Captain Kirk Lands Back On Earth, Delivers A PR Bonanza To Jeff Bezos

In entrance of the digital camera, William Shatner has led many a fantastic area voyage as Captain James T. Kirk.

Now, at 90-years outdated, the actor has develop into the oldest individual to ever go to area, onboard a rocket constructed by Blue Origin, the personal spaceflight firm created by billionaire Jeff Bezos. 

For a lot of, seeing Shatner land again on Earth after a sub-orbital flight, having skilled weightlessness, was a childhood dream fulfilled, a magical convergence between the realm of science fiction and actuality.

Watching Shatner try to elucidate his expertise is genuinely transferring, as he gushes at size about the great thing about Earth, area, and of life itself; Captain Kirk was an unflappable hero, and there’s a poetic irony in seeing Shatner so humbled. After touchdown, Shatner said:

“To see the blue colour [of the atmosphere] shoot by like that. Down there’s mom, consolation – and up there’s dying. Is that what dying is? It’s so transferring. I by no means anticipated it … I’m so stuffed with emotion. It’s extraordinary. I hope I by no means recuperate from this, keep what I really feel now. It’s a lot bigger than me. It has to do with enormity, the quickness of life and dying. Oh my God! It’s stunning in its personal means.”

Absolutely, there are numerous people who’ve devoted their lives to the exploration of the universe, impressed by the beliefs offered in Star Trek, particularly in that iconic unique collection starring Shatner. Some, it appears, grew up and helped ship the person to area. 

But it surely’s tough to disregard the truth that Jeff Bezos simply landed himself a unprecedented PR win; Captain Kirk returns safely to Earth, singing the praises of Lex Luthor.  

For Blue Origin, the PR stunt was completely timed; the corporate was not too long ago hit with an open essay backed by 20 former and present staff, accusing the corporate of skirting security measures, in addition to cultivating a tradition of sexual harassment. 

Whereas Shatner’s area flight attracted loads of positivity, critics have been fast to touch upon the truth that area is at risk of turning into a billionaire’s playground, spewing an eye-watering quantity of air pollution for every rocket carrying its privileged cargo, whereas the world burns and financial inequality widens. 

Bezos’ PR stunt lies in an odd, considerably contradictory area between delight and despair, like a cigarette advert that manages to realize a degree of inventive advantage, regardless of its insidious perform.

It’s onerous to not suspect Bezos of staring out into the cosmos with greenback indicators in his eyes, seeing little however a treasure trove of uncooked supplies, able to convert into merchandise for consumption. Shatner, endearingly, discovered his expertise tough to explain.

Certainly, Shatner appears genuinely overwhelmed by his view of Earth from above; his response echoes the awed tone through which astronomer Carl Sagan would discuss our planet, emphasizing the fragility of our “pale blue dot” floating amongst the celebs. 

Ideally, Shatner’s phrases would possibly encourage an identical sense of reverence for the planet that birthed us; “Captain Kirk visits area” is likely to be a cynical PR stunt, seen within the wider context of a billionaire’s rush to denationalise area journey, however it was, nonetheless, uplifting.