RICHMOND, Va. -- From the outside, it looks like a regular Museum District condo in Richmond, Virginia. But once inside, you'll be beamed up to another galaxy.
“I've always been interested in science fiction, Star Trek, etc., my whole life," Jeff Shugart said.
Shugart has all the memorabilia to prove his passion, from Star Trek drinking glasses to holiday decorations.
"We have a Star Trek Christmas tree," he said with a laugh.
This father of two is what many would call a “Trekkie."
But his son Chase was the only person he knew who loved "The Borg” more.
"Chase took it to the next level," said Shugart.
The 25-year-old's interests were out of this world.
"Back to the Future, Star Wars, The Lego Movie," Shugart said. "He knew them all, and he had far surpassed me in Star Trek knowledge at this point.”
Chase was quick to share that knowledge with friends and strangers alike.
"He liked to talk to people," Shugart said about his son. "He liked to listen to people. He made you feel like you were the only person in the room.”
When Chase was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019, he quickly became one of the VCU Critical Care Hospital's favorite patients.
“He made fast friends with the nurses, the staff, the transport people, the janitors, the doctors, but he would help them with their problems," Shugart said. "You know, he talked with them at night, he just cared about people."
Hospital staff even helped Chase film a video in the hospital to the tune of "You've Got a Friend in Me," by Randy Newman.
"It was supposed to be a take on the Fresh Prince of Be Air, the resident patient of critical care," Shugart said.
It’s a clip Shugart gets emotional watching because his oldest son didn’t get the chance to live long and prosper.
Chase died of cancer complications in December 2020.
“It's not right," said his dad. "It's not the order of things, and you sit and wonder, well, what would he be doing today?”
Because of the pandemic, the Shugarts weren’t able to hold a traditional funeral.
"Everybody said, well, when are you gonna have a celebration?" Shugart recalled. "Well, I can't. And then by the time COVID was over, time had passed."
But Jeff Shugart wanted to find a special way to honor and say goodbye to his oldest son.
“I just remember hearing about some news item or article about launching ashes into space and then they come right back down to Earth," he said. "I thought, well, wait, is that a real thing?"
A quick online search led him to Celestis, a company that launches cremated human remains into space -- a space burial.
"They had the Enterprise flight, which is named after Star Trek, on the Vulcan rocket, which is named after Star Trek. And the Voyager mission, which is named after Star Trek, and I'm like, I’m doing this," Shugart said.
The deep space voyager mission will launch later this year from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
"It's deep space," Shugart said. "It's past the moons, between the moon and Mars, so to speak, and it'll just be there forever."
Chase’s remains will be put into a capsule, joining the remains, and mind files of more than 200 others – including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and some of the original cast members.
"He would be thrilled to know that he was up there with Scotty and Dr. McCoy, and Lieutenant Uhura," Shugart said with a laugh.
Even DNA from past presidents John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, and George Washington will boldly go where no man has gone before.
"It's a big deal," Shugart said. "I truly believe he will be up there just chatting with everybody forever and never get tired of it."
Here on Earth, Shugart still has physical reminders of his son everywhere, but he enjoys imagining the possibilities of his new journey in space.
"To think that some civilization could find this and go look at these," he said. "These are pretty nice people. I guess Planet Earth was a pretty nice place, you know."
But for now, when he’s missing his favorite Trekkie, he can look to the stars.
"Yep, there I see him," Shugart said with a smile.
The Shugart family is planning to go down to Florida in December for the launch, and when they return to Richmond, they plan to have a launch party where friends and family can watch Chase ascend to his final resting place.
Celestis is taking reservations for its second upcoming Voyager mission, known as the Infinite Flight, which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
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