--- title: "William Shatner Says His Space Trip Left Him With a Feeling of Terrible Grief" description: "During his maiden voyage to space, \"Star Trek\" icon William Shatner had an awe-inspiring experience — but it wasn't necessarily positive." date: "2022-10-11" modified: "2022-10-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/william-shatner-space-grief" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "blue origin" - "jeff bezos" - "space" - "william shatner" --- # William Shatner Says His Space Trip Left Him With a Feeling of Terrible Grief ![During his maiden voyage to space, "Star Trek" icon William Shatner had an awe-inspiring experience — but it wasn't necessarily positive.]() *\Image: Blue Origin\* During his maiden voyage to space, "Star Trek" icon William Shatner had an awe-inspiring experience — but it wasn't necessarily positive. "So, I went to space," reads a [*Variety*-published excerpt]() from Shatner's new book, "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder." After describing the exhilarating launch procedure and beginning of his zero-gravity excursion, Shatner wrote that when he turned around to look into the void of space, he was shocked by the emptiness he found. "When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold," Shatner wrote. "All I saw was death." In spite of his conceptual love of space — after all, he played Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" during the beginning of the space race — and the mystery it presented, what Shatner was forced to contend with in the real thing was far from what he expected. "I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness," he wrote. "It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing." After looking back "toward the light of home," Shatner described an intense homesickness for the planet he had just left. "I turned back toward the light of home," the "TJ Hooker" star wrote. "I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her." "Everything I had thought was wrong," he concluded. "Everything I had expected to see was wrong." Many space travelers have described an experience termed the "[Overview Effect]()," or a sense of euphoria and interconnectedness stemming from viewing Earth from above. Shatner alluded to the phenomenon, but even his takeaway there sounds unusually dark. "When someone travels to space and views Earth from orbit," he wrote, "a sense of the planet’s fragility takes hold in an ineffable, instinctive manner." "The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness," Shatner added. "My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral." While this is the most detailed description of Shatner's trip to space, it was not the first time the "Star Trek" star had spoken publicly about it. Shortly after landing from his spaceflight, which took place almost exactly a year ago, [Shatner thanked Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos]() profusely for the trip. "What you have given me is the most profound experience," he [told Bezos through tears](). "I hope I never recover from this." If his memoir is any indicator, Shatner has seemingly kept that hope alive. **More space feels:** [*Scientists Say New James Webb Images Are So Powerful That It Was Emotional Just Looking at Them*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()