Star Trek Adventure Star Trek Adventure was the title given to the two Universal Studios produced , largely overlapping , " Star Trek " - themed live - action performance attraction s , at its two Universal Studios Tour theme - park premises , located in Hollywood , Los Angeles , California from until and in Orlando , Florida from until , fully licensed by Paramount Pictures . Hollywood venue . The US $ 7 million live - action performance attraction was formally announced to the general public on 8 April 1988 with the release of a press kit presented to the media . The eight - page kit contained an two - page studio introduction , a four - page " United Federation of Planets Directive " written from an in - universe perspective , presenting a format for a contest broadcasters could employ to give away admission tickets for the attraction from 1 July onward , and a two - page contest comic format for the press media . The Los Angeles venue opened on 9 June 1988 with Gene Roddenberry and the cast ( excepting Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner ) in attendance . In the performance , ten volunteers from the audience were dressed in Starfleet uniforms , placed on sets and coached to deliver scripted dialogue for several " Star Trek " scenes with Captain Kirk , Spock , Doctor McCoy , and Montgomery Scott . Four audience members competed for the role of the Klingon captain in a growl - off , with the runners up playing his crew members . A very young audience member became a " dragonhound " ( as coined in the end credit roll ) , based on Kruge ' s Klingon reptilian dog seen in . Other audience members played the alien Preceptors , who were testing both crews via mind control . The scenes were recorded on video , inter - cut with stock footage from the movies , edited into a eight - minute short film , and shown to the audience in the newly built , 1200 seat Panasonic Theater . The " actors " had the opportunity to purchase a VHS copy of their video after the show for US $ 29 . 95 ( plus tax ) . The attraction had the capacity to do ten performances a day , each taking up approximately thirty minutes in total . Sets that were ( partially ) recreated in the Panasonic Theater included a bridge of the Klingon Bird - of - Prey , a transporter room , a nondescript landscape , main engineering and the bridge of the refit - . The latter in particular warranted attention , as it was one of the very few times that a refit - " Enterprise " bridge recreation has seen the light of day , as it has been the original " Enterprise " bridge , considered the quintessential " Star Trek " set by many in the " Star Trek " community , which was the one that has been recreated numerous times for these kind of occasions . Production companies who have worked on the attraction included , MCA / Universal Recreation Services , Task Research , McFadden Systems , and Smith Bruni Design . The video featured additional visual effects sequences of the Klingon Bird - of - Prey and the refit - " Enterprise " which was not covered by stock footage from , and . These effects , deemed necessary to cover the story - line of the video ( specifically , for the scenes where the two vessels encounter the " fantastic space creatures " , as specified in the brochure quoted below ) , were separately shot at Universal Studios . To this end , the actual production studio model s of the two vessels were sent over to Universal for filming . However , the " Enterprise " model was endowed with a high - gloss paint - scheme , which had previously already bedeviled Industrial Light & Magic when shooting the model for the movie features ( " see : main article for particulars " ) . In order to work around the problem , the effects crew at Universal performed an act of vandalism on the US $ 150 , 000 model as a dismayed Bran Ferren of Associates and Ferren discovered when the model was sent to him for the effects of less than a year later , " " One entire side of the Enterprise model was sprayed matte gray , destroying the meticulous original paint job . We had to go in and fix it before we could shoot it , which took two painters and an assistant about six weeks to do . " " Painstakingly refurbished , it did put unexpected additional strain on both time - schedule and production budget of an already strained production . ( " American Cinematographer " , July 1989 , p . 83 ) Save for a voice - over by William Shatner , no additional scenes with the " Original Series " cast needed to be recorded or filmed , all of these being stock footage from the features . Plot . The " Enterprise " sets course to Akumal 7 ( " spelling from press kit , p . 