William Shatner’s Harsh Takedown Of Blue Origin Resurfaces

Katy Perry, Gale King, Alisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sanchez successfully went into and returned from space on Monday morning as the latest travelers on the Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin shuttle. They traveled 62 miles, passing the Kármán line, which officially qualifies as a trip to outer space.

But the launch and safe return was not without controversy. While it all went down smoothly, many labeled it a “PR stunt” and questioned both the motives and the necessity of the trip. During a live broadcast of the launch and return, one of commentators referenced William Shatner‘s journey on Blue Origin in 2021.

interesting to hear the hosts of the live blue origin rocket launch put a profound and mostly sinister spin on william shatner’s feelings about his experience of space. what they said vs. what he REALLY felt. pic.twitter.com/LMHYMcvYuV

— joanie (@laracroftbarbie) April 14, 2025

“As we await the moment where these astronauts emerge from the capsule, I’m reminded of what William Shatner said on his mission,” he said began. “He said ‘what you have given me if the most profound experience. I hope I never recover from this.’”

She did not misquote Shatner. But she did completely ignore the context of the Shatner’s words, which were published by Variety in 2022 and contained a harsh repudiation of the journey.

William Shatner Harshly Criticized Blue Origin Trip To Outer Space

“I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the universe,” Shatner wrote. “In the film ‘Contact,’ when Jodie Foster’s character goes to space and looks out into the heavens, she lets out an astonished whisper, ‘They should’ve sent a poet.’ I had a different experience, because I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound.”

Shatner contended that being off of Earth gave him a true sense of how much he appreciated Earth and everything on it. He harshly criticized the negative effects human beings have brought upon the planet and said that the trip felt like “a funeral.”

“It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna . . . things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.”

Maybe Perry and company felt differently. And space travel is certainly not inherently bad. But if we’re going to reference Shatner’s experience, it’s at least important to contextualize his words and feelings.