William Shatner Offering His Services To NASA During Lockdown

William Shatner is no stranger to odd headlines, whether it’s being banned from Reddit, sharing Twitter feuds, or winning prized horse semen. The 89-year-old Star Trek star is now putting himself forward for a NASA mission, having previously expressed an interest in accompanying Elon Musk into the stars. Shatner tweeted at NASA that he’s ready to suit up if necessary, and even included a mocked-up image of himself with the slogan “Launch America.”

Of course, Shatner was more specifically referring to the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch this week, and its journey to the International Space Station, which is currently scheduled to happen on Wednesday, the 27th of May. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are currently down for the mission, so it’s difficult to tell whether the agency will need to take Shatner up on his offer.

He also tagged himself as #AstroBill in the Tweet, which you can catch below, and prompted a lot of support from his followers for the idea of seeing the actor take flight:

BTW @NASA – just in case; the suit does fit! 😉😝 #LaunchAmerica #AstroBill 🚀🛰 pic.twitter.com/Wa9DuV08Vt

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) May 20, 2020

Some fans were quick to wonder where Shatner’s old Star Trek suit is, while others took the chance to break out memes from the classic series:

Where's your old suit? pic.twitter.com/xyaN6rxYUQ

— John Maiero 71🇺🇸 (@f8lovesirony) May 20, 2020

pic.twitter.com/heRewPSFDG

— Hans Strijker ⭕😷 (@HaStry) May 20, 2020

Indeed, Bob Behnken took the time to reply to Shatner’s original tweet as well, posting as so:

How many people can say @WilliamShatner offered to stand in at work for them? I appreciate the offer Captain!

Hope you're watching us live when we lift off! #LaunchAmerica https://t.co/uxjFNOYxSh

— Bob Behnken (@AstroBehnken) May 20, 2020

Having Shatner up in space would represent a satisfying move for Captain James T. Kirk, although it’s probably now unlikely. That’s not to say that Shatner hasn’t done his part for NASA over the years, including voiceovers for official videos, and he even received a Distinguished Public Service Medal from the agency in 2014.

Only slightly more likely is a return for Shatner as Kirk, although he’s recently dismissed the need to reprise the character. The actor has also played down any chance of playing the part on one of the new Star Trek series, partly owing to the physical strain of a television show, and Kirk’s existing send-off on Star Trek: Generations.

What do you think of the idea of Shatner in space, though? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section below.