Because I've known for some time that I'm headed to Comic-Con in San Diego, and because I studied the schedule with the intensity of a nuclear physicist about to watch the first Higgs boson appear, I naturally have targeted certain events as "special." One jumps to mind. On Saturday, July 14, at 2:30 p.m. PDT, I'll be part of a press-only group hearing a panel discussion by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman and legendary actor William Shatner.
I hold both of these industry giants responsible in no small part for the direction my life has taken. In the 1960s, Corman directed several B-grade science-fiction movies. One of them, Attack of the Crab Monsters, was the first sci-fi movie I ever saw. It ran on a Saturday afternoon in May 1963 (on WIIC-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and, although somewhat schlocky by today's standards, it inspired me to learn all I could about science. Any science: entomology, mineralogy, paleontology, you name it.
Fast-forward just a few years. Star Trek debuts on NBC. And there in the captain's chair sat William Shatner as James Tiberius Kirk. Exploring planets, stars, nebulae ... boldly going where I suddenly wanted to go.
Stop. Refocus. Goodbye stegosaurus. Goodbye rose quartz. Hello universe! I would study astronomy, become a military pilot, and then voyage to space as an astronaut. What's that, U.S. Air Force? I'm too tall?!? Ya gotta be kiddin' me. Well, at least I fulfilled a third of my goals, which is probably more than people who knew me in the '60s would have guessed.
So, on the 14th I may have the opportunity to ask one or both of these gentlemen a question. And, believe me, I have no lack of possibilities. But while pondering what I might ask, I wondered what questions would pop into someone else's mind. What would you ask, not just of Corman or Shatner, but of any famous person you've never met who made a difference in your life? It's a fun thought exercise and, who knows? Like me, you may get your chance.
I'll be blogging and tweeting from Comic-Con throughout the convention. Stay tuned.