William Shatner Says His Space Trip Left Him With a Feeling of Terrible Grief

William Shatner had an awe-inspiring experience on his first voyage to space.

An excerpt from Shatner's new book, "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder," was published by Variety.

Shatner said that when he looked into the void of space, he was shocked by the emptiness.

There was no awe or mystery when I looked into space. I didn't see anything else.

Despite his love of space, Shatner was far from what he expected when he had to contend with the mystery of the real thing.

He said he saw a dark emptiness. It was unlike anything on Earth. It was long and deep.

Shatner described an intense homesickness for the planet he had just left.

The "TJ Hooker" star wrote that he turned back towards home. It wasn't boring. Sustaining, nurturing, life are some of the words used to describe it. There is a mother earth. There is a person named Gaia. I was going to leave her.

He said everything he had thought was incorrect. Everything I was expecting was wrong.

A sense of euphoria and interconnectedness has been described by many space travelers. Even though Shatner mentioned the phenomenon, it sounded like it was dark.

He wrote that a sense of the planet's vulnerability takes hold when someone travels to space.

Shatner said the contrast between the coldness of space and the warmth of Earth made him sad. It felt like a funeral when I went to space.

The most detailed description of Shatner's trip to space was not the first time he had spoken about it.

Shatner thanked Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos profusely after he returned from his spaceflight.

He told Bezos that the most profound experience he'd received was from him. I hope I don't recover from this.

Shatner's memoir seems to indicate that hope is still alive.

Scientists say the new images are so powerful that they were emotional just looking at them.