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Shatner Aims for Real 'Star Trek'
swight1701 writes "William Shatner wants to boldly go where he's only pretended to go so far. The 'Star Trek' star is among more than 7,000 people who have told Richard Branson they would gladly pay him $210,000 (£115,000) for a trip aboard his planned spacecraft. In all, more than $1.45 billion (£800 million) has been pledged -- years before the Virgin Galactic spaceship is even built, Branson said. I wonder did Shatner sign up because the first ship will be the VSS Enterprise?"
...based on weight considerations.
Maybe there will be an energy disturbance and he can enter 'the nexus' thus preserving Shatner for future generations.
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Further, such an event would be a great publicity stunt for Virgin, so Virgin should foot the bill for the inaugural voyage of the VSS Enterprise.
Yeah, well, if Richard Branson's spaceships are anything like his trains, it'll be stuffy, under-manned, and nine hours late... that's if it doesn't break down two miles outside Birmingham. Oh, and the sandwiches suck.
I bet he gets space sick first time up.
-EndBabble
It'd be a damn shame if when you check in you were given an aisle seat.
Hey, steward, what's that thing on the wing?
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Oh come on, everyone knows there's no weight in space
Sure, there's no apparent weight once in a freefalling orbit. But it still takes energy to lift payload out of Earth's gravity well into freefall, and it takes fuel to provide this energy, and it takes energy to lift the fuel...
Virgin be a limey org... we don't need no stinkin' Euro!
'To boldy go where no Shatner has been before'
They should probably let Shatner on for free (or at least for an endorsment contract). The marketing here basically writes itself.
Hrmmm
Visual Source Safe Enterprise.
AKA: Words that should not be used together.
Have you ever noticed that Kirk's hairline was receding during the TV show and that, amazingly, he had more hair in the later Star Trek movies. I say charge him $200K for the ride and $50K more if he wants to bring his hair.
I think everyone, including Shatner, who sings like Shatner, should go in to space.
Oh they're bringing him back? Darn.
Branson's ship was impeccably clean... until William Shatner. *groan*
This is a really bad idea. You know at the first sign of trouble he's going to be "taking command."
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
I wonder when nations will begin requiring national registration for spacecraft (ie - HMS Bounty)... I know the shuttles are "Registered" as US planes, but VSS implies that Virgin is vying for "autonomy" as a space venture. So is "The Corporation" (ala Aliens Trilogy) Virgin,Inc.?
meh
I can just see it now, the people producing the TV series "Star Trek: Enterprise" are going to change the opening sequence of historical ships name "Enterprise" to include the VSS model.
Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein
Big Giant Head: It was a horrible flight! There was a man on the wing of the plane!
Dick Solomon: The same thing happened to me!
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
The Virgin Group is not a record company, they are a venture capitalist organization that uses their name for many different markets, Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, Virgin Mobile, etc.
They're hardly starting a space program, just buying into Scaled Composites'
It would be cool to go up into space with Captain Kirk. Maybe I could convince him to put on the star trek unform and have him wrestle a green aliens.
You know, those wacky Shatnerologists.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
After almost getting ejected from the flight for insisting that the crew calls him "Admiral", he'll assume command, citing a crisis on the Genesis planet.
- Virgin Mobile (cell phones)
- Virgin Atlantic (Airline)
- Virgin Megastores (highstreet sales)
- Virgin Trains (take a wild guess)
- Virgin Active (gyms and fitness centers)
- Virgin Money
- Virgin Holidays (probably in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic)
- Virgin Limobike (taxi service)
- Virgin Brides (bridal services, not mail order women)
THats just a small selection, go here for the full list of companies within the Virgin group.Best of all, Richard Branson knows how to have fun with the money hes amassed. He bought an Island specifically for staff holidays (source).
I smell trouble, we all know how captain Kirk loved Virgins, especially Green ones!
VSS Enterprise? Isn't that from the Evil Mirror universe or something? Will Shatner have to grow a goatee to fly? :)
As long as he doesn't grow a goatse.
I wonder if they'll let him sit in a captains seat.
"Scotty, beam them aboard!"
"Um...sir, I'm not Scotty...and you're not even a captain....."
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When I close my eyes and imagine him on the VSS Enterprise, I think of thisrather than the captain's chair.
It's about a real person, Willaim Shatner, not James T Kirk, and a real spaceship. Some science, no fiction.
how long before kirk gets on the intercom and proclaims - " Scotty, we need warp speed in 5 minutes or we`re all dead "
Pilot: Uh, we seem to be having a problem with our external controls.
Shatner: Oh great. Well, just beam us out then.
Pilot: Uh, we don't have transporters in here, sir.
Shatner: Then, go to warp!
Pilot: We don't have warp either.
Shatner: What?! What kind of double dumbship is this bucket of bolts? And you ain't no Scotty!
Table-ized A.I.
he'll beat that $210,000 fare if he uses that PriceLine thingy he works for....
They print their own money. Duh.
Khaaan!
More like:
"This is not really space, just the upper atmosphere. I...have...been Coooonned!"
Table-ized A.I.
I saw him with Joe Jackson on Leno last night as well, and I thought it awesome. I'd drive to memphis to see the two of them if they went on tour.
but I think this is pretty cool. Sure, we all make jokes about how corny the Shatner has been and can be, but I think nothing could be cooler than to have a pioneer of modern space sci-fi actually participating in the new generation of space-flight. Gives me chills, personally.
Although, the comedic value is hard to pass up.
It's too bad Deforest Kelley won't be around.. "Damnit, Jim! Your an Actor, not an astronaut!"
There is simply too much glass..
It's not possible to make seats much smaller than they already are and still get customers. Very few people will pay money to get a seat with 20 inches of legroom. Most people already think 30 inches is too little. Therefore, that option isn't feasible. The other option is to keep 30 inches as the minimum and add seats with more legroom as an optional purchase. This already exists: there is first class on most airlines, and a number of airlines are starting to offer an "economy plus" with more legroom and sometimes wider seats (but without the first-class service and food).
Basically, we're already packing people as tightly as they're willing to go. You can't pack the skinny people more tightly to get more room for the overweight people, because the skinny people won't fly your airline if you do.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Actually, his new spoken word album is not that bad. In particular the song linked (which you can listen to for free) is very good. It is a cover of a classic britpop song "Common People" by Pulp. Give it a listen. http://www.nme.com/features/110018.htm/
...he can get a chance to perform music for real.
I don't care a lot about Shatner as an entertainer but I'm thankful to him and anybody else that is putting dollars into private space industry.
Getting in space myself one day is my biggest dream; I have been giving a few hundred bucks to X-prize foundation and other similar organizations every year but obviously I could never realize my goal without guys like Shatner chipping in and advancing the cause.
Thanks again!
When men used to be men