'Star Trek' Actor William Shatner Set for Blue Origin Flight Days After 'SNL' Takes 'Star Trek'-Themed Jab at Jeff Bezos The stars seemed to align for this 'SNL' segment.
By Chloe Arrojado •
On Monday, Jeff Bezos's spaceflight company Blue Origin announced two new crewmembers for its NS-18 mission. In addition to Blue Origins's vice president of mission and flight operations joining the crew, 90-year-old actor William Shatner will also be onboard the New Shepard rocket set to launch next week.
Two incredible and inspirational people will join the #NS18 crew. Actor @WilliamShatner and Blue Origin's Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations Audrey Powers @AudreyKPowers. pic.twitter.com/xqI9nw1KX8
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 4, 2021
In late September, TMZ reported that Shatner, who launched into stardom for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, would be going up to space with Blue Origin. This past weekend, Saturday Night Live turned the news into an opportunity to make fun of Jeff Bezos in a Star Trek spoof.
Related: Bezos' Blue Origin Called 'Toxic' Workplace by Current, Former Staff
On Oct. 2, Saturday Night Live premiered its 47th season with Owen Wilson as host. One of the show's segments featured a parody titled "Star Trek: Ego Quest," in which Bezos (played by Wilson) flies around space with fellow billionaire Richard Branson (played by Alex Moffatt) and nonchalantly destroys a space station. And of course, the concept wouldn't have been complete without a villain, in this case Elon Musk (played by Mikey Day).
The sketch did not hold back, making fun of Blue Origin's first flight crew as well as the suggestive design of the spaceship, in addition to referencing Amazon's working conditions, as Bezos beams up an Amazon employee (played by Kenan Thompson) to deliver a package and throws him an empty water bottle before beaming him back. Additional voiceover eschewed any hint of subtlety, calling Bezos's antics "a midlife crisis of cosmic proportions."
You can watch the sketch here:
Shatner, for his part, has been tweeting up a storm about his Oct. 12 departure since the news became official, including his message to actor Jason Alexander that, "It's never too late to experience new things my friend."
Related: Elon Musk Says He's Sending Jeff Bezos a Silver Medal After Surpassing Him in Wealth
