Seinfeld Legend Has the Best Response To William Shatner Going Into Space
Captain Kirk is set to fulfill his destiny by taking a literal trek to the stars later this month.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the man who played Captain Kirk would be taking a real-life Star Trek, as William Shatner revealed he would be heading to space with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company. And the news sparked a hilarious tweet from Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander, who made a reference to one of the best episodes in the show’s history.
“@WilliamShatner is going to space? My man! I guess this means I have to become a marine biologist,” Alexander tweeted.
Alexander (who does a killer Shatner impression) is, of course, referring to “The Marine Biologist, one of the most beloved Seinfeld episodes where George (who is played by Alexander, in case you somehow didn’t know that) has to pretend to be a marine biologist in order to impress his old college crush, Diane.
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It all goes surprisingly well until George and Diane encounter a beached whale, requiring George to try and save it by using his nonexistent skills as a marine biologist. I won’t spoil what happens in case you haven’t seen it but it ends with one of the most hysterical monologues in television history.
Alexander may also be referencing the fact that in Star Trek IV, Captain Kirk rescues a whale and then uses his undeniable charms on a marine biologist. But whether that multi-layered reference was intentional or not, the question remains: Is William Shatner actually going to fulfill his destiny by exploring the Final Frontier? Or is this just some weird internet rumor run amok, like the “Steve is dead” Blues Clues conspiracy or the “Stevie Wonder isn’t actually blind” theory?
According to Shatner, this one is totally true, as the actor confirmed on Twitter (via a reference to his iconic and bizarre Elton John cover) that he would be traveling to space on October 12 as a part of Blue Origin’s next flight. At 90 years old, Shatner is set to become the oldest person to ever travel to space and unless Betty White decides to boldly go where no 99-year-old has gone before, he could hold that record for a long time.
“It’s never too late to experience new things,” Shatner responded to Alexander on Twitter.
So if Captain Kirk is really going to space, who knows? Maybe Alexander really will decide to take up marine biology and walk the beaches of the world in case a whale needs rescuing.
And if you need a refresher, here’s William Shatner “singing” Elton John’s “Rocketman” in 1978.
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