Shatner defended his policy after he was called "rude" by fans who felt there were times — outside of a setting where they have to pay for it — where it should be OK to approach the actor in a polite manner.

Shatner said no.

"If I’m out & about with family or waiting for a plane & I do it for one; an instant line [of] 50 forms," Shatner wrote. "So if I say no to #1 or #21 it’s the same — I’m a jerk. So to save time the answer is no. There’s a time and place for everything & conventions are that place."

Some fans, feeling slighted by Shatner's stance, tried to turn it around on him and say that without the fans, he would not be famous, therefore he would not be wealthy.

"I can make the same argument for whoever pays your salary. So if I purchase a product/service etc that your company makes, my money is paying your salary too," Shatner responded.

Some were relentless with trying to land a guilt-trip on Shatner, but he wasn't having any of it.

"I’m supposed to care about people who sneak up behind me to have someone grab a photo, who interrupt my private times enjoying my grandchildren, who bother me in restrooms & who even interrupt my calling my wife at the airport in order to request a photo or autograph?" he wrote.

The Capt. Kirk actor continued to go back and forth with fans, some who were understanding and others who were bent out of shape. One asked if there was ever a good time for someone to ask for his autograph or a picture.

"No," Shatner responded. "Anytime I’m out in public I’m doing something — going to a meeting, taking my grandchildren to the park, having a meal, traveling to a meeting or an event, etc... I value my personal time above all else. That’s why I go to conventions & come here — to make myself accessible."

Shatner, of course, has gone to some Cons through the years where he has signed for people and taken pictures. And that is the best he can do, he said via Twitter.

"I sign autographs constantly for charities and other organizations," Shatner wrote. "I’m just not going to take autograph or photo requests in public because one leads to 50 which leads to hundreds which I don’t have time for."