“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyagers of the starship Enterprise. It’s continuing mission: To explore strange new world, to seek out new life and new civilization; to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
- opening introduction of the series, Star Trek, The Next Generation
October 8, a Sunday. We woke early that morning for our travel to Las Vegas, the next stop in my US tour. Las Vegas is a 6 – 7 hour road trip over a barren wasteland from LA. And by the time, we got there. It is about 4 in the afternoon. We took some time off from our ride to cool our heels (more like our arse) at the Caesar’s Palace before proceeding to our hotel, the Flamingo. The stay at Las Vegas was supposed to be our free activity night without programs or visits scheduled but Eric, our tour guide proposed to “show” us around town for a $50 fee. Everybody including my aunt and my cousin readily took the offer except for my sister and me because I had something else planned for the evening. During one of the stopovers in our road trip, I manage to obtain a copy of the Las Vegas tourist guide and to my consternation, I discovered that there is this show dubbed, “The Star Trek Experience” at the Las Vegas Hilton, which also happened to be just a block away from the hotel that I’m staying (whopeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!). I heard about this show years ago in some TV infomercial. As a Trekkie, I’ve long to visit the place ever since. I’d always wanted to be “there” at the bridge of the Galaxy class starship, USS Enterprise NCC1701D and if possible sit at the captain’s chair. Imagine the smile on my face after finally realizing that I would be able to “see” in my “dream” and that I would finally be “there”. I’m a man of few indulgences (some say I’m boring because of that). I’m never a movie fanatic neither do I “worship” film stars or rock stars (Idon’t go hysterical or “agog” over them) but Star Trek, however is an exception. I don’t know why but probably because I’m science enthusiast, space science in particular. And Star Trek is all about space and more. Star Trek is about the exploration of the unknown not only of space but also of the inner being, of the endless possibilities that only an open mind could proffer, and of the future of mankind, a vision of utopia. But most probably, the reason Star Trek appeals to me because it awakens the other side of me, the side of me that is curious, imaginative, and adventurous, the side of me that wants to be “out there”……….. My sister and I hurriedly finish our dinner at the hotel and immediately embark on our quest and by 7pm, we were already there buying our tickets and boy! The tickets are quite expensive, $40 per person which translates to roughly P2,000. No wonder there was no line formed. Anyway, the ticket entitled the holder to see two show, the 4D Borg Invasion and the 3D Klingon Encounter plus an unrestricted tour of the museum. We toured the museum while we are waiting for the show to start. Hahhhhhhhh……. The place is quite nostalgic to me. I can’t help it. All those Photon Torpedoes, Phasers, and Starfleet Uniforms simply brought out the “memories” of episodes of the series that I’ve watched. As the show began, we were led into a briefing room inside a Science Space Lab/ Starbase located somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Inside the room, The Doctor or the USS Voyager Medical hologram told us about Starfleet Medical’s latest top – secret project being developed at the station. Based on briefings, Starfleet Medical is trying to develop a counter measure to the Borg’s nanite implants specifically, Starfleet discovered that some humans possesses the genes to create a immune system that would combat the Borg’s nanite invasion of the body. The nanites once inside the host would try to take over the host’s brain functions and with it’s success transforms the individual into a mindless zombie. With the attachment of some shielding, weaponry, communications, and scanning devices, the host would become a half humanoid – half machine Borg whose mind is seamlessly and eternally connected to the Borg Collective represented by the Borg Queen. Hence, the importance of the project and it turns out that we are the test subjects since we possess the “correct genes”. However, before any tests were conducted, we felt a huge shudder and heard a loud bang. The Borg has attacked! It had attacked the station ostensibly to thwart any attempt to their dominance (funny but the station happens to be conveniently located inside the Delta Quadrant, their territory!). General alarms were sounded off and a general lock down was initiated and we were all ordered to evacuate the station and board a shuttlecraft that would take us out of the Borg space and into Federation territories. Power however was out and in the midst of the blaring red light, our officer – escorts had to manually pry open the shuttle bay door. As we nervously waited for our escape, a Borg arm punched through the ceiling and grabbed an officer upwards to be “assimilated” (the process of