Entertainment Movies Documentaries William Shatner Jokes He Is 'Terrified' of Going to Outer Space "I'm Captain Kirk, and I'm terrified going to space," William Shatner, 90, told the audience at a New York Comic Con panel By Dan Heching Dan Heching Dan Heching is a former digital news reporter at PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines and Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 8, 2021 01:04AM EDT Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty William Shatner is sharing more about going to "where no man has gone before" in real life! The Star Trek actor, 90, spoke to audiences at a New York Comic Con panel on Thursday night and discussed his upcoming voyage to the final frontier, aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard NS-18 on Oct. 12. "I'm going to space. I'm going what? Where am I going?" he began, downplaying the recent media attention about him becoming the oldest person to go into space. William Shatner Reveals He Has 'Never Watched' an Episode of Star Trek: 'It's All Painful' The TV veteran then explained more about how the prospect of him going into orbit came about, referring to his friend and Better Late Than Never producer, Jason Ehrlich. "So [Jason] came to me about a year and a half ago and he said, you know, they're starting to send these rockets up with people into space," Shatner recalled. "Wouldn't it be something if Captain Kirk went up there? And I said, 'Jason, for God's sakes, man, nobody cares about Captain Kirk going up into space. You know, it was 55 years ago, by God, man!' " "So he continued to sell me on the idea and bless his soul. Blue Origin is the idea," he continued, referring to Bezos' aerospace company that sent the Amazon billionaire into orbit earlier this year. RELATED VIDEO: Blast Off! Jeff Bezos Flies to Space Aboard Blue Origin Rocket: 'Best Day Ever' After "a year of COVID," it finally came to be the actor's turn. "All right, how would you like to go up? You'll be the oldest guy in space," Shatner remembered being asked. However, he said, he doesn't want to only be known for being the "oldest guy" when he blasts off. "I'm bloody Captain Kirk, for God's sake!" he exclaimed. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. When asked how he feels about actually going up into orbit, the T.J. Hooker star joked that he felt a "fire of terror." "I'm terrified," he added. "I'm Captain Kirk, and I'm terrified going to space. You know, I'm not really terrified. Yes I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold." William Shatner to Fly into Space on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Rocket at 90 Years Old: 'What a Miracle' Shatner also told audiences what he hoped it would be like in space. "You have three minutes to look into the abscess of space and the beauty of this oasis of Earth, and I was planning on pressing my nose against the window, you know? And my only hope was I wouldn't see somebody else looking back," he said with a laugh. On Monday, Bezos' aerospace company Blue Origin announced the Emmy Award-winning actor will travel on the New Shepard rocket for the NS-18 mission — the historic program's 18th mission. Joining the star will be Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's Vice President of Mission and Flight Operations. Crew members Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries will also be on board the flight, which lifts off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Oct. 12. "I've heard about space for a long time now," Shatner said in a statement. "I'm taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle."