William Shatner says he's 'terrified' of upcoming Blue Origin space trip
'Star Trek' actor is traveling aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard NS-18 on Oct. 12
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William Shatner is mentally preparing for his upcoming trip to space with Blue Origin.
The "Star Trek" actor, 90, is traveling aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard NS-18 on Oct. 12 and told audience members during a New York Comic Con panel on Thursday that he's terrified.
"I'm terrified," he confirmed. "I'm Captain Kirk, and I'm terrified going to space. You know, I'm not really terrified. Yes, I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold."
"You have three minutes to look into the abscess of space and the beauty of this oasis of Earth, and I was planning on pressing my nose against the window, you know? And my only hope was I wouldn't see somebody else looking back," Shatner joked.
BLUE ORIGIN BEAMING UP WILLIAM SHATNER FOR OCTOBER SUBORBITAL SPACEFLIGHT
The Emmy winner explained he was approached about a space trip over a year ago. Bezos' aerospace company Blue Origin reportedly loved the idea of sending Capt. James T. Kirk on a suborbital flight.
Actor William Shatner, best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the "Star Trek television" series and movies, is heading into space. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
On Monday, Blue Origin confirmed Shatner will become the oldest person to travel to space. He will be joined by Blue Origin vice president of New Shepard mission and flight operations Audrey Powers.
"I’ve heard about space for a long time now," Shatner said in a statement. "I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle."
WILLIAM SHATNER, BLUE ORIGIN'S AUDREY POWERS ROUND OUT CREW FOR NEXT SPACEFLIGHT
Rounding out the crew are former NASA engineer and Planet Labs co-founder Dr. Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries, Medidata co-founder and Dassault Systèmes vice chair of life sciences and health care.
The October trip comes after Blue Origin completed its first successful crewed suborbital spaceflight in July, which flew 66.5 miles above Earth. Bezos was joined on the flight by his brother Mark, 82-year-old aerospace pioneer Wally Funk, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, who replaced a mystery auction winner who paid $28 million for a seat.
Liftoff for the approximately 11-minute flight on Oct. 12 is currently slated for 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time from Launch Site One in West Texas.
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In addition to playing Capt. Kirk on television, Shatner starred in seven "Star Trek" movies, one of which he directed. He also currently serves as the host and executive producer of the History Channel's "The UnXplained," a one-hour, nonfiction series that explores the world’s most fascinating, strange and inexplicable mysteries.
Fox Business' Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.