The Overview Effect – William Shatner's Words After Returning from Space(cosmicperspective.com)
cosmicperspective.com
The Overview Effect – William Shatner's Words After Returning from Space
https://cosmicperspective.com/william-shatner-overview-effect-ns18/
302 comments
Might just be me, but Shatner is attempting to communicate something profound that has altered him and Bezos just seems to want to party. Might just be different world views, Shatner is much older and has less time.
Shatner was clearly overwhelmed as you can see from the transcript and had trouble to put the experience to words already. The one thing that I noticed was how ironic I thought it was that Shatner described the vast blackness of space as death and Earth as life. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly true but just not what I would expect from Captain Kirk who would call that a great adventure instead, most likely.
Growing up watching Star Trek, I experienced a shift in thinking. It imparted this idea that humanity's real home was among the stars and one day earth might be only a small part of human civilization. That we are capable of so much more. It was a beautiful, mind expanding idea.
I'm glad that Mr Shatner could have this profound experience. It sounds like he got to experience some of the same wonder and beauty that he portrayed through Star Trek, only aimed back at our home. There's a kind of circular completeness to it.
The earth is so precious and our lives so tenuous, we must strive to do better, to be better. The "ugly blackness" is terribly hostile and the "thin sheet" is all that stands between us and death.
I'm glad that Mr Shatner could have this profound experience. It sounds like he got to experience some of the same wonder and beauty that he portrayed through Star Trek, only aimed back at our home. There's a kind of circular completeness to it.
The earth is so precious and our lives so tenuous, we must strive to do better, to be better. The "ugly blackness" is terribly hostile and the "thin sheet" is all that stands between us and death.
His words are pretty moving, but it's a jarring contrast with the... uh, 'influencer' vibe I get from the people hanging out with them.
I never really had an opinion about Jeff Bezos, but after seeing this video and how he's interrupting Shatner to spray some champagne - man, I can't say I like Jeff a single bit.
Because it's not in the article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect
> The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect
> The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space
Shatner's comments really saved this as A Moment and should be all over commercial space's (and the overall space program's) marketing as the face of the So What.
The theme of folks self-congratulating themselves on another example of their exceptionalism is all over these events. It's a very long way from test pilots in the Air Force in the 50's, "The Right Stuff," and JFK's mission.
This is a cynical take and rich or poor, going into space is going into space. An intense act, and who knows how I'd respond. But the contrast in this video showed that theme a bit - champaign showering and other "correct" reactions, Bezos rocking an astronaut uniform for some reason, while Shatner is just standing there speechless. Glad The Moment landed with him.
The theme of folks self-congratulating themselves on another example of their exceptionalism is all over these events. It's a very long way from test pilots in the Air Force in the 50's, "The Right Stuff," and JFK's mission.
This is a cynical take and rich or poor, going into space is going into space. An intense act, and who knows how I'd respond. But the contrast in this video showed that theme a bit - champaign showering and other "correct" reactions, Bezos rocking an astronaut uniform for some reason, while Shatner is just standing there speechless. Glad The Moment landed with him.
“ They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the moon, or that we hadn't gone on to Mars and then to the nearest star? That's like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels and sewed your patients up with catgut like your great-great-great-great-grandfather used to. I'm in command. I could order this. But I'm not because, Doctor McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this. But I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement is equally great. Risk. Risk is our business. That's what the starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her. You may dissent without prejudice. Do I hear a negative vote?” - Captain James T Kirk
Watching this live, my thought process was "Wow, Jeff has no soul, and Shatner just had a good talk with his own."
Very interesting to see an old man's reaction to space, though. I can't imagine topping off a good life with that experience.
Very interesting to see an old man's reaction to space, though. I can't imagine topping off a good life with that experience.
I'm never certain whether I'm just imagining this, but you look out the window of an airplane at 30,000+ feet, and the sky isn't as blue as it is at ground level. And even standing on top of the kind of mountain an average person can climb - I made it to the crater plateau, but not the summit of Kilimanjaro (altitude issues) - and realizing that every breath you take has only half as much air in it as you're used to - makes you realize just how thin this atmosphere is.
"Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out here. If you had known anything about the true nature of the universe, anything at all, you would have hidden from it in terror."
Shatner: “It’s so THIN! To… to.. To dirty it… I mean, that’s another whole subject… “
Jeff: “And you shoot through… what you were saying about… you’re shooting through it so fast!”
Smooth Jeff, smooth. "so, anyways..."
Jeff: “And you shoot through… what you were saying about… you’re shooting through it so fast!”
Smooth Jeff, smooth. "so, anyways..."
This reminds me of a speech by the astronaut Russell Schweikart, which was partially featured (and where I first learned of it) in the video game The Witness.
The audio and transcript can be found here: https://www.organism.earth/library/document/no-frames-no-bou...
The audio and transcript can be found here: https://www.organism.earth/library/document/no-frames-no-bou...
Cannot understate how influential the OG Star Trek was for me. Never saw Shatner in anything else (was too busy reading Clark, Heinlein, Dick, et al). So, he is still Captain Kirk, to me. His words are profoundly moving.
"And then suddenly you shoot up through it all of the sudden… as if you whip off the sheet off you when you are asleep.. And you’re looking into blackness. Into BLACK UGLINESS… And you look down and there’s the blue down there… and the black up there and it’s… it’s just… there is Mother Earth… and comfort… and there is ….is there death? I don’t know! Is that death?" - Shatner
It's important for space travel to have spokespersons like William Shatner. He's expressive and genuine. He's an actor of course, but how much is that and how much is personal is beside the point. He can do more to promote the 'hearts and minds' of the world than any number of oligarchs.
My favorite treatment of this subject comes from the film Contact, which manages with these six words:
Eleanor: "They should have sent a poet."
Eleanor: "They should have sent a poet."
My respect for William Shatner is only increased by his words and reaction. Meantime, my respect for Bezos is only lessened by his.
I didn't see a lot of OG Star Trek, but I do feel like Boston Legal Shatner would have just this reaction.
Shatner being so awestruck reminded me of two fictional space voyages. The first being Major Tom in the Bowie song "Space Oddity"... the second being, in Wings of Honneamise, the main character and first spacefaring human of his world, sitting silently in his orbiter, calling out on his radio unsure if anyone is listening, and offering a prayer to a deity he doesn't really believe exists, because of how small he perceived himself and his planet's politics to be, compared to the sheer terrible absoluteness of all that is "out there". I guess these were inspired by astronaut reactions after their first voyages back in the day.
Space just... does things to people. Puts things in perspective, I guess?
Space just... does things to people. Puts things in perspective, I guess?
Shatner having an existential moment and Bezos sprays Champagne around.
Oh wow, hearing Bill’s description of space as death is profound.
Other worlds are out there, but the blank space between us and them is true nothingness. To experience it must be horrifying.
Other worlds are out there, but the blank space between us and them is true nothingness. To experience it must be horrifying.
I think all national level politicians should be sent into orbit, and we only let them come back down when they understand and promise to play nice.
Shatner is an actor, and for the first time in my life, I think he might be a good actor.
Experiencing this is on my bucket list, along with creating another life.
It's just so moving to see genuine emotion in these marketing efforts, which are usually glossy and phony. Add to that the extratextual stuff involving Star Trek, Shatner's age, and the years of performances we've seen him in this is the best advertisement for space tourism I have ever seen.
I don't think I fully understood what Shatner was trying to express but I understood that he was profoundly affected by the experience and it was a joy to watch.
I don't think I fully understood what Shatner was trying to express but I understood that he was profoundly affected by the experience and it was a joy to watch.
As an aside: I know the thin grey fonts are trendy, but please have some consideration for those whose eyesight isn't as good as yours.
They should have sent a poet
Jeff Bezos seems like such a shallow greedy douchebag. Hard to think of a person this world would be better off without.
The contrast between him and Jeff spraying champagne and squealing with his marketroids was very apparent.