After his historic flight into space, William Shatner was expecting the ultimate catharsis. The Star Trek actor said that the voyage left him filled with grief, an "overwhelming sadness" and a newfound appreciation for the beauty of Earth.
According to an excerpt from his book, his trip to space felt like a funeral.
I enjoy the mysteries of the universe. Shatner wrote that when he looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no awe to behold, and all he saw was death.
Images of the actor pressed up against the window of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket capsule were live-streamed back to Earth in October last year.
Shatner described the view almost a year later as a dark, black emptiness.
I had thought everything was right. He wrote that everything he had expected was incorrect. Being up there would be the next step in understanding the harmony of the universe, and I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for.
The Canadian who played Captain James Kirk on Star Trek broke down in tears as he described his experience. He said he hoped he wouldn't recover from the experience. I am very emotional about what just happened. It's amazing.
After returning to Earth, Shatner discovered that the beauty isn't out there, it's down here with all of us Leaving that behind made me even more connected to our planet.
It was one of the strongest feelings I've ever experienced. The coldness of space made me sad, but the warmth of Earth made me happy.
The extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna, and things that took 5 billion years to evolve, are just some of the things that have been destroyed by mankind. It made me feel sad.
It felt like a funeral when I went to space.
He told the Washington Post that everyone else was shaking bottles of champagne and it was a sense of accomplishment. I didn't think that was the case. I didn't celebrate. I shook my fists at the gods.
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