being transformed into a Borg). To add further tension to what seems to be a very intense situation, a Borg drone (individual unit) in all of it’s cybernetic gory suddenly appeared behind us and walking towards us hell bent to “assimilate” us into the Collective. Luckily, the door opened and we all rushed in. It closed just in the nick of time just like one would expect from a good story. Even so, the relentless Borg banged the door so hard that we thought that he might actually bore it down and got to us but then, the shuttlecraft launches out of the station and into deep space. For a moment there, we thought that we were safe but to our distress, the Borg Cube (the Borg mother ship) was waiting for us. The first thing it did was blast away the pilot cockpit rendering the shuttlecraft immobile and dead in the waters. In the middle of this “tragedy”, we were lucky that the shield hold up preventing us from being sucked into the emptiness of space but nevertheless, we became the prisoners of the Borg. The Borg Cube has thrown a tractor beam at us and towed us in. Inside the Cube, we came face to face with the Borg Queen. Nanites were injected into us as we felt something “poked” through our back and while we “struggle” with the nanites, we were imbibed with a vision of how the “assimilation” would proceed. Our limbs are to be chained and then as we became numb, a drill came straight towards our right eyes. It was to “remove” our right eyes and replaced it with a laser scanner, which thus complete our “assimilation” process. The eye removal process was supposed to be painless because as nanites have taken over our brain functions, our sensory function including our pain receptacles would also be under “control”. Even though the drilling was an illusion (4D remember?), I can’t help but closed my eyes as it comes “dangerously” close. All the while as the assimilation proceeds, we heard this musical, mechanical voice saying, “Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile!” Just as things seemed so hopeless, The Doctor appeared like some mental hologram urging us to fight “assimilation” since we possessed the genes to do so. Before long, we “manages’ to “overcome” the assimilation and just then, we heard a loud blast. Admiral Janeway and Voyager came to our rescue by blasting their way to the Cube, throws a tractor beam over our shuttlecraft and pulled as out of the Cube minutes before it was incinerated. We were towed and left at what was supposed to be Deep Space 9. After some congratulatory remarks, we were released. We passed through a hallway and emerges at Quark’s Bar, a real Bar located at the lower ground floor of the hotel. Interesting, the place is actually model after the real Quark’s Bar in the DS9 series. Even the waiters are dressed like a Ferengi (a materialistic alien species whose philosophy is based on predatory mercantilist outlook, their “bible” is the “Book of Acquisitions)! Anyway, the 4D Borg Invasion show was nice. It has a rich developed story that has texture and depth and it really enlivens the experience. The graphics however are just so – so. After lingering at the bar for a few minutes, my sister and I went up for our second show of the series, the 3D Klingon Encounter, which in my opinion is far more entertaining than the 4D Borg show albeit it is “older” than the latter. To begin with, a “hotel staff” led us into the “show” in the current time. As we were being brief with the “show”, the lights went off completely for a few second and once it came back, we were already “transported” to a “new” place. A Starfleet ensign greeted us telling us that we were no longer in the “show” but rather on board the “real” Enterprise, specifically in the Transporter room of the Enterprise D and that we are no longer in our current time but in the 24th century. The ensign told us that the Klingons discovered a time portal, a rift or fissure in the Time – Space continuum and manages to go back in time to Las Vegas and abduct a “distant” ancestor of the famed Captain Jean Luc Picard, the captain of the Enterprise D. However, the Klingons didn’t know which one of us is the true “ancestor” of Picard and so they decided to abduct everyone just to be sure. However, the process of abduction has caused a time distortion anomaly resulting in the disappearance of Picard but not the memory of his existence. As a result, the Enterprise under the command of it’s first officer, Commander William Riker launched an investigation and stumbled upon the Klingon plot. It thwarted the scheme by intercepting us during the transport process and rescued us. After the briefing, we were led into the bridge of the Enterprise and there through the view screen, Commander Riker gave us our mission (or our marching orders depending on which way you view it). We were to return to our time and with it restores the original timeline or else, the future will be irreversibly altered with cataclysmic outcome. We were to take a shuttlecraft and track down the time portal, reenter and emerge in our own time. We were to keep out of harm’s way or else one of us, the