William Shatner, 90, is headed to space: 'What a miracle'
The rumors are true: Captain Kirk is going to space.
It was announced Monday that William Shatner, the 90-year-old Star Trek alum, will join a civilian flight on Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin on Oct. 12. The actor will become the oldest person to fly into outer space.
Shatner will board the New Shepard rocket with Blue Origin's VP of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers, as well as Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries, for the 11-minute trip.
Two incredible and inspirational people will join the #NS18 crew. Actor @WilliamShatner and Blue Origin’s Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations Audrey Powers @AudreyKPowers. pic.twitter.com/xqI9nw1KX8
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 4, 2021
“I’ve heard about space for a long time now," Shatner said in a press release. "I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle."
The flight will be streamed on BlueOrigin.com, with liftoff, from Launch Site One in West Texas, planned for 8:30 a.m. CDT — or 9:30 a.m. ET and 6:30 a.m. PT. TMZ reports Shatner’s flight will be filmed as part of a documentary.
This flight follows Blue Origin’s successful first human flight on July 20, which took Amazon honcho Bezos into space. However, the company has been in the headlines amid safety concerns and sexual harassment allegations.
Shatner boldly going where no sci-fi star has gone before is fitting. After all, he originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk in 1966 for the TV series Star Trek. It became a successful franchise with Shatner going on to appear in seven Star Trek movies, including one that he directed (1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier).
The catchphrase "Beam me up, Scotty" came from Shatner's role — though he didn't actually ever say it on the show. On the show, he said, "Beam me up, Mr. Scott" and "Scotty, beam me up," among other versions. Shatner eventually said it in the audio adaptation of his 1995 book, Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden. The actor who played Scotty, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, used it as the title of his autobiography in 1996.
Shatner has "long wanted to travel to space," the press release notes. The nonagenarian is currently the host and executive producer of the History Channel's The UnXplained, which explores inexplicable mysteries, including stories about UFOs and alien communication.
