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William Shatner's Trip to Orbit to Become an Amazon Show


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Credit: CNET/YouTube screenshot

William Shatner went boldly where few people have gone before on Oct. 13, becoming the oldest person to have gone in space. Now, his short stint is set to become an Amazon Prime documentary called Shatner in Space.

According to Deadline, the Star Trek actor revealed the news during a virtual panel for the pop culture conference CCXP Worlds.

He was one of four crew members on Blue Origin's second crewed NS-18 mission, which soared to an altitude of 66 miles onboard New Shepherd before crossing the Kármán line into space. He beat out 82-year-old Wally Funk, who set the previous age record for space flight just months before.

“I hope I never recover from this”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin, coordinated the voyage, for which Shatner was a guest. After arrival, Shatner was understandably emotional, describing the experience as "unbelievable" and emphasizing how "everyone needs to see" our home planet from afar.

“I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can retain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it,” Shatner said of the trip.

While Shatner's reaction to the journey after landing is already a treat for Star Trek fans, Shatner in Space will feature new footage of our eternal Captain Kirk's discovery of space. Furthermore, the documentary will bring us one step closer to realizing our dream of seeing Earth from afar with our own eyes, as we share Shatner's awe at the spectacular view he had onboard the Blue Origin rocket.

Shatner's Star Trek franchise has already created 13 feature films and ten television programs, with more on the way. While the space exploration premise of the franchise helped to fuel the imagination and enthusiasm for the science of numerous generations, Star Trek also pushed for equal representation for all the people.

Star Trek: The Original Series had one of the first interracial casts on American television, as well as the first interracial kiss. New productions, with a diverse cast and crew, repeat the same values.

Shatner in Space Releases Date

The documentary will explore what occurred prior to, during, and after the journey. Blue Origin VP Audrey Powers, Planet Labs co-founder Dr. Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata co-creator Glen de Vries were also on board.

This is the second of three crewed flights planned by Blue Origin for 2021, with the third (NS-19) scheduled for Dec. 9. That flight will include Alan Shepard's daughter Laura Shepard Churchley and GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan, as well as four paying customers.

Shatner in Space will premiere on Amazon Prime in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand on Dec. 15, and in other territories in 2022.

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