The actor vividly remembers the moment he received the call confirming his role while driving on the freeway
entertainment1 hour ago
“There are a lot of people travelling from all over the world to come here. It’s sort of monumental in its worth,” said Shatner, who has also won an Emmy for his role in the U.S. drama Boston Legal.
“I enjoy meeting fans on a broad scale. There are 17,000 people...coming to this convention, it’s a huge event.”
There was a time, however, when Shatner did wonder what motivated Star Trek fans to flock to conventions, splashing out on merchandise and dressing up in replica costumes true to the series’ humble beginnings.
In 1986 Shatner starred in a Saturday Night Live sketch, in which he told a convention full of awe-struck Star Trek fans to stop wasting their lives on a TV show and to “get a life”.
“I didn’t want anything to do with a group of obsessives who paid to get together to talk incessantly about a TV show that had been cancelled. It wasn’t logical,” he wrote in an article for British national newspaper Daily Mail in 2008.
But on Friday the Canadian-born actor appeared moved by the masses of fans who have undertaken the pilgrimage to celebrate Star Trek, the series that has turned him into one of the most-loved actors on the small and big screen.
“I’ve never been ambivalent. I’m only filled with gratitude with the fame it gave me years ago and the way it’s kept me in the public eye.”
“I’m here at a large, huge convention in London, England, taking me from my home in Los Angeles all these years later and here you are, talking to me and I’m very happy to be doing so.”
In fact, Star Trek conventions have become an inspiration for the actor, who went behind the lens to film the 2012 documentary Get a life!, examining what drives people to attend conventions.
“The conclusion that I come to is that it’s (Star Trek) mythological. It’s a desire for mythology that we don’t have in this age.”
That documentary followed 2011’s The Captains, in which he visits the other ex-Star Trek captains including Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, to probe their lives and careers with and without the sci-fi drama.
“In The Captains documentary, I examined the actors to find out what similarities we have, what drives ambitions, and talents and what differences we have. It made for an interesting and award-winning documentary.”
The three-day London convention got over yesterday and is the first Star Trek live event to unite all five captains.
“I think it could be argued that we are all here today, the five captains, as a result of documentary.”
Looking back at the start of the 46-year old series, which was cancelled after the first three seasons before it started attracting a loyal following through re-runs, Shatner has embraced his Star Trek past.
“I had a great time doing it. I thought when it finished, that is the end of it. It wasn’t. And it’s all part of a magnificent journey.”
The actor vividly remembers the moment he received the call confirming his role while driving on the freeway
entertainment1 hour ago
Get set to beat summer with these water pursuits
entertainment1 hour ago
PSG must overturn a 1-0 deficit from last week's first leg after a Niclas Fuellkrug goal gave Dortmund a narrow victory in Germany
football1 hour ago
Nine routes are to be operated between Saudi Arabia and UAE by the airline
gulf1 hour ago
The first quarter has been marked with record revenue of Dh14.2 billion
business1 hour ago
It was a long overdue triumph for Norris, who held the record for most podiums without a win (15)
sports1 hour ago
The battle against inflation remains a focal point, expert says
business1 hour ago
The Israeli military did not offer an immediate comment, but earlier on Sunday it ordered residents of Al-Shuka and Al-Salam to move to a humanitarian area
world1 hour ago