In William Shatner‘s new memoir, “William Shatner … and You,” the “Star Trek” actor, 95, reflects on his seven-decade career by focusing on his fans, with anecdotes from former co-stars, collaborators and celebrities like Ben Stiller, Josh Groban, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Marina Sirtis, Seth MacFarlane, Hank Azaria, Nick Carter, Jason Alexander and Tom Bergeron, explaining how his work impacted them.
In this exclusive excerpt, Shatner interviews Amazon founder Jeff Bezos about how the science fiction he loved as a kid — namely, “Star Trek” — ultimately inspired him to launch his Blue Origin aerospace company, which, in 2021, launched Shatner into space at 90 years old.
An Unexpected Trekker who literally took me from pretend space-adventurer to real one is, of course, Jeff Bezos.
I will forever be grateful for the opportunity he gave me on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in 2021. I documented that incredible, emotionally devastating experience in my previous book, “Boldly Go.” I expected the excitement of adventure, but instead, looking down on our small, fragile planet, I was overcome by the realization that all life was down there — contained in that thin blue layer beneath me — while outside was a vast and indifferent blackness, where I saw only death and nothingness. Upon my return, I was unable to speak without crying, and I spent two weeks in unexplained sorrow as I grieved for our planet, and the damage human activity continues to wreak upon it.
