William Shatner Pens A Touching Message To His Fans

As Captain Kirk, William Shatner boldly went where no man had gone before. Earlier in 2021, he became a real-life space explorer when he hopped aboard a Blue Origin shuttle and became the oldest individual to leave the Earth's atmosphere. It seemed only fitting to give "Star Trek" fans what they always wanted by sending such an important figure in the franchise to help humanity better explore the great unknown of the cosmos. 

Soon, fans will have the opportunity to experience what Shatner saw. The actor's exploits were documented on film and will be part of an upcoming documentary. The title of the special will be "Shatner in Space," and even more appropriately, it will be available on Amazon Prime. You'll be able to watch the special starting on December 15, but in the meantime, you can get a glimpse into the expedition by checking out this exclusive /Film opinion piece written by Shatner himself. And it's bound to tug at your heartstrings.

Going to outer space changes a person, and it appears it had a profound impact on Shatner. In his letter published exclusively by /Film, Shatner muses on the majesty of seeing the Earth from an entirely different perspective, writing, "I saw just how fragile our home, this spinning blue ball, really is in the depthless darkness with my own eyes and I was moved. It made all the constant static we are surrounded with evaporate and gave a clarity unknown to me."

The words call to mind the "Pale Blue Dot" speech provided by Carl Sagan, where he reminisced on how every single person we've ever known was born on what amounts to an insignificant dot in the galaxy. It seems as though prior to his voyage, Shatner had already taken steps to ensure his legacy continues on this spinning blue ball, as he goes on to discuss his latest venture — Legion M. "An entertainment company built from the ground up to be owned by fans," he states. "It's a simple but brilliant idea: Harness the wisdom and power of the community. Shorten the distance between creators and consumers. Give people a say in what gets made and a stake in the outcome. Grow that community large enough, and you could potentially change the way entertainment is produced forever."

It's an exciting prospect, indeed. And with this letter as well as his upcoming Amazon special, it will get out to more people than ever before.