purported ancestor of Picard would be “killed” and thus irreparably damage the time – space continuity. Easier said than done, I mean with all the Klingon Bird – of – Preys looking for us. As Riker was telling us of our mission, I sweep my gaze and marvel at the magnificent bridge. I also felt the wooden panel of the nearest console. It was surreal but a nice one. Invariably, I fixed my gaze at the empty Captain’s chair. Somehow my urge to sit on the Captain’s chair has taken over me, for I asked the commanding lieutenant to let sit in the Captain’s chair for just “a while”. And to my stunning surprise, I got a stinging rebuke from the lieutenant for being insensitive to the “crisis” and to their “loss” of the Captain. Geez, she could have just said no instead of those “reasons”. Anyway, it was a nice try and no sooner I had shaken off that rebuke as I enter the shuttlecraft. The shuttlecraft in this show was totally awesome better than the 4D show and we are in for a great ride! First, we went to warp (a faster than light travel) passing by planets and asteroids. Then, we went through the icy debris ring of a planet, which reminds me of Saturn but it is not Saturn of course (at least in this show). And there we encounter a few beautiful whale like space creatures. Just as we were enthralled by the scene, 2(?) Klingon Bird – of – Preys appeared in our bow and immediately pursued us. The chase has begun. We tried to shake off the Klingon ships but to no avail. Then, the Enterprise came to the rescue and instantly blast one of the Klingon ships into smithereens and chased the other ship away. We all cheered and hoorayed at the Enterprise. I even pump my fist in the air to cheer on the Enterprise. With the threat neutralize, we turn our attention to looking for the portal but it was nowhere to be found but we did discovered something else, a Klingon cloak generator. We took aim at the generator and fired with every photon torpedoes we got and instantly turning the generator into billions of sub – atomic dust. Then, like a shinning moon, the time portal “shone” in front of us. We entered it and instantly, we were magically taken back to the beautiful night sky of Las Vegas just above the Hilton. We were about to revel at our “return” to our timeline but then all the sudden, an acid green hawk like Klingon Bird – of – Prey battle ship decloaked right in front of us. We were all stunned and as the Klingon ship steadied and take aim at us ready to fire their deadly disruptor beams, a bright flash appeared and the Klingon ship disappear. The Enterprise has come through the portal as well and in the nick of time to save us once again. We landed at the Hilton and left the ship and again out through the hallway and into the Ferengi’s bar. The 3D Klingon show like the 4D Borg show has a pretty nice script but the graphics is way too much better than the last. In fact, I could that it was better than the Back to the Future 3D show and at par with the Soaring Over California 3D show. At any length, as I was set to leave the bar when I came about a sign on a stairway, the sign is advertising a pictorial session with the audience dressed in a Starfleet uniform and sitting in the Captain’s chair on the bridge of the ENTERPRISE!!!! Damn! This is what I’m been waiting for a long time now! To be a CAPTAIN of the Enterprise. I couldn’t describe the joy I was experiencing then. I just simply “gallop” towards the door when I chanced upon another sign, which states that it was closed since 7pm and would open at 9am tomorrow. Damn. In a matter seconds, the extreme joy that I had experienced disappear and in it’s place was sadness and bitter disappointment, the kind of disappointment that one would harbor for the rest of their lives. I was so close yet it was so far away, so unreachable. I would be very willing to pay for twice even thrice the price of the pictorial (it cost $24) just to be able to dress in the Captain’s uniform and sit in the Captain’s chair on the bridge of the Enterprise and be able to utter this command: “Helm, set a course to the Neutral Zone………. Maximum Warp………….. Engaged!” But as fate would have it, I was to be denied of that chance (I could always come back to Las Vegas but that would be sometime in the future and who knows what would happen in the future). With great disappointment, I turned to the souvenir shop and try looking for something that would remind me of the joy I once felt in the place. And my gaze landed upon one particular object, a toy actually, a replica model of the Sovereign Class starship, USS Enterprise NCC1701E. It was beauty to behold it. That duranium white hull, that pair of swept back warp nacelles……. However, that TOY cost $49.99 roughly P2,500. Too expensive! I struggled long and hard about whether or not to buy it. Finally, my financial sense got the better of me and I replaced the toy on top of the shelf and walk away without turning back……. Funny if you going to think about it for two days later, I found myself buying a $64 Polo Ralph Lauren shirt! And I hate shopping! Talk about some weird financial sense!
