William Shatner has been to outer space, and now he is going to Mars with Fox on June 5th. And he won’t be alone.
Stars on Mars, an out-of-this-world new unscripted series, in which household names trade in their possessions, status and glamourous lifestyles on Earth for an insane and hilarious summer on “Mars.” Their mission? To be suited up with no space to go, as they colonize, compete and conquer their new galaxy surroundings, until there is just one “celebronaut” left standing. Legendary actor and Star Trek icon William Shatner serves as Mission Control and will deliver intergalactic tasks to these shining stars throughout their journey on the red planet. Stars on Mars touches down Monday, June 5 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
I don’t fully understand what the show is about, but I will be watching. Because who doesn’t think the Shat is the shit? Especially when he says stuff like this, “Good news for our celebronauts from Mission Control. Thanks to lower gravity on Mars, you’ll weigh 62% less. Bad news: the air is unbreathable, so if you’re from LA, it’ll remind you of home.”
William Shatner did an interview with Variety, and the headline read “‘I Don’t Have Long to Live’.”
That quote was part of this answer: “I’ve turned down a lot of offers to do documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live. Whether I keel over as I’m speaking to you or 10 years from now, my time is limited, so that’s very much a factor. I’ve got grandchildren. This documentary is a way of reaching out after I die.”
Since he is 91 years old, his time is more limited than most, but how limited is it?
He took to social media to respond to the headline that went as far as to go where no man has gone before. “Reports of my pending demise have been greatly exaggerated (by the clickbait press😤.) All I meant was that I’m not going to live forever (☝🏻though I am going to make a valiant attempt!) & the documentary I did is for future generations & descendants to know a bit about me.🙄
“…However, should you want to believe the ‘clickbait press’, please 🙏🏻come & buy tickets to my final performances over the next few days (WilliamShatnerTour.com) & come to @sxsw to see the premiere of ‘You Can Call Me Bill’ because…you never know! 😝👉🏻🪦🤷🏼”
So there you have it. The Shat is going nowhere as far as he knows.
A few months ago, when William Shatner boldly went where few men of have gone (Space) before, he returned home via a way that man goes all the time (on a plane). On that latter trip, he sat next to someone whose life would change shortly afterward and the two of them have a connection that only one other person can claim.
What the hell am I saying? Yesterday, Paramount+ announced that Paul Wesley is going to play Captain Kirk in the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. After the announcement, Welsey shared a photo of himself with the Shat and shared the story behind it.
I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk. Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created.
Recently, I boarded a flight to LA to discover that the man in the empty seat beside me was the one and only William Shatner, having himself just returned from space. I could barely put two words together but ultimately I managed to say hello and we chatted.
I’m not one who usually believes in fate but this was more than a coincidence.
And of course I had to get a picture.
So thanks Mr. Shatner for the good company. And for seating us together, my thanks to the great bird in the sky. Can’t wait for all of you to see our Captain Kirk on your screens.
As soon as the original James Tiberias Kirk heard about the casting, he had a message for his new friend, “Keep my ship and crew safe, Captain! 😉 Congratulations!”
Before William Shatner was a police sergeant in T.J. Hooker, he was a crook in The Butler’s Night Off. He looks the same now as he did when 20 in that 1951 movie.
Last week, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin announced that William Shatner will boldly go where no 90-year-old man has gone.
Today, they showed us what he is going to be wearing when he goes to Space. Sadly, he is not going to be dressed like Captain Kirk, his iconic character from Star Trek. Instead, he will be wearing blue for Blue Origin. I get it, but it is a missed opportunity.
Another opportunity missed is Tuesday’s launch. Blue Origin announced this morning, “Due to forecasted winds in West Texas we are pushing #NS18 launch target to Wednesday, October 13. Liftoff is targeted for 8:30 am CDT”
If you want to watch The Shat’s dream come true, then you can watch it live at 9:30a EST/6:30a EST at BlueOrigin.com.
Now, can we talk about Shatner’s face? The 90-year-old actor looks like a 9-year-old boy with that smile. Can you blame him? Every boy dreams about this, and he is actually going to do it. Granted, when he was 9, going into a Space was still almost 30 years away from happening.
