Shatner’s version of Space Oddity
Shatner’s version of Rocket Man
“Oh, my.”
I feel for Wally Funk. She’s the current record-holder for oldest human into space, and she’s a trained astronaut candidate who’s getting upstaged by a PR stunt.
Although at this point, “PR stunt” is most of what Blue Origin is visibly doing.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021:
“Mr. Shatner, how did you enjoy your flight?”
“It…was fun. Oh, my.”
That flight will be shorter than the time it takes Shatner to recite the lyrics to “Louie, Louie”.
At least he’ll be able to say “Well, I got it … up!” Not many 90-year-old men can claim that.
William Shatner is a cool guy in my book. I saw him in the “Shatner’s World, We Just Live In It” production and he talked about his philosophy about taking on new projects, which was basically to never say no. He is always open to try something new and have fun with it regardless of whether critics might approve or not. That attitude has served him pretty well I think.
Is it certain this is a PR stunt? Or is Shatner a paying customer?
I still can’t believe he wasn’t appointed to head Space Force.
He’s an invited guest, not a paying customer. As to “PR stunt”, I suppose everyone is free to draw their own conclusions. I think Bezos is doing it for PR reasons, but I disagree with the huckster connotations of the word “stunt”.
Glad for Shatner. Not sure if he can die. Strange aeons and all.
Since back at the time we were having Senators-in-Space (Glenn being of course an exception) I’ve said we’re at the point we really really need some honest-to-goodness official regulation of what makes you astronaut vs. breathing freight. Even if you do make it to orbit. I mean, in the Air Force not everyone with a job aboard the airplane gets wings. And me taking a cruise on the MV Costa Viral Outbreak doesn’t make me an Able Seaman.
That said, yeah, if Bezos were really perverse he’d reveal Takei as the capcom once Bill is strapped in… that’s what I would do.
Of course, it’s a patchwork of jurisdictions, even within a single nation like the U.S.
In the US, purely private spaceflight is regulated by the FAA, and as of this July they ruled that you’re not an astronaut unless you do something on the misson other than, as you say, serve as “breathing freight”.
So none of the BO suborbital tourist flights have produced astronauts.
They should name the ship Viagra 1 in his honor.
“A rose by any other name … would smell as sweet!” 
If I were in Blue Origin marketing, I’d have him redo the ST:TOS intro except for the New Shepard rather than the Enterprise (and other mods as appropriate). It’d give everyone a nice laugh.
“Those humans and their puny, juvenile minds. They’re STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!”
In his interview with Anderson Cooper:
Shatner talked about pressing his nose “against the plastic window” on the flight, saying he didn’t want to see “somebody else out there looking back at me.”
Please please please let someone at Blue Origin have watched “The Big Bang Theory!”
If he actually sees something no one is going to believe him.
“Ha ha William, it was funny when you did that joke on take off but it’s starting to wear thin”
“No I’m serious there’s something out there taking out pieces of the craft!”
“yeah yeah, you are starting to get dense Shatner”
Sure you don’t mean Third Rock from the Sun?
Nope. TBBT is where the astronauts on the ISS pranked a paranoid Wolowitz by taping a scary alien face on the window by his sleeping spot. He wet himself in terror.
