William Shatner, of ‘Star Trek’ fame, will travel to space aboard Blue Origin flight

Canadian actor William Shatner, who became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, speaks from the stage at the second edition of the multi-genre entertainment comic and fan convention ‘Comic Con Africa’ in Johannesburg on September 21, 2019.

MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images

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MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images

The man who first played the space-traveling Captain Kirk in the Star Trek franchise is preparing to actually visit the edge of space for the first time on Wednesday.

Actor and director William Shatner is one of four people slated to blast off in the space company Blue Origin’s latest rocket launch, which is scheduled to lift off at 9:00 a.m. CT.

This 1988 file photo shows William Shatner dressed as Capt. James T. Kirk at a photo opportunity promoting the Paramount Studios film “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”

Bob Galbraith/AP

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Bob Galbraith/AP

This 1988 file photo shows William Shatner dressed as Capt. James T. Kirk at a photo opportunity promoting the Paramount Studios film “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”

Bob Galbraith/AP

“I’m going up into space. I don’t know how many people who can say that,” Shatner said in a promotional video tweeted by Blue Origin.

“And it looks like there’s a great deal of curiosity about this fictional character, Captain Kirk, going into space. So let’s go along with it and enjoy the ride,” he added.

William Shatner is bound for space, but the rest of us will have to wait

At age 90, Shatner will become the oldest person to fly into space, according to Blue Origin.

The space company, which is owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, launched its first human spaceflight in July, with Bezos and three others onboard.

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