William Shatner Saw 'Total, Ominous Blackness' on Blue Origin Space Flight

William Shatner has told Newsweek about the overwhelming depth of space and how delicate and small Earth seemed in comparison, during his trip to the edge of space on board the New Shepard spacecraft operated by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

Shatner was part of a four-person crew in October—becoming, at 90, the oldest person to voyage to a low-Earth orbit. He was accompanied on the 10-minute suborbital mission by Australian entrepreneur Chris Boshuizen and Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers.

Also on the journey was microbiologist Glen de Vries, who died in a plane crash in November, less than a month later.

Shatner, who rose to fame playing Captain James T Kirk in Star Trek, told Newsweek: "When I looked at that blackness that was space, none of the magnificence and the mystery of space appeared. It was total, total, ominous blackness. I was looking at death."

Shatner added that this wasn't even the most foreboding part of the journey. As he turned away from the overwhelming vastness of space, he was able to observe our tiny planet. He said: "I could see the curvature of the Earth. I could see the beginning and end of Earth. I could see the delicate colors. I could see the beige, the blue, the white of the clouds and how very small it is.

"Everything is beautiful on this Earth, and it's taken 5 billion years to generate and one day it'll all be gone. And it'll be gone a lot sooner than we thought if we continue the way we're going."

The veteran actor's journey is explored in Shatner in Space, a documentary available on Amazon Prime Video from Wednesday.

Even before his journey 65 miles above the surface of Earth, Shatner said he felt like an unofficial ambassador for space, thanks to his many years playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek—which initially ran for just three seasons from 1966 to 1969 before spawning a movie franchise, various TV shows, books and more.

"Why? How did that happen? That's the way I feel about this three-year show I did and playing this part. Suddenly, I'm thrown into the milieu of space and pioneering," the actor said. "I took it on, I studied and I met people. I've talked to scientists and I've taken on the role of this semi-literate person about space."

Shatner's interest in space also prompted him to write several science-fiction novels, including some set in the Star Trek universe.

Despite these experiences and multiple visits to science facilities such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Labs, Shatner was not prepared for his voyage to space.

"When you think about it, they're lifting off and then throwing you into space. Like a stone on this spaceship, and then the stone arcs a little bit, and then the parachutes deploy," he said. "Your sensible mind says, 'There's no problem here.' Then—boom—you're lifted off in a controlled explosion.

"Deep inside your survival mind is saying, 'Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What happened to the Hindenburg? What happened to all those spaceships that blew up?' Everyone has that and, as a result of practice and discipline, the astronauts can put it to the side."

The actor went on to explain that he experienced weightlessness about 60 miles in the air, giving him an opportunity to move from his seat to observe the ship's surroundings.

Travelers aboard the New Shepard experience a few minutes of weightlessness during the voyage to the edge of space.

"When we were told we were in weightless … I got very quickly to these big windows that the Blue Origin made into this spaceship," Shatner said.

That led to what he described as the most profound moment of his experience. "I bring my head to the right, and I'm staring into black space."

That weighty moment has not dampened Shatner's wit. He told Newsweek the proudest achievement was simply "coming back down alive."

Shatner in Space is available on Amazon Prime Video from Wednesday, December 15.