Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin just announced major news for the Star Trek fandom: Captain James T. Kirk is headed to space. William Shatner, beloved for his role as the captain of the USS Enterprise in the sci-fi franchise, will join the next Blue Origins flight on October 12, blasting off into the cosmos from West Texas.
So now I can say something. Yes, it’s true; I’m going to be a “rocket man!” 😝🤣 https://t.co/B2jFeXrr6L
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) October 4, 2021
The actor, 90, will join Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s VP of mission and flight operations, and two other passengers for the trip on the New Shepherd rocket, making him the oldest person to travel to space. William confirmed the news on Twitter on October 4 with a tweet that read, “Yes, it’s true; I’m going to be a ‘rocket man!'”
William and co.’s October flight will be the second New Shepherd rocket launch. Jeff made the debut Blue Origin flight on July 20 alongside his brother Mark, iconic aviator Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, and Dutch teen Oliver Daemen. The Amazon founder is a well-documented fan of the Star Trek franchise. He made a cameo in the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond alongside Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.
As a result, the billionaire invited William on as a guest. “I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” William cheekily said in a press release, per AP. “I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.” The entire journey is expected to take 11 minutes.
William became a cultural icon in the 1960s for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek TV series. He has starred in seven Star Trek films. The star is also host and executive producer of History Channel’s The UnXplained, a series that follows the world’s strangest mysteries, including the existence of aliens, making him an ideal space passenger.
While William will make history as the oldest space passenger, Jeff’s launch into space is not the first time a billionaire has made the trek to the stars. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson bested the Amazon founder when he made the journey first on July 11 while onboard his company’s spacecraft.