Shatner, 90, pictured second left
(Picture: NBC News)When William Shatner took on the role of iconic Captain Kirk in the 1966 “Star Trek” series, there’s no way he could have predicted that one day he, too, would be launching into space.
Well, five decades later, Shatner followed in the footsteps of his on-screen alter ego. The star blasted above Earth on a 10-minute voyage in Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ rocket.
The 90-year-old actor made history as the oldest person to reach space, breaking the record of 82-year-old aviator Wally Funk.
On his return, he was asked about the trip. He summed it up with terrific understatement: “It’s fun.”
Ahead of the trip, he also uttered two great lines.
The first acknowledged how many fans will always see him; as a young Captain Kirk: “I’m scared... I don’t want to be the oldest guy in space. I’m Captain Kirk!”
The second was an acknowledgement of how incredible the moment is: “I’ve heard about space for a long time now...I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”
Aboard the rocket with him will be three others: former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, healthcare entrepreneur Glen de Vries, and Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers.
In honour of the legendary rocket launch, we’ve rounded up some of Shatner’s best quotes and jokes to celebrate the fictional Captain’s real-life venture to space.
On staying young-looking:
“How do I stay so healthy and boyishly handsome? It's simple. I drink the blood of young runaways.”
On how to live life:
“You have to create your life. You have to carve it, like a sculpture.”
“I’ve blundered my way through life.”
“We’re all embers from the same fire. Our ember winks out, we’re ashes, we go back to the fire.”
On the existence of aliens:
“We meet aliens every day who have something to give us. They come in the form of people with different opinions.”
On ageing:
“I find age such a foreign concept. I have to be reminded. I still have the extraordinary feeling of adventure, striking out into unknown fields.”
On the mysteries of space:
“The mysteriousness and mystique of space is such, that science fiction attempts to tantalize you by telling you a story that could possibly be out there and that's the appeal of science fiction.”
On always saying yes:
“I have been accused of never saying no.”
On being an icon:
“Being an icon is overrated, remember an icon can be moved by a mouse.”
On ambition:
“You might as well aim high. Why shoot yourself in the foot when you can shoot yourself in the head?”
On pain and guilt:
“Pain and guilt can’t be taken away with the wave of a magic wand. They’re the things that we carry with us, they’re the things that make us what we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don’t want my pain taken away, I need my pain!”
