It’s a franchise that has mesmerized people since the 1960s and spawned several versions. But few have a fan following as ‘Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and his merry band of reel space travellers aboard Enterprise.
‘Star Trek’s’ Captain Kirk, made famous by William Shatner in a TV series in the 60s, is finally rocketing into space this month — boldly going where no other sci-fi actors have gone ever before.
Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, Blue Origin, announced Monday that William Shatner will blast off from West Texas on October 12, AP reported from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
At age 90, Shatner will become the oldest person in space. He’ll join three others — two of them paying customers — aboard a Blue Origin capsule. It will be the company’s second launch with a crew.
Bezos was on the debut flight in July, along with his brother and the youngest and oldest to fly in space. Shatner will break that upper threshold by six years.
“I’ve heard about space for a long time now. I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle,” Shatner said in a statement.
Also flying with Shatner is a former NASA engineer who founded a nanosatellite company; the co-founder of a software company specializing in clinical research; and a Blue Origin employee. The up-and-down space hop will last 10 minutes and reach no higher than about 66 miles (106 kilometers).
William Shatner’s career as an actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist, and horseman has spanned 60 years. He originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk in 1966 for the television series ‘Star Trek’.
The series spawned a feature film franchise where Shatner returned as Captain Kirk in seven of the Star Trek movies, one of which he directed. He has long wanted to travel to space and will become the oldest person to have flown to space, a press statement from Blue Origin said.
Shatner is currently the host and executive producer of ‘The UnXplained’ on The History Channel. From the producers of ‘Ancient Aliens’ and ‘The Curse of Oak Island’, the one-hour, non-fiction series explores the world’s most fascinating, strange and inexplicable mysteries.