Walter Koenig (I)

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Walter Koenig

  • Contact info
  • 1 win & 2 nominations

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

  • 1967–1969 • 36 eps

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

  • Post-production
  • Dr. David Freedman
  • Pre-production

Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Todd Stashwick, and Ed Speleers in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

  • Anton Chekov (voice)

Snoop Dogg, Chase Masterson, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Unbelievable!!!!! (2020)

  • Fireman Frank

Walter Koenig in Who is Martin Danzig? (2018)

  • Martin Danzig

Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters (2017)

  • 11 episodes

Diminuendo (2018)

  • Milton Green

Renegades (2017)

  • The Admiral

Nobility (2017)

  • Frank Mooney

Walter Koenig, David Ogden Stiers, Stephen Lisk, Nic Costa, Rob Taylor, Matt Zak, Bryna Smith, Jordana Ansley, and Jared McClain in Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time (2017)

  • Ray Nabroski (future)

Walter Koenig and Adrienne Wilkinson in Star Trek: Renegades (2015)

  • Admiral Chekov

Star Trek: Captain Pike (2016)

  • Admiral Harlan Sobol

Starship Excelsior (2007)

  • Captain Pavel Chekov
  • Professor Nicholas Timon

Cowboys & Engines (2015)

  • Professor Timéon

Flashback (2013)

  • Joseph Griffin

Dominique Swain, James Duval, Pollyanna McIntosh, and Kayden Kross in Blue Dream (2013)

  • story consultant

InAlienable (2007)

  • executive consulting producer
  • co-producer
  • consulting producer
  • executive producer
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Trailer

Personal details

  • 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
  • September 14 , 1936
  • Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • Spouses Judy Levitt July 11, 1965 - December 9, 2022 (her death, 2 children)
  • Children Danielle Koenig
  • Parents Isadore Koenig
  • Other works "Actors" play
  • 1 Print Biography
  • 15 Interviews
  • 1 Pictorial
  • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

  • Trivia His Russian accent is faked on the series, albeit his parents really were from Russia.
  • Quotes I didn't watch Star Trek (1966) the first year it was on, before I was on the show. I took one look at the Styrofoam rocks and said: "There's no way I'm going to watch this!".
  • Trademarks Unique Chekov accent in which he pronounces V as W, e.g. "nuclear vessels" becomes "nuclear wessels"
  • How old is Walter Koenig?
  • When was Walter Koenig born?
  • Where was Walter Koenig born?

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Published Oct 15, 2015

Koenig Recounts How He Got News of Landing Chekov Role

chekov on star trek

Walter Koenig recently spoke to Parade Magazine for an interview that ran last week, and, among other things, he shared an amusing anecdote about how he got word that he'd landed his breakthrough role as Pavel Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series .

chekov on star trek

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Walter Koenig

Walter Koenig ( born 14 September 1936 ; age 87) is the actor and writer best known for playing Pavel Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series and in the first seven Star Trek movies . He was the only original cast member not to lend his voice to Star Trek: The Animated Series due to budgetary reasons, though he still contributed to the series by writing the episode " The Infinite Vulcan ". His image also appeared in Star Trek Beyond , in a photograph that was among Spock 's possessions bequeathed to his alternate reality counterpart .

  • 1 Personal life
  • 2 Early career
  • 3 Star Trek
  • 5.1 as Pavel Chekov
  • 5.2 Additional appearances
  • 7 Writing credits
  • 8 External links

Personal life [ ]

Walter Koenig (pronounced "KAY-nig") was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Sarah and Isadore Koenig. His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Republic of Lithuania (independent at the time of his birth). Walter first started acting while attending Fieldston High School in Riverdale, New York, where he played the lead roles in stage productions of Peer Gynt and George Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple .

After graduating from Fieldston, Koenig attended Grinnell College in Iowa with a pre-med major. He later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. After receiving his BA, however, a professor encouraged him to pursue an acting career. Koenig then enrolled in New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where he received a scholarship from the school's regents. His classmates at the Neighborhood Playhouse included Christopher Lloyd , who later worked with Koenig on Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . [1]

Koenig married actress Judy Levitt on 11 July 1965. They have two children together, Andrew and Danielle. Andrew Koenig appeared in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Sanctuary " as Tumak , while Judy Levitt appeared in bit parts in several Star Trek films. Danielle is one of the writers for the Nickelodeon cartoon Invader Zim , which contains a few Star Trek references in honor of her father.

