Of all the predictions that "Star Trek" made, from 1966 to today, this one might be the most unbelievable. As the star of the original "Star Trek" series, William Shatner played the indomitable Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the starship Enterprise. As the iconic captain, he boldly went where none had gone before, in an era where few had ever ventured into space. How then, could anyone have predicted that Shatner himself, some 55 years after first venturing into space aboard the Enterprise as Captain Kirk, would go into space himself?

In 2021, at the age of 90, Shatner boarded the private space flight Blue Origin, funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. After returning to Earth, it seemed the experience had changed him. After becoming the oldest person in outer space, according to the New York Times, he came back and shared how the flight had moved him, saying, "You're looking into blackness — into black ugliness. And you look down, there's the blue down there [on Earth], and the black up there ... There is Mother Earth and comfort and — is there death? Is that the way death is?" (via CNBC).

"Star Trek" has shown us a future where all of mankind can travel the stars, so let's hope that's one prediction that comes true.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCDmG1pb2tfqbausdJmqq2ZomLBs7HKZqernZSesLWxw2aroZ1dm8K1wdGeZg%3D%3D