William Shatner is beloved for his role in Star Trek, playing James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise. However, the actor now has his sights on something just as futuristic: Ethereum.

If you don’t already know, William Shatner is a massive fan of Ethereum. In early May of this year, he announced he’s working with Mattereum to launch a means of authenticating and transferring digital collectibles on the Ethereum network. In his announcement video then, he unveiled a special one-of-a-kind action figure of James T. Kirk he was tokenizing.

No Long Science Fiction

Shatner, however, is not just the face of new ways to store your collectibles digitally: he is outright convinced that blockchain can make science fiction a reality. The actor has a long history of being an early adopter of emerging technologies, going as far back to microprocessors back in 1976. In short, digging up technologies which can make sci-fi a reality is what Shatner is really all about.

Alongside Mattereum, Shatner is also working with supply-chain tracking company Third Millennia. The startup will be integrating micro-chips into unique collectibles which can be scanned and entered into the Ethereum blockchain. The startup will also be involved in legally transferring the products on the blockchain.

Currently, Shatner and Third Millenia are in talks with various toy manufacturing companies to track Shatner memorabilia on the Ethereum network. That’s just the beginning, though. Shatner firmly believes that the ability to track and record the authenticity of a rare item will ultimately retain its value and will be massively important in the future. “I recognize a prospect of the future, and that is identifying things using blockchain,” he told reporters.

Of course, the first items to be tracked with the help of Third Millenia and Mattereum will be Star Trek-themed items. According to the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, the global total sales of Star Trek-related merchandise had revenue of about $271B when recorded in 2017.

More Than Just about Collectibles

According to Mattereum’s co-founder Vinay Gupta, all of this is about much more than just tokenizing collectibles. “To me, the responsibility is to be part of this grand narrative… the tech we’re working with isn’t just the blockchain, but the technology of human memory,” he said.

William Shatner may be best known as being a Star Trek captain. However, we can surely expect him to also be a captain of industry within the Ethereum network as the years go on.

Do you believe the collectibles industry could someday transition to the Ethereum network for authentication purposes? Let us know your thoughts below.