trek related clothing, from t-shirts and sweatshirts to ties and baseball caps.  "Moogies" specialises in "Star Trek The Experience" specific souvenirs; the usual tshirts and sweatshirts could be found, and other items such as watches and pin badges were also available.  Whist I was there the last remaining stocks of a special edition T/Sweatshirt was being sold; carrying a backprint "Maiden Voyage 03.02.98".  These were specially printed for the launch and will not be reprinted.  (Before you ask, yes, I DID buy one.  A Sweatshirt, actually!)
There is also a photo kiosk, where you can have your picture superimposed onto a Trek themed image and printed off; both normal prints and Lenticular 3d images are available, and you can choose to pose on a Transporter pad, with Seven of Nine, or with Captain Sisko, (amongst others things!)
All around the Promenade there are touch screen terminals connected to the Star Trek web site, which gives information on all things Trek, particularly The Experience.  The place is crowded, and 'Quarks' seems to be permanently busy; there were queues forming when I went in and this was at opening time, 11am!
The whole thing is a must.  Admittedly, the shops are a little expensive, (although, for the most part, cheaper than European prices, with loads of stuff you just cannot get outside the USA!), but the food is excellent, the staff are friendly and the setting magnificent.   ..

Star Trek The Experience is online:
The Experience itself is at: www.startrekexp.com
The online store is at: www.ds9promenade.com

On the Saturday of my stay in Las Vegas, a local shopping mall, the "Fashion Show" were holding a Star Trek event, to tie in with the comparatively recent opening at the Las Vegas Hilton.  Macy's, the department store chain, sponsored the event, which was in two parts.  The first consisted of a demonstration of Trek make-up techniques, presented by the team responsible for the make-up both on the TV show and at the Experience.  They needed a guinea pig, who was going to be transformed into a Klingon.  No, I didn't get asked...  A news reader on the local cable station Channel 5 by the name of Sue Manteris was used, and it was with some trepidation that she sat on the stage in front of Macy's and had one of the highly skilled make-up artists do her stuff.  The whole thing took about a hour, and Sue Manteris was taken backstage to get into her costume.  When she reappeared, she made a most convincing Klingon Warrior; so convincing in fact that a Male Klingon stormed the stage and announced that she was his mate!  The pictures on this page are a 'before' and 'after'; I hope they have come out clearly!
The second part of the event involved a number of senior people from the Experience itself, who took part in a question and answer session, during which a brief promotional video of the Experience was also shown.  At the end, the audience was asked questions, with prizes on offer for each correct answer.  These prizes ranged from tickets to the Experience, Sweatshirts, "Star Trek The Experience" medallions and, as the Grand Prize, lunch for two and tickets for the Experience.
OK, it was a bit of a cheat I'll admit.  The question asked for the Grand Prize was one I had asked the Experience team earlier, so of course I had a head start in answering it correctly!  My prize was presented to me by a large Klingon female, who growled as I took the envelope!  Quite scary!  Due to my being due to fly out the next morning, I had thought I wouldn't be able to 'do' lunch, but Paramount Parks, (and the Vice President of "Star Trek The Experience", Tom Rapone) very kindly altered this to Dinner, so my sister and I were able to spend out last evening in Las Vegas stuffing ourselves silly in true Star Trek fashion as Quark's!  (Pictures of Sue Manteris by Paul Bines)

Now, for some pictures from Star Trek The Experience

Star Trek The Experience: Left: Carrier Bag.  Right: The Hotel Sign

Inside The Experience; the Enterprise D and the Voyager.

My bill for eating at Quark's Bar the first time!

Sue Manteris Before... ...and After being made up as a Klingon by Star Trek The Experience at Macy's, the Fashion Mall, Las Vegas!