Who would’ve thought that a debate about Pluto could pull William Shatner into the political arena? The 94-year-old Star Trek icon has made headlines once again — but this time, not for anything sci-fi.
Instead, he’s asking none other than Donald Trump to restore Pluto’s planetary status, and he’s not exactly being subtle about it.
A Sci-Fi Legend Turns Political — Sort Of
Shatner, famous for commanding the USS Enterprise as Captain Kirk, took to social media to vent his frustration over Pluto’s demotion from full-fledged planet to dwarf status.
In a fiery post on X (formerly Twitter), he slammed the scientific community, labeling members of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as “idiots” for stripping Pluto of its title back in 2006.
Why now? Astronomers have reportedly spotted a mysterious mass lurking far beyond Pluto, potentially a new “Planet Nine” — though it hasn’t been confirmed.
That news reignited the old debate, and Shatner couldn’t resist diving in.
A Surprising Political Pivot?
Although Shatner hasn’t openly declared allegiance to any political side, he’s generally been associated with progressive causes, such as climate action and Canada’s universal healthcare system.
So, when he suddenly aligned with MAGA enthusiasts and urged Trump to use executive power to bring Pluto back into the planetary fold — well, let’s just say it caught a lot of people off guard.
“He renamed a Gulf and the astronomer who discovered Pluto was American.
Seems like America has jurisdiction on things outside its borders,” Shatner argued on X, suggesting Trump had every right to weigh in on interplanetary affairs.
Shatner vs. Science — And He’s Not Alone
The Pluto debate isn’t new, and Shatner isn’t the only celebrity who wants the little icy world reinstated.
Elon Musk, never shy about controversial opinions, chimed in back in 2021 with a blunt: “Pluto is a planet. Fight me.”
Shatner took it a step further. He described astronomers as “corrupt nerds on a power trip” and called for Trump to put an end to what he dubbed the “tyranny of the cosmos.”
He even floated the idea that Musk should persuade Trump to sign an executive order reinstating Pluto’s planetary rank.
A Clash of Space Titans Coming Soon
The tension between science and sentiment is set to come to a head in June when Shatner and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson go head-to-head in a one-night show in Seattle.
Tyson, director of New York’s Hayden Planetarium, has long defended Pluto’s demotion and famously outlined his stance in his book The Pluto Files.
In contrast, Shatner represents the emotional attachment many people feel toward Pluto — which was considered the ninth planet in our solar system for over 75 years.
Celebs, Science, and Shifting Politics
Shatner’s apparent lean to the right mirrors a recent wave of unexpected celebrity support for Trump-era talking points.
Even Tyson has found himself under fire from the left recently after posting a photo wearing a red MAGA hat and talking about a trip to the shooting range with his wife.
It’s a strange twist for a scientist known for championing liberal causes, and it’s got social media buzzing — or melting down, depending on your timeline.
A Little Planet With Big Support
Shatner isn’t without backup in his Pluto crusade.
In fact, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has been publicly pushing for Pluto’s reinstatement since 2019.
Bridenstine, who led NASA during Trump’s first term, argued that Pluto still checks key boxes: it has its own moons, organic materials, and even a subsurface ocean.
“You can write that the NASA Administrator declared Pluto a planet once again.
I’m sticking by that,” Bridenstine said at the time, emphasizing that it’s how he learned it in school — and he’s not about to let it go.