William Shatner tells Jeff Bezos: 'Everybody in the world needs to do this'

"I am so filled with emotion. It was extraordinary," Shatner said post-flight.

October 13, 2021, 12:43 PM

Actor William Shatner was overcome with emotion after his "unbelievable" 10-minute trip to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard.

"Everybody in the world needs to do this," Shatner told Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos after he touched down in Texas Wednesday.

"To see the blue color rip by -- now you're staring into blackness," Shatner said, who, at the age of 90, is now the oldest person ever to go to space. "It was so moving. This experience has been something unbelievable."

PHOTO: Blue Origin's New Shepard lifts off from the launch pad carrying 90-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner and three other civilians on Oct. 13, 2021 near Van Horn, Texas.
Blue Origin's New Shepard lifts off from the launch pad carrying 90-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner and three other civilians on Oct. 13, 2021 near Van Horn, Texas.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
PHOTO: The New Shepard rocket launches on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
The New Shepard rocket launches on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: The New Shepard rocket launches, Oct 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
The New Shepard rocket launches, Oct 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

"What you have given me is the most profound experience," the "Star Trek" star said to Bezos.

"I am so filled with emotion. It was extraordinary," he said. "I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it. It's so -- so much larger than me and life."

PHOTO: New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner speaks with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles  north of Van Horn.
New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner speaks with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/Blue Origin/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner gets a hug from Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner gets a hug from Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/BLUE ORIGIN/AFP via Getty Images

Shatner also told Bezos, "It would be so important for everybody to have that experience through one means or another. I mean maybe you can put it on 3D and wear the goggles."

Shatner joined Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations and a former NASA flight controller and engineer; Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs and a former space mission architect for NASA; and Glen de Vries, the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, a life science company.

This was Blue Origin's second crewed mission to space.

PHOTO: The New Shepard capsule comes in for a landing on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
The New Shepard capsule comes in for a landing on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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