William Shatner has remained a singular force in the entertainment industry for over seven decades, and at 92-years-old — the man shows no signs of stopping. After all, he’s the oldest living human ever sent to space, and not just for an episode of Star Trek. Boldly going where no man has gone before, literally.
Always up for an adventure, Shatner recently took a trip to Australia while hosting Fox’s latest television series Stars On Mars, and if the title didn’t give it away… This reality show is all about stars, on well, Mars.
That is, if “Mars” was the Australian Outback.
Following celebrities as they try to survive a hyper-realistic Mars simulation set in one of Australia’s most inhospitable regions, Stars On Mars might look fun from the comfort of your cozy living room — but William Shatner didn’t necessarily LOVE every aspect of his job as show host.
In a recent interview with Space.com, Shatner discussed what it was like to lead some of the world’s most recognizable faces through space-themed challenges, and how we would all be better off if Mars didn’t resemble the series’ setting outright. Go figure.
“If it’s anything like the Outback, you don’t want to go. The heat and the dust and the dirt and the poisonous animals. The worst thing of all in Coober Pedy are the flies. There’s no moisture there, so they attack your eyes and nose and mouth. I got PTSD while I was there just getting the flies off me. When I got in the car to go home to get to the chartered airplane to take me to Sydney, there was one fly in the car. And I got hysterical. ‘Get that fly out of there!’ I was absolutely driven mad, as everybody was, by the flies in Coober Pedy.”
Can we all agree that flies suck no matter what planet they’re from? Sure, our experience might be a bit limited, but space flies can’t be any better anyway — so just roll with it.
Enjoying the actual nuts and bolts of the show itself, Shatner went on to mention that this game show certainly did a great job in delivering on its premise. Working extensively to give the cast an authentic experience, simulating Mars on Earth in every way possible.
Still, that attention to detail couldn’t save the show’s production from coming under a bit of fire from Shatner during his interview, with the star discussing the hurdles one has to jump in order to get to Australia in the first place. It’s called “Down Under” for a reason, right?
“Getting to Australia is a chore. Once you’re in Sydney, to get to where Stars On Mars was on location, was another three hours, to get out to Coober Pedy in the Outback. It was forever. Coober Pedy is the opal center of Australia, maybe of the world, but it is a lonely place.”
In the end, William Shatner seemed to be a good sport about his time with Stars On Mars — minus all the heat and fly exposure. Here’s hoping the show will be successful enough to ante up on a second season, and do something about those darn flies.