http://www.garygoddard.com/blog/index.php/now-it-can-be-told-the-star-trek-attraction-that-almost-came-to-life-in-1992/
Recent blog entry by one of the project team members who sought to build a full-scale U.S.S. Enterprise in the middle of the downtown Las Vegas / Fremont Street area in the early 1990s. Ultimately, when the project was nixed, the city's second choice -- the electric video ceiling known as the Fremont Street Experience -- got the go-ahead.
In a sad case of "why couldn't it have happened sooner?" the Paramount exec who killed the project at the last possible moment was himself forced out in Feb'94 when Viacom purchased Paramount.
While part of the project design requirements was that the new downtown attraction could not be a new hotel/casino, as a long-time Las Vegas resident, I like to imagine that, had this project gone forward, perhaps the property could have eventually contained residential condominium space. Even in 'Vegas, it's hard to think of a more awesome home address than the U.S.S. Enterprise.

--Chris
Comments
Can you imagine if Star Trek conventions were actually held in the Enterprise's rec rooms? This would have been amazing. I can only hope that someday, someone will have the vision and money to make this happen somewhere. It's just too bad that it'll probably be a lot harder for many people to get to than Vegas.
<a tear drops>
I recall the rumor of the full-scale environment. I had just assumed Star Trek: The Experience was the final result of the same development. I don't usually use words like travesty. But that executive decision really was. Yeah. To attend a convention presentation in the actual rec room would have been a hoot. And to have worked Experience-styled elements into the starship setting would have been absolutely mind blowing.
Of,
My.
Money.
All of it.
And a kidney...
And a few body parts I can't mention on the forums.
But at least it would have awesomely cool. Aren't we sure this isn't a belated April Fool's joke? Because - dang? That would have been awesome... Imagine seeing a CSI (Las Vegas) episode and seeing the Enterprise regularly appearing in the background. Or all the action movies using this as one of the special action set piece locations...
Paramount really missed a trick, here. They could have been making money for every time the Enterprise appeared in a TV show or movie based in Vegas.
Oh Well...I shall always remember when I used to go to the Experience...I still have the old shirts...
Structurally, a full-size Enterprise replica wouldn't have a Structural Integrity Field to fall back on. The neck and struts would have been terribly fragile and most likely the nacelles and possibly even the saucer section would have had to be inaccessible.
Could those problems be solved? Maybe. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the thing in the event of an earthquake... don't know how tectonically stable that area is.
If it HAD resulted in a disaster, people would be lauding the man for his foresight.
Building the Full Scale Replica so it appeared to be within a TMP Drydock, would have alleviated many of the structural problems.
If you use a turbolift, how do you know where you are on the actual, physical ship?
That's what popped into my head, too (it was the most current Enterprise at the time, after all). The size of the ship would have made it one of the most ridiculously oversized buildings in the world... if they worked out how to make the saucer section not fall to pieces.
I hadn't even thought of that.... THINK ABOUT IT... Trek Zombies!
Brains... Spocks Brains...
::: ROTFLMAO!
Man, what a stupid Paramount Exec... No wonder ST is struggling so much.
"So much money from that strage guy from yesterday for just saying no to a project" Or maybe something completly different.
Fallout: New Vegas.
Well it has been done before. Last year a book came out called, well something like this: Night of the Living Trekkies
Pretty much a soldier from Iraq can back home and lost hope in humity, then began to gain interest in Trek and started to have hope again, and went to a convention. Something happened and all but him and a few other trek fans didn't turn into zombies and had ot fight their way out of the hotel where the convention was being held.
I saw this and thought of New Vegas. Thanks Tumerboy, I'm stuck at work for the next 8 hours, and all I can think about is New Vegas...
Same here, now I have to go finish the Ultimate Edition now.
::tips sombrero:::