William Shatner Talks Hosting New Series ‘Stars on Mars’ at Age 92: ‘I Virtually Walked on Mars!’

At 92 years old, William Shatner is one of the most youthful, vibrant guys you will ever meet. And he shows no sign of slowing down! With numerous television and film projects in the works, a new album and ongoing tour dates, the much-loved actor loves living life to the fullest.

“In my book Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, one of the premises that I mention is to say yes to life, to new possibilities,” he tells Closer exclusively. “You’ll always regret the things you didn’t do.”

This is why William agreed to be the host of Stars on Mars, the new FOX competition series, where 12 celebrities — Lance Armstrong, Natasha Leggero, Marshawn Lynch, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Adam Rippon, Ronda Rousey, Tom Schwartz, Ariel Winter, Tallulah Willis, Tinashe, Richard Sherman and Porsha Williams — are sent on a simulated mission to Mars to see who can survive the longest. 

“Stars on Mars —It’s got a catchy title!” William reflects. “The whole implication of everything is vivid. I thought, ‘Wow, that sounds interesting, tell me more!’ And then the producers began to tell me where the sets would be, out in the Australian desert, which looks a great deal like Mars.”

William had been shooting a lot at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Los Angeles, and they had film footage from the Rover on Mars.

“They put me behind these reality goggles, and I virtually walked on Mars!” he shares. “Everywhere I looked was the footage the Rover had taken. I could turn 360 degrees and see what was around me. So, when I was in Australia, in the Outback, it was indeed, very much like the surface.” 

The Star Trek actor continues, “And the adventurous things that the various celebrity astronauts had to do [each episode] would be things that might happen in emergency situations there,” adding, “It was definitely intriguing from that point of view.”