On 14 February 2010, Andrew Koenig went missing while visiting friends in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was scheduled to return to the United States on 16 February, but he did not board his flight. [2] On the 16th, Walter stated that he and his wife received a note from Andrew in which he "sounded despondent." [3] Walter and his wife flew to Vancouver on 23 February to participate in the search for their son. [4] On 25 February, Andrew's body was found by friends in a densely-wooded area of Vancouver's Stanley Park. Walter announced in a subsequent press release that his son had taken his own life. [5]

Early career [ ]

Koenig appeared in two films in the early 1960s, The Norman Vincent Peale Story and Strange Lovers . In 1963, he made an appearance in the premiere episode of the long-running daytime soap opera General Hospital . The following year, he guest-starred on the short-lived drama series The Lieutenant . This series starred Gary Lockwood and was created and produced by Gene Roddenberry , the creator of Star Trek . On the show, Koenig was directed by Vincent McEveety , who later directed Koenig in several episodes of Star Trek . Koenig's fellow guest stars included Paul Comi and Paul Lambert .

Other television shows on which Koenig appeared throughout the 1960s include Combat! (acting with Star Trek Generations cinematographer John A. Alonzo ), ' The Untouchables (with Paul Sorensen ), The Great Adventure (with Arthur Batanides and Gene Lyons ), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (directed by Joseph Pevney ), and Ben Casey (directed by John Meredyth Lucas ). In addition, Koenig was directed by Michael O'Herlihy in two episodes of Mr. Novak and an episode of Mannix (working with Louise Sorel ). An episode of Gidget in which Koenig appeared (with Brooke Bundy ) was scripted by Stephen Kandel .

Star Trek [ ]

Koenig was cast as Pavel Chekov for the second season on Star Trek: The Original Series in 1967 . The producers specifically brought in the youthful Koenig to draw younger viewers to the show. The original plan was to create a young, British character in the vein of The Beatles and the current success of their "American counterparts", The Monkees . Later, Gene Roddenberry decided the character should be Russian, in response to an alleged article in the leading Soviet newspaper, Pravda . ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story ; These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two )

Koenig was recommended for the role by director Joseph Pevney , who noted that he " had the worst fake Russian accent I ever heard ". The actor, 30 at the time, played the 22-year-old Ensign. To augment the ploy, they made him look like Davy Jones from the The Monkees. Reportedly, the ploy worked. [6] Koenig originally had to wear a Davy Jones-style wig until his own hair grew out. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story ; These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two )

During later in the season, Koenig often had to fill in for George Takei , who was delayed filming The Green Berets . When Takei finally returned to the show later that season, he was required to share his dressing room and even episode scripts with Koenig, a situation Takei did not like. ( William Shatner's Star Trek Memories ) This circumstance was later referenced in the Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," in which Koenig and Takei were forced to share a copy of Melllvar's fan-written script. Koenig and Takei have since become close friends.

Koenig appeared in thirty-six episodes of Star Trek between 1967 and 1969, beginning with " Catspaw " (although his first aired episode was " Amok Time "). His first filming day on the series was Tuesday, 2 May 1967 . Archive footage from his work in the second season episode " The Trouble with Tribbles " was used in the Deep Space Nine episode " Trials and Tribble-ations ". He reprised his role as Chekov in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and continued playing the character in the next six feature films. He was nominated for Saturn Awards by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for his work on two of these films, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Several uniforms and costumes worn by Koenig during his time working on the Star Trek films were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including a red undershirt. [7]

His last canon appearance as Chekov was in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations , but he did play the character in several non-canon productions. He appeared as Chekov in the short film created for the theme park attraction Star Trek Adventure , and he also voiced the character in the video games Star Trek: 25th Anniversary , Star Trek: Judgment Rites , Star Trek Generations (based on the film), Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , and Star Trek: Shattered Universe .

In 1996, Koenig visited the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine set during the filming of "Trials and Tribble-ations" and taught Colm Meaney how to use the original Star Trek communicator . ( The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine Trials And Tribble-ations )

In 2006, he played Chekov (as a lieutenant ) in the fan production Star Trek: New Voyages , which was conceived and produced by James Cawley . Koenig guest-starred in the episode "To Serve All My Days," alongside Cawley, Mary-Linda Rapelye , John Carrigan , Jeffery Quinn , and Larry Nemecek . The episode was written by D.C. Fontana , Ethan H. Calk , and Jack Treviño .

