Got the sad news by reading Wil Wheaton’s blog (who got it from Wired):
Offering a sad commentary on the state of the Star Trek franchise, the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas will shut down Star Trek : The Experience this fall.
Part simulator, part environment, part museum and (of course) part gift shop/restaurant, the Experience opened 10 years ago during the height of popularity for the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.
But, the exhibit isn’t drawing the fans it once did — just as the franchise is fading off the public radar. While J.J. Abrams is hustling to save Star Trek on the big screen, it’s too late to save it in Vegas.
I had the opportunity to go see Star Trek: the Experience last summer when I went to Vegas. As a Trekie, I was basically a kid in a candy store. If you get a chance to swing by Vegas before September 1, be sure to stop by the Hilton in Vegas and check this out. I’m not sure what the Hilton is going to replace The Experience when it goes away. The Hilton is off the strip and aside from being close to the convention center, it doesn’t have much else going for it.
Just more signs that a franchise that’s such a big part of my life is on life support – Damn you Rick Berman!