Borg Invation 4D at Quarks inside the Las Vegas Hilton at Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

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After nearly forty years of following Star Trek episodes and movies, it's time to admit I'm a bit of a Trekkie. I say that with some reservation because, after all, I didn't see every single episode, I can't remember if I saw all ten movies, and I've never been to a Star Trek Convention. Nevertheless, I've always loved Star Trek and felt a special fondness for all its varied characters. I take all my visiting friends who are remotely interested to STAR TREK: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Behind the scenes in the filming of BORG Invasion 4D.

When Paramount Parks previewed their newest attraction, BORG Invasion 4D at STAR TREK: The Experience, to the media on March 17, 2004, I was there. I figure when they spend $70 million and devote 65,000 square feet to an attraction, it must be something to see.

For the grand opening celebration, which began a little after 10:30 a.m. (must be hard to control those BORG drones) the Paramount people garnered TV celebrities Jason Alexander and Robert Picardo.

You'll remember Alexander as George Costanza on the hit TV show "Seinfeld" but, like me, you may have missed his role as Kurros in the April 1999 "Star Trek: Voyager episode "Think Tank." Picardo, who plays the Doctor on "Star Trek: Voyager", is featured in that role in the BORG Invasion 4D film part of the experience.

	Interactive actors who play BORGs are menacingly silent as they pass through Quark's.

The ceremony began with the appearance of stage smoke and several scary-looking BORG drones who stood silently as Jason Alexander brought out the requisite feathered Las Vegas showgirls. More smoke, Picardo appears and he and Alexander enter into some showbiz banter related to their roles on "Star Trek." Suddenly the drones move forward and the two are forcefully ushered, along with the showgirls, into the futuristic entrance to the new experience, BORG Invasion 4D. Paramount and Hilton executives and VIPs and media guests dutifully follow.

Just like the Experience's premier attraction, the Klingon Encounter (which debuted in 1998), you walk through the History of the Future Museum before you "board the shuttle" that begins the live interaction and high technology experience.

Even though I've seen it before, I can't help but linger through the museum. Its incredible collection of masks, weaponry, costumes, props, jewelry and "future" everyday items, as well as the timeline of events and stories from the series and movies always brings back memories of the thrill of certain episodes.

Before I know it, I'm at the end of the winding museum and being ushered by Federation-uniformed men and women aboard the "research facility."


On any day at Quark’s you can meet a Ferengi, a BORG drone, and a Bejoran.

Live actors and hot new technology provide an all-immersive sensual experience. The film projected as part of the story is the first all-digital production that incorporates live action and animation, as well as the first multiple-angle immersive 3D attraction ever. Multiple-angle means you see 3-D effects from the front, overhead and both right and left sides of your seat. You can thank Christie Digital System, Inc. for this. The sensory special effects and motion platform which create the fourth dimension and amplify what you see on the screen are the products of Technifex. Inc.

The story goes like this: visitors touring a futuristic research facility become the subject of a major attack by the terrifying drones of the BORG Collective. Using 24th century cybernetic technology, the drones want to capture and assimilate the guests. It's 22 minutes full of frantic action, tactile experience, and surprises. With timed air blasts, physical probes, startling 3-D visuals, surround sound audio rumbles and a motion platform floor, it's hard to believe you're not really being assimilated by the Collective!

"BORG Invasion 4D assimilates guests into a darker and edgier dimension of the Star Trek universe," says Alexander Weber, Jr., CEO of Paramount Parks.

In the end, Captain Janeway saves the day, or at least the visitors—for now.

'It's a good thing, too, because theres shopping and dining on Deep Space Nine's Promenade. Shops with names like Garak's Clothiers and Moogie's Trading Post feature the world's largest collection of Star Trek memorabilia and collectibles for sale. Quark's Bar & Restaurant is peopled with an assortment of Star Trek characters—I spotted a Ferengi, a Borg drone, a Bejoran and three Klingons, one an intimidatingly attractive woman.

