Monday, September 1st will be a sad day for Trekkies everywhere (or, as they often prefer to be called, Trekkers). Star Trek: The Experience, a themed attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton, is closing permanently on that day.

Featuring two themed rides and a Star Trek museum, The Experience also offered ceremonies like weddings and vow renewals (and, one presumes, baptisms and bar mitvahs). A couple from Pennsylvania traveled all the way to Vegas in the attraction’s last days so they could celebrate their 10th anniversary four years early, before The Experience shut down.

Their vow renewal was “very emotional,” according to husband Eric Klein, who added that the “Federation captain” who performed it “had his own shtick, and it was very beautiful.”

The Experience contained both original sets and authentic show props, the latter of which will be returned to CBS when the attraction closes. The sets will be destroyed.

In the good old days, for a $50 admission, fans could spend as much time as they liked perusing the museum, the end of which led into your choice of two rides: Klingon Encounter, or Borg Invasion 4-D. Both were styled after popular theme park rides, featuring a mixture of live and video performances. Afterwards, visitors could socialize with other fans at Quark’s Bar.

While the attraction remained popular, a petty dispute is ultimately its downfall: the attraction’s owners could not agree on the terms of a new lease with the Hilton, and so it is being shut down despite profitability.

Personally, I could never stomach more than a few minutes of Star Trek at a time, but I think it’s very sad that something like this – a dream come true for many fans – is being unceremoniously ruined by a bunch of guys who’ve probably never seen an episode of the show before in their lives. That’s always the way things go, isn’t it? It’s why our favorite shows go off the air, and great movies never make it to small town theaters. It’s why [REC] will never have an American release, and that Twin Peaks cliffhanger will never be resolved. And it’s why Karen and Eric Klein won’t be able to have the 10th anniversary of their dreams.

What a shame.

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