RIP Khan, Number Six: McGoohan and Montalban Die in L.A.

Wired.com's Underwire blog is currently running nice obituary columns for Ricardo Montalban ("Fantasy Island" and "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan") and Patrick McGoohan ("Secret Agent Man" and "The Prisoner") both of whom passed away today. Montalban was 88, McGoohan 80.

I have many fond memories of both "Fantasy Island" and "The Prisoner," but I have to admit that "Fantasy Island" was often formulaic and - I think - mostly stood out because it followed the stupefyingly vapid "The Love Boat."

"The Prisoner," on the other hand, never failed to challenge and surprise the viewer. Hell, the three-minute(!) opening credits sequence had more suspense than a full episode of other spy/action shows of the period. Oddly, though, whenever I think of "The Prisoner," it's the closing credits I remember most. The surreal self-assembling penny-farthing and those blaring jazz trumpets will forever be my link to one of the best television shows ever.

In Other Depressing News...

Pretty much my only reason for going to Vegas is no more. "Star Trek: The Experience," at the Las Vegas Hilton closed on Monday, September 1.

Link to story at CNN.com.

Link to KLAS-TV (Las Vegas nOw!) with video.

I'm sad to see the attraction go, especially Quark's restaurant (no more Warp Core Breach! no more Wrap of Khan!) Even so, I couldn't help but chuckle at a few WTF-worthy moments in KLAS's report, like the staff cheering and clapping enthusiastically just before their final performance (it's the LAST time I have to pretend to understand Klingon!) and the manager of ST:TE claiming that, "there are people who feel that Star Trek cured their cancer."