‘What a fool’: fellow actors criticise William Shatner’s space flight

William Shatner, Star Trek actor, bravely went to space where others wouldn't. The nonagenarian was called a fool for participating in the record-breaking flight.
Joan Collins and Brian Cox from Succession, Dame Joan Collins, were both once in the Science Fiction series. Shatner, 90, is the oldest person to fly into space. He flew in a rocket designed by Jeff Bezos earlier this month.

This follows criticisms from the Duke of Cambridge about space tourism. Shatner was forced to justify his trip by saying that it was a baby step towards getting Earth's polluting industries off the ground.

Collins appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show, ITV. He said: It's amazing isn't it? You are a fool. That is a foolish thing to do. Absolutely not. Have you seen Bill Shatner's show?

They were turning him upside-down while he was still in the air. Before we go off, let's first take care of the planet.

Collins was seen in an episode from the original Star Trek series. She played Edith Keeler, a character Captain Kirk falls for but then kills.

Cox, a fellow guest on the show, replied that he wouldn't visit space. It's ridiculous. It was funny to see Bezos and Sir Richard Branson getting up for their 11 minute or whatever.

We don't need any more spaceships. There's enough junk up there. We don't need any more.

Shatner flew for 10 minutes from the desert of west Texas on board the Blue Origin suborbital capsule. As they reached an altitude of just over 60 miles (100 km), the crew experienced a brief period of weightlessness. They were able to view the Earth's curvature through the capsule windows.

03:21 "Most profound experience": William Shatner is stunned by a space encounter video

After landing on Earth, the Canadian actor said that everyone in the world should do it. It was amazing.

He cried and said: This is the most profound experience I have ever had. I am so overwhelmed by emotion over what just occurred. This is something I will never forget. I want to be able to feel what I feel right now. It is something I don't want to lose.

Prince William criticized the space race and the burgeoning industry of space tourism after the flight. He was presenting his first Earthshot prize awards.

He stated that we need the best brains and minds in the world to fix this planet and not search for the next place to live and go.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in the US, Shatner said: He's a beautiful Englishman. He'll be the king of England some day. He is a gentle, intelligent, and charming man. But he has the wrong idea.

This isn't about going, but looking at me. I am in space. I would tell him. I believe this is a small step towards getting industry off Earth.

Audrey Powers, Blue Origin vice president, Chris Boshuizen (co-founder of the Earth imaging satellite company Planet), and Glen de Vries (executive with French healthcare software corporation Dassault Systmes) joined Shatner on the flight.

Although they were trained for a few days, the capsule and rocket system, New Shepard is fully automated.

George Takei, Shatner's Star Trek star, had previously criticised him. He told Page Six: Hes boldly going places no one has gone before.

Bezos sold tickets for future rides worth $100m (72m) and hopes to dominate the space tourism market. He was aboard the maiden crewed spaceship flight in July.

Wally Funk, an 82 year-old ex-test pilot who flew with Bezos, awarded Shatner the title of oldest space traveller.