By Rudie Obias | 8 years ago

NASA has a problem. There are two solid entries for the narration on their Mars Science Laboratory video and they can’t decide which to choose. William Shatner narrates one video and Wil Wheaton narrates the other. It’s the ultimate Star Trek death match, with Captain Kirk, a Starfleet Captain, in one corner and Wesley Crusher, Captain’s pet, in the other. Which Star Trek will win out, TOS or TNG?

Here’s William Shatner’s entry…



And here’s Wheaton’s version…



So which of the two geek icons do you think does a better job with the video’s narration, Shatner or Wheaton? William Shatner has a command of his voice, which is distinguished, but Wil Wheaton has a more alluring quality to his tone, which makes it captivating and mesmerizing.

Cast your vote in our poll…

[poll id=”26″]

No matter who narrates them, the videos highlight the problem of getting a one-ton nuclear-powered Mars rover to touchdown on the surface of Mars. It’s a complex scenario involving parachutes, jet propulsion and a sky crane, and to make the situation tougher, NASA cannot control the process because of the time delay between Earth and Mars. Once on the surface of the Red Planet, Curiosity will explore Mars looking for any signs of life, past or present, by examining its geology.