Fans geek out over the work of James Marsters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Torchwood, but the actor himself is a fan who has prayed at the church of fandom -- comic cons -- since he was 13 years old.

I caught up with the erstwhile Spike at Wizard World Philadelphia a couple weeks back to chat about fandom. And in the following video, die-hard Star Trek fan Marsters reveals that he used to dress up as Spock and nerd out with his fellow fans at the con. He also notes that people actually speak to one another at cons (rather than being on, you know, Facebook and such) and that there is a sincere connection to the material within the community.

Marsters also chats about the time he came so close to being in a Star Trek film, Nemesis, as Captain Picard’s clone. As a fan, he said this was a huge moment, and the gig was almost his — until he blew it!

Watch the video below and find out if he's had a chance to talk with Patrick Stewart about the missed opportunity.