If you’ve played it on TV, you can pretty much do it in real life, right? William Shatner seems to think so, because the actor who played the iconic Captain Kirk in the OG Star Trek series and films is about to be beamed up... by a Jeff Bezos rocket. Apparently Shatner has a place on Blue Origin, the very same rocket that Bezos launched into space back in July. If take off goes according to plan, Shatner will be the oldest person to go into space so far.
Believe it or not, William Shatner is a nonagenarian at this point (just like fellow Hollywood star Clint Eastwood), and while going into space is generally a big deal, going into space at 90 is an even bigger deal. Regardless, being the embodiment of Captain Kirk for so long, the actor is a brilliant pick for a space launch. The man is a space legend, yeah, but he’s also super eccentric and is the exact personality I want to see in weird situations that not many people on Earth have experienced. What’s even more than that, is that he really wants to go to space. He’s been very vocal about his desire to see the stars up close and this would be the next step toward that goal.
What a time to be alive: you can wake up at 9 a.m., climb into a rocket that launches you into space, and be back down to Earth in time for lunch. That is, if you have a spare $20 million or are 2 time primetime award winning actor William Shatner. According to TMZ, Shatner’s ticket aboard Blue Origin may be comped, but it’s possible the ticket to space comes with a different type of price.
Apparently the launch and space experience is set to be filmed for a documentary, which may be a big reason for Shatner to be chosen to go on the rocket. Having an actor overwhelmingly known as a spaceship captain actually later launching into space and going where few have boldly gone before, is sure to have a lot of entertainment value.
The Star Trek alum is not the only actor who has been approached for this type of thing. Previously, Kevin Hart was asked to go into space and have his experience filmed. Unlike Shatner, though, Hart’s response was a strong and resounding “Hell no", and plenty of people would agree with the star that their feet are better left planted on the ground.
William Shatner’s take off is expected to be very soon, as he is set to climb aboard this October. Very similar to Jeff Bezos’ own launch, Shatner’s space experience is going to be very short-lived. The whole thing is expected to only last about 15 minutes. It’s unclear who else will be launching into space with Shatner (it’s unlikely we’ll be lucky enough to see other Star Trek alums), but I personally hope we’ll see some comedy figures for some seriously funny reactions to zero gravity in actual space.
William Shatner is 90-years-old, and he clearly has no qualms about jumping into a rocket headed for space. Even though he will be the oldest person to go to space yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if more older people start stepping up and crossing going to space off their bucket list after he returns.
