''Well, fame is ephemeral. Actually there's no such thing as fame. If you're on a monument like Nelson or Napoleon that's probably fame … When I was born or growing up or even as an adult, there were famous actors that if I were to say that name to most people now they'd say who? Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, name the great stars that were so famous and they no longer are. ''The essence of fame is to know that it is meaningless and it is ephemeral and it lasts but a moment and there are other far more important things.'' But as his entourage frenetically marshal media in a hotel suite twice the size of my apartment, I wonder how a man who is so universally recognisable there's a collective noun named after him (a Shatner of nerds) keep grounded? ''By saying what I just said as a mantra every day,'' he said. ''And having people around me who keep telling me that. You're not famous, it doesn't matter, you're unimportant.'' But the fans at Oz Comic-Con - a two-day convention for comic fans, sci-fi buffs, gamers and dress-up-loving geeks, which hit Melbourne on Saturday - think differently.

Shatner groupies queued for hours for the chance to get an autograph ($40) or have their picture taken ($80) with the man who has become a cult hero as much for his role as womanising attorney Denny Crane in TV series Boston Legal, or for his colourful singing career, as for his sci-fi roots. ''He's done so much since Star Trek and Twilight Zone that he might be a bit blase about it but the thing is, the fans just love him. I'd like to see all the captains of the Enterprise but he's definitely the best one. It's definitely a bit of an honour to meet him,'' said Andrew McGee, a PVC-clad, cape-wearing bear of a man clutching a light sabre and sporting thigh-high platform boots. Nikki Affleck, who came dressed as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, said celebrities at the convention - including Hellboy star Ron Perlman, Beverly Hills, 90210 darling Shannen Doherty, and Rocky Horror Picture Show cast members - were part of the event's appeal. ''People are desperate to get photos and hang out and chat, particularly people like Shatner who were at the start of a genre, a cult thing, It's awesome that they're here. Comics are making a massive resurgence and it's got a lot to do with a lot of the Marvel comics being made into movies and of course [TV show] Big Bang Theory has made it more socially acceptable for us nerds to get out and about dressed up. It's become its own little genre and it's heaps of fun.'' Loading

As for Shatner, his next venture is a new album called Ponder the Mystery, with music by former Yes guitarist Billy Sherwood and lyrics he penned himself. ''I think this album is the best thing I've done musically over the years. One of the lines is 'A child's love and man's cruelty - ponder the mystery' and the song has that aspect to it. [It's] the dichotomy of man.'' ■jstark@fairfaxmedia.com.au