The Enterprise That Almost Was

In 1992 a FULL SCALE Starship Enterprise was planned for Fremont Street in Las Vegas. The mammoth 150 million dollar project would have been the Wienie (in Disneyspeak) drawing crowds to the undervisited "old" end of Vegas. Analysts calculated that, in addition to admission fees, the Enterprise would have paid for itself by increasing Vegas tourism. The NCC-1701A design measures 1000 feet long, longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. This would have been 8th Wonder of the world, a tourism symbol along with Sydney's Opera House and the Disney castles. The project was approved by everyone from investors to Las Vegas' Mayor, but was stopped by a single veto from the old man who happened to be CEO of Paramount.

World-renowned attraction creator Gary Goddard recently talked about the Enterprise in his company's blog. Goddard quotes Albert Einstein: "Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds".

The Star Trek Attraction That Almost Came to Life

In one fell swoop Paramount lost countless milllions in licensing dollars, for there was no financial risk to the studio. Las Vegas eventually built the Fremont Street Experience, which revitalized that end of the Strip but had none of the Enterprise's drawing power. Some of the idea lived on in The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton1998-2008. We all hope to look up and see giant Starships someday. Hats off to the real USS Enterprise CVN-65, now on her final deployment!

The Star Trek Experience closing in 2008.

Latest from NASM

Saturday and Sunday we had a few Washington hours for another pilgrimage to the National Air and Space Museum. One week later, Saturday October 8, the entire museum was shut down due to protesters. Why would anyone want to protest this place? This is what the protest was allegedly about, a display of military drone aircraft. How many people travelled thousands of miles to have their museum plans disrupted? We suspect that the demonstrators were unhappy with US policy. There is plenty to be angry about, but such protests belong at the White House.

A room devoted to the Wright Brothers' achievements. NASM is Washington's most popular attraction, a place devoted to our universal fascination with flight. The aircraft and displays here are beyond priceless. Among them are Russian spacecraft and Axis warplanes from WW2. The machines are fascinating, regardless of the policies they were tools of.

This is not a mockup, but a spaceworthy Skylab 2 built to be flown after Skylab 1. Though it makes a fascinating exhibit, what a waste to be not flown in Space. Could we make a similar mistake again? Some say that the Space Shuttle orbiters have many useful flights left, and should not yet be put in museums.

The USS Enterprise from the classic STAR TREK series is presently in the basement of the souvenir shop, among the bargain items. The Enterprise Space Shuttle test vehicle is at the NASM Udvar-Hazy museum near Dulles airport. Space will always be central to humanity's dreams for the future.

New STAR TREK Sneaks Into Texas

The crew of the new STAR TREK have been making surprise appearances, which allowed us to see J. J Abrams and the cast in February, Chris Pine, Zack Pinto, and J. J. Monday night at Austin's theatre was advertised as a free screening of STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN, "One of the best pictures ever made." The line producer and writers of the new film would then answer questions and show 10 minutes of new footage. About 200 movie fans showed up Monday, the few who cared to talk to the writers.

KHAN had barely started when the film "broke." Producer Damon Lindelof and writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman pretended to fend for themselves. "Stall for time!, someone yelled. Suddenly they were joined onstage by none other than LEONARD NIMOY! Classic Spock brought along a copy of the new movie, which he showed in its entirety. None in the crowd complained about missing KHAN, for the new movie compares very well.

Nimoy, Lindelof, Orci and Kurtzman stayed past the closing credits. Fans in Texas saw the new TREK 6 hours before its official world premiere in Sydney. We enjoyed the movie, hope it does very well and leads to more. Maybe next time they will seek NASA's technical help, so the Enterprise will not be built on the ground.

Chris Pine, Zack Pinto, and J. J.

At a film industry event over the weekend the surprise guest was none other than J. J. ABRAMS. He often visits ILM for effects, and joined his STAR TREK actors to plug the movie. In the trailer to be released Friday along with WATCHMEN, we learn that Kirk's father was briefly in command of a starship.

I asked Chris Pine (Kirk) if he had any favourite episodes of Classic Trek. He was fond of "The Enemy Within" and "Shore Leave." Zachary Pinto (Spock) did not need to see any old episodes, because he had Leonard Nimoy on set advising him. The original STAR TREK has lasted so long because Roddenberry sought the technical advice of NASA and the aerospace industry. In turn many in space today were inspired by the show. We can hope that the movie is good.

STAR TREK Experience 1996-2008

September 1 was the last day for the STAR TREK Experience in Las Vegas. This was the coolest ride in town, even for people who didn't enjoy the TV show. More than an amusement park ride, this attraction involved us in the adventure. Quark's Bar, Promenade shops and the "Klingon Experience" opened in 1996. Participants were part of an adventure that took them through the Transporter room, Bridge and a wild ride on a shuttlecraft. The "Borg 4D" Experience in 1996 added 3-dimensional effects. Captive audiences enjoyed the sensations of being assimilated before being rescued by USS Voyager. Afterwards we could relax at Quark's and enjoy the steaming "Warp Core" drink. Last Thursday, while the writer also enjoyed the Excalbian Enchiladas, the place seemed successful as ever. We will sorely miss the Experience, and wonder why it had to close.

Red uniform is from the classic episode: MIRROR, MIRROR. An alternate Universe was ruled by a conquering Empire, the Enterprise was run like a pirate ship and the women all had flat bellies. In the year 2008 mainstream scientists have given up on explaining the Universe, saying that it is just one of countless "multiverses." Each of these multiple universes would have different physical parameters. We all have our wicked side.

In "THE Nth DEGREE" ultra-advanced aliens turn unaccomplished Lt. Barclay into a super-brain, the most advanced human alive. Soon he has outperformed Einstein on a blackboard and found unsuspected applications of Space/Time. After beams of light fuse him to the ship's computer, his disembodied voice proudly announces:

"I perceive the Universe as a single equation, and it is so simple,.."

According to STAR TREK, even by the 24th century humans will not have figured out a simple equation like GM = tc^3. If that is not simple enough, in Planck units M = R = t. After they are gone discoverers will, like Zefram Cochrane, be immortalised as statues with their human failings forgotten. STAR TREK reminds us that the humanity is capable of far more.

Who Mourns For Adonis?

Americans, what does this resemble? This is the classic STAR TREK episode WHO MOURNS FOR ADONIS? The temple set is designed to make its occupant look big. It turns out that Apollo is not a God, but an alien whose flashy technology awed his audiences. As Arthur Clarke said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The blonde woman in the short skirt is Leslie Parrish, whose other notable credit was THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.

In photo below, viewscreen photos are from X-Ray spacecraft. Picture on the left is from SOHO and the right is from CHANDRA.