	BORG drones are the newest Star Trek characters to interact with visitors at Quark’s Bar and Restaurant.

These actors take their work very seriously. I could not get the Ferengi to break character. When I asked what it was like to work at Quark's, he said,"We treat our employees like rungs on a ladder; we never hesitate to step on them. That's one of the Rules of Acquisition."

'"For Trekkies, Quark's is the ultimate experience," he tells me. "Its like you're really there on the Promenade of DS9." He's happy to be photographed and opens up a little about his job. "As we start to dress, the Klingon persona emerges. By the time we get to make-up we're full into it."

I find a seat at the bar, a chrome and plexi expanse lit from beneath with occasional flashes of simulated electrical arcs. I peruse the new drink menu and look around to see what everyone else is drinking. All drinks appear to come in pilsner glasses.

The drinks are Star Trek-themed with lengthy explanations describing some deadly concoctions which the menu warns "will send you to the Upper Decks in a hurry." Some intriguing names are: Warp Core Breach, Liquid Latinum, the Mind Meld and Tamarian Frost. The James Tea Kirk is described, "The legendary Captain Kirk went where no one had gone before and tasted exotic beverages from around the galaxy. This drink, on Earth a Long Island Iced Tea, is offered at Quark's with Gin, Rum, Vodka, Blue Curacao, and sour mix. $8.00."

Deanna Troy's Chocolate Obsession catches my interest. "If there's one thing Counselor Troy knows, it's chocolate, reads the menu. "This is one of her favorite drinks in the galaxy. An emphatic concoction of Chocolate Liquer, Raspberry Liquer, Irish Cream and chocolate syrup. $6.95"

Sitting next to me are Hilton VIP guests Doug and Michelle Turner from Houston who won tickets in a radio station contest for two nights at the Las Vegas Hilton and the opening of BORG Invasion 4D. This is their first Star Trek experience. Are they trekkies? Like me, they say, "No, not really," then rave about how great the new ride is.

Michelle shares my attraction to Deanna Troy's Chocolate Obsession while Doug downs a Borg Sphere, 7 ounces of liquor for $20 that is a combination of gin, rum, vodka, melon liqueur and sour mix. Its green hue reminds me of the Borg threat: "Prepare to be assimilated! Resistance is futile."

	Quark’s Bar and Restaurant makes you feel you are dining in another galaxy.

The food menu is no less mesmerizing. Appetizers include Fried Pipius Claw (described as a traditional Klingon dish) and Holy Rings of Betazed. Translated, that's boneless chicken wings with three different sauces and onion rings stacked on a vertical skewer.

There's a Shuttle Salad, a Starfleet Cobb Salad, and two others named for characters Korax and Kahless. Sandwiches include the Grilled Chicken Khan, Photon Torpedo, Cardassian Pockets and Bajoran Jump. Don't be put off by the names; ingredients are as tasty and familiar as roasted garlic aioli, Roma tomatoes, Italian meats and cheeses, roasted pepper relish, cucumber dill sauce, corn tortillas, and avocado and sour cream. All is explained on the menu so that "humans" can recognize their favorite pastas, pizzas, burgers, chicken, meat and fish entrées. There's something for every member of your galaxy.

I'll just translate the desserts into English for you: a chocolate fondue for two, a flaming bananas foster, an apple crisp, chocolate cake and vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

	Robert Picardo as the Doctor and BORG drone.

Quark's restaurant is an eerie combination of blue and green neon, red bars of light in the ceiling, round circles of white light and friendly red tablecloths. As stark as the lighting is, it's not unfriendly to ladies.

Even if you are not an (admitted) Trekkie, you'll appreciate the creative genius that has transformed a television show into a real-life entertainment experience. By the time I left Quark's I really felt I'd been where no one has gone before.

A note of caution: BORG Invasion 4D is not recommended for small children. For more information visit www.startrekexp.com or call 888/GO-BOLDLY. — By Carolyn Proctor, Las Vegas Correspondent.