New Space and Tech

William Shatner Documentary to Benefit Space for Humanity

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
March 22, 2023
Filed under , , , ,
William Shatner Documentary to Benefit Space for Humanity
“You Can Call Me Bill,”

Today, Space For Humanity (S4H), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, announced that it will receive 25 percent of gross producer revenue earned by CCG Guardian from the documentary “You Can Call Me Bill,” which explores the life and career of William Shatner, including his trip to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-18 in Oct. 2021.

The beloved 91-year-old actor of Star Trek fame was extremely emotional upon his return to Earth after an 11 minute sub-orbital flight and emphatic that, “everyone in the world needs to do this.” Since then, Shatner has been very vocal about the shift in perspective he experienced while in space, which is commonly referred to as the Overview Effect.

To boldy go… While Shatner gets his motivation from planet Earth, Kirk discovers his new frontier to explore. Image Courtesy of Blue Origin.

“I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound,” Shatner said in an interview with Variety Magazine.

Shatner’s profound overview experience prompted him to dedicate much of his life’s continued work to improving life on Earth, including global issues like climate change.


William Shatner stands in front of the marquee highlighting his new documentary “You Can Call Me Bill” which premiered at this year’s SXSW film and TV festival.

“We are so incredibly grateful for the support of William Shatner, executive producer CCG Guardian Entertainment, and Legion M and are honored to benefit from this extraordinary film,” said Rachel Lyons, executive director of S4H. “Bill’s experience in space and continued discourse around the importance of the Overview Effect has brought historic levels of awareness to our mission, and we look forward to even more people being exposed to his message as they watch ‘You Can Call Me Bill’. We believe in the power of space to transform humanity for the better and look forward to sending more citizen astronauts to witness the awesome power of the Overview Effect for many years to come.”

“In working with Bill on this film it became abundantly clear how critical increasing awareness for the importance of space travel was to Bill and we are thrilled to be able to support an organization that aligns perfectly with that mission in Space For Humanity,” said Stewart Williams, senior executive producer, CCG Guardian Entertainment. “I can’t wait for the rest of the world to see this film and encourage everyone to learn more about Space For Humanity and the work they are doing to improve the planet.”

“You Can Call Me Bill”, which was financed by over 1,200 fan-investors through Legion M, premiered at this year’s SXSW film and TV festival on March 16 in Austin, TX.


Space For Humanity founder, Dylan Taylor, and William Shatner celebrate the world premier of “You Can Call Me Bill”, a new documentary which explores Shatner’s life and career including his trip to space in 2021.

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.