Star Trek

I went to a Star Trek convention in Cherry Hill this weekend with my friend Carl. He's been to a few and said it was really a good spot for geek watching. I've heard stories of the fanatics dressed like Klingons and had to see it myself, especially when he said the guests on Sunday would be William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock were my favorite characters in the original incarnation of Star Trek, and I gladly paid the $50 to enter the convention. Surprisingly, there weren't the thousands of people at the show, maybe a few hundred. The ballroom was packed for Shatner and Nimoy, and occasionally members of the audience were allowed to stand to the side and take a few pictures. I don't know if it was the large auditorium, the dim lighting, my crappy camera or a combination of the three, but my photos were blurry and dark, but I did snap a few fair shots. Nimoy came out first, and was really fun. Then Shatner took the stage and the place went wild with applause. Shatner had a good time poking fun at Nimoy and the legion of nerdy fans who asked him stupid questions. The thing about Shatner I like is what I liked when I saw Kevin Smith a few years ago - he loves countering his geeky fans with sarcasm. Shatner and Nimoy addressed questions about the new Star Trek movie, a prequel to Star Trek featuring a young Kirk and Spock, and plugged his upcoming novel set for an October release. Both Shatner and Nimoy talked about the early days of Star Trek and shared some humorous stories of playing practical jokes on the set. They then touched on their individual careers, debunked a few myths and took questions from the audience.
The only gripe I have is the way the convention was set up: you could only get a photo taken with Nimoy or Shatner if you paid $70 extra at registration. The same for autographs. You have to pay. Now I know they're in it to make money, good for them and capitalism and all that, but it is a bit much. I guess they have to find a way to manage it or everyone would get their photos and autographs and where would that lead? Anarchy, that's where!
It was a very good show and I have to say William Shatner is a great and funny guy.