he chance to do more than just watch Star Trek -- to actually
walk in the world of Trek, to live and breathe it -- arrives this August at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nev. Star Trek: The Experience will be many things -- an exhibit,
a ride and a shopping center, among others. While the months drag on until the attraction opens, this Web site has been created to provide
updates on construction of the Experience and to give a behind-the-scenes look at its creation.
The heart of the site is The Virtual Tour, a walk-through
of the attraction. Visitors start at a Trek museum containing costumes
and props from the televisions shows and movies, then it's on to an
exact replica of the Enterprise's bridge. From there they
proceed to the shuttlecraft ride: a capsule that holds 27
people (it bounces and rolls around while a synchronized film
plays inside). At last visitors reach The Promenade, where
they will find a Trek-themed restaurant and lounge, plus shops
and computer games. The whole experience will be tied together
with a story written by veteran Trek writers Rene
Echevarria and Ken Biller.
Besides the tour, the Web site has a Background section
with photos of the attraction in the construction phase, as well as
illustrations of what the Experience will look like when complete. There's also an interview with Rick Berman, executive producer of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, who is acting as creative consultant for the Experience.
A tantalizing glimpse
A Web site like this has two purposes: the first is to whet
the appetites of consumers, while the second is to explain what the heck the
Experience will be, since it isn't easy to classify. Both of
these things are accomplished handily. The Virtual Tour
shows what people can expect to see and do when they visit the Experience, and
there are some intriguing pictures of what the finished
attraction will look like. The Promenade in particular looks
very cool, with multiple levels and a star dome in the ceiling.
The construction shots are also fun, in particular the shots of
the gigantic starship models that will hang in the exhibit area.
If only more information about the overarching story were
supplied. That the Enterprise is involved is revealed,
but nothing more. Visitors can't expect the attraction's creators to
give away the whole thing, of course, (and who would want them
to?) but a few hints would be nice. For instance, the site's top
page has a picture of a whole set of new characters. Who are
these people?
While it's not particularly big, this site is more than adequate
to satisfy anyone's curiosity about the hybrid of TV, thrill
ride, and dining currently under construction in Las Vegas. Now the big question is, will this Experience be any good? Will visitors truly feel like they've traveled to the 24th century, or will eating Rec Deck Burgers and Deep Space Onions be a pale shadow of the "real" thing?
