William Shatner says space trip hit home how society is ‘gambling’ with planet

By Naomi Clarke, PA Entertainment Reporter

Star Trek’s William Shatner has said his trip to space emphasised to him how society is “gambling” with the planet.

Last October, the 91-year-old became the oldest person to travel to space after he blasted off in a rocket built by Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space travel company.

Shatner, who is best known as Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise, revealed that he filmed the voyage for an upcoming documentary about his life.

Reflecting on the journey to the final frontier, he told The Sunday Times: “When I went up there and I could see the curvature of the Earth and the vast blackness surrounding it, it really hit home how much we don’t know and how we’re gambling with our planet.

“I couldn’t help but think about the terrible burden that Clive, my two-year-old great-grandchild, is facing when he gets older.”

He said that his daughters tried to persuade him not to go as they thought it was “too dangerous” but that his grandchildren thought it was “so cool”.

Shatner and three other passengers lifted off in the fully automated, 60ft New Shepard rocket from Van Horn, west Texas, in October.

During the trip, the actor and those on board experienced weightlessness as they reached the fringes of space.

After a trip lasting about 10 minutes, the capsule fell back to Earth with the aid of a parachute.

At the time, the actor described it as “the most profound experience I can imagine”.

The forthcoming documentary will capture his experience, as well as reflect on his life and acting career and how it came about.

He said: “Filming a documentary about my life recently let me reminisce about my childhood.

“I was part of my high-school football team and then I played freshman football at university, but I was kicked off the team because I was too small, so I started doing acting instead.”

The full interview is available in The Sunday Times.