William Shatner to fly on next New Shepard suborbital flight
Capitalism in space: Blue Origin today announced that William Shatner will join three other passengers on its next New Shepard suborbital flight, presently scheduled for October 12th.
Today, Blue Origin announced actor William Shatner and Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, will fly on board New Shepard NS-18. They will join crewmates Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries for the flight which lifts off from Launch Site One on October 12.
Powers appears to be flying as both a reward for her work at Blue Origin and as a engineer to observe the operation of the spacecraft.
Shatner, an actor for more than six decades and most famous for his role as James T. Kirk in Star Trek, is 90 years old, which will make him the oldest person to ever fly into space.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Capitalism in space: Blue Origin today announced that William Shatner will join three other passengers on its next New Shepard suborbital flight, presently scheduled for October 12th.
Today, Blue Origin announced actor William Shatner and Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, will fly on board New Shepard NS-18. They will join crewmates Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries for the flight which lifts off from Launch Site One on October 12.
Powers appears to be flying as both a reward for her work at Blue Origin and as a engineer to observe the operation of the spacecraft.
Shatner, an actor for more than six decades and most famous for his role as James T. Kirk in Star Trek, is 90 years old, which will make him the oldest person to ever fly into space.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Lawyers in Space!!!!
Another “First” for BO?
“First lawyer on Mars is a dead man”- Future Elon Musk
So Bill Shatner, a Blue Origin employee, and oh yeah, two other people who aren’t important other than they bought tickets are going to fly. Kinds sucks to be one of the two other people on the flight.
Joe: The other two passengers got their own press announcement last week, which I covered here.
“Kinda sucks to be one of the two other people” …who get to fly into space with William Shatner and hang out with him for a bit. Um, yeah.
If we are still alive at 90 and then still in this good shape like William Shatner, we can count ourselves really lucky!
“William Shatner Reviews Impressions of Himself | Vanity Fair”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw-1C8DsufE&t=23s
I think flying into space, and hanging around in micro G with the Shatner sounds about as good as it gets!
If I were a wealthy man I would be willing to put down a few dollars for the experience combo!
And let’s be honest…. The man is a genuine legend! He’s 90 and swimming with sharks, recording his strangely compelling spoken word music, and hurting himself horse riding…… And will forever in my mind be the face of Star Trek. ( As I’m sure he will be to pretty much everyone here. ), And I can only guess how buzzed up he must be to make it over the carman line for real! Big respect to everyone involved in this decision!
Umm, wasn’t Shatner calling for big government regulations on space travel just a little while ago?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s5pO7aE28o
I’m waiting for George Takei to issue a warning that spending even 11 minutes locked in a capsule with Bill Shatner is more than a human can stand!
William Shatner finally heading to space for real. I envy him. Too bad Nick Cravat couldn’t be around to make the experience really, really! unforgettable.
After he was given an honorary doctorate of Letters at his alma mater, Montreal’s McGill University, in 2011, he told reporters that Sir Richard had expected him to foot the £125,000 ($200,000) bill.
‘I said, “Well, that’s not much, how much do you guarantee to come back?” And he didn’t have a price on that,’ quipped Shatner.
‘He wanted me to go up and pay for it and I said: “Hey, you pay me and I’ll go up. I’ll risk my life for a large sum of money.” But he didn’t pick me up on my offer.’
That wasn’t the first time he had indicated his reluctance to be blasted into the unknown.
Five years earlier Shatner said: ‘I’m interested in man’s march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time.
(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2426546/William-Shatner-turns-Virgin-Galactic-space-flight-invitation.html)
I’m guessing Bezos has much deeper pockets and made him a better offer……
If I were Bezos, I’d pay him whatever he wanted just for the PR value. It doesn’t get any cooler than Captain Kirk in space. I hope he got enough to leave the grandkids a nice sizable inheritance.
Mr. Shatner now needs to take it to the next level … and board the spacecraft, wearing a red shirt.
I guess what I was trying to say, but it came out wrong, is that this has now become the Shatner show. Yes, the two other passengers got their own press release. But now that Shatner is on the flight, they barely get a mention now. Shatner is eating this up.
I met Bill Shatner about 15 or so years ago. Then he didn’t have the time of day for the people who were working hard to cater to his requirements. He had no time for the little people (fans) who just wanted a moment to hear him. He was too busy talking it up on camera for a show he was doing. This is the same thing.
