After a delay of more than six months, “Star Trek: The Experience” opened at the Las Vegas Hilton with a long line of Trekkies gathered outside the $70 million attraction. They waited patiently for a crowd of formally attired VIPs to clear Quark’s Bar, so they could be beamed to the 24th Century to stand on the bridge of the USS Enterprise and study History of the Future museum artifacts.
Some fans were rewarded with autographs of James Doohan, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Rene Auberjonois and Garret Wang, who were among actors representing various “Star Trek” series and films. Other celebs were Jasmine Bleeth, Andy Dick, Jackee Harry, Kathy Kinney, Costas Mandylor and Montel Williams.
Jeri Ryan, a popular newcomer to “Star Trek: Voyager,” also was on hand. The tall, blond Ryan from Wilmette plays the character 7 of 9–described by one sci-fi writer as a “techno-Barbie-dominatrix”–credited with single-handedly boosting the sagging series’ ratings.
“I’d prefer to say that it’s the quality of the writing, not my silver latex uniform,” Ryan said, while signing autographs for fans and reporters alike.