El Mirage Dry Lake Bed

{{real world}}
[[File:Wang, Kolbe.jpg|thumb|left|Actor [[Garrett Wang]] and director [[Winrich Kolbe]] on location for "Caretaker"]]
[[File:Lambda Paz surface.jpg|thumb|As the Lambda Paz surface in TNG "Final Mission"]]
[[File:Dennis Tracy on location.jpg|thumb|[[Stand-in]]s [[Dennis Tracy]] and [[Randy Pflug]] on location for "Final Mission"]]
The '''El Mirage Dry Lake Bed''' location in the Mojave desert in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, California, was used for filming the surface of [[Lambda Paz]] in the {{s|TNG}} [[TNG Season 4|fourth season]] episode {{e|Final Mission}} in {{y|1990}}. In {{y|1994}} it was used to portray the surface of the [[Ocampa (planet)|Ocampa homeworld]] in the {{s|VOY}} pilot episode  {{e|Caretaker}}. In {{y|2002}} the production used the midway between the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed and the Edwards Air Force Base to shoot the scenes on the [[Kolarus III]] surface in {{film|10}}.

Actor [[Garrett Wang]] later remarked that, during the filming of "Caretaker", [[:Category:Cinematographers|Director of Photography]] [[Marvin V. Rush]] arrived at the location in his own personal helicopter. [http://vimeo.com/ondemand/thealphaquadrant/275582733?autoplay=1]

The location was also used for several other film and television projects including the science fiction film ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'' (1984), action film ''Lethal Weapon'' (1987), the science fiction sequel ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), the western comedy ''Maverick'' (1994), an the comedy remake ''Herbie: Fully Loaded'' (2005). The El Mirage Dry Lake Bed can also be seen in the opening sequence of the television series ''Knight Rider'' (1982-1987).

Several musicians also filmed their music videos on this location such as {{w|Shania Twain}} with "{{w|That Don't Impress Me Much}}", {{w|Josh Groban}} with "{{w|You Are Loved}}", and {{w|Metallica}} with "{{w|I Disappear}}".

== External links ==
* {{wikipedia|El Mirage Dry Lake}}
* [http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:4220386256453627::NO::P3_FID:241896 El Mirage Dry Lake] at the [http://geonames.usgs.gov Geographic Names Information System]
[[Category:Filming locations]]