Star Trek Convention

Leonard Nimoy, science fiction fan favorite for his portrayal of Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series, attended his final Star Trek convention last weekend. He bid farewell to the convention circuit at a convention in suburban Chicago, which was also celebrating the 45th anniversary of Star Trek.

During the event, Leonard gave an hour-long presentation of his life and career, including his struggles to become an actor, which even included a gig as a cab driver who once had a very famous passenger — John F. Kennedy. Fellow Star Trek star Jonathan Frakes (Riker to fans), who was also on hand for the farewell, estimated Leonard has attended about 125 conventions, all to see and connect with the fans who made the space show popular.

Leonard concluded his speech by telling the audience "May each and every one of you live long and prosper" and flashing the Vulcan V sign. He'll continue to work on his other passions, including photography and the arts.

Were you lucky enough to meet Leonard at past fan conventions?

Source: Flickr User Gage Skidmore

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Star Trek, and the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention is bringing the big names from the entire series to one fan-filled location. The convention schedule can be a bit tricky to navigate, so we narrowed down the five events no Trekkie can miss once in Vegas.

1. Leonard Nimoy photography seminar, Friday, August 12 at 7 p.m. — The original Spock will lecture on conceptual photography, a subject he knows much about with his recent photography exhibit Secret Selves, portraits of people dressed as their fantasy personalities.
2. The Captains on Stage, Sunday, August 14 at 1:20 p.m. — In the main theater, former Star Trek captains Sir Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, and Kate Mulgrew will take to the main stage in front of thousands of awestruck fans.
3. World record of most Star Trek costumes in one place — Need to beat the current world record set by the European convention FEDCON this May of 691 costumed attendees. Saturday, August 13, at 4:15 p.m., the Star Trek Las Vegas Convention will attempt to beat the record.

Two more events for convention goers after the break.