LAS VEGAS, Sunday, August 12 — With the reverberations of Comic-Con still in the air, any news on the next "Star Trek" movie is bound to garner headlines. With that in mind, we thought we'd bring you some of the comments made by Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner on the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" movie that Nimoy will be starring in, but currently Shatner will not.

Some new information that came out was that Nimoy will be shooting his part starting in December — a month after principal photography begins — and is scheduled for more work in February and March of 2008. Nimoy's role as the older Spock is "not gigantic," but, "it's more than a cameo." Nimoy also talked about the challenge of trying to recapture the character and trying to examine where Spock has been and how he's evolved in the intervening years since we last saw him (which was in TNG's "Unification").

Sunday afternoon the schedule had Nimoy come on stage by himself for 30 minutes, then Shatner would go on solo for 30 minutes, and then they'd spend another half hour sharing the stage together.

Nimoy came out at 2:30 p.m., and on top of drawing huge ovations just for himself, he made the crowd doubly erupt when he took off his jacket and showed off his "#1 Vulcan" T-shirt (which he's worn before at conventions). "You human beings are so emotional," he began.

After commenting on the introductory video, and making barbs about Shatner trying to drown him during "Star Trek IV," Nimoy opened, "I can not imagine what you want to hear about today. I can't imagine what you want to talk about today."

The crowd started chanting: "Mo-vie! Mo-vie! Mo-vie!"

"Is that what you want to talk about?" So Nimoy started in on what he wanted to say: "I've been on the Internet for the last few days, and it's amazing to me how people are spending their time on these blogs and websites, voicing their opinions about what should be done about Star Trek next. People who have never directed a Star Trek episode, people who have never directed a film, people who have never directed traffic, are voicing their opinions about what to do with the next Star Trek movie. It's fascinating, fascinating.

"I've copied off just a few of the milder ones — really, some of them I just can't read out loud in public..." He dramatically recited several of the blogs he printed out, some infused with anger and cynicism, such as one suggesting that bringing Nimoy and Shatner into the movie shows a lack of originality "just to satisfy a bunch of old Trekkies!" Another offbeat one suggested that the movie will reveal Spock's first name to be "Timmy."

"So many experts, so many opinions," Nimoy commented. "Thousands of Star Trek fans, millions of Star Trek fans, millions of opinions. I wanna tell you something. When I finished making 'Star Trek III,' about a week before it opened I got a call from the administration at the studio, Paramount, and they said, 'We'd like you make another one — make 'Star Trek IV.' And I said, 'I'm really interested in doing that, however—'

"'Star Trek III' was my first movie. I had directed some television but it was my first feature film. And they had a tight hold on me. Every day I had to explain why I was doing this shot this way and how it was going to cut with that other shot, and what was I going to do tomorrow — they were on me all day long every day. And I said, 'I can't do that again. I need to be let loose.' And they said to me, 'The training wheels are off — we want you to make your Star Trek.' I said, 'Okay.' So I went to work and spent two years from the day they said that to the day the movie opened, I spent two years making 'Star Trek IV' — the movie opened and it became, still, the highest grossing Star Trek movie of all of them ever made, okay?

"I tell you that for a very serious reason, and the reason I tell you that is because they turned me loose and they let me have my vision and they let me make a movie. And I say that they have hired a very talented director and very talented writers, and you have to turn them loose and let them make their movie. Okay? I have faith in these people ... I think they're going to invigorate the franchise. I really do, I believe that." And the applause for his observations was enthusiastic.

"Not long ago in San Diego ... I was on the panel with J.J. Abrams and the two writers, and a young gentleman named Zachary Quinto. And he does resemble me, I think he's believable as me, younger — but equally important if not even more so, he's a very talented actor, and I'm honored to have him take over the role of Spock after I'm done. So please give him a welcome when he comes on the screen, okay? He's a talented actor and he's a gentleman — he was at my house for dinner a couple of nights ago, we've spent some good time together and we will spend more good time together, and I'm really grateful that they have found this very talented young man to play the young Spock. I'm looking forward to that.

"And as far as Bill Shatner goes ... I told J.J. Abrams, when he asked my opinion, I told him that I think obviously 'Star Trek' would be better with Bill Shatner as Captain Kirk in it. Now that's up to him, I'm not making the movie, but that's what I told him. I don't know if Bill wants to be in the movie — do you think Bill wants to be in the movie?" Saying that tongue-in-cheek, the audience laughed and cheered. "Yeaaaah," Nimoy responded.

Page 2: Nimoy takes questions and is then joined by Bill