This weekend, William Shatner will boldly go to Asbury Park.

Shatner, a pop culture icon thanks to his work as Captain James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" science-fiction franchise, appears Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Paramount Theatre on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

Following a screening of 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," Shatner will appear for an on-stage conversation with Alex Biese, features reporter for the Asbury Park Press and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey.

For the uninitiated, "The Wrath of Khan" charts the calamitous collision between Shatner's Kirk and the crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise when they cross paths once again with the infamous Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalban and first introduced in the 1967 Season One "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed."

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Speaking with the USA TODAY NETWORK and Asbury Park Press' "Fan Theory" pop culture podcast last year, Shatner said "The Wrath of Khan" resonated with fans because it, unlike the preceding "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979), looked to the original "Trek" television series for its inspiration.

"They hued to the 'Star Trek' ethos, I guess, the idea that 'Star Trek' was about people and the plot had a deeper meaning," Shatner said of "Wrath of Khan" director Nicholas Meyer and company. "And all of the things that made 'Star Trek' popular for the three years it was on the air, they tried to echo in that movie."

Through more than half a century of cultural relevance, "Star Trek" has shaped countless lives across generations — something that Shatner said fans are never shy to share with him.

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"A lot of people have come up to me over the years, saying they are now scientists or artists or whatever their profession is, (and) they chose it as a result of watching 'Star Trek,' " Shatner said. "I've had people say they chose to live rather than die after some terrible things happened to them as a result of being entertained or associating themselves with 'Star Trek.'

"There have been a lot of very moving claims made by people who saw 'Star Trek' and their lives were altered one way or the other. So I, who (is) on the outside looking in, accept the fact that the series, this piece of fiction, affected people's lives to a large degree."

William Shatner

What: Screening 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," followed by an on-stage conversation with Alex Biese of the Asbury Park Press and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, doors at 2 p.m.

Where: The Paramount Theatre, 1300 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park

Tickets: Starting at $39.50

Info: apboardwalk.com