Final Farewell

LAS VEGAS - After a decade at the final frontier, "Star Trek: The Experience" is going where no Las Vegas Strip attraction wants to go.

With a decommissioning ceremony - as befits any great vessel - the exhibit and its replica of the starship Enterprise are closing Monday.

Thousands of trekkies are "beaming up" from across the United Federation of Planets, er, the United States and around the world one last time, according to exhibit spokesman Chad Boutte.

Some seek a final encounter with the Borg, the television show's race of organic robot aliens who tell everyone "resistance is futile." Others just want to share a farewell drink - likely a stiff Warp Core Breach, with its 300 millilitres of rum - with fellow fans at the attraction's restaurant.

Employees dressed as aliens discuss the minutiae of their worlds' mythologies with visitors who learn, in typically circular trekkie logic, that the exhibit is a "time station" for transporting researchers and equipment between the 21st and 24th centuries.

For US$49.99, fans could enjoy two virtual rides and the Museum of the Future, with costumes, "phasers" and Mr. Spock's coffin. More than three million people have come through since the Experience opened in 1998.

In the end, the frontier the USS Enterprise couldn't breach was earthly. The attraction's owner, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., and the Las Vegas Hilton, its landlord, couldn't agree on a new lease.

They worked as a typical landlord and retail tenant, with Cedar Fair keeping all revenue from the attraction, said hotel spokesman Ira David Sternberg.

Trekkies are incensed. They have scrawled reminiscences about the exhibit on the walls inside and are calling Cedar Fair and the hotel to complain. But their online rumour that the space the exhibit occupies will become a theatre for pop star Michael Jackson is unfounded, Sternberg said. He said nothing has been decided.

Karen and Eric Klein, from Easton, Pennsylvania, had planned to renew their wedding vows at the Experience on their 10th anniversary but came this week instead, four years early.

A Federation captain told them during the ceremony on the bridge of the Enterprise that the energy between them created their love.

"He had his own schtick, and it was very beautiful, and it actually made the moment even that much better," said Eric Klein, 39, still holding his wife's hand outside the gift shop. "It wasn't simply being on the bridge, it really felt very emotional."

I found this story and it reminded me of my experiences there. I'm glad I had the opportunity to go, and to have gone with some great friends to help make it special... well, it was an awesome trip! And the Warp Core Breaches are so much fun to share!

Ethan van Sciver and Aquaman

Courtesy of CBR:

Could their next project be “Aquaman: Rebirth” in 2010? Didio confirmed Friday night at Fan Expo during the DC Nation panel that the Sea King would return in “Blackest Night.” “Anything’s possible. They’d have to renew my contract,” laughed Van Sciver. “He’s got a big part in ‘Blackest Night.’ But he doesn’t look as well as he used to look. Let’s put it that way.”

Van Sciver continued, “Like Plastic Man, Aquaman is an ongoing source of frustration in a way because everybody wants to work on him. I have some ideas for him. But I think DC is unsure how to proceed. Like Barry Allen. I would bring him up and they would say, ‘Uh, uh. Now is not the time’ or ‘No, it’s never going to happen.’ And I am hearing that with an ongoing Aquaman series, as well. So until they come to me and say, ‘Now it’s time,’ I am not even going to ask or bring it up. It seemed to work with Barry Allen. Finally, they came to us.”

I don't know how long we're going to have to wait for a new Aquaman series, but c'mon already DC! Let's get going on this! I think we've waited long enough!

Canadian Aqua-News!

Courtesy of CBR, who are reporting on the DC Comics panel of Toronto’s Fan Expo.

A long swatch of conversation was spent discussing Aquaman, of all characters, with Didio recalling a dinner during the Emerald City Con in Seattle where he opened a chat with the assembled creators by saying, “Gentlemen, bring on the Aquaman pitches” as everyone always comes to him with plans to reboot the character and “finally get Aquaman right.” For his part, the editor thought the character’s mainstream cultural identifiability comes from nostalgia for the cartoons of the ‘60s.

As for the problems with the character, Didio proved his point that Aquaman needed major attention when he asked fans to name five recognizable Aquaman villains, and the audience stalled at a questionable fourth pick of the Human Flying Fish. Didio admitted that the sea king is “an incredibly strong character when he appears with the teams. He’s a great counterpoint to a lot of other characters in Justice League and other places,” and he said that the challenge came in giving fans one version of the character that presents the very best elements of the long-running and confusing mythos.

Apparently, step one of solving the Aquaman puzzle outside of the character’s mystery tease in “Final Crisis” will be in the upcoming “Green Lantern” crossover “Blackest Night” as Van Sciver said most of his story will get resolved there.

And later, Dan Didio had this to say:

“What we’re doing coming out of ‘Final Crisis’ " and I’ll say this here, and I’ll say this everywhere " is that we’re locking our characters down. We’re going with a good interpretation, and we’re staying with it. That’s why you don’t see Aquaman right now, because we want it to be clear what it is, who he is and what he’s all about.”

Didio added that they were trying to find the best, most recognizable and most popular versions of all of their characters, including Aquaman, Hawkman, Batgirl and Supergirl, who he noted only really works for readers and for the general public when she is “Superman’s cousin.”

Well, at least we're getting some movement on Aquaman... I'm looking forward to the Blackest Night even more now!

Karma

Yesterday I was on the highway returning from a family function. This highway is 2 lanes, and the posted speed limit is 100 km/hour. Shortly after leaving the town of Onoway, two young kids probably between the ages of 16 and 18 were behind us in a very old truck. Apparently we weren't going fast enough for them as they rode my bumper for a while. A little later, when a car ahead of me slowed down to make a turn, the two losers behind me almost didn't stop. After the near-collision, they sped by me and I said to myself "Hope to see you wrapped around a pole, losers!"

Jump forward five minutes.

There seems to be a vehicle on the side of the road... and as I get closer I see it's the two kids who passed me earlier, desperate for a ride. Apparently their truck broke down and they must not have had a cell phone.

As I drove by I chuckled and loudly exclaimed, "Karma's a bitch, boys!"

Now We Know...

Final Crisis 3 dropped yesterday and it featured the long-awaited (by me, at any rate) appearance of 'the mysterious new Aquaman'.

It was someone who looked a lot like Arthur Curry/Orin riding a seahorse. The costume was original orange and green. He didn't have long hair like Arthur Joseph (Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis) Curry and there was no water hand as well. So where does he come from? Will he be around after Final Crisis?

Only time will tell.

**Update**
Grant Morrison wrote Final Crisis over two years ago, and at that time Arthur Joseph Curry would have been the 'mysterious new Aquaman'. Apparently Morrison intended it to be Arthur Joseph. This doesn't explain why he doesn't look like Arthur Joesph, but I blame that on J.G. Jones and the editor who should have caught the error.