William Shatner at Center of Fears He ‘puts a brave face on mortality’

Another insider said these experiences reshaped his thinking.

“The fact that he has had to deal with serious illness several times has made him determined not to disappear quietly,” the source said.

“There’s a sense that he wants control over how his story ends, even if that means embracing unconventional ideas.”

That determination has taken tangible form through Shatner’s involvement with StoryFile, a Los Angeles-based company that creates interactive AI avatars designed to communicate with loved ones after death.

Shatner has recorded extensive interviews to digitally preserve his life story so that future generations can experience a real-life version of him long after he is gone.

In a promotional video, Shatner himself explained the motivation.

He said, “Today you are here. But one day you will be an ancestor of a child who wants to know where he came from – what his roots are. That is you. Imagine if hundreds of years from now they could reach into the past to talk to you – and you could talk back.”

He added: “This is the real you… no avatars, your authentic self forever.”