Borg attraction makes for an exciting Enterprise

It's little more than a cavernous black hole inside the Las Vegas Hilton, save for the half-dozen men preparing for the construction that awaits. That process is being supervised by specialists issuing orders directly from the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

"Star Trek: The Experience," the motion simulator attraction, is being upgraded. While half of it remains in operation, the other half has been closed, emptied of its large-scale sets, projection equipment and other props, in preparation for a multi-million dollar transformation into what Paramount Parks has titled "Borg Invasion 4D," set to open in spring 2004.

Fittingly, the design team has set up shop on the "bridge" of the Enterprise. On the now-closed Trek set in a locked area at the hotel, they will take a 24th-century architectural vision and make it a 21st-century reality.

"The key thing about this attraction is that it's `4-D', which means it's a lot more `environmental' than the existing attraction," said Ty Granaroli, vice president of creative for Paramount Parks. "The original attraction is environmental, but this takes it to another level because it is very participatory. Everything that happens in this show is really `happening' to you.

"This show is very atmospheric, very environmental, and the sense of movement is part of the experience, but not its emphasis. Whereas with the original attraction, the culmination was a motion simulator ride."

The original has featured the same scenario since it debuted six years ago: patrons ready for a futuristic shuttle ride, then are unwittingly "transported" onto the Enterprise bridge, after which they board a spaceship and hang on for a wild ride into the heavens while they survive an attack by enemy Klingons. The tableau is based on characters and situations from the series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

That part of the attraction will remain intact, but will only use one-third of the Experience's 60,000 square feet. Another third will be devoted to the new show, which is described by Experience vice president Joe Reuter as a "state-of-the-art facility using the latest in digital projection technology that will be projected both on-screen and overhead. Additionally, there will be various sensory effects within the theater that will add to the guest experience including surround-sound seating, a motion platform floor and live actors."

But the creators will unveil a decidedly darker, eerier vision for visitors, thanks to the zombie-like contributions of the half-man, half-machine menace known as the Borg.

"We're looking for impact. We're always trying to affect our guests, and the Borg are just great," Granaroli said. "They're one of the most compelling adversaries in the Star Trek universe, and when you do a 3-D or a 4-D attraction as we're doing, you need something very strong and very compelling. They're definitely creatures you don't want to get close to, that's for sure."

Granaroli, who worked closely with writers to develop the concept and storyline, would only speak of how patrons will be on a "space station" and that they will be plunged into the middle of a battle with the Borg.

To create an aura of disorientation, participants will be put in a "claustrophobic" environment.

"We are reusing the original layout," Granaroli said, referring to the Trek set. "But we're changing some things, like ceiling height, to create a more unsettling atmosphere. Apart from the architecture, audio and lighting are the two ways you can manipulate people's anxiety and general sense of peril. But this is designed tight, intentionally, because that is one way to disorient people.

"`Distressed' is really the best word for the architecture -- it's not going to be as pristine as the original. It's going to be very dark and foreboding, because there's just been a battle."

Although participants will know they're on a space station in distress, they will not be aware they're on a set filled with props and consoles composed of fiberglass, wood, vacuform-molded plastics, as well as some metals. Granaroli said some of the materials used are cost-effective and durable, since the re-creations only have to "look amazing," not "be amazing."

As with all the Trek TV programs (except the original '60s series), scenic art supervisor Michael Okuda designed the control panels and wall consoles to create the ambience of a space station bridge. These consoles and other set pieces will be brought in from Southern California, where they are being manufactured.

Granaroli also noted, without being specific, that the two-shuttle set-up and dome screen of the existing attraction is "totally" being changed in favor of the new layout.

Granaroli described the design and construction process of the new attraction a "retrofit."

"The people who worked on the first attraction always anticipated that we could add to it, change it, refresh it and renew it," he said. "Our team has done a magnificent job of preserving what is there. The original attraction will continue to operate and will have this wonderful companion piece which will work right next-door.

"It takes a lot of factors to shoehorn this into an existing facility, and it really takes a lot of effort."

Paramount Parks is eagerly anticipating the public's response, since this is the facility's first major upgrade.

"We had millions of people come to the attraction over the years and it was just time to create another chapter, another installment for the adventure," Granaroli said.

"Now, I think we've created an experience that will disorient the guests in many ways, and will contain a lot of surprises in terms of the physical elements of the show along with the live actors."

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