- opening introduction of the series, Star Trek, The Next Generation
October 8, a Sunday. We woke early that morning for our travel to Las Vegas, the next stop in my US tour. Las Vegas is a 6 – 7 hour road trip over a barren wasteland from LA. And by the time, we got there. It is about 4 in the afternoon. We took some time off from our ride to cool our heels (more like our arse) at the Caesar’s Palace before proceeding to our hotel, the Flamingo. The stay at Las Vegas was supposed to be our free activity night without programs or visits scheduled but Eric, our tour guide proposed to “show” us around town for a $50 fee. Everybody including my aunt and my cousin readily took the offer except for my sister and me because I had something else planned for the evening. During one of the stopovers in our road trip, I manage to obtain a copy of the Las Vegas tourist guide and to my consternation, I discovered that there is this show dubbed, “The Star Trek Experience” at the Las Vegas Hilton, which also happened to be just a block away from the hotel that I’m staying (whopeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!). I heard about this show years ago in some TV infomercial. As a Trekkie, I’ve long to visit the place ever since. I’d always wanted to be “there” at the bridge of the Galaxy class starship, USS Enterprise NCC1701D and if possible sit at the captain’s chair. Imagine the smile on my face after finally realizing that I would be able to “see” in my “dream” and that I would finally be “there”. I’m a man of few indulgences (some say I’m boring because of that). I’m never a movie fanatic neither do I “worship” film stars or rock stars (Idon’t go hysterical or “agog” over them) but Star Trek, however is an exception. I don’t know why but probably because I’m science enthusiast, space science in particular. And Star Trek is all about space and more. Star Trek is about the exploration of the unknown not only of space but also of the inner being, of the endless possibilities that only an open mind could proffer, and of the future of mankind, a vision of utopia. But most probably, the reason Star Trek appeals to me because it awakens the other side of me, the side of me that is curious, imaginative, and adventurous, the side of me that wants to be “out there”……….. My sister and I hurriedly finish our dinner at the hotel and immediately embark on our quest and by 7pm, we were already there buying our tickets and boy! The tickets are quite expensive, $40 per person which translates to roughly P2,000. No wonder there was no line formed. Anyway, the ticket entitled the holder to see two show, the 4D Borg Invasion and the 3D Klingon Encounter plus an unrestricted tour of the museum. We toured the museum while we are waiting for the show to start. Hahhhhhhhh……. The place is quite nostalgic to me. I can’t help it. All those Photon Torpedoes, Phasers, and Starfleet Uniforms simply brought out the “memories” of episodes of the series that I’ve watched. As the show began, we were led into a briefing room inside a Science Space Lab/ Starbase located somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Inside the room, The Doctor or the USS Voyager Medical hologram told us about Starfleet Medical’s latest top – secret project being developed at the station. Based on briefings, Starfleet Medical is trying to develop a counter measure to the Borg’s nanite implants specifically, Starfleet discovered that some humans possesses the genes to create a immune system that would combat the Borg’s nanite invasion of the body. The nanites once inside the host would try to take over the host’s brain functions and with it’s success transforms the individual into a mindless zombie. With the attachment of some shielding, weaponry, communications, and scanning devices, the host would become a half humanoid – half machine Borg whose mind is seamlessly and eternally connected to the Borg Collective represented by the Borg Queen. Hence, the importance of the project and it turns out that we are the test subjects since we possess the “correct genes”. However, before any tests were conducted, we felt a huge shudder and heard a loud bang. The Borg has attacked! It had attacked the station ostensibly to thwart any attempt to their dominance (funny but the station happens to be conveniently located inside the Delta Quadrant, their territory!). General alarms were sounded off and a general lock down was initiated and we were all ordered to evacuate the station and board a shuttlecraft that would take us out of the Borg space and into Federation territories. Power however was out and in the midst of the blaring red light, our officer – escorts had to manually pry open the shuttle bay door. As we nervously waited for our escape, a Borg arm punched through the ceiling and grabbed an officer upwards to be “assimilated” (the process of being transformed into a Borg). To add further tension to what seems to be a very intense situation, a Borg drone (individual unit) in all of it’s cybernetic gory suddenly appeared