Koenig again played Chekov, this time with the rank of captain , in the independent movie Star Trek: Of Gods and Men , in which he starred opposite fellow Original Series co-star Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and Star Trek Generations actor Alan Ruck as Captain John Harriman . The movie was directed by Star Trek: Voyager ' s Tim Russ , who also appeared in his role as Tuvok . The movie featured many other Star Trek veterans in the cast, including Gary Graham , J.G. Hertzler , Cirroc Lofton , Chase Masterson , Arlene Martel , Lawrence Montaigne , Ethan Phillips , Garrett Wang , and Grace Lee Whitney .

Koenig has written two books describing his experiences working on Star Trek : Chekov's Enterprise: A Personal Journal of the Making of Star Trek - The Motion Picture , published in 1980 , and Warped Factors , published in 1998 . He has also participated in a number of Star Trek -related specials and documentaries, including William Shatner's Star Trek Memories , Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special , Trekkies , and How William Shatner Changed the World .

Other works [ ]

After Star Trek was canceled in 1969, Koenig made guest appearances on such television series as Medical Center (acting with Rudy Solari ), The Virginian (with Brock Peters ), and Ironside (with Theodore Bikel ). He also had a supporting role in the Emmy Award-nominated TV movie Goodbye, Raggedy Ann , working alongside John Colicos . In 1973, Koenig appeared in the film Nightmare Honeymoon , which also featured John Beck , David Huddleston , Roy Jenson , and Jay Robinson . That same year, he played the alien Oro in two episodes of Harlan Ellison 's The Starlost , including one episode directed by Joseph L. Scanlan .

In 1973, he wrote an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series , entitled ( TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan "). The following year, Koenig wrote an episode of Land of the Lost . Said episode, "The Stranger", introduced the character of Enik the Altrusian. (Koenig had initially named the character Eneg – "Gene" spelled backwards – as an inside reference to his old friend Gene Roddenberry.)

Before 1974 had passed, Koenig appeared in the unsold TV pilot movie The Questor Tapes , written by Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon . The pilot was directed by Richard Colla and starred Robert Foxworth in the title role. Koenig's Original Series co-star Majel Barrett also had a role in the movie. In 1976, Koenig reunited with Original Series co-star William Shatner in the Columbo movie Fade in to Murder , which also featured Bert Remsen . Koenig subsequently wrote an episode of the drama series Family , which ended up guest-starring Bert Remsen as well as Kim Cattrall .

In 1982, Koenig appeared on Bring 'Em Back Alive , on which Clyde Kusatsu was a regular cast member. The following year, Koenig played the role of Pompey in a TV movie adaptation of William Shakespeare 's Antony and Cleopatra . His Original Series co-star Nichelle Nichols played Charmian in this production, while James Avery and Earl Boen also had supporting roles.

Koenig starred in Moontrap (1989), in which he played Col. Jason Grant, an astronaut who takes on sentient machines from the moon that have been programmed to conquer Earth. Koenig's wife and fellow Star Trek alum, Judy Levitt, had a small role in this film. Also that year Koenig appeared in Deadly Weapon , which also featured Deep Space Nine guest star Gary Frank .

Besides his work on Star Trek , Koenig is also well known for his role as villainous Psi Cop Alfred Bester on Babylon 5 . He appeared in twelve episodes of this show between 1994 and 1998, during which time he worked with fellow Star Trek alumni Caitlin Brown , Brian Cousins , Diane DiLascio , Mike Genovese , Andreas Katsulas , Leigh J. McCloskey , Christopher Michael , Marjorie Monaghan , Bill Mumy , Julia Nickson , Tracy Scoggins , Patricia Tallman , and John Vickery . Koenig's wife, Judy Levitt, was also seen on the show, playing a fellow Psi Cop. Among those who directed Koenig on Babylon 5 were Tony Dow and Michael Vejar . Koenig had previously been offered a different guest role in the first season episode "And the Sky Full of Stars", but his health at the time prevented him from accepting, and the role ultimately went to Christopher Neame . [8] (Had Koenig taken the role, it would have reunited him with his Wrath of Khan co-star Judson Scott ).

