William Shatner Has Wonderful Exchange With Elon About Going to Mars, Schools Those Who Don't Like It

I think a lot of people are fond of "Star Trek" in its many iterations over the years.

But it's hard to top the original version.

So, when William Shatner became the oldest person to go into space in 2021, at 90 years old, with Blue Origin, it was an incredibly cool thing. While others were playing around with the weightlessness in the short flight, Shatner was captivated by the sight of space, and seemed very touched.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket successfully launched a crew of 4 to space including William Shatner! 👩‍🚀
— Everything Space (@totalspace360) Oct 13, 2021

"Suddenly you're through the blue and into black" Star Trek actor William Shatner, 90, says his experience of flying into space was "so moving" and "unbelievable" https://bbc.in/3oVjTLT
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) Oct 12, 2021

Someone asked him recently about Elon Musk and going to Mars.

Shatner then got a lot of attention by saying that the future is bright, and he believes Musk "represents the future."

Have I ever said anything bad about him?🤔🤷🏼 No matter how murky the present may seem, the future is very bright and I believe Elon Musk represents the future. And no, I’m not going to Mars.🙄
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) Mar 25, 2025

That sure sounds like he's not falling for the cult talking points when it comes to Elon Musk. Shatner isn't about politics; he is about emphasizing the positive and he's greatly enamored with anything to do with space.

Then it was so great to watch Elon reply, "Hop in, let's go to Mars!" Elon is a huge nerd when it comes to things like "Star Trek":

Hop in, let’s go to Mars!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Mar 26, 2025

Shatner loved that:

Only if you are there in the seat next to me, my friend... 🤔 oh, and I get a snazzy jacket too! 😝 https://t.co/UWj1j7fK3A
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) March 27, 2025

"Only if you are there in the seat next to me, my friend...oh, and I get a snazzy jacket too!" he replied.

Elon responded with some starship emojis.

🚀🚀
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Mar 26, 2025

Gotta love it. I think Musk will do what he can to include Shatner in some way, when they're finally ready to go.

You have to give it to William Shatner for not giving two shakes if being supportive of space flight and Musk sticks in the craw of those on the left. And it does. Some of them expressed their disappointment in him. He schooled them with a little reality, putting them on the spot, asking about what they were contributing to the world:

Here’s a question you should think about; how are you moving this world forward?Seems all you are doing is sitting on your high saddle and telling others what they should do. If someone else is doing something to move towards a future and you condemn them but don’t do anything… https://t.co/J2478wCcfY
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) March 27, 2025

Here’s a question you should think about; how are you moving this world forward?Seems all you are doing is sitting on your high saddle and telling others what they should do. If someone else is doing something to move towards a future and you condemn them but don’t do anything yourself; that’s not moving anything forward. 🙄 Be the change or get out of the way…🤷🏼

That's exactly right. It's easy to post nasty things on X. Musk just helped bring our astronauts home, and he's doing what he can to help bring efficiency to government.

Good on Shatner for putting it on the positive, and teaching an important lesson.