April 28, 2014

Image Caption: William Shatner is presented with NASAs Distinguished Public Service medal by Bob Jacobs, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator, Communications. Image Credit: NASA

[ Watch the Video: William Shatner Hosts Curiositys Grand Entrance to Mars ]

NASA

After nearly 50 years of warping across galaxies and saving the universe from a variety of alien threats and celestial disasters, Star Treks William Shatner finally went where no other member of Starfleet has gone before. This weekend, the acclaimed actor and director was honored with NASAs Distinguished Public Service medal, the highest award bestowed by the agency to non-government personnel.

The honor was presented to Shatner Saturday evening in Los Angeles at his annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show, where he raises money for a variety of childrens causes. The citation for the medal reads, For outstanding generosity and dedication to inspiring new generations of explorers around the world, and for unwavering support for NASA and its missions of discovery.

William Shatner has been so generous with his time and energy in encouraging students to study science and math, and for inspiring generations of explorers, including many of the astronauts and engineers who are a part of NASA today, said David Weaver, NASAs associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Hes most deserving of this prestigious award.

A life-long advocate of science and space exploration, Shatner gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, commander of the starship USS Enterprise in NBCs science fiction television series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969. It was a role he would reprise in an animated version of the series in 1973, seven major films from 1979 to 1994, and more recent Star Trek video games.

Shatners relationship with NASA dates back to the original series, with references to the space agency and its programs that were incorporated into storylines throughout the television and film franchises. In 1979, when NASA was ready to introduce a reusable spacecraft as the successor to the Apollo program, a new space shuttle prototype, originally to be named Constitution, was dubbed Enterprise in honor of the Star Trek universe and the work of Shatner and his series co-stars.

More recently, Shatner donated his time and vocal talent to host the NASA documentary celebrating the 30th anniversary of space shuttle missions. To honor the final flight of shuttle Discovery in 2011, he agreed to recreate his famous Star Trek television introduction in one of the last wake-up calls for the astronauts of the STS-133 mission.

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NASA Honors William Shatner With Distinguished Public Service Medal