‘Star Trek’ Fanatics Will Be Happily Lost in Space : Convention: Devotees of the movies and TV series--whether costumed or not--will be in their own little world at ‘25-Year Mission Tour’ in Anaheim.

As the “Star Trek 25-Year Mission Tour” prepares to land here on Sunday, there are several questions that should be taken up regarding this American phenomenon. Here are just a few of the more pertinent ones:

Was Capt. Kirk cooler than Mr. Spock? Who was the most temperamental, Scotty or Dr. McCoy? In an arm-wrestling contest, would Chekov whip Sulu? Was Uhura really such a communications whiz or just a glorified receptionist in space duds? And probably the most pressing question: Did Kirk ever sleep with any of those astro-babes?

It’s unlikely that the convention will provide any definitive answers. Instead, there will probably be the usual arguments and counter-arguments, the familiar disagreements on this, that and everything else as Trekkies (or is it Trekkers?) descend on the Anaheim Convention Center for the six-hour event.

One of the faithful, James Lindero of Huntington Beach, is eager to settle some of these matters.

“Spock is definitely cooler because he never tried to be cool,” explained Lindero, a burly, 37-year-old real estate agent and master of “Star Trek” trivia. “McCoy was definitely out of control more than Scotty, and Sulu, because of all that kung-fu stuff, would cream Chekov.

“As for Uhura, well, she was a genius, pure and simple. And everybody knows what a stud Kirk was, so I don’t have to go into details on that.”

That said, Lindero added that he plans to arrive early at the convention center, maybe hours before the doors open at 1 p.m., to mingle with other Trekkies. Once inside, he’ll ogle all the natty costumes and latex Spock ears, talk about “Star Trek” with anybody who will listen, and “basically, just have a great time because I’m doing something that I love so much with folks that I tend to like a lot.”

The festival tour, in honor of the original television series’ 25th birthday, started last year in Sacramento and has since made its way to 11 cities, including New York and Detroit. As many as 5,000 fans are expected in Anaheim, said Greg Romeo, publicity director for the event.

“The biggest markets with the most fans are definitely New York and Los Angeles,” he said. “Los Angeles is especially into ‘Star Trek,’ probably because of Hollywood, and that should add to the big turnout.”

Besides the usual “Star Trek” paraphernalia--from Spock prosthetics to imitation phasers to simple coffee cups and posters of the Enterprise and the show’s stars--the convention will feature appearances by William (Capt. Kirk) Shatner and Leonard (Mr. Spock) Nimoy.

Another highlight, Romeo noted, will be the screening of a short film tribute to Gene Roddenberry, creator of the original “Star Trek” TV show and one of the forces behind the many movies and the current “Star Trek: The Next Generation” TV series. Roddenberry died last year at age 70.

But as any true Trekkie knows, it’s the fans that generate the most interest at these conventions. Romeo, who claims he’s not one of the devout (“This is really more of a job for me”), laughs when asked about the oddball reputation that follows Trekkies like a Klingon warship on the tail of the Enterprise.

“Sure, there are some weird ones, but I’d say only about 15% to 20% of them are really out there in left field,” he said. “They get all dressed up, really get into being the characters. It’s pretty funny, really. But most of the fans tend to be middle-class, ordinary people who just love the program.”

Lindero agreed, defending himself as one of those middle-class, ordinary types. He did confess, though, that a few years back he attended a San Francisco convention in full “Star Trek” garb, down to the tight polyester uniform with his son’s toy phaser jutting from his belt.

“That was a one-shot deal, more of a dare, really,” Lindero explained. “I’ll go (to Anaheim) in shorts and a T-shirt, just like most of my friends. . . . But I tell you, the fans that we’ll all gravitate to are really into it, the ones all dressed up and into character.

“Ask one of those guys who was cooler, Kirk or Spock, and they’ll go on for 20 minutes or so. Don’t even ask them about Spock’s sex life, which is really open to debate. I mean, there are some wild theories about that out there.”

he “Star Trek 25-Year Mission Tour” takes place Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door and $35 for “reserved seating” near the stage where Shatner and Nimoy will appear. (818) 409-0960.