behind us and walking towards us hell bent to “assimilate” us into the Collective. Luckily, the door opened and we all rushed in. It closed just in the nick of time just like one would expect from a good story. Even so, the relentless Borg banged the door so hard that we thought that he might actually bore it down and got to us but then, the shuttlecraft launches out of the station and into deep space. For a moment there, we thought that we were safe but to our distress, the Borg Cube (the Borg mother ship) was waiting for us. The first thing it did was blast away the pilot cockpit rendering the shuttlecraft immobile and dead in the waters. In the middle of this “tragedy”, we were lucky that the shield hold up preventing us from being sucked into the emptiness of space but nevertheless, we became the prisoners of the Borg. The Borg Cube has thrown a tractor beam at us and towed us in. Inside the Cube, we came face to face with the Borg Queen. Nanites were injected into us as we felt something “poked” through our back and while we “struggle” with the nanites, we were imbibed with a vision of how the “assimilation” would proceed. Our limbs are to be chained and then as we became numb, a drill came straight towards our right eyes. It was to “remove” our right eyes and replaced it with a laser scanner, which thus complete our “assimilation” process. The eye removal process was supposed to be painless because as nanites have taken over our brain functions, our sensory function including our pain receptacles would also be under “control”. Even though the drilling was an illusion (4D remember?), I can’t help but closed my eyes as it comes “dangerously” close. All the while as the assimilation proceeds, we heard this musical, mechanical voice saying, “Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile!” Just as things seemed so hopeless, The Doctor appeared like some mental hologram urging us to fight “assimilation” since we possessed the genes to do so. Before long, we “manages’ to “overcome” the assimilation and just then, we heard a loud blast. Admiral Janeway and Voyager came to our rescue by blasting their way to the Cube, throws a tractor beam over our shuttlecraft and pulled as out of the Cube minutes before it was incinerated. We were towed and left at what was supposed to be Deep Space 9. After some congratulatory remarks, we were released. We passed through a hallway and emerges at Quark’s Bar, a real Bar located at the lower ground floor of the hotel. Interesting, the place is actually model after the real Quark’s Bar in the DS9 series. Even the waiters are dressed like a Ferengi (a materialistic alien species whose philosophy is based on predatory mercantilist outlook, their “bible” is the “Book of Acquisitions)! Anyway, the 4D Borg Invasion show was nice. It has a rich developed story that has texture and depth and it really enlivens the experience. The graphics however are just so – so. After lingering at the bar for a few minutes, my sister and I went up for our second show of the series, the 3D Klingon Encounter, which in my opinion is far more entertaining than the 4D Borg show albeit it is “older” than the latter. To begin with, a “hotel staff” led us into the “show” in the current time. As we were being brief with the “show”, the lights went off completely for a few second and once it came back, we were already “transported” to a “new” place. A Starfleet ensign greeted us telling us that we were no longer in the “show” but rather on board the “real” Enterprise, specifically in the Transporter room of the Enterprise D and that we are no longer in our current time but in the 24th century. The ensign told us that the Klingons discovered a time portal, a rift or fissure in the Time – Space continuum and manages to go back in time to Las Vegas and abduct a “distant” ancestor of the famed Captain Jean Luc Picard, the captain of the Enterprise D. However, the Klingons didn’t know which one of us is the true “ancestor” of Picard and so they decided to abduct everyone just to be sure. However, the process of abduction has caused a time distortion anomaly resulting in the disappearance of Picard but not the memory of his existence. As a result, the Enterprise under the command of it’s first officer, Commander William Riker launched an investigation and stumbled upon the Klingon plot. It thwarted the scheme by intercepting us during the transport process and rescued us. After the briefing, we were led into the bridge of the Enterprise and there through the view screen, Commander Riker gave us our mission (or our marching orders depending on which way you view it). We were to return to our time and with it restores the original timeline or else, the future will be irreversibly altered with cataclysmic outcome. We were to take a shuttlecraft and track down the time portal, reenter and emerge in our own time. We were to keep out of harm’s way or else one of us, the purported ancestor of Picard would be “killed” and thus irreparably damage the time – space continuity. Easier