EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of The Lowdown on the Plus-Up, Kelly and Pete return to their nerd roots to explore the theme park legacy of Star Trek. From the original 1966 series to Deep Space Nine, the two dive into Gene Roddenberry’s ideals, the franchise’s optimism, and the surprising role Lucille Ball played in making the show possible. We discuss the rise and fall of Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton—a massive, immersive attraction featuring the DS9 Promenade, Quark’s Bar, Klingon Encounter, and later Borg Invasion 4D.

We also talk about how Universal took the franchise into their theme parks.

And we cover the fan-made continuation series Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II, the Elvis-impersonator-turned-Captain-Kirk who built the entire Enterprise in upstate New York, and how the evolution of fan productions influenced the modern Trek landscape.

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⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro – Energizing the bridge  
01:04 What is The Lowdown on the Plus-Up?  
02:09 Why Star Trek endures from 1966 to today  
05:40 Star Wars vs Star Trek – emotional ties  
06:10 Lucille Ball’s essential role in Star Trek’s creation  
07:05 Growing up with the original series  
07:35 Gene Roddenberry’s contradictions & progressive vision  
09:41 Star Trek’s ideals vs cynicism  
50:45 The Las Vegas Hilton attraction – Star Trek: The Experience  
51:17 DS9 Promenade, Quark’s Bar & the Dabo game  
51:42 Klingon Encounter – history, design & Gary Goddard  
52:35 Landmark Entertainment, Luke Mayrand & major set designers  
53:00 Paramount’s investment & Trek writers involved  
01:20:53 James Cawley & the New Voyages fan film sets  
01:21:30 Cameos from George Takei, Nichelle Nichols & more  
01:22:30 Elvis pays for Star Trek – the fan film financing story  
01:23:12 How fan productions preserved Trek’s legacy  

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🔍 KEYWORDS
Star Trek The Experience, Las Vegas Hilton attractions, Deep Space Nine Promenade, Quark’s Bar, Klingon Encounter, Gary Goddard, Landmark Entertainment, Star Trek theme park, Star Trek fan films, James Cawley, Star Trek New Voyages, Phase II fan series, Gene Roddenberry history, Lucille Ball Desilu, theme park history, science fiction attractions, DS9 sets, Trek optimism, Star Trek fandom

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📎 REFERENCES
Boardwalk Times – https://boardwalktimes.net  
Star Trek Original Series Set Tour - https://startrektour.com

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🎧 FOLLOW US
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#StarTrek #ThemeParkHistory #StarTrekTheExperience #Imagineering #ScienceFictionHistory

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