Koenig had a supporting role in the 1996 martial arts film Sworn to Justice , working alongside Brad Dourif . He then starred in the 1997 independent film Drawing Down the Moon , which also involved martial arts. In addition, Koenig participated in the video game Maximum Surge , in which he portrayed the villainous role of Drexel. He reprised this role in 2003 for a TV movie based on the game. Michael Champion , Chris Doyle , John Eskobar , Leslie Hoffman , Michael Jace , and Spice Williams also appeared in the video game version, while Dick Miller and Vincent Schiavelli had roles in the TV movie.

In 1998, Koenig made a gag appearance on an episode of Diagnosis Murder which involved a possible alien abduction. The episode also featured his TOS co-stars Majel Barrett, George Takei, and Grace Lee Whitney, Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Wil Wheaton , and aforementioned Lost in Space and Babylon 5 star (and Deep Space Nine guest actor) Bill Mumy.

Koenig made an appearance in the independent science fiction movie/pilot, The Privateers , in which he acted alongside Karl Urban . Koenig later made a guest appearance as a Russian submarine commander on the comedy series Son of the Beach , on which Deep Space Nine guest actress Lisa Banes was a regular.

Koenig and his Original Series castmates (with the exception of James Doohan and DeForest Kelley ) voiced caricatures of themselves in the 2002 episode of Futurama entitled " Where No Fan Has Gone Before ". This episode parodied many aspects of Star Trek , and thus contained numerous Star Trek -related references, gags, and in-jokes. Some of the references related to Koenig included his delivery of "nuclear wessels" in Star Trek IV and his having to share scripts with George Takei on the set of TOS.

In 2003, Koenig played the role of "Mr. Lofcheck" in the short film Roddenberry on Patrol . This short film, directed by and co-starring Voyager regular Tim Russ, offers a comedic look at how Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek . It also featured Star Trek alumni Robert Beltran , Richard Herd , Nichelle Nichols, Robert O'Reilly , Robert Picardo , and George Takei.

Anton Yelchin and Walter Koenig

Koenig visits the set of Star Trek and meets Anton Yelchin , the alternate Pavel Chekov

Koenig recently wrote, starred in, and executive produced a science fiction film called InAlienable . Koenig premiered an unfinished trailer of the film at the 2007 Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. [9] (X) Marina Sirtis also starred in the film; among the other performers who appear are fellow Star Trek alumni Erick Avari , Gary Graham, Richard Herd, J.G. Hertzler, Judy Levitt, Lisa LoCicero , Courtney Peldon , Alan Ruck, Patricia Tallman, and Koenig's son, Andrew. When originally announced in 2003, InAlienable – then known as Illegal alien – was set to star John de Lancie and Robert Picardo. [10] (X) According to Koenig during his appearance in Las Vegas, Picardo had to drop out of the film because his was filling in for Koenig on a Star Trek cruise. John de Lancie also dropped out as he was unhappy with the changes being made to the film.

Other recent acting credits from Koenig include a supporting role in the 2006 film Mad Cowgirl and an appearance in the 2007 TV movie Bone Eater . In 2006, he published his first novel, Buck Alice And the Actor-robot , in which survivors of an alien invasion vie for the hand of the last fertile woman on Earth.

On 21 June 2011 it was announced that Koenig was among the honorees of the 2012 Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. Fellow Trek actor and Generations co-star Malcolm McDowell joined him and also received his star. [11] [12]

Star Trek appearances [ ]

As pavel chekov [ ].

  • " Catspaw "
  • " Friday's Child "
  • " Who Mourns for Adonais? "
  • " Amok Time "
  • " The Apple "
  • " Mirror, Mirror "
  • " The Deadly Years "
  • " I, Mudd "
  • " The Trouble with Tribbles "
  • " Bread and Circuses "
  • " Journey to Babel "
  • " A Private Little War "
  • " The Gamesters of Triskelion "
  • " Obsession "
  • " The Immunity Syndrome "
  • " A Piece of the Action "
  • " By Any Other Name "
  • " Patterns of Force "
  • " The Ultimate Computer "
  • " Assignment: Earth "
  • " Spectre of the Gun "
  • " Elaan of Troyius "
  • " The Paradise Syndrome "
  • " The Enterprise Incident "
  • " And the Children Shall Lead "
  • " Spock's Brain "
  • " Is There in Truth No Beauty? "
  • " The Tholian Web "
  • " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "
  • " Day of the Dove "
  • " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield "
  • " The Mark of Gideon "
  • " The Lights of Zetar "
  • " The Way to Eden "
  • " The Savage Curtain "
  • " Turnabout Intruder "
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  • Star Trek Generations
  • Star Trek Beyond (Picture only)
  • DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations " (archival footage)

