Star Trek Convention: Not Even Day One: Shields Up!

Getting to Las Vegas and the Hilton was uneventful, despite dreams I had the night before of not being able to check in. I had difficulties last year, and I guess they stayed with me.

But after I had my badge, which I wore around my neck, I sat at the new Star Trek (original series) video slot machine, and started to play. Or at least I tried.

The guy at the next machine over didn't seem to be playing, but sure wanted to talk. He noticed my badge, I guess, and told me that he had been last year, wasn't sure if he was going this year, wanted to know which day was best, and reported that one of the writers had died since he saw her last year at the convention. "I think it was Brannon...something." Brannon Braga, I said, shocked. "Yeah, I think she died." Okay, I know that's wrong, especially since Brannon was on schedule to be at the convention. I offered that D.C. Fontana was there last year, and that she's getting up in age. "Yeah, I saw her last year! I think it was her." Right.

He told me he couldn't figure out how to get the slot machine to work. He could only play one game on it even though there seemed to be four games. After he paused for breath, I looked it over. It's quite unique in that you log in, you set up your own name, pick a character (I picked Uhura), and can log in time and time again, trying to reach a certain award level (based on medals you accrue), to get to bonus rounds. After the machine ate too much of my money -- after all, it's still a slot machine, and if 3 McCoys don't come up, etc., you don't win -- I called it quits. The beauty of it is that it's a penny machine.

I went into the Starquest casino, which is probably not labeled that any more because there's no "star" theming any more. But I passed a few more Star Trek banks as I walked into the shops surrounding Quark's Bar.

This is the last convention prior to its closing, the last few weeks before the 11-year attraction known as the Star Trek Experience closes for good. No report on what will happen to it, but my guess is more slot machines.

Some of the merchandise was on sale. Most of the t-shirts, though, were full price. I bought some trinkets, including a Romulan Ale bottle opener. I noticed that some display racks even had signs on them, noting they were for sale: "Display rack $200, freight extra." Beam me up, display rack. That would be free.

I got in line for Quark's Bar, figuring I would get some dessert. It was about 8:45 pm at this point. By the time I exited, it was after 9 and the line was closed. Curious that it closed so early. They seated me in the bar at a table. The room was filled with noise and men and a few women engaged in shouting conversations. Most had drinks in front of them. I noted more than one warp core breach. Deadly stuff.

In the bar they have two T.V.'s working: one had Star Trek movie on, Wrath of Khan I think, and the other an early episode of CSI. The CSI one was the only one I could actually see, as too many heads were in the way for the other one. It took away from the experience.

I noted that Counselor Troi's chocolate obsession was now a drink, not a brownie/ice cream dessert, and ordered something with cake, chocolate ice cream and syrup. Yummy.

But the guys at the table next to me kept growing louder, and their party bigger. In addition, the ST:E's Klingon was circulating and bellowing loudly; the people, especially the women, he was talking to were responding in kind. I began to resent the noise, so I finished as quickly as I could, left the money for the bill, and offered the table to them so that some of them could sit down.

On my way out I noticed a t-shirt on display that showed a green Orion slave girl. I admired the t-shirt but knew I could never wear it. Too sexist.

I was wondering what to do when I noticed that the whole Star Trek bank of slot machines was open. I remembered that the Top Gun slot machine had been there, in that very spot, during my last visit, and the ST machine resembled it in many ways: speakers behind the head that shook your glasses when something good came up. I sat down.

I read later that these new interactive machines, the result of new slot technology, debuted at a trade show in December 2007. And now here they are.

After about 15 pulls of not much happening, a woman brushed by me, obviously trying to get into the machine next to me, hitting my head with her packages and moving my seat with her body. She finally settled in and I ignored her. Then it happened.

I got to the bonus round, picked one of two choices, and waited. The reels went round and round, without my help, scoring points, and because I had played 3 coins for each line rather than 1, would multiple what I won by 3. Then, all of a sudden, 3 shields popped up on the reels, side by side. Apparently the reels keep spinning, and if you win something, they keep spinning. If you lose, don't win anything that spin, you lose a defense shield (out of 5). I had just won 5 more. So this went on for maybe 5 minutes, reels spinning and points adding up. I finally ran out of shields and the bonus round stopped: I had won $160. On a penny machine.

I played it off one more time, and then cashed out. The woman beside me got excited. "You won $160?!" she blurted, as if it was any of her business. "And you're leaving? I'm sitting there!" You're welcome to it, I said, as I grabbed my little bag and went back to my hotel room.

After all, when you've run out of shields, what else should you do? There are 6 more days here in Las Vegas. I'll need my future shields later.