A few things have kept Star Trek on my mind lately: my interview on Point of Inquiry with a Star Trek producer on the atheism and humanism in the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry, the fact that we have been going through the whole Star Trek: The Next Generation series on DVD at home, and the fact I was immersed in the sci fi geek heaven of Dragon*Con a couple weekends ago, and saw Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nemoy and William Shatner at the event. (I’m aiming to blog about that amazing weekend in the days ahead.)

So imagine my surprise to run across an old interview of Shatner , from way back in 1968 , where he speaks openly about his atheism and lack of belief in an afterlife. If only more pop icons and celebrities would do the same today. When asked a question about whether he has religious beliefs or believes in an afterlife, he says:

"No. I don’t. Emotionally I would like to believe there is a life after death. Intellectually . . . . I cannot accept the idea. . . . as for myself, I have finally come to the conclusion that life is here and now . . . and nothing more."

(via the Look At His Butt podcast, wherein two geek babes talk about Star Trek, science fiction, books, TV, the Internet, sex toys, and William Shatner’s butt.)