Photo: Everett
They say old age brings wisdom, but in the case of one of Hollywood’s longest-running and most infamous celebrity feuds, it only brings more of the same. Case in point: George Takei has a few thoughts on William Shatner’s historical flight to the edge of space.
In 2021, William Shatner, the actor who will forever go down in the history books as Captain James T. Kirk from the Star Trek TV series and companion films, became the oldest civilian to fly to space. In reality, he flew to the edge of space, onboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard, on its second launch. Once New Shepard reached 62 miles (100 km) of altitude, it spent a few minutes there before returning back to Earth.
For his part, Shatner never claimed to have traveled to actual space. However, the distinction between deep space and the edge of space, or the Karman line, was quite often left out in discussions about Blue Origin and founder Jeff Bezos’ efforts toward the democratization of space and how it’s ultimately bound to help us save Earth.
If this was done on purpose, George Takei, Shatner’s former co-star (as helmsman Hikaru Sulu) on Star Trek, is here to point it out. Speaking with The Mirror to promote his new musical Allegiance, which is now running in London, Takei laughs at Shatner’s so-called astronaut achievements.
“Well, he wasn’t really in outer space and it wasn’t for very long,” the actor tells the publication. If he were to compare, he’d say he’s done a much finer job than his former co-star – the ultimate prima donna, as he calls Shatner. “I’ve also been in zero gravity but I did it for longer. I took a parabolic flight and experienced five minutes of weightlessness, whereas William only experienced three minutes. So I’ve spent more time in zero gravity than him.”
Takei and Shatner’s feud goes all the way back to their time on the iconic franchise, when Shatner reportedly started acting as if he was better than any other member of the cast, and Takei publicly called him out on it. They’ve been going back and forth for decades, and they clearly have no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Bitchiness aside, Takei is telling the truth, at least as far as the fact that Shatner “wasn’t really in outer space” is concerned. His trip was a milestone for space travel and a Guinness record-setting one, but that still doesn’t change the fact that he only traveled to the Karman Line and back down again.
Shatner’s full account of the experience, which he described as a life-changing one, is included in his book Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, published in October last year.
For his part, Shatner never claimed to have traveled to actual space. However, the distinction between deep space and the edge of space, or the Karman line, was quite often left out in discussions about Blue Origin and founder Jeff Bezos’ efforts toward the democratization of space and how it’s ultimately bound to help us save Earth.
If this was done on purpose, George Takei, Shatner’s former co-star (as helmsman Hikaru Sulu) on Star Trek, is here to point it out. Speaking with The Mirror to promote his new musical Allegiance, which is now running in London, Takei laughs at Shatner’s so-called astronaut achievements.
“Well, he wasn’t really in outer space and it wasn’t for very long,” the actor tells the publication. If he were to compare, he’d say he’s done a much finer job than his former co-star – the ultimate prima donna, as he calls Shatner. “I’ve also been in zero gravity but I did it for longer. I took a parabolic flight and experienced five minutes of weightlessness, whereas William only experienced three minutes. So I’ve spent more time in zero gravity than him.”
Takei and Shatner’s feud goes all the way back to their time on the iconic franchise, when Shatner reportedly started acting as if he was better than any other member of the cast, and Takei publicly called him out on it. They’ve been going back and forth for decades, and they clearly have no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Bitchiness aside, Takei is telling the truth, at least as far as the fact that Shatner “wasn’t really in outer space” is concerned. His trip was a milestone for space travel and a Guinness record-setting one, but that still doesn’t change the fact that he only traveled to the Karman Line and back down again.
Shatner’s full account of the experience, which he described as a life-changing one, is included in his book Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, published in October last year.
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