We have had two spectacular conventions pass through town, drawing every costumed geek out of the Phantom Zone and miraculously making all of the money in their wallets and purses disappear.

In June, over 50,000 obsessive fans hit the Sydney Showgrounds for the home-grown Supanova Pop Culture Expo. Marvel Comics’ spiritual leader Stan Lee was the main attraction, with queues snaking around the venue awaiting a few precious moments with the living legend. I bought a VIP pass, which kept my standing in lines to a minimum and found Mr Lee to be a ball of energy despite his age.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness) visited our shores in April as a special spin-off event from Oz Comic Con. With two days of Q&As and autograph sessions completely sold out, the weekend was every middle-aged female geek’s dream, which is exactly why I didn’t attend.

OZ Comic Con made its Sydney debut in September. Owned and managed by an international company, the event was slick and extremely well organised. Held at the temporary Sydney Exhibition Centre at Glebe Island, I was attracted to this event for the opportunity to meet the greatest actor alive today™, William Shatner.

From his portrayal of Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the original Star Trek series right through to his rather strange musical “interpretations”, Shatner has been at the centre of my geekdom for the entirety of my life so far.

As cop T.J. Hooker, he kept the streets of Los Angeles free from crime in the underrated eponymously titled 80s series. As Kirk, he punched and bedded aliens (not the same ones). He was also hilarious in the short-lived series Sh*t My Dad Says. He’s an author, director, horseman, “singer” and proud Canadian. Most importantly, he is able to look back at his vast body of work with a unique sense of humour yet still retain a healthy ego. After all, he has saved the universe several times.

Having already had the opportunity to hear the man speak at his An Evening with William Shatner tour a few years ago (I even asked him a question in front of a sold-out State Theatre audience), I was far more interested in getting an autograph and having my photo with him than attending his panel talks.

First up was the autograph line, which I managed to mostly avoid with my VIP pass. Mr Shatner was pleasant and polite, remarking that he had never seen the vintage Australian Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home poster I brought for signing.

Next up was the highlight of my nerdist 2014, a photo with the man himself. Dressed in my Star Trek villain Kahn shirt (pronounced Kaaaaaahhhhnnnn!!!), I took my place next to Shatner and politely asked if I could fist bump him in the photo. He agreed and the rest is history. In my defence, I have never fist bumped anyone before and most likely will never again.

The photo of my brush with television and film history is now framed on my bedroom wall. No wonder I am single.

peterayoung.com