Additional appearances [ ]

Pavel Chekov (mirror) TOS: "Mirror, Mirror"

  • Chekov's Enterprise: A Personal Journal of the Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Warped Factors
  • Beaming Up and Getting Off

Writing credits [ ]

  • TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan " (written by)

External links [ ]

  • WalterKoenigSite.com (X) – archived official site
  • Walter Koenig at Wikipedia
  • Walter Koenig at the Internet Movie Database
  • Walter Koenig at The Babylon Project – the official Babylon 5 wiki
  • Walter Koenig at TriviaTribute.com
  • 2012 interview with Walter Koenig at TrekCore
  • 1 Daniels (Crewman)

Den of Geek

Picard Season 3 Finally Reveals the Future of a Beloved Original Series Character

The Picard series finale features a major blast from the past that will have Star Trek: The Original Series fans jumping out of their chairs!

chekov on star trek

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Star Trek: The Original Series

This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.

In its third season, Star Trek: Picard has been all about voices from the past. Given the show’s title character, most of those voices have unsurprisingly come from the era of The Next Generation . But in the opening minutes of the Picard series finale, we hear a voice that goes back even further into Star Trek history: that of Original Series star Walter Koenig, who voices his character’s offspring, Federation president Anton Chekov.

“Do not approach Earth,” warns President Chekov in a transmission to Starfleet survivors, including the crew of the newly-revived Enterprise-D. “Signal of unknown origin has turned our young against us. They have been assimilated by the Borg. Our fleet has been compromised, and as we speak, our planetary defenses are falling. Sol Station is defending Earth as best it can, but we’re almost out of time. We have not been able to find a way to stop this Borg signal and unassimilate our young. But I know that if my father were here, he’d remind us all that hope is never lost. There are always possibilities. Until then, I implore you, save yourselves. Farewell.”

Even if the name threw you off for a moment, you certainly would have recognized Koenig’s voice. From the second season of The Original Series all the way to Star Trek: Generations , Koenig played Pavel Chekov, the Russian navigator of the Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk. Of course, Pavel Chekov would be far too old to lead the Federation during Picard ‘s 25th-century setting. So the voice you hear isn’t that of Pavel, but of his son Anton.

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Anton’s final warning to survivors is followed by the sounds of chaos in the background, as an aide urges him to make his way to an escape pod. Then the transmission cuts out and we’re left wondering if President Chekov has met his end just as we were getting to know him. It’s possible we’ll never know — unless we meet him again in a potential Star Trek: Legacy ? We’ll see.

The name Anton is a nod to the second actor to play Pavel Chekov, Anton Yelchin, who portrayed Chekov in the three Kelvin-verse Star Trek films, starting with the J.J. Abrams-directed 2009 reboot. Shortly before the release of the third and final (as of this writing) Kelvin movie, Star Trek Beyond , in 2016, Yelchin died in an automobile accident, cutting too short an already impressive life and career. Of course, the name has even deeper roots, as it first belonged to the great Russian author Anton Chekhov. These days, Chekhov is less known for his plays and short stories than for his maxim about narrative cohesion: if there is a gun on the wall in the first act, it must be fired in the third.

And in a clever way, Koenig himself set up a Chekhov’s gun for all Trekkers to see. Like many of the original cast who weren’t William Shatner, Koenig sometimes grew weary of seeing his character underserved by scripts, especially to make room for more Kirk. While The Wrath of Khan gave Koenig arguably more attention than he deserved, as Chekov was not yet on the show when Khan Noonien Singh made his only previous appearance in season one’s “Space Seed,” Chekov’s post- TOS career mostly involved looking for nuclear vessels and dressing like Little Lord Fauntleroy. Chekov even got cut from The Animated Series for budget purposes (even though Koenig did get to write one episode, “The Infinite Vulcan”).

So there was no surprise among Trekkers when, in a 2020 interview with Trek Movie , Koenig announced he had retired from his signature character: “To answer your question, I would not be very receptive to coming back as Chekov with these new iterations,” Koenig said, before placing a proverbial phaser on the wall. “That is not to say I wouldn’t mind coming back as another character. I would love to perform as another character in  Picard  or one of the other new Star Trek series.”

