# William Shatner heads off to the final frontier (space, not death) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [October 4, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868 "2021-10-04T15:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/1 "2021-10-04T15:40:43Z")
No, this isn’t an RIP thread or anything like that. Shatner, the 90 year old Canadian actor who gained fame as Capt. James T. Kirk on the science fiction show _Star Trek_, will be taking off on the next flight of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket next week. “Yes, it’s true; I’m going to be a ‘rocket man!’” the 90-year-old tweeted. He added: “It’s never too late to experience new things.” > **[William Shatner will fly to space aboard Blue Origin rocket](https://apnews.com/article/william-shatner-star-trek-blue-origin-space-jeff-bezos-e10877d624a4cc0be9385585c2647cdd)** > > CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Captain Kirk is rocketing into space next week — boldly going where no other sci-fi stars have gone. Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, Blue Origin, announced Monday that “Star Trek” actor William Shatner will blast off... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/2 "2021-10-04T15:42:40Z")
You may want to ask a mod to add “(not RIP)” or something to the title of your thread. I knew that it was about his upcoming rocket trip (because I’d seen several mentions of it in the news over the past few days), but the title alone is both (a) a huge teaser, and (b) very likely to make people browsing the boards think that Shatner has died. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/3 "2021-10-04T15:47:38Z")
Hopefully he won’t wear a red shirt. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/4 "2021-10-04T16:04:10Z")
Damn, dude’s already 90. Good for him! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/5 "2021-10-04T16:08:45Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Damn, dude’s already 90. As the article notes, he’ll become the oldest person to go into space, surpassing [Wally Funk](https://www.npr.org/2021/07/09/1014309461/wally-funk-space-bezos-blue-origin), the female astronaut who flew on a Blue Origin trip with Jeff Bezos a few months ago, at age 82. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/6 "2021-10-04T16:09:29Z")
Hopefully, he wont see something on the wing. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/7 "2021-10-04T16:13:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > You may want to ask a mod to add “(not RIP)” or something to the title of your thread. I’ll second that, I was unaware of the space flight thing and assumed he’d died… ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/8 "2021-10-04T16:17:06Z")
Thirded… Jesus, I nearly had a heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/9 "2021-10-04T16:18:31Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I’ll second that, I was unaware of the space flight thing and assumed he’d died… I heard this on the news a week or two ago, and when I heard Shatner’s name, I automatically assumed he had just died. Boldly go, Bill, boldly go. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/10 "2021-10-04T16:23:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I heard this on the news a week or two ago, and when I heard Shatner’s name, I automatically assumed he had just died. I just put a mod flag on my earlier post, asking about an edited title. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/11 "2021-10-04T16:23:12Z")
fourthed, I cursed out loud and scared the cats. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/12 "2021-10-04T16:24:31Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Damn, dude’s already 90. And he looks better than he did in “The Deadly Years” old-age makeup. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/13 "2021-10-04T16:24:38Z")
On the other hand, despite my fondness for him, his acting ability has always been on a par with a corpse. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/14 "2021-10-04T16:28:45Z")
Oh, yeah, my reaction wasn’t out of fondness for ‘William Fucking Shatner’, but more a commentary on the immutable scythe of Death. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/15 "2021-10-04T16:35:43Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > On the other hand, despite my fondness for him, his acting ability has always been on a par with a corpse. - I’ve never seen a corpse consume the backdrop with the enthusiasm of The Good Captain. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/16 "2021-10-04T16:37:40Z")
Title edited ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/17 "2021-10-04T16:56:37Z")
^like ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/18 "2021-10-04T17:00:43Z")
Talk about your “Ancient Astronauts”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/19 "2021-10-04T17:19:42Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > On the other hand, despite my fondness for him, his acting ability has always been on a par with a corpse. You…shouldn’t…talkabouthimthatway! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868/20 "2021-10-04T17:35:20Z")
I wonder if he’ll encounter any six-foot-tall Amazons with green hair and steel brassieres? [![](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/83/f8/76/83f8766370b66a3af89f0ec922f3ee7d.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/83/f8/76/83f8766370b66a3af89f0ec922f3ee7d.jpg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-heads-off-to-the-final-frontier-space-not-death/951868.md?page=2)