William Shatner says he fears for his great-grandchildren and the ‘great burden’ they will face in the future after his journey to space.
The TV star, 91, is best known for playing Captain Kirk on the beloved cult series Star Trek.
But last year he made headlines for a different reason – become the oldest person ever to travel into space.
William flew away from Texas in a… Blue origin rocket last October, where he, along with others on board, experience zero gravity and saw the planet from an altitude of about 350,000 feet.
He described it as an incredible experience as he became visibly emotional as he returned to the ground.
Now, talking to The timesWilliam has opened up about the profound effect the journey had on him, and how it made him appreciate the Earth more than ever.
“When I went there and I could see the curvature of the Earth and the vast darkness that surrounds it, it really dawned on me how much we don’t know and how we gamble with our planet,” he said.
“I couldn’t help but think of the terrible burden that Clive, my two-year-old great-grandchild, will face as he grows older.”
He admitted that his daughters were worried about him before the trip and tried to “persuade me not to go because they thought it was too dangerous.”
His grandchildren “thought it was so cool.”
William had previously written a note to Blue Origin’s Club for the Future program for aspiring astronauts, saying it was “the most important and practical concept for using space and helping save planet Earth.”
Speaking in October after he landed back on Earth, a visibly emotional William said “everyone in the world should do this.”
“It moved me so much,” he said. “This experience is incredible.”
He went on to say it was “indescribable” and “the most profound experience I can imagine.”
“I’m so full of emotion about what just happened, it’s extraordinary. Exceptional. I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can hold on to what I’m feeling right now. I don’t want to lose it. It’s so much bigger than me.
“It has to do with the sheer size and the speed and suddenness of life and death.”
William was sent into space thanks to Amazon founder and multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos, who hugged the actor on his return.
His journey came after multi-billionaire Richard Branson also went on a space trip, and multi-billionaire Elon Musk sent his own rocket, although he didn’t travel in it himself.
The trips also proved somewhat controversial, with Prince William criticizing it space tourism and called for the world’s richest to solve Earth’s problems.
Although he didn’t name anyone, he said the rich should “try to fix this planet, not try to find the next place to live.”
However, William insisted the prince had the “wrong idea,” saying he saw his journey to space as a way to protect Earth rather than find a new planet to live on.
He said he wants more companies to source energy from their bases above Earth so it doesn’t affect the planet’s ecosystem.
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