As Capt. James T Kirk in the original "Star Trek" television series, William Shatner guided his fictional crew where nobody "has gone before," and motivated real-life generations of youth to pursue careers in science and space exploration.

For the inspiration he provided through his iconic role, but also ongoing work away from the stage to promote the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its continuing mission of discovery, Shatner has received the space agency's highest award bestowed to non-government personnel, the Distinguished Public Service medal.

The honor was given to Shatner April 26 in Los Angeles during his annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which he holds to raise funding a variety of child-related causes.

The medal's citation reads: "For outstanding generosity and dedication to inspiring new generations of explorers around the world, and for unwavering support for NASA and its missions of discovery."

Other past recipients of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal include: astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, current host of the acclaimed COSMOS television series; former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory director and Voyager project scientist Edward Stone; theoretical physicist and astronomer Lyman Spitzer; and science fiction writer Robert Heinlein.

The award, said a NASA news release, is presented to those who "... have personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate."

Said David Weaver of NASA's 's communications office: "William Shatner has been so generous with his time and energy in encouraging students to study science and math, and for inspiring generations of explorers, including many of the astronauts and engineers who are a part of NASA today ... He's most deserving of this prestigious award."

Shatner, who's played an array of different roles on the small and big screen, nonetheless gained his greatest notoriety as an actor for his portrayal of Kirk, commander of the starship USS Enterprise in NBC's science fiction series "Star Trek" from 1966 to 1969 -- which, perhaps not surprisingly, was the same period Shatner's longtime relationship with NASA began.

The agency and its space programs were referenced many times in the series and incorporated into storylines throughout the television and film franchises.

In 1979, NASA named the first of its space shuttle fleet "Enterprise," in honor of the Star Trek universe and the work of Shatner and his series co-stars.

Recently, Shatner donated his time voice talent as a host of a NASA documentary celebrating the 30th anniversary of space shuttle missions. As well, to honor the final flight of shuttle Discovery in 2011, he agreed to recreate his famous Star Trek television introduction in one of the last wake-up calls for the astronauts of the STS-133 mission, the news release said.

According to the New York Daily News, Shatner's critically acclaimed one-man show, "Shatner's World ... We Just Live in It," a movie version of Shatner's 2012 Broadway production, will be shown at over 700 movie theaters across the nation this coming Thursday.

Besides his acting and voice-over work, Shatner has also directed several productions, is a prolific author of nearly 50 books and is an accomplished horse rider and breeder.