'Overwhelmed' William Shatner Tears Up as He Takes First Steps Back on Earth After Space Flight

William Shatner was overcome with emotion as he returned to Earth following his historic space mission.

The Star Trek icon, who at 90 became the oldest person to ever travel to space on Wednesday, was met with applause — and a hug from Jeff Bezos — as he exited Blue Origin's New Shepard capsule following the successful suborbital trip.

"In a way, it's indescribable," the Emmy Award-winning actor told the 57-year-old Amazon billionaire, who made his own trip to space back in July.

"Not only is it different from what you thought, it happens so quickly," he added during Blue Origin's livestream.

BLUE ORIGIN/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (L-R) William Shatner, Jeff Bezos

Shatner teared up as he expressed his belief that all humans should experience the wonders of space travel.

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"Everybody in the world needs to do this," Shatner said. "Everybody in the world needs to see."

BLUE ORIGIN/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (L-R) William Shatner, Jeff Bezos

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Putting the impact of his experience into words, Shatner reflected on how quickly the world as we know it can be ripped away — and how precious life is.

"To see the blue color [of the sky] go rip by and now you're staring into blackness, that's the thing. The covering of blue, this sheet, this blanket, this comforter of blue that we have around us, we think, 'Oh, that's blue sky,' and then suddenly you shoot through it all as if you rip off a sheet while you're asleep, and you're looking into blackness," he recalled.

"You look down...there is mother Earth, comfort. And [up] there, is there death? I don't know. Is that the way death is? Whoop, and it's gone. Jeez. It was so moving," he continued. "This experience, it's something unbelievable."

Brimming with emotion, Shatner thanked Bezos and his aerospace company for giving him "the most profound experience."

"I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can maintain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it. It's so, so much larger than me," he continued. "It has to do with the enormity and the quickness and the rudeness of life and death."

"What I would love to do is communicate as much as possible the jeopardy, the moment you see the vulnerability of everything. It's so small. This air which is keeping us alive is thinner than your skin. It's a sliver. It's immeasurably small when you think in terms of the universe," he shared. "I am overwhelmed. I had no idea."

CNET Highlights (L-R) William Shatner, Jeff Bezos

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As for the launch itself, Shatner admitted that the brief delays that took place Wednesday morning before they took off just before 11 a.m. ET made him feel nervous.

"I'm a little jittery here," he recalled thinking to himself while waiting for launch.

"I'm thinking, 'I'm a little nervous here.' Another delay. 'I'm a little more nervous here,' " he remarked.

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Blue Origin/UPI/Shutterstock (L-R) Chris Boshuizen, William Shatner, Audrey Powers and Glen de Vries

Joining the star on the flight were Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations, as well as crew members Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries.

According to Blue Origin's official website, the New Shepard vehicle, which can seat six astronauts, is "fully autonomous," meaning there is no pilot.

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The reusable craft's 11-minute flights are "designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Kármán line — the internationally recognized boundary of space," the company's website says.

Addressing recent headlines about the safety of the vehicle, Blue Origin employees pointed out during the launch livestream that prior to Wednesday's launch, the New Shepard vehicle had completed multiple tests without a crew in a years-long process that began in 2015.

Blue Origin (L-R) Chris Boshuizen, Audrey Powers, William Shatner and Glen de Vries

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In a nod to Shatner's years playing Captain Kirk, Bezos revealed there were some personal possessions he had asked the actor to take to space with him.

"I made these tricorders and communicator to play Star Trek with my friends when I was 9 years old, and my incredible mom saved them for 48 years," Bezos wrote on Instagram ahead of the launch.

"She dug them up this past week, and @WilliamShatner has agreed to take them up into space for me tomorrow," he added. "Thank you, Bill!"