Set phasers to ‘disappointment,’ we’re afraid. On April 9, 2010, The Associated Press reported that 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience were to be disposed of in a warehouse sale. They’d been gathering dust since the attraction closed in 2008. "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. It’s an opportunity for the studio to get it in the hands of people who made it great," said Alec Peters, CEO of Propworx, which handled the auction. Prices per item ran from $10 to $800.
"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 [Klingon] Bird of Prey -- as well as a replica of the Enterprise bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation," reported the AP’s Oskar Garcia. The sale was the brainchild of Mike Cornwell, head of a local Star Trek fan club. "We see it as such a waste that they closed it down," Cornwell said of The Experience. "It’s really a blow to all Star Trek fans everywhere." A follow-up Propworx auction was held in Aug. 8, 2010, to coincide with the Official Star Trek Convention, held annually in Las Vegas (this year's event -- the 13th Annual Star Trek Convention -- takes place July 31-Aug. 3 at the Rio). The catalogue alone generated 1,500 downloads in its first week online. One of the more piquant items for sale was a part of Mr. Spock’s prosthetic, iconic ears from the original series (TOS to initiates).
Ironically, at the time, CBS Television Distribution was both collaborating with Propworx and still trying to resurrect Star Trek: The Experience in a new home at Neonopolis. Than plan was repeatedly delayed and eventually no more was heard of it.
