If you consider yourself a major sci-fi geek like I do, you’ll know that, while there are any number of binge-watch-able shows on television these days—The X-Files reboot, Stranger Things and Travelers, to name a few—all roads lead back to Star Trek. It’s the OG.
Created by Gene Roddenberry, the series first premiered in 1966, and though it was cancelled after just three seasons, saw its popularity grow exponentially in the coming decades. That continued interest in the show would help TV execs green-light a series of TV spin-offs—including this year’s Star Trek: Discovery—and 13 movies. The original cast of characters on the Starship Enterprise—which included characters such as Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Sulu (George Takei)—became household names and heroes to many a super-fan. Star Trek fans got a catchy name, too: Trekkies. Conventions were launched, the actors made appearances at many of them and mounds of merchandise was sold. The Star Trek juggernaut is now worth billions of dollars—and it’s hurtling ahead at warp speed. Director Quentin Tarantino is working on an all-new movie, which would be the series’ 14th.
One of the best-loved films in the canon, though, is 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, featuring Mexican actor Ricardo Montalbán as the title villain; along with the majority of the original cast of Star Trek. At this point, Shatner’s Kirk is Admiral of the USS Enterprise, and must throw down with his old nemesis Khan Noonien Singh, stopping a device called Genesis from falling into his arch-enemy’s hands. (Khan wasn’t a new character; Montalbán was reprising his role from the ’67 Star Trek episode, “Space Seed.”) Despite original creator Roddenberry not being a part of the movie’s production (its predecessor had been a failure at the box office), it turned into a watershed moment for the franchise, sparking new interest in the series and further solidifying Star Trek in the annals of both TV and movie history.
In recent years, actors Shatner and Takei have become regulars on social media, amassing millions of followers on Twitter, and not steering too far out of the public eye. And that has worked to the advantage of diehards.
Now, Capital Region Trekkies are in for a rare treat. On April 4, Proctors will be screening The Wrath of Khan, and immediately following it, fans will witness a once-in-a-lifetime Q&A session with actor William Shatner himself. (He’ll be interviewed by Albany Times Union arts reporter Amy Biancolli, a self-proclaimed Trekkie.) Tickets are going for between $35.50 and $150, with special VIP tickets allowing fans to take a photo with Shatner. (Tickets are still available, but they’re selling out fast.) Check for remaining seats here.
To whet your appetite for the upcoming event, watch Shatner’s scream-heard-round-the-galaxy from the movie below.
