The Canadian National Science Fiction Expo, or SFX, is a weekend-long
convention held annually at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. An important
component of this convention -- and conventions of this kind -- are the
appearance of guest stars. SFX 2001 brought in one of the major deities
of the Science Fiction Television pantheon: Montreal-born actor William
Shatner (1931-), recognized primarily for his portrayal of Captain James
T. Kirk. This appearance, which was advertised by its organizers as An
afternoon with William Shatner, will be the central subject of this multimedia
presentation. Through a close reading of this event, I will be exploring
issues of performance within the context of two specific “boundaries”.
First, the physical boundary of the convention, within which many attendees
-- including several “Kirks” -- felt free to perform their chosen roles.
Second, the blurred boundaries between performance, identity and the commodity-driven
world of Science Fiction Fandom, where Shatner is simultaneously a star,
a character, and a product, and where attendees can and are encouraged
to “buy into” Shatner, and by extension the billion-dollar Star Trek franchise,
through an seemingly endless range of merchandise.
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