2 " ) , but once arriving there , is intercepted by a Klingon Bird - of - Prey , whose captain immediately decides on attacking the " Enterprise " . However , during mid - battle , both vessels are rendered inoperative by a strange energy field , which is suspected to originate from the planet . Deciding to investigate , an away team is beamed down , only to discover a Klingon away team as well . Fighting ensues between the two teams , until a strange creature attacks the Klingons . Putting aside their prejudices , the Starfleet team members save the Klingons , much to the latters ' dismay , as they felt dishonored by it . Returning to their respective vessels , " Enterprise " finds itself attacked by a larger version of the creature . The Klingon captain sees an opportunity to redeem himself and his crew and reciprocally saves " Enterprise " by destroying the creature . Only then is it revealed that both crews have experienced an illusion , created by an omnipotent species , the Preceptors , who had done so in order to show both crews the error of their ways . Properly edified , both ships are then sent on their respective ways . Orlando venue . A parallel " Star Trek Adventure " performance , featuring another ( less ambitious ) story - line , opened in March 1991 at Universal ' s Orlando , Florida theme - park location , as one of two " " Screen Test Home Video Adventure " s " ( the other one having been " " Your Day at Universal Studios " " ) , and differing in this respect that there were used to insert guest footage into newly filmed scenes with " Star Trek " actors , whereas the Los Angeles version inter - cut pre - existing stock movie footage with additional guest cast scenes shot earlier on the replica sets into the short film . Partly due to the different way the now ten - minute video was compiled , partly for commercial reasons – since the Hollywood venue was still up and running at that time – , a different plot - line was employed at the Orlando venue . Contrary to the Hollywood venue , where stock footage from the features was sufficient enough for cutting the filmed sequences with the guest actors into the final short film , the Orlando venue required additional scenes with the " Original Series " cast to be filmed into which the guest actors performances were to be composited ; Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner were filmed for the introductory sequence whereas DeForest Kelley and the secondary cast filmed additional scenes on the recreated refit - " Enterprise " Hollywood bridge set for the " adventure " itself . Due to the blue screen technique employed , less visitors could participate , and the number was limited to five with limited interactivity as opposed to the Hollywood venue where up to twenty visitors could participate . One participant later recalled , " " Back in 1991 , my father took my mother and I to Florida ' s Universal Studios . Being an avid Star Trek fan , I begged to do this attraction . You are in this empty room , with a captain ' s chair , and that ' s it . All blue screen . " " On the other hand , no additional visual effects were required – if only for the fact that the studio models were in use at the time for – and all starship effects were stock footage from the movie features . Editing chores were handled by Anitech Services Inc . and Television Engineering Services . ( " end credit roll " ) The Orlando venue was closed on 11 November 1996 , whereas the Hollywood venue had closed two years earlier . Several examples of the videos shot on both venues are currently available on the internet channel YouTube . The Hollywood video registration variant lacked an introduction , the Orlando version had . The same , but more professional , blue screen technique was by then used to great effect for the acclaimed 1996 homage episode . Plot . Roddenberry introduces the video as a " Star Trek " episode where , for the first time , guest stars ( the volunteers ) will play the Captain of the " Enterprise " and the Vulcan science officer . He then shows a peek at the rehearsal session with the actors and their two directors , Shatner and Nimoy . Shatner says that emotion is the key to playing the Captain . Nimoy says that all traces of emotion should be removed from the Vulcan science officer ' s performance . Then , at the same time , both directors say that their respective roles are the most important . Both taken aback , the directors debate whether or not their role is the most important until the actors playing the Captain and the Vulcan demand they stop arguing . Impressed , the directors agree that it is time for these actors " to boldly go where no man has gone before " . On the bridge of the " Enterprise " , Uhura informs McCoy that the graduates are ready to beam aboard . As they beam from Earth to the " Enterprise " s transporter room , they are greeted by Scotty who informs them that they are expected on the bridge . As they arrive on the bridge , McCoy nurses his nervous stomach and has to keep reminding himself that it is only a training mission . Two of the graduates begin pushing buttons that accidentally activates red alert , but Sulu turns it off and asks that they not touch anything while Chekov laughs . Then , they decide that they want to launch phasers until Chekov warns them that it would be very dangerous . The captain and the new Vulcan science officer greet the bridge while McCoy expresses his disdain for Vulcans . Out in space , the " Enterprise " detects another Federation vessel , which Uhura notes will not respond to communications . The captain notes that the ship either can ' t or won ' t respond , while McCoy sarcastically agrees . Krall , a brash young Klingon in control of the Federation ship , displays excitement at the prospect of engaging Kirk and the " Enterprise " . The graduates are beamed aboard the commandeered Federation vessel , and delay Krall long enough from attacking " Enterprise " any further , by bluffing to detonate a " photon detonator " ( which later turns out to be a gag gift ) for a message to be received from Kirk that a ceasefire has been signed with the Klingon Empire . The Klingons are subsequently taken into custody for handing over to the Empire .