By Jessica Stewart on October 10, 2022

Photo: JohanSwanepoel/Depositphotos

Ever since he played Captain Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, William Shatner’s name has been synonymous with space. So, it wasn’t a surprise to hear that the 91-year-old old actor was among those aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space shuttle when it made its second flight in October 2021. At the time, Shatner described the journey as “the most profound experience I can imagine.” But in his new book, Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, Shatner goes into more detail about his time in space. What he has to say might surprise you.

An excerpt of the book published by Variety reveals that the Canadian actor’s visit to space did not impact him quite how he thought it would. His trip made him—then 90 years old—the oldest living person to travel into space, and, initially, he was quite nervous. Understandably, Shatner was cognizant that things could go wrong, stating that, “I couldn’t get the Hindenburg out of my head.”

But, he pushed through his fears and settled in for the journey. Shatner recalls his first moments of experiencing weightlessness and how others on the trip immediately started enjoying its effects. But for Shatner, something else was more important. “I wanted, needed to get to the window as quickly as possible to see what was out there,” he writes in the book, which was released on October 4.

Shatner’s love for the universe runs deep and he has long been fascinated by its mysteries. But as he turned his head to look out into space, an unexpected sensation washed over him. “When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold…all I saw was death,” he recalls.

Left: William Shatner as Captain Kirk from in Star Trek. (Photo: NBC Television via Wikipedia) | Right: William Shatner in 2020. (Photo: Super Festivals via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

“I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing. I turned toward the light of home. I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her.”

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