Catherine Pooley, manager of Vulcan Tourism, demonstrates the Transporter App at the bus shelter on 4th st. and 17th ave. in Calgary. SARAH PYNOO PHOTO

Ever since geek-media hit the movie scene, being uncool has become a social norm.

With the annual Comic Expo only weeks away (April 27 – 29), Calgarians are getting ready to cosplay, see their favourite stars and attend the reunion of the cast from Star Trek, The Next Generation.

The expo has increased in popularity over the past few years, ticket sales for this year have already surpassed the attendance from all previous years, and as the slogan for the expo suggests, “the geeks will inherit the earth.”

“There is nothing apathetic about being a geek,” says Lindsay Thomas (aka Emily Expo), the mascot and face of the Comic Expo.

Thomas serves as the geek-chic woman of every nerd’s dreams, but she also represents a new demographic of women who are starting to appreciate comics.

Martin Rouse of Phoenix Comics on 17th Ave says that as a result of DC movies in the cinema, and the popularity of television series like The Walking Dead, the demographic of customers that visit his store has changed.

“We definitely get more women now,” said Rouse.

As a child, Thomas explains that she never went through a “girly phase.”

While her classmates were becoming fascinated with bad perms and makeup, Thomas was embracing her inner-bookworm and watching Star Trek with her father.

“Being a geek allows you to explore areas of interest with passion,” says Thomas.

Aside from being the girl of every geek guy’s dreams, Thomas is looking forward to seeing James Marsters, who played the hunky bad boy vampire, Spike, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Other big-name geeks who are going to make appearances at the expo are Stan Lee, the most famed comic book creator in the industry; Adam West, who was the original Batman; Adam Baldwin, who starred in Firefly, The X-Files, Chuck, and Stargate SG-1; Robert Englund, the face of Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street; Lance Henriksen, who has made a name for himself in The Terminator, Aliens, Aliens 3, and Alien vs. Predator; Hayden Panettiere, who is most famous for her girl-next-door looks and famed role on Heroes; and Dave Prowse, the man inside the suit of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films.

While rumours have been circling that passes for the Expo have already sold out, Kelly Dowd of Redd Skull Comics on Edmonton Trail confirms that tickets to the event are still available, although tickets to the anticipated Star Trek TNG EXPOsed have sold-out.

“It’s a one-time reunion; how often does that happen?” said Dowd.

The Star Trek TNG EXPOsed; reunion is the first public event in 20 years to bring together Sir Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Wil Wheaton and Denise Crosby; stars who played characters in the hit TV series.

The cast will be at the expo for photo ops and autographs (for a fee), and will also be hosting various panel discussions for avid Trekkies.

The headliners will also partake in the sold-out reunion event on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. Styled similar to a television talk show, the event will give fans a chance to get up close with their favourite stars.

The tickets were originally priced upwards of $40, but online auctions are now selling these rare commodity tickets for upwards of $100.

The Expo also released a Trekk iPod app this week, at the bus stop on 17th Ave and 4th Street. The free app, which is called “Calgary Expo Transporter” allows users to transport their friends to and from the bus stop, with a little help from the pros on the USS Enterprise.

Although being a geek has often had negative connotations, the expo this year is giving the nerds of Calgary an opportunity to come together with guests from all over the world, and prove that geekdom is the only way to be.