With the finale of Star Trek: Picard , Chekov’s phaser has finally fired and we are stunned.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 is streaming now on Paramount+.

Joe George

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Anton Yelchin, new Star Trek's Chekov, dies in freak accident

The 27-year-old, who played Chekov in the Star Trek reboot films, dies after being pinned by his own car.

chekov on star trek

  • Ed was a member of the CNET crew that won a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors for general excellence online. He's also edited pieces that've nabbed prizes from the Society of Professional Journalists and others.

chekov on star trek

Anton Yelchin, aka Star Trek's Pavel Chekov, arrives on the red carpet at the LA premiere of "Star Trek" in 2009. The actor died on Sunday.

Anton Yelchin, the actor known for playing Chekov in the recent series of Star Trek reboot films, died in a freak accident in Los Angeles early Sunday morning.

Left to right: Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine as Kirk, John Cho as Sulu.

Left to right: Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine as Kirk, John Cho as Sulu.

Yelchin, 27, was killed when his

Friends found Yelchin after he failed to show up for a scheduled rehearsal, Houser said.

The Russian-born actor played Pavel Chekov in 2009's " Star Trek " and 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness," as well as in " Star Trek Beyond ," due out later this year.

Yelchin's Star Trek colleagues took to Twitter on Sunday to express their sorrow, including actors John Cho and Zachary Quinto, who play Sulu and Spock, respectively, "Star Trek Beyond" director Justin Lin and "Star Trek" and "Star Trek Into Darkness" director J.J. Abrams (by way of his production company, Bad Robot):

Update, 12:23 p.m. PT: Adds information from the LAPD; adds Cho's tweet. 12:42: Adds tweets from Lin and Quinto. 1:30: Adds Bad Robot tweet of J.J. Abrams' note.

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Breaking news, cnn pushes back on fact-checking criticism from debate: “up to the candidates”, the original ‘star trek’s’ walter koenig (that’s chekov) on his walk of fame star, how the monkees inspired his character and his new graphic novel about vampires (q&a).

"I saw Big Bird out there, and it wasn’t such a stretch that there could be also a star for Walter Koenig," he tells THR of his place in pop culture.

By Tim Appelo

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The Original 'Star Trek's' Walter Koenig (That's Chekov!) on His Walk of Fame Star, How the Monkees Inspired His Character and His New Graphic Novel About Vampires (Q&)

At last, at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on TV’s original 1966-69 Star Trek series, will be the last of the seven main castmembers to get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6679 Hollywood Blvd. Koenig (rhymes with “RAY-big”) tells The Hollywood Reporter ‘s Tim Appelo what he thinks of the honor, his legacy and his forthcoming vampire comic book.

The Hollywood Reporter : Navigator Ensign Pavel Chekov was the youngest one on the Enterprise , right? The cool young guy.

Koenig: I was supposed to be the youngest, yeah. He was supposed to be 22 and I was 31. I was there to attract that pre-adolescent demograpic.

STORY: ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Alien,’ ‘Ghostbusters’ Props Score Sky-High Prices at Auction

THR: Chekov was inspired by Davy Jones of the Monkees, right?

Koenig : He inspired the studio. They were looking for somebody that was somewhat like him and that appealed to the same category as him, and it had the desired response. I got an enormous amount of fan mail from kids 8-12, generally on lined paper in pencil.

THR: I trace a development from the Beatles to you, because Davy Jones was on Ed Sullivan the night the Beatles debuted, promoting his Broadway musical, and when he saw the girls screaming, he decided to become a pop star. And he inspired Chekov. So a beam of youth energy extends from the Beatles via you to the 23rd century.

Koenig : True. When finally ran out of air on in 1969, we concluded that it was the end of Star Trek. But when George Lucas saw the effect we had on the public, he was inspired to create Star Wars , and that in turn brought the people of Paramount around to saying, what do we have to make a feature and perhaps a franchise out of? And then they remembered they had Star Trek . So one thing feeds off another.

THR: At your first Star Trek audition, did you think it would make this big a splash, and this would be the culmination?

Koenig: I had no idea where we were going with this. I knew the money was going to be pretty modest. They said the part could possibly reoccur. I’m cynical enough not to put too much stock in that.

STORY: Rare ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Star Trek’ and Willie Wonka Memorabilia Headline Auction

THR: But you’d already been a recurring character on TV.

