William Shatner hosting a reality TV series called Stars on Mars sounds like the product of some kinda space fever dream. But it is in fact, soon to be a reality. The show will put celebrities to the test as they are “faced with authentic conditions that simulate life on Mars.”
“Good news for our celebronauts from Mission Control,” the 92-year-old Shatner, who of course played legendary Star Trek captain James T. Kirk, joked in the press release, via The Wrap. “Thanks to lower gravity on Mars, you’ll weigh 62% less. Bad news: the air is unbreathable, so if you’re from LA, it’ll remind you of home.”
The synopsis of the TV series is; “The celebrities will compete in missions and will vote to eliminate one of their crewmates each week, sending them back to Earth. Cue the intergalactic alliances and rivalries. Stars on Mars will send these famous rookie space travelers where no one has gone before and reveal who has what it takes to survive life on Mars.”
“Watching celebrities take giant leaps out of their comfort zone and step into the unexpected will no doubt be truly transformational and comical. Throughout, we will learn a lot about these stars, and when you factor in [Star Trek legend] William Shatner leading the charge from Mission Control, we have the makings of a show that’s ready for blast off,” said the president of unscripted programming at Fox.
Stars on Mars will bring to mind another “space-based” reality TV show that not many people remember from 2005. It was a British series called Space Cadets with made the contestants believe that were training with cosmonauts in Russia, then really sent into space for a brief mission. In reality, they were in Suffolk for the entire time. Do yourself a favour and google it, to remember just how crazy reality television could be during the 2000s.
Check out our guide to the best sci-fi series and the best science fiction movies.