

More than 40 years ago, Bjo Trimble led a nation of “Star Trek” fans to convince NBC to save their show.

Now Vernon Wilmer wants to follow in those footsteps, but for a slightly different cause.

Wilmer, a former employee of Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton, says a sign outside the hotel is still advertising the attraction that closed in 2008. Before Hilton decides to finally rip it down, Wilmer wants to save it one way or another.

He’s just not getting much help.

“My concern is that ti’s the last vestige of Star Trek: The Experience, of a beloved local landmark, and I think the sign should be preserved somehow,” Wilmer told KLAS. “I’ve tried suggesting to a number of organizations, ‘See if you can grab that sign, preserve it,’ and either the response is we’re disinterested or our hands are tied.”

The Hilton has left the sign up for the last two years despite maintaining an empty space where the attraction once was. Officials with the hotel have not said anything about the sign, or their plans for it. But it is likely that the sign will eventually be removed, and likely discarded.

Only Hilton, however, can make that decision, so it’s unclear what Wilmer can do, other than try to convince the hotel to give the sign to him instead of discarding it. He’s also suggested the hotel keep it up, but include a plaque discussing the attraction that was once there — a suggestion that almost definitely wouldn’t be honored.

Not everyone is keen on the idea of preserving the sign. In fact, one person who commented on the KLAS story was wondering why the Las Vegas CBS affiliate was even spending time on the story.

“This isn’t the sign from an old casino or night club marquis, it is just a sign on the side of the Hilton,” said a poster under the name of GaryS. “It holds little historic significance, if any at all. It was just another casino promotion that failed.”

Another reader said the sign should be saved, and maybe could be included in the Neon Park attraction, even though it is not a traditional neon sign that Las Vegas is famous for.

Although the station doing the story is a CBS affiliate — the network whose parent company owns the current rights to Star Trek — the station itself is independently owned by a Virginia company that is not related to CBS Corp.

Star Trek: The Experience opened in 1998 and closed in 2008. It was rumored to be moving to Neonopolis in Las Vegas, but those plans never materialized.