'Trek' fans, want Picard's chair? It's for sale

[April 20, 2010]  LAS VEGAS (AP) -- "Star Trek" lovers looking for Enterprise chairs, Starfleet uniforms or a model Klingon Bird of Prey can seek out new life for the dismantled pieces of a closed Las Vegas attraction based on the famous franchise.

Auctioneer Propworx Inc. plans to sell roughly 1,000 items large and small from Star Trek: The Experience at a warehouse sale Saturday in Las Vegas, CEO Alec Peters said.

The attraction, based on the beloved television series and movies, closed in 2008 after a 10-year run.

"Anything like this, you're sad to see it go, but on the other hand it's an opportunity for fans to preserve the stuff," Peters said. "It's an opportunity for the studio to get it in the hands of people who made it great.

"I think it is bittersweet - we try to make it fun," Peters said.

Among the items for sale are three large models of spaceships in need of repair or restoration - the U.S.S. Enterprise A, the U.S.S. Voyager and the Bird of Prey - as well as a replica of the Enterprise bridge from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Peters said a Borg alcove - where members of the synthetically enhanced drone race recharge and synch with a hive mind - is on sale for $800.

Also on sale are costumes and knickknacks, starting at $10, Peters said.

The attraction folded in "Star Trek" mythology, billing itself as a "21st-century time station" used to transport personnel and equipment to and from the late 24th century. The story was that the Experience let folks of the future meet and study many human cultures in a single place where they often converge - Sin City.

The attraction included two rides where visitors were transported to the U.S.S. Enterprise, rode in a shuttle or faced a Borg encounter.

Mike Cornwell, the executive officer of a local Star Trek fan club that helped set up the memorabilia sale, said Friday that members of the club have been sad about the immersive experience going away.

"We see it as such a waste that they closed it down," Cornwell said. "It's really a blow to all Star Trek fans everywhere."

Cornwell, 47, said he hopes to buy a certain piece of the exhibit's History of the Future, which chronicled the history of the Star Trek universe.

CBS Television Distribution, which owns the rights to the franchise, has a licensing deal in place for a Star Trek exhibit in downtown Las Vegas through its consumer products division. No timeline for that attraction has been announced.

CBS Consumer Products has a deal with Kennedy Space Center on a live 30-minute live stage show based on the universe from the 2009 "Star Trek" movie. The show is to debut in June.

[Associated Press; By OSKAR GARCIA]

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