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Captain Kirk: Bezos' Blue Origin to Send William Shatner into Space
- lapetitejort 5y agoNot to be outdone, Elon announces plans to launch Shatner across the hood of a Tesla Model X. Wait, wrong show...
- orionblastar 5y agoWell Shatner did promote other products like the Commodore VIC-20: https://youtu.be/UK9VU1aJvTI https://youtu.be/UK9VU1aJvTI
- boboche 5y agoCareful how you treat this, lots of people around here got their first computer interaction with the VIC-20, completed their first programs tutorial with an ascii jumping jack and played gorf! ;)
- orionblastar 5y agoNow Shatner has been in space with Blue Origin. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58885555 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58885555 He played Captain Kirk in the original series of Star Trek.
- daveslash 5y agoFrom the article "Reports in 2013 said he had turned down Sir Richard Branson's offer to fly him into space with Virgin Galactic" and "Shatner has a fear of flying" I just feel the need to point out: Maybe Shatner feels safer on Blue Origin because the Virgin Galactic craft have wings, whereas Blue Origin craft don't? Edit: There can't be "a man! on! the wing!" if there's no wing. ;-) [I'll show myself out...]
- TMWNN 5y agoGiven Shatner's prior comments on the subject, it's obvious that Bezos is paying Shatner a lot of money to be able to advertise that Captain Kirk flew on a Blue Origin rocket. Definitely the sort of thing that a competitor that knows that it is behind and is willing to do/pay anything to get ahead would do.
- daveslash 5y agoYou are, of course, correct. In fact, the article even states that explicitly. My comment was a [too?] subtle snarky reference to a famous 1963 episode of the Twilight Zone starring Shatner, in which there was "a man on the wing!". "Nightmare at 20,000 ft" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXHKDb0CNjA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXHKDb0CNjA
- dehrmann 5y agoShatner does seem to always want to make a buck, but at 90, with all those years of conventions, meet and greets, and sweet TJ Hooker royalty checks, doesn't he have enough money?
- afavour 5y agoHe has three kids, presumably a good few grandkids by now. Not sure how morbid his outlook is but if I were 90 I might look at this as an opportunity to make an even bigger pile of cash I can pass down to my descendants... I'm going out soon anyway, so why not?
- throwaway0a5e 5y agoExactly. Live and you pad your pockets. Die and you pad your heirs pockets. You were already 90 in medium-poor health anyway and not many people get a chance to go to space in any capacity. Having "fabulously wealthy entertainer and space tourist" on your gravestone is better than just "fabulously wealthy entertainer". All the upsides are still there but the risk side of the equation is much lower at 90 than at 80.
- Hokusai 5y ago"Bezos's Blue Origin hit headlines in recent days after 21 current and former employees claimed it had ignored safety concerns to gain an advantage in the space race, and complained of a culture of sexism." That seems more like news instead of PR.
- hibby 5y agoBezos if you kill Shatner so many people are going to be furious
- IIAOPSW 5y agoGuess it's too late for Bowie to have the "Major Tom" ending.
- tecleandor 5y agoSeems like it'll be "Rocket Man" instead. https://youtu.be/lul-Y8vSr0I https://youtu.be/lul-Y8vSr0I
- whymauri 5y agoBezos is a huge Trek fan, so he'd be equally mortified is my guess.
- justwalt 5y agoI’m sure Bezos would feel bad for anyone’s death in this case.
- lloydgrossman 5y agoI'm not sure he's quite understood the economics of the 24th century.
- flerchin 5y agoThe risk/reward doesn't seem to make sense for Bezos. If Shatner dies, it'll be the end of their program. If he lives, maybe a marginal benefit? The man is 90, and his health is not stellar. He legit could die of anything.
- mataug 5y ago> The risk/reward doesn't seem to make sense for Bezos. If Shatner dies, it'll be the end of their program. If he lives, maybe a marginal benefit? The man is 90, and his health is not stellar. He legit could die of anything. The whole space tourism idea has the same issue, if a rich billionaire, regardless of health condition, dies then Blue origin would have the same problem. This seems on the surface to be a PR stunt to boost Bezos massive ego.
