LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The total solar eclipse is right around the corner and the excitement is brewing in parts of southern Indiana and Kentucky that will get to experience the celestial wonder.
William Shatner, known for his iconic role as Captain William T. Kirk in the classic television series "Star Trek," is headed to Bloomington to take part in Indiana University’s “Hoosier Cosmic Celebration.”
The actor, who just celebrated his 93rd birthday on March 22, shared his excitement about experiencing the once-in-a-lifetime event. When asked about what to expect from him during the celebration, he said “darkness” with laughter.
“The next one over Indiana will be like a hundred years from now," he said. "We’ll all be dead. I might not be, but you guys are going to be dead the next time. It’s an event, but when you ponder the mystery - if you ponder what’s taking place in the heavens - it’s gargantuan.”
Experiencing the wonders of the universe isn’t exactly new to Shatner. He played a space captain on television, but he actually had a chance to experience space during a suborbital flight on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket in 2021.
Shatner signaled he was ready for the task of entertaining excited stargazers. He stated the university asked him to deliver a 15-minute speech before the eclipse, but he didn’t shed light on his plans.
However, he knows that before everyone experiences the magical moment, he will share a line in his best Shatner voice saying, “And now the eclipse.”
It may not go exactly that way he said, but he hopes his performance amuses everyone.
Shatner said eclipse-watchers should not only take in the moment, but also embrace the wonders of the universe.
“The eclipse should bring about all of us thinking about the mystery of existence and the beauty of the fact that we live and are able to observe it from this little outpost - rocky outpost called Earth - and how valuable that is to keep alive and to keep healthy because that’s why we are alive,” he said. “This event of the eclipse should bring about a whole manifestation of the mystery of everything.”
Shatner said the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration is going to be “so much fun” and filled with answers to the mysteries and some of the mysteries posed as questions.
After the eclipse, Shatner and his director Alexandre Phillipe will host a special screening of “You Can Call Me Bill,” a cultural documentary about the actor and his history in television and cinema. The event is sold-out.
However, you can join Shatner, Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Janelle Monae and the first Black woman to travel to space, Dr. Mae Jemison, at the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration on April 8.