Famous actors like William Shatner are taking their films back on the road, and finding fans.

Some characters are so persuasive, so admirable, so interesting they gain a following—one that no actor can shake. John Banner is always Sergeant Schultz. Mark Hamill is forever associated with Luke Skywalker. There are dozens of other examples.

Dave Faries here, noting that popular identification is not such a bad thing. For instance, Monty Python’s John Cleese, William Shatner of Star Trek fame and other actors have been embarking on a cinematic version of show and tell for the last decade. They show up at a theater with a movie then address sold out audiences eager to hear about the character, the production of the film or any number of other details. Unlike the old Star Trek conventions or games of quidditch, no one is mocking these nostalgia tours.

“It’s really taken off,” Steve Lisciani of Standing Ovations Live, one of the companies that organizes these tours, told me. “These are classic movies, and for an audience to get the behind-the-scenes is a fun concept.”

The trend is the subject of this week’s cover story. Earlier this year, I saw Golden State Theatre’s advertisement for a showing of Napoleon Dynamite with an appearance by actors Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez and Jon Gries. A little while after that, an ad promoted The Big Lebowski and a following Q&A with Jeff Bridges. Next up was Cleese talking about Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We found the trend interesting.

Shatner—or Captain James T. Kirk, thanks to the lasting popularity of Star Trek—visits Monterey Saturday, Nov. 15, traveling with the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He tells me that Hollywood’s woes (ticket sales for new movies have been slumping since the early 2000s) and the appeal of an interactive experience, among other factors, is driving the trend. But you can read more about the thoughts of Shatner and others here.

By the way, the veteran actor is a charming person. After we exchanged greetings over the phone, he said, “I just finished an interview that didn’t go so well. But I know this one will be the best interview all day.” “I think you put far too much faith in me,” was my response. He started a conversation, which is what he likes to do on stage—engage the audience.

If you are a fan, I hope you are able to see Shatner and enjoy the evening. When I last checked over a week ago, the event was just about sold out.

Tour organizers tell me that more show and tell events are lined up for next year. Robert Hays and Airplane? I’m in.