Beam him up, Scotty. Today, Star Trek alum William Shatner rode aboard Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin rocket, becoming the oldest person to ever travel into outer space.
The actor is best-known for playing Captain Kirk in the iconic sci-fi series, in which the crew of the starship USS Enterprise explore space and “boldly go where no man has ever gone before.” Shatner called finally visiting space himself an “indescribable” experience.
“Everybody in the world needs to do this. Everybody needs to see this,” Shatner said, visibly emotional in an interview with ABC News post-flight. “It was unbelievable. The little things — the weightlessness — but to see the blue color (of the sky) whip by you and now you’re staring into blackness… And then it’s gone. It was just so moving. This experience did something unbelievable.”
Shatner addressed Bezos, saying, “What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine. I hope I never recover from this.”
The Star Trek alum joined Blue Origin’s VP of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers, as well as Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries. According to TMZ, Shatner’s flight was filmed as part of an upcoming documentary.
“I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” Shatner said in a press release announcing the news. “I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.” He currently hosts and executive produces the History Channel’s The UnXplained, which delves into unsolved mysteries, including stories involving aliens and UFOs.
Blue Origin’s Oct. 12 flight follows the company’s first successful human flight on July 20, in which Bezos himself traveled to space. Recently, Blue Origin has faced backlash amid sexual harassment allegations and concerns about safety procedures.
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