William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy headlined Creation Entertainment's latest event this past weekend in Seattle, providing thousands of Star Trek fans a glimpse at what the organizers have promised will become an annual event — the Grand Slam on Tour. This will no doubt please residents in this part of the country and Canada who will now be able to see and hear their favorite stars on a far "grander" scale than ever before. And, judging by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, this event will have no problem finding an audience.

If you factor in the inevitable Seattle drizzle, then the bubbly — and very blonde — Nana Visitor ("Kira Nerys") provided a welcome ray of light, fielding questions from the audience to kick off the event on Friday. When asked about her memories filming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nana remembered one day in particular where she and her fellow cast mates had been filming, albeit separately, and were finally reunited for some shots. Giddy with excitement, the cast was unruly. "There was one scene where we all got to be together, and it was like a cocktail party and the director said, 'It's like trying to direct a pack of wild dogs!' Because we were all over the place, we weren't paying attention ... we enjoyed each other so much and when I think about DS9, I think about that — how much we enjoyed each other."

Nana also commented on the state of acting and the uncertainty of what she would be doing next. "I have been acting for 27 years and I've never known what my next job was going to be. Never. And [currently], in the real gypsy tradition, I have no idea. I've just gone to L.A. for a month to see what's up, because I would like to do TV again."

This time, however, Nana stressed that her schedule and filming commitments need to jibe with her family needs, as her two children are in school in New York. She cited this as a key reason why she had to leave the show Dark Angel, as it just didn't mesh with her home life.

Later in the program, Nichelle Nichols ("Uhura") arrived to rapturous applause and answered many questions regarding her stint on Star Trek, and also shed some more light on her legendary encounter with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

One question centered on the advice Nichelle would give to aspiring actors. For those who think acting is easy, Nichelle's emphatic comments would suggest otherwise: "Get into every play, amateur local theatre, regional theatre... Read, read, read, read. Everything. From Shakespeare down, sideways and back. Find the characters that you want to play, even if you never get to play them. Learn your soliloquies, audition, audition, audition. And do it for free! Because you will be doing it for free for a long time. Study, study, study, work, work, work and it will happen. And never, ever, ever, ever give up. Oh, and get a day job!" The audience burst into laughter on that note of wisdom.

Sandwiched between Nana and Nichelle was "The Ferengi Family Hour," now an established convention circuit hit that features DS9 stars Chase Masterson ("Leeta"), Max Grodenchik ("Rom") and Aron Eisenberg ("Nog"), along with long-time Star Trek script coordinator Lolita Fatjo (featured here as "Moogie"), in a rollicking self-produced musical that takes our Ferengi family back to modern-day Disneyland. Using song parody and comic settings, The Ferengi Family Hour provides a wonderful diversion that expands on the DS9 characters we already know and love.

Gates McFadden ("Dr. Crusher") finished off the "Women of Star Trek" program Friday with her usual aplomb, answering a variety of questions about her own experiences on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Parking was at a premium Saturday as the show quickly sold out for the day. Of course, with the new comedy duo of Shatner and Nimoy set to take the stage, it was no wonder. In what is becoming an accomplished double act, the two Original Series stars provided fans with their effortless (and sometimes not so effortless) humor, with digs at each other and their perceived reputations. Shatner, especially, was self-deprecating when talking about why some of the other Star Trek actors have been so negative about him. This point was not lost on Nimoy, who constantly reminded Shatner that people did things to him because he wasn't well-liked.

This "fact" was emphasized by the infamous "bagel" story at the expense of DeForest Kelley. One morning, Kelley was, as usual, toasting a bagel obtained from the craft services table. Shatner, however, had other plans. He enlisted the help of Nimoy to distract Kelley so he could steal Kelley's bagel from the toaster. Kelley returned, perplexed, and then tried toasting another bagel only to be distracted yet again. Meanwhile, Shatner was stuffing a bagel in his mouth trying to hide the evidence.

"I was nice to him," said Nimoy. "Yes, you were," replied Shatner. "You were not," deadpanned Nimoy, to much laughter.

To finish the story, Shatner had this to say about the late doctor: "I loved DeForest. He was a great guy and I miss him."

A question addressed to "Mr. Spock" inquired as to how Nimoy "found" his character, given that finding a captain's character was easier as it's obvious what a ship captain does. But it isn't so obvious with a Vulcan.

Nimoy's response was, again, typically deadpan. "They had to find an actor who was extremely versatile, who could project intelligence, dignity and a certain type of stature... and [be] extremely humble."

Later, Shatner tried to pump Nimoy on whether he knew that Spock was going to live after all after "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." "He knew he was going to live! I know you know you knew...!"

"Well, in science fiction you always come back," was Leonard's retort.

The goodhearted banter lasted the duration of their talk, with the two seeming completely at ease and able to just enjoy their time on stage together, two friends whose lives have become legend, whose careers are now a part of TV history, their legacy undiminished by time.

Sunday was reserved for the new kids on the Star Trek block, Enterprise's Dominic Keating ("Lt. Malcolm Read") and John Billingsley ("Dr. Phlox").

Keating, on stage first, was very animated and never stopped moving about the stage, fielding questions for an eager audience getting their first look at one of the new crew. Dominic recounted his ordeal of getting cast in the role — the whole process being a bit nerve-wracking — and the ultimate jubilation when finally cast.

Fans may want to note: One of the things Dominic confessed to was a dislike of pineapple, contrary to what his character apparently loves.

To finish the event, Billingsley, attired in a Seattle Mariners T-shirt, was affable in his own soft-spoken delivery. Sounding much like his character, he made reference to his belly and how the producers were okay with his size, much to his delight. Billingsley also recounted and reiterated much of what Dominic had said previously about getting cast. Ultimately, they both expressed their gratitude for getting cast in Star Trek and being able to work with such a wonderful crew.

If you missed the festivities in Seattle, Creation's next "Grand Slam" event will take place March 22-24 in Pasadena, California. For more information, including the confirmed guests, visit the Creation site listed below.