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'Ponder the mystery of existence': William Shatner to speak at IU eclipse celebration

By Aubrey Wright

Posted March 25, 2024

Indiana University hosted a Q&A with William Shatner ahead of the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration April 8. (Aubrey Wright, WFIU/WTIU)

Actor William Shatner will boldly go where he’s never gone before: Bloomington.

Shatner, known for his iconic role as Captain Kirk in the “Star Trek” universe, will deliver a 15-minute performance at Indiana University’s Hoosier Cosmic Celebration April 8 ahead of the total solar eclipse. He became the oldest person to reach space in 2021, later sharing his feelings of sadness and grief for the Earth in the face of climate change.

The 93-year-old said the eclipse should make “us ponder the mystery of existence, of our own existence, of the existence of everything else, and how unified everything is."

Read more: As lodging fills up for the eclipse, tourists book some less-conventional options

“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,” Shatner said. "And how valuable that is to keep alive, to keep healthy, because that's why we are alive.”

Janelle Monáe, a Grammy-nominated performer, and Mae Jemison, the first U.S. woman of color in space, will join Shatner at the event. Tickets are on sale online.

“It’s gonna be so much fun, filled with some of the answers to the mysteries and some of the mysteries posed as questions,” Shatner said. “You'll have a great time."

Shatner will speak for 15 minutes before the eclipse, expected shortly after 3 p.m.

“My last words, I'm sure will be, ‘And now the eclipse.’” he said. “It's a challenge. And yet I think I've amused myself, so I hope I amuse you.” Shatner will also appear at a showing of “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill,” a documentary about his life, with director Alexandre Philippe at the IU Cinema.

Read more: Bloomington Transit limiting service on eclipse day

Now a veteran of space travel, real and fictional, Shatner said exploration and curiosity are the benefits for humanity. He’s looking forward to the mystery and academic exercise of “watching the heavens move in their mysterious ways.”

“What's there? Why is it hiding?” he said. “Even this eclipse, how did it happen?”

“How did we see the mystery of, the beauty of, of our existence? To examine that is a voyage we all have to take.”Science is magic, Shatner said, and it can explain the universe and solve problems on Earth. He cited global warming and recent massive wildfires in Texas and Hawaii. Science and curiosity got humanity into “this mess,” he said, but science can also get humanity out of it,

“We can't, we can't withstand much more. And we've got to do something about it,” Shatner said. “We have to pay our dues now. And that's what I saw in space.”

Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.