William Shatner, the man who made T.J. Hooker a household name locally, is coming to South Africa. Reed Exhibitions Africa and ReedPOP have announced that Emmy Award winner, actor, author, producer, director, and singer William Shatner is appearing at Comic Con Africa on 21, 22 and 23 September 2019.

Shatner struck gold with his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise. This was enough to secure him the role of the no-nonsense police veteran sergeant Thomas Jefferson "T.J." Hooker. The eponymous 80s cop drama lasted 91 episodes over five gritty seasons, and saw T.J. and his team pursue criminals throughout the mean streets of the United States. The series also featuring Heather Locklear as Officer Stacy Sheridan, and Adrian Zmed as Officer Vincent "Vince" Romano.

Shatner went on to remain culturally significant through his boundary shifting musical talents, especially his famed rendition of Pulp’s Common People, which remains a classic amongst fans.

Much like the iconic police sergeant Hooker, Shatner’s Captain Kirk was charismatic, moral, just and headstrong. Brave enough to save a planet under attack and charming enough to win over the most stubborn dissenters. Kirk stubbornly took matters into his own hands, but was an inspirational leader who pushed his crew, his ship and most of all, himself, to the limits of what they could accomplish. He was also something of a womaniser, and in line with Star Trek’s fight against the status quo of the time, he featured in one of television’s first interracial kisses.

Apart from T.J. Hooker, another of Shatner’s most successful shows was Boston Legal, where he played the Denny Crane. Confident, crude, irreverent, and stubborn, he elicited strong feelings in whoever was fortunate to cross his path.

Before encountering all sorts of street wise criminals, Shatner started his career as a child performer in radio programmes for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and continued to pursue his acting career while he was a student at McGill University.

A ticket to Comic Con Africa will give you the opportunity to meet the T.J. Hooker in all his glory. Reed Exhibitions Africa notes that tickets will get you access to all areas, except for William Shatner’s dressing room.