It might sound great in the press, but reality (as many will attest to) will be much less enjoyable.
So, we have James Doohan’s (Montgomery Scott) ashes allegedly on ISS.
William Shatner (James Tiberius Kirk) set to blast ex-atmo.
Hey, legends have to start somewhere.
And the Space Force logo? This almost feels like deja vue.
Shoulda been Heather Locklear…she’s used to being high.
“The Star Wars Story Problem And Why Star Trek Is Better…”
(Mr. Sci Fi) Marc Scott Zicree (9-21-21)
https://youtu.be/1gzSJyGNdLU
10:04
Wayne:
is the Star Trek universe communist (i.e. left)? I think there are many details that point in this direction and that can be interpreted that way. Very often it is about equality, leveling and excessive morality. (Right) heroic, more hierarchical societies – like the Klingons – are, in contrast, deliberately portrayed in the stories as dump and backward in order to discreet right thinking and acting.
What do you think?
In time, in the future it will probably be more Star Wars rather than Star Trek.
Unless testosterone is not allowed in space.
In any case, the various Star Trek series and films that have been produced over a period of 50 years are a good reflection of how American society has changed dramatically during that time. Initially even provided with some conservative elements (such as J.T. Kirk’s treatment of women), to this day, on the far left, “progressive”. In the 1960s, for example, a female captain would have been unthinkable.
Although Star Trek itself already reflects the “progressive-liberal” views of Gene Roddenberry, each subsequent Star Strek production was adapted even more to the more and more left-wing zeitgeist than one wished and it increasingly spoiled the fun of it for me.
Correction: Star Trek
Questioner-
Well, it’s a TV show that became a franchise. (They make it all up wholesale, then sell it retail.)
Tangentially–Gene Roddenberry flew scores of combat missions in the Pacific, 1942-45 [A B-17E Flying Fortress named the “Yankee Doddle.” ] Then he became a commercial pilot and then an LA police Officer, where he wrote police/crime-procedural scripts and consulted on TV shows in his spare time, trying to break into TV.
That being said- the Star Trek Universe is largely Statism In Space, to which degree varies depending on which iteration you’re talking about. (The current version– “everything woke, turns to {expletive}.”)
There’s an entire community that delves into the politics of Star Trek, at length.
Back to Shatner….
“The Butlers Night Off”
Mount-Royal Films (1951)
https://youtu.be/zfT61pA7o44
(“This version may not be complete. Cinema in Quebec records the film length as 57:16. IMDB says the length is 1:14:00. It has opening & closing credits.”)
“William Shatner’s first appearance on film, as one of the four crooks & the only time he is listed in the credits as “Bill Shatner.””
Wayne:
This blog may be of interest for you.
Mike Hearn:
“I want to see a libertarian Star Trek. The Federation is clearly communist, but must it be so?”
“To me, by far the weirdest thing depicted in Star Trek is 24th century society. Almost everything about the Federation is bizarre, extremely implausible or downright sinister … yet it’s presented as being a utopia. Watching Star Trek is sort of like watching the propaganda films of a totalitarian state. I’m not the only person who noticed this. It should maybe not be a big surprise — by the time the 1980s arrived Gene Roddenberry was, according to his wife, a hard-core Maoist.”
“There are no corporations.” “There is no money.” “The military is in charge.” “Capitalists are ugly and stupid.”
https://blog.plan99.net/i-want-to-see-a-libertarian-star-trek-c22befd243af
There are no corporations, there is no money, and there is no testosterone.
Cotour:
Here are some guys with enough testosterone (or its Klingon equivalent hormone)! Enemies of the “Federation”.
“Klingon War Song”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNTVzwjEyb4
By the way, have you noticed that the later Star Trek is reminiscent of Klaus Schwab’s ideal world.? You won’t own anything there either.
Star Trek (original series)
2nd Pilot Intro
https://youtu.be/GFtc2Ypwzl0
4:18
Questioner–
I make no distinction between fascism and communism, it’s all Statism.
(doesn’t matter if it’s a Left boot or a Right boot, on your neck)
Wayne:
Our problem: cultural-Marxist postmodernism – the main disease of western liberal democracies!
“Postmodernism in a nutshell – Jordan Peterson” (7 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el6TVEMnS3E
“He’s in a space suit! A real space suit. Captain Kirk is finally in a space suit!”
https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1446598768023986178/photo/1