Koenig : The only things that comes close to a recurring role was I played three different characters in three different episodes of a series called Mr. Novak . One of which was a defecting Russian student. I also did the pilot for General Hospital I think in 1963.

THR: You were born in Chicago, but didn’t your Russian immigrant father have a thick accent?

Koenig : Yes, he did, very strong and very identifiable.

THR: Did you base Chekov’s accent on his?

Koenig : Yes, I did.

THR: In the middle of the partly Russian-backed Vietnam War, how did Russians become cool on Star Trek ?

Koenig: [ Star Trek creator] Gene Roddenberry wanted to create a show with a sense of one world community. He brought in an African American, an Asian and a Scotsman to play important roles, and at the tail end of the Cold War, he brought in a Russian that wasn’t a threat, and not fitting the stereotype of the military characterization we had drawn of the Russians at that time.

THR: You wrote Chekov’s Enterprise about the making of the first Star Trek movie. What was your view of the movie franchise?

Koenig : The transition from television to film was something I had a hard time embracing and committing to, because we had so many false starts, and I’m one to believe that the glass not only is half empty but there’s a leak on the bottom. So each time we were postponed, which happened three or four times, I thought, “That’s it, it’s never going to get made.” I came in for a costume fitting and they said, “Well your costume fits like it did in 1969,” it’s now 1978. They called and the film project had been put on temporary inactivity. And that happened several times. There was a big press conference announcing the film would begin shooting and we never made that thing. It took three shots into the film to actually convince me that no one was going to tap me on the shoulder and tell me to go home.

STORY: ‘Star Trek’ TV Scores Coming to CD

THR: Wasn’t the campaign for your Walk of Fame star even longer than the Star Trek film was in development? Did it start in 2000?

Koenig : Probably earlier. I had a fan club that I was actively involved in promoting the event, who raised the initial amount when it was only $3,000, but the voters on the Walk of Fame committee chose not to elect me. You must understand I wasn’t out there with pamphlets knocking on doors begging people to vote for me. The majority of people who wanted me on the star were the fans — everyone else had one and wasn’t it about time. I thought it would be such a nice honor, accepted in a perspective that it’s late and not necessarily an accolade for a great body of work that was executed brilliantly as much as it had to do with taking your place in the pop culture. Once I understood that, I felt more comfortable about receiving one. I saw Big Bird out there, and it wasn’t such a stretch that there could be also a star for Walter Koenig.

THR: How far is your star from the other Star Trek stars?

Koenig : George Takei ’s star is a couple of stars away and Gene Roddenberry ’s is in the same block as well.

THR: Roddenberry seemed both pop culture savvy, but also visionary.

Koenig : That’s a fair assessment of who is was, business savvy and pragmatic and at the same time quite idealistic. He fought hard to maintain the beliefs woven into the fabric of our show. We were dealing with political issues that were topical for the time and progressive, and I admired him for that.

THR: As Vietnam raged, everyone on TV ignored it, except the Smothers Brothers, who got stomped for addressing issues directly.

Koenig : We were able to express some of those theories because we removed the situation from what was going on currently.  Even though were in the 23rd century, were still dealing with the same issues: racial inequality, peace and war, the balance of power.

THR: What’s memorable about Chekov?

Koenig :  I had an idea my first season that I thought was cute, but it was sophomorically cute so they disbanded the use of it. It was this chauvinistic idea that everything was invented in Russia. The Russians had been known to have said that upon occasion, things that they took ownership of, so that was kind of a gag. Chekov would reference that: “This was een-vented by leetle old lady in Leningrad.”

THR: Who will be there for your star ceremony?

Koenig : Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski — that was a wonderful experience for me, I performed a third the number of episodes that I did on Star Trek , but it was such an emotional experience to have that character evolve into something complex. And Esther Shapiro is going to speak, a friend for a long time. She and her husband created Dynasty . George Takei , Nichelle Nichols and Leonard Nimoy might show up, depending actually on how he’s feeling, he said he would like to. And other people have indicated a willingness to be there but may or may not appear. People really committed to it, and then they have work and I can’t begrudge them that.

THR: Are you 75?

Koenig : I turn 76 four days after the ceremony. At my age I don’t care anymore. Most of my vanity, along with my hair, has pretty much vanished.

THR: What’s your next project?

Koenig: A graphic novel from Blue Water Publications that’s supposed to be published in October. About an apocalyptic world where vampires are the only sentient beings. A coming-of-age psychological