NFT
AUSTIN, Texas – William Shatner rushes to Web3 at warp 9.
The original Star Trek captain and longtime Twitter cryptoman officially dropped his NFT release, Infinite Connections, at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2023 conference.
Infinite Connections consists of two collections: Cosmic Explorer, featuring 2,500 NFTs featuring a Shatner 3D avatar paired with illustrations that explore scientific themes such as quantum physics and sonic vibrations. Each also includes a physical action figure of Captain James T. Kirk, the role Shatner is best known for, each hand signed by Shatner with a quote from the character.
The other collection is Timeless Voyager, which contains 1,000 NFTs of 2D illustrations of future technology and the cosmos. No action figure is included, but “select” holders will have access to unspecified IRL abilities.
“NFTs are slowly getting more artistic,” Shatner said backstage at the conference. “These, developed by Orange Comet, are some of the most artistic I’ve ever seen.”
To create and release his collection, Shatner partnered with Orange Comet, a Web3 entertainment company that recently raised $7 million in a funding round. The company has also worked with former NBA star Scottie Pippen, Sir Anthony Hopkins and the hit TV show The Walking Dead.
Dave Broome, CEO of Orange Comet, who also spoke at the conference, revealed how the Shatner deal came about and how Shatner’s intellectual curiosity was a key component. “This is a 92-year-old man who is still exploring, and still has the ability to learn and embrace technology and understand what it could do,” Broome said. “What we’re interested in is taking someone like the iconic legendary William Shatner and all the millions and millions of fans he has to web3.”
The collection features images of Shatner integrated into imagery reminiscent of science and technology, such as where the contours of his face are filled in with illuminated strings that curve and overlap, or an anther where his head is connected to high-tech machines that resemble on a Halo helmet.
“What we’re trying to do with these images is show the connection — the math, romantic, stellar, quantum physics — the connection between all of this, and we think those philosophies are buried in those images,” Shatner said.
Shatner’s release comes at a transitional time for NFTs. While the days of extreme hype in the mainstream and multi-million dollar sales like Beeple’s are long gone, celebrity drops from NFTs have been surprisingly resilient. Last winter, former President Donald Trump released an NFT collection that sold out in a day. That led to a second release in April that sold out just as quickly – even though collectible prices from the first drop had plummeted.
Shatner, a household name with a huge fan base, clearly sees a similar opportunity. If the release is successful, more releases from other crypto-native and curious celebrities could follow – maybe even other Star Trek celebrities.
Shatner’s collection went on sale Thursday at 3 p.m. Pacific Time — timed to his appearance onstage at Consensus — on WilliamShatnerNFTs.com. Interested buyers can raise Shatner-themed NFTs with crypto or traditional credit card payments.
