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Washington (AFP)
When the “Star Trek” series began in 1966, Americans had not yet reached the moon, but William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in this famous work, would become the first actor in the cast to take a trip to the moon. space. .
Shatner will embark on his flight from West Texas with three other passengers aboard a rocket manufactured by the company of American billionaire Jeff Bezos “Blue Origin” as part of the group’s second manned mission.
“I plan to stay nailed to the window. I hope I don’t see a strange creature staring at me from the other side,” the Canadian actor said in a video released by the company.
Shatner, 90, will be the oldest passenger to reach Earth’s borders.
Blue Origin’s decision to invite a celebrity into space science fiction is highly symbolic and will capture public interest in the race for space conquest companies.
In July, British billionaire Richard Branson flew into space aboard a Virgin Galactic rocket. A few days later, Jeff Bezos did the same during the first manned flight of the New Shepard missile, this time carrying William Shatner.
As for SpaceX, it sent four tourists on a three-day trip to Earth orbit in September. This mission was the centerpiece of a series produced by “Netflix”.
“Taking on a famous actor like William Shatner, whose name has been associated with space, breathes new life into and creates a media frenzy,” says Joe Sapowski, public relations expert at the University of North Carolina.
– Raed Series –
The sci-fi series “Star Trek” lasted only three seasons, starting in 1966, but it had a big impact on popular culture, and many films and series have emerged from it.
Shatner was Captain Kirk, who flew the USS Enterprise on a five-year mission “to explore strange new worlds, seek new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no man has gone. previously”.
Its actual flight in space will be much shorter, not exceeding ten minutes, and the crew will travel just beyond the Karman Line, 100 kilometers above Earth.
The series sparked American interest in the early stage space invasion while also addressing issues in American society.
The cast was diverse, at a time when the struggle for civil rights was at its height in the United States. And in 1968, when William Shatner kissed African-American actress Nichelle Nichols, it was the first kiss on American television between a white man and a woman of color.
– Space conquest –
The series was also closely linked to the US space program.
NASA’s first spacecraft was named “Enterprise” after the one piloted by Captain Kirk. In the 1970s, NASA hired Michelle Nichols on a video to help her attract astronauts, especially among women and minorities. Other actors in the series have participated in seminars organized by the US Agency or lent their voices to documentaries.
“Fifty years ago, Star Trek inspired generations of scientists, engineers and even astronauts,” said American astronaut Victor Glover in a 2016 documentary about the parallels between the research conducted in the series and those conducted on the International Space Station.
And Jeff Bezos himself is a huge fan of TV work. He revealed, for example, that Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant service, was inspired by the Star Trek computer.
The billionaire took a look at the film adaptation of the series “Star Trek Beyond” (2016) as an alien.
The participation of famous actor William Shatner, known for his sense of humor, is welcome in “Blue Origin”, especially at a time when the Bezos company is exposed to numerous accusations against its work culture, in particular because of growing accusations of sexual abuse. abuse him.
Blue Origin has categorically denied the accusations, which appeared in a lengthy article posted on the blog of Alexandra Abrams, a former liaison with the company, a while back.
© 2021 AFP
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