Shatner Left Saddened by Space Travel

One year after traveling aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket, William Shatner explains how the view of the earth from the edge of space made the actor realize how fragile the planet is.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, October 10, 2022 at 01:50 PM ET

Verified

William Shatner, here with Crew Member 7 Sarah Knights, traveled aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard.[Courtesy: Blue Origin]

Key Takeaways:

A year after becoming the oldest person in space, William Shatner describes in his new book, "Boldly Go," the profound sadness and grief he felt viewing Earth's fragility from orbit.
Shatner's emotional experience, where he compared the "vicious coldness of space" to Earth's "warm nurturing," is identified as the "Overview Effect," a common phenomenon among astronauts.
He recounts his space trip feeling like a "funeral" rather than a celebration, due to humanity's destruction of Earth, emphasizing an urgent environmental message.

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It has been a year since actor William Shatner, best known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek franchise became the oldest living person to venture into space.

Shatner, then 90, was aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. After the return to earth, an emotional Shatner struggled to put feelings into words. Now he has done so. In his recently released book, Boldy Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, Shatner explains how the view of the earth from the edge of space made the actor realize how fragile the planet is.