At CCXP Worlds 2021, Prime Video announced Shatner in Space, a new documentary that follows William Shatner’s recent trip to outer space. Shatner is known for playing Captain Kirk in the original 1960’s Star Trek series, a role that granted him the privilege of seeing our tiny blue planet onboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket.
Shatner went boldly where few people have gone before last October 13, together with Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers, and two paying clients. Amazon’s founder Bezos, who owns Blue Origin, oversaw the trip, for which Shatner was a guest. After landing, Shatner was understandably emotional, describing the journey as “unbelievable” and underlining how “everyone needs to see” our home planet from afar. When summarizing his experience, Shatner also said that “I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can retain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it.”
While Shatner’s reaction to the trip after landing is already a treat to Star Trek fans, Shatner in Space will show new footage of our eternal Captain Kirk’s discovery of space. In addition, the documentary will bring us a little closer to the dream of seeing Earth from a distance with our own eyes, as we share Shatner’s amazement with the spectacular view he had onboard the Blue Origin rocket.
“My time in space was the most profound experience I could have ever imagined,” said Shatner. “This special documenting my journey gives a dramatic view of that experience, and my hope is that it inspires the world to see we must go to space to save Earth.”
The Star Trek franchise that Shatner helped to build has already spawned 13 feature films and ten television series, with more on the way. While the space exploration theme of the franchise helped to feed the imagination and love for the science of multiple generations, Star Trek also fought for equal representation for all the people. The Original Series included one of the first multiracial casts on US television, featuring the first multiracial kiss. New productions echo the same ideals, with a diverse cast and crew.
Star Trek is helping Paramount+ to fight the streaming wars with both the classic series and new productions. Besides holding the complete library of Star Trek series and films, Paramount+ is also the exclusive home of future seasons of the popular show Star Trek: Discovery. The new generation of Star Trek productions also counts with Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Next year, we’ll get the premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. There’s also a Starfleet Academy and a Section 31 series in production. Both Discovery and Picard are among the most-watched original series on Paramount+.
The one-hour space, Shatner in Space, will stream around the world on Prime Video on December 15. Check out the key art below:
