Star Trek: The Experience Closing Soon

Trekkies, or Trekkers – I’m not quite certain of the difference here. Do the different factions battle it out with dramatic music playing? Seriously, I’ve heard both terms on numerous occasions and cannot weed out the truth of what each means. In any case, geeks by whatever name may be losing the annual Star Trek convention they’ve come to know and love for the past decade. Star Trek: The Experience, located at the Las Vegas Hilton, is scheduled to close at the end of the month.

The annual convention itself will continue on, but many wonder if the lack of “The Experience” will have an adverse affect. When the gathering of Trekkies moved to the Hilton the owners of the Experience had a huge spike in attendance, but then so did the convention. They sort of went hand in hand. And then with the Quark bar nearby for some drinks, the Las Vegas Hilton became the perfect spot for the annual convention.

Lawrence DeSoto, an attendee, told the LA Times: "Vegas is nice, but what made this convention special was the Experience. Honestly, without the Experience, everybody is thinking of not going next year and saving money for Comic-Con in San Diego."

While the Star Trek franchise has been faltering in recent years I think that J.J. Abrams’ new movie may revitalize fans who otherwise wouldn’t have gone to the 2009 convention. And maybe a few of those who only go for The Experience will still make an appearance. I’m not sure.

Any thoughts on the Experience closing down? If you’ve gone in the past, will this make a difference in your decision to return next year?