On October 13, 2021, William Shatner, the iconic Star Trek actor, became the oldest person ever to travel to space at the age of 90. He boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, owned by Jeff Bezos, for a brief 10-minute flight that took him beyond the Kármán Line, the boundary of space. The journey allowed Shatner and the other passengers to experience weightlessness and witness Earth from the unique perspective of space. Upon landing, Shatner was visibly overwhelmed by the profound emotional impact of his experience, struggling to put into words the awe he felt upon seeing the fragility of our planet and the vastness of the cosmos.
However, in a moment that contrasted sharply with Shatner’s reflective emotions, Bezos celebrated the success of the flight by popping a bottle of champagne and spraying it into the air. As Shatner tried to express the deep, existential thoughts space had provoked in him, the champagne momentarily shifted the focus away from his reflections. The act, while celebratory, came across as somewhat jarring given the weight of the moment for Shatner, who was reflecting on humanity’s place in the universe and the fragility of Earth.
The juxtaposition of Shatner’s profound response and Bezos’s bubbly celebration sparked attention online, with many drawing attention to the contrast between the emotional reverence of space exploration and the commercial nature of space tourism. Shatner, in interviews after the flight, spoke about the importance of protecting Earth and expressed a newfound sense of responsibility. His experience highlighted that space travel can offer more than just adventure for the ultra-wealthy; it can serve as a powerful reminder of humanity’s interconnectedness with the planet and the need for environmental stewardship. Despite the champagne interruption, Shatner’s flight remains a landmark moment in both the history of space exploration and the commercialisation of space travel.
