William Shatner worries about going to the final frontier alone

This story broke my heart. I became a Star Trek fan in 1974, when I was a freshman in high school.

By the time I discovered the series, it had been in syndicated reruns for five years after the final episode officially aired. Yet, I fell in love with the show, the message and its characters.

So, when I read about William Shatner, who portrayed Capt. James T. Kirk, was convinced he would die alone, I was heartbroken. In the series, he was famous for “going where no man had gone before,” as commander of the United Starship Enterprise.

Shatner is well-known for his role in the Star Trek series and movies, but he also starred in hit TV shows like T.J. Hooker, Boston Legal and more than 200 other movies and shows.

Admired by millions, the 93-year-old actor admitted in a recent Daily Star interview that he has feelings of isolation and doesn’t have a real friend in the world.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that everybody is lonely. When you get older you think ‘My God, all those people I knew that I thought were friends are dead,’” he said. “I’m alone – I’m going to die alone.”

It is a sad, but very well-known fact that most men have few friends when they get older. For some reason, men reach a stage in life where they simply stop forming new relationships.

A study conducted by the Survey Center on American Life in 2021 revealed that 15% of men admitted to not having a single friend. Among single men, that number jumped to 20%.

If true – and I have no reason to suspect the data is incorrect – then somewhere around one out of every five men here in Sun City, Ariz., the original retirement capital of America, doesn’t have a single friend.

I once heard that everyone needs at least six friends because there are six handles on a coffin and without friends, your family will need to rent pallbearers for your funeral. I know that was a tongue-in-cheek assessment, but statistics seem to prove it out.

The same study discovered the number of men of all ages who had at least six close friends plummeted from 55% in 1990 to 27% today. For seasoned citizens, that number must be higher.

Shatner had a reputation for being a Hollywood playboy and socialite for decades. But, inside, he was desperately lonely. He admitted, “You ignore it and fill your life with wine, women and song.”

All of that promiscuity is simply masking a deep loneliness. That same condition killed one of my close friends in high school who died alone of alcoholism at age 54, despite being the life of the party most of his life.

To have friends requires men to step up and be a friend. It starts with courage to say “hello” and extending a hand of introduction.

If you are out and about this week and see an older man sitting or standing alone, take the first step and initiate a conversation. You could improve his life and yours in the process.

Photo: William Shatner, left as Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk in a photo listed for sale on eBay and posted to Wikipedia. Right, Shatner pictured at the 2023 GalaxyCon and photo taken by Super Festivals on Wikipedia.