Yesterday, in an almost unfathomable meeting of sci-fi and reality, William Shatner became the oldest person to travel into space, courtesy of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. After the e-commerce tycoon established Blue Origin in 2000 with the intention to make space travel accessible and frequent for all (doubtful), he has now got the seal of approval from Captain Kirk himself. 

The crew of #NS18. pic.twitter.com/qKRAOY39TS

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 11, 2021

As a man eternally engrained in popular culture in the form of Captain James T. Kirk from the original Star Trek series, it seems fitting for Shatner to “boldly go where no man has gone before” after four decades of commanding the starship USS Enterprise. This journey marks the second successful crewed flight on Bezos’ Blue Origins Shepard Rocketship after its first journey on July 20th this year. Currently able to take passengers to the edge of space and back, it allows the crew to briefly experience weightlessness once the threshold is crossed. An unquestionable step forward for space tourism  – even NASA tweeted Shatner wishing him good luck – the Canadian actor told Bezos, ”What you have given me is the most profound experience… I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened,” reported Sky News.

A poignant journey for the famed sci-fi giant, he emerged from the aircraft with one simple conclusion, “Everybody in the world needs to do this.” After many years of fictional voyaging through space, Shatner finally got to live in Captain Kirk’s world. Needless to say, his latest Captain’s Log is bound to be a good one.