Last call at Quark's Bar

Star Trek fans gather one final time at Las Vegas Hilton attraction

Photos by Jim Miller/ViewLeft, Szczepanski applies his blue makeup for his Andorian character. Right, Mark Weitz touches up his makeup for his Klingon Commander Churoq costume. Photos by Jim Miller/ViewGary Rasmussen, center, of Los Angeles, takes time at Star Trek: The Experience to capture a picture with Professor T?Pril, left, played by April Hebert, and Lt. K?Stran, played by Kerstan Szczepanski. JIM MILLER/VIEWJo Ellen Heil of Ventura, Calif., reads letters left by fans of Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton, Aug. 24. Photos by Jim Miller/ViewLeft, Szczepanski applies his blue makeup for his Andorian character. Right, Mark Weitz touches up his makeup for his Klingon Commander Churoq costume. Advertisement

"I'm going to miss you. You had such potential, but then again, all good things must come to an end."

-- John de Lancie as Q in the last episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"

In a city that shakes off its old skin to reveal another strange and wonderful incarnation every few years, the loss of another unique destination should barely raise an eyebrow. That said, Star Trek: The Experience, which closed its doors forever at the Las Vegas Hilton, 3000 Paradise Road, Sept. 1, will be deeply missed by fans.

On the last day The Experience was open, there were still employees who had been working there from the beginning. The restaurant and bar were filled to capacity, and the rides did steady business. An astounding number of people there in the last few weeks noted that they had made a special trip to see it one last time.

The Experience lasted just short of 11 years, a respectable lifespan for Las Vegas. It lasted longer than any of the television series that inspired it and remained open for three years after original episodes of any "Star Trek" show were on the air. Most of the incarnations of "Star Trek" lasted seven seasons. The original series in the 1960s nearly was canceled after the second season, but was rescued for one more season by a massive letter-writing campaign by the fans.

The fans were still writing letters until the last day at The Experience. A wall there was covered with numerous letters by visitors to The Experience wanting to recount memories, make desperate pleas for a last-minute reprieve or simply pour their hearts out for fellow fans to see. The letters ranged from a multi-paged typed recounting of falling in love, marrying and taking the children of that marriage to The Experience to a heartfelt statement in large block letters on yellow construction paper; "No STAR TREK Means I will never come Back to Vegas. Megan Age 9."

It's hard to imagine many attractions in Las Vegas with such a dedicated following. Arguably, this is not only a testament to the longevity and popularity of "Star Trek" as a franchise, but to the dedication of those who worked at The Experience.

"We're very aware of the crowds," lead performer Lynn Sterling said. "When we're busy, everyone takes shorter breaks; we don't want the fans to be disappointed."

Sterling started at The Experience only a few months after it opened, performing as Maj. Kahlen, the Klingon head of security. Initially, the actors were all trained to work the rides, portraying human Star Fleet personnel. Essentially, they performed a six-minute play repeatedly throughout their shifts as they moved characters through an interactive ride. A few portrayed aliens walking around the retail space, restaurant and bar.

"We're in a strange area because we have such a level of interaction with the guests and so much depth to our character creations that we're beyond the norms for the CWAs, as they call it, the character walk around, which is basically what the industry term for us would be," Kerstan Szczepanski said.

In addition to the guest relations, improvisation and remaining flawlessly in character, the actors portraying the Klingons had to learn the language, a constructed language that has been developed enough that there is a Klingon dictionary and a Klingon translation of "Hamlet."

"At first, we used to get a lot of people challenging us by speaking to us in Klingon," Sterling said. "But that's tapered off over the years. I'm probably the best Klingon speaker here. I know all the songs that have been published, and I still sing them at work."

All of the characters portrayed in The Experience were unique individuals with thought-out back-stories and fictional lives of their own.

"When you do this for so long, with the level of interaction, it's not just posing for pictures," Szczepanski said. "Things will start to develop, all the characters, not the actors, will start to have relationships with one another."

Like a well-crafted Renaissance faire or interactive dinner theater, there's a cohesive story going, and the audience is only privy to a fraction.

"We've got people here who know our stories, not us, but the characters," April Hebert said. "We have people who are friends with the characters."

The actors aren't sure how their experience at The Experience will translate to other jobs.

"As an actor, I don't have any experience with looking for the next job," Sterling said. "I've been an actor 10 years, but all at The Experience."

Szczepanski notes that there is a certain amount of looking down at CWAs.

"I know a guy who does a Groucho act," he said. "I worked with him when I was doing the Cowardly Lion at the MGM and he was doing some work there as Groucho. Years later, he grudgingly admitted to a mutual friend that he had done that, because for him, being a character walk around was something of a step down."

Most of the actors are unclear on what the future holds for them.

"I have no idea where I'm going," Sterling said. "I'm not one to plan ahead. I'm terrible that way. I think that's why I like this business. This is the longest gig I've ever had. Before that, it was four years at 'Jubilee!,' and other than that, it's year contract after year contract. We all have to get back that gypsy spirit, actors don't normally have a 10-year gig."

Jarrod Fornby, who played the Ferengi Quan at The Experience, will work on some more plays and short films. Szczepanski will take some time to work on a novel. Tom Dischley, who portrayed Gen. Motog, will just take some time.

"I'm of retirement age," he said. "I'm going to travel for a while and then take it from there."

Michael Hartnett, who played the Borg Three of Six, hopes to stay in Las Vegas. "My wife and I like it here," he said.

Mark Weitz, who has worked at The Experience from the beginning, most of the time as the Klingon Commander Churoq, knows where he'll be in the immediate future. He and another of the aliens have landed a gig playing a character named Carl at the Fremont Street Experience.

"We broadcast on the giant canopy," he said. "We're sidewalk comedians, basically."

As odd as that job sounds, it's another that is his true passion. Weitz also is Interloper: Alien Warrior Comedian, a stand-up comic in heavy alien make-up and costume. Despite a poor showing in the most recent season of "Last Comic Standing," the Alien Warrior Comic has eight months of convention work lined up.

The group, which several people at The Experience described as "tight knit," will for the most part be going their separate ways. The regulars at the bar, including several who moved to Las Vegas in part for The Experience, said they will follow the bartenders to their next jobs. The out-of-town regulars, and there were quite a few, simply won't come to Las Vegas as often, they said.

The Las Vegas Hilton is still tight-lipped about what will replace The Experience. At 9 p.m. on Labor Day, the last drink was served at Quark's Bar. The bartenders stood on the bar for a celebratory shot to the applause of the crowd. The patrons were then gently herded out and formed a ring around the entrance. At 10 p.m., an official decommissioning ceremony was held and many words were spoken, much of them written by Fornby. Actress Suzie Plaxon, who played several roles in various incarnations at The Experience, read the names of approximately 160 people, the entire current staff, as they all, actors, wait staff, bartenders and administration, came out for a final solo bow.

It would be a lie to say there wasn't a dry eye in the house, but there were fewer dry eyes by far than there were fans in Star Fleet uniforms. In the end, operations manager Chad Boutte entreated the crowd one last time to "live long and prosper." And a gold curtain descended across the entrance.