said than done, I mean with all the Klingon Bird – of – Preys looking for us. As Riker was telling us of our mission, I sweep my gaze and marvel at the magnificent bridge. I also felt the wooden panel of the nearest console. It was surreal but a nice one. Invariably, I fixed my gaze at the empty Captain’s chair. Somehow my urge to sit on the Captain’s chair has taken over me, for I asked the commanding lieutenant to let sit in the Captain’s chair for just “a while”. And to my stunning surprise, I got a stinging rebuke from the lieutenant for being insensitive to the “crisis” and to their “loss” of the Captain. Geez, she could have just said no instead of those “reasons”. Anyway, it was a nice try and no sooner I had shaken off that rebuke as I enter the shuttlecraft. The shuttlecraft in this show was totally awesome better than the 4D show and we are in for a great ride! First, we went to warp (a faster than light travel) passing by planets and asteroids. Then, we went through the icy debris ring of a planet, which reminds me of Saturn but it is not Saturn of course (at least in this show). And there we encounter a few beautiful whale like space creatures. Just as we were enthralled by the scene, 2(?) Klingon Bird – of – Preys appeared in our bow and immediately pursued us. The chase has begun. We tried to shake off the Klingon ships but to no avail. Then, the Enterprise came to the rescue and instantly blast one of the Klingon ships into smithereens and chased the other ship away. We all cheered and hoorayed at the Enterprise. I even pump my fist in the air to cheer on the Enterprise. With the threat neutralize, we turn our attention to looking for the portal but it was nowhere to be found but we did discovered something else, a Klingon cloak generator. We took aim at the generator and fired with every photon torpedoes we got and instantly turning the generator into billions of sub – atomic dust. Then, like a shinning moon, the time portal “shone” in front of us. We entered it and instantly, we were magically taken back to the beautiful night sky of Las Vegas just above the Hilton. We were about to revel at our “return” to our timeline but then all the sudden, an acid green hawk like Klingon Bird – of – Prey battle ship decloaked right in front of us. We were all stunned and as the Klingon ship steadied and take aim at us ready to fire their deadly disruptor beams, a bright flash appeared and the Klingon ship disappear. The Enterprise has come through the portal as well and in the nick of time to save us once again. We landed at the Hilton and left the ship and again out through the hallway and into the Ferengi’s bar. The 3D Klingon show like the 4D Borg show has a pretty nice script but the graphics is way too much better than the last. In fact, I could that it was better than the Back to the Future 3D show and at par with the Soaring Over California 3D show. At any length, as I was set to leave the bar when I came about a sign on a stairway, the sign is advertising a pictorial session with the audience dressed in a Starfleet uniform and sitting in the Captain’s chair on the bridge of the ENTERPRISE!!!! Damn! This is what I’m been waiting for a long time now! To be a CAPTAIN of the Enterprise. I couldn’t describe the joy I was experiencing then. I just simply “gallop” towards the door when I chanced upon another sign, which states that it was closed since 7pm and would open at 9am tomorrow. Damn. In a matter seconds, the extreme joy that I had experienced disappear and in it’s place was sadness and bitter disappointment, the kind of disappointment that one would harbor for the rest of their lives. I was so close yet it was so far away, so unreachable. I would be very willing to pay for twice even thrice the price of the pictorial (it cost $24) just to be able to dress in the Captain’s uniform and sit in the Captain’s chair on the bridge of the Enterprise and be able to utter this command: “Helm, set a course to the Neutral Zone………. Maximum Warp………….. Engaged!” But as fate would have it, I was to be denied of that chance (I could always come back to Las Vegas but that would be sometime in the future and who knows what would happen in the future). With great disappointment, I turned to the souvenir shop and try looking for something that would remind me of the joy I once felt in the place. And my gaze landed upon one particular object, a toy actually, a replica model of the Sovereign Class starship, USS Enterprise NCC1701E. It was beauty to behold it. That duranium white hull, that pair of swept back warp nacelles……. However, that TOY cost $49.99 roughly P2,500. Too expensive! I struggled long and hard about whether or not to buy it. Finally, my financial sense got the better of me and I replaced the toy on top of the shelf and walk away without turning back……. Funny if you going to think about it for two days later, I found myself buying a $64 Polo Ralph Lauren shirt! And I hate shopping! Talk about some weird financial sense!
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