📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

'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 •

entrepreneur daily
NBC | Getty Images

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.

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
Chloe Arrojado

Entrepreneur Staff

Editorial Assistant

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Most Popular

See all
Fundraising

My Startup Couldn't Raise VC Funding, So We Became Profitable. Here's How We Did It — And How You Can Too.

Four months ago, my startup reached profitability for the first time. It came after more than a year of active work and planning, and here's what it took.

By Martins Lasmanis
By Sherin Shibu
Starting a Business

Clinton Sparks Podcast: From Hit Records to Humanitarian Powerhouse, Akon Shares His Entrepreneurial Journey

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.

By Clinton Sparks
Business News

McDonald's Is Responding to Sky-High Fast Food Prices By Rolling Out a Much Cheaper Value Meal: Report

The news comes as the chain looks to redirect back to customer "affordability."

By Emily Rella
Starting a Business

Clinton Sparks Podcast: CEO of Complex Shares How Media, Culture Have Shifted in Recent Years

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.

By Clinton Sparks
Business News

Jack Dorsey Explains Bluesky Exit: 'Literally Repeating All the Mistakes We Made' at Twitter

Dorsey left the Bluesky board and deleted his account earlier this week.

By Sherin Shibu