- AdamHominem 5y agoNeither Virgin nor Blue Origin actually go into orbit or even "space", and both have a trash safety culture and a not-much-better record: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/science/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-safety.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/science/jeff-bezos-blue-o... https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-red-warning-light-on-richard-bransons-space-flight https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-red-warning-lig... This is obviously a PR stunt, but the point of the stunt it to get people to think Blue Origin = "space"
- DerekL 5y agoNo, Blue Origin really does go into space. But it's good to point out the huge difference between going to space and staying there.
- Barrin92 5y agotbf given that it's Shatner you could morbidly enough spin it as a "Captain Kirk at last goes home, cultural sci-fi icon dies in space" thing, I have no doubt they would be rolling with that angle
- Maursault 5y agoThe risk vs. reward doesn't quite make sense for very nearly all ambitions of manned space exploration. But this isn't space exploration, it is civilians in space, which always was and always will be a dumb idea. Though 7 died in the Challenger disaster, 6 were astronauts, and 4 of those were military. They, and the 7 astronauts lost in the Columbia disaster, knew and understood the risks of space flight. Christa McAuliffe was neither an astronaut nor had a military career. Of all the mistakes NASA has made, the worst of them was killing a school teacher. Blue Origin and SpaceX have some astoundingly bad ideas specifically regarding civilians in space. There may be a compelling demand for it, but that doesn't make it moral or rational. I rate putting civilians in space on par with selling cocaine, except cocaine, as dangerous as it is, is not nearly as dangerous as space flight.
- cronix 5y agoTo boldly go where, now, a lot of men and women have gone before.
- AdamHominem 5y ago"Very high altitude"
- JasonFruit 5y agoBut will he get to say, "Engage"?
- lapetitejort 5y agoThat is Captain Jean-Luc Picard's phrase [0]. Kirk usual say "Take us out, Mr Sulu." 0: https://screenrant.com/star-trek-captains-engage-picard-pike/ https://screenrant.com/star-trek-captains-engage-picard-pike...
- JasonFruit 5y agoThat was the joke, yes.
- canadianfella 5y agoWhat was the joke? Getting the wrong catchphrase?
- ourmandave 5y agoIs Elon countering with the guy who made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs?
- sigzero 5y ago"I've giv'n her all she's got captain, an' I canna give her no more."
- robomartin 5y agoMy take is a little bit different from what I've read so far. SpaceX just completed a truly history all-civilian, all-non-astronaut, three day orbital flight at an altitude above the ISS. SpaceX also secured Artemis mission contracts. They go to space all the time and continue to optimize their reusable orbital-class systems. the Blue Origin and Virgin offerings are not even in the same class. And Blue Origin/Bezos is struggling to remain relevant. I see the Shatner thing purely as a publicity stunt. I also see it as having no real value whatsoever. Just my opinion. On top of that, they raised over $200MM for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The SpaceX Netflix documentary on the Inspiration4 mission is worth watching. Here's the flight's website: https://inspiration4.com/ https://inspiration4.com/
- hunterb123 5y agoThat's a spot on summary.
- tomschlick 5y agoAlternative Title: Desperate Billionaire plans to launch beloved actor slightly past the definition of space in oddly shaped rocket in attempt to stay relevant
- Nevermark 5y agoVery exciting! Has Blue Origin announced any plans to bring the Shatner back? This is wishful and sentimental thinking, but it would be great if one (sad) day SpaceX would send Shatner into 5-year solar orbit, in a USS Enterprise shaped mausoleum, laid out in natural repose on the sleeping pad of his Captain's Quarters. I know it would console me. A first and most fitting Orbituary. Once every five years we could all tune in to a fragile signal... "Captain's Log. Stardate 4768.3. The Enterprise is passing over a planet whose surface, our sensors tell us, is covered in life forms. A world predicted to be destroyed and dead due to its inhabitants short sightedness. But apparently the planet's citizens have begun working through their problems. From it comes the combined voice of its inhabitants, speaking of loss and joy, through the energy of pure thought. Their voices tell us of hope that they will achieve increasing harmony together, for thousands of centuries to come. Ships computer, make a note to pass back here again. Captain's Log out."