William Shatner Reveals Why Going To Space Felt Like A ‘Funeral’ With ‘Overwhelming Sadness’

William Shatner is the oldest person to spell to space, but the actor, 91, admitted that getting to acquisition the quality betwixt Earth and abstraction filled him with “overwhelming sadness,” successful an excerpt from his upcoming memoir Boldly Go: Reflections connected a Life of Awe And Wonder released in Variety. William, who made the trek astatine 90 successful October 2021, said that adjacent though the travel should’ve been a triumph thigh for the sci-fi star, it ended up being upsetting. “My travel to abstraction was expected to beryllium a celebration; instead, it felt similar a funeral,” helium wrote.

The Star Trek icon said that helium experienced a improvement known arsenic the “overview effect,” and said that it’s communal among astronauts, specified as Sally Ride. “Essentially, erstwhile idiosyncratic travels to abstraction and views Earth from orbit, a consciousness of the planet’s fragility takes clasp successful an ineffable, instinctive manner,” helium wrote.

William opened up astir looking some retired the model astatine Earth, wherever beingness was thriving versus the vacuum of abstraction wherever thing could survive. He said that adjacent though helium expected the abstraction flight to consciousness similar “the eventual catharsis,” helium felt a stronger transportation to his location satellite of earth. He said that helium was “filled with dread” seeing however “the interference of mankind” had led to truthful overmuch destruction, including taxon going extinct.

William Shatner speaks aft returning connected the Blue Origin flight. (LM Otero/AP/Shutterstock)

William admitted that seeing the satellite from an unbelievable region showed that truthful galore of the things that disagreement radical are intolerable to spot from specified a large height. Even though the histrion said that helium was initially saddened by experiencing the overview effect, helium said that eventually, it reignited “a feeling of hope” for him. “In this insignificance we share, we person 1 acquisition that different taxon possibly bash not: we are aware—not lone of our insignificance, but the grandeur astir america that makes america insignificant. That allows america possibly a accidental to rededicate ourselves to our planet, to each other, to beingness and emotion each astir us. If we prehend that chance,” helium concluded the excerpt.

The sci-fi legend’s feelings successful the memoir echo akin comments that helium made erstwhile helium landed backmost connected Earth erstwhile helium archetypal made the trip. After exiting the Blue Origin rocket, William juxtaposed the beingness that helium could spot down connected Earth versus the emptiness that helium saw successful outer space. “I privation to look astatine that orb and admit its quality and tenacity,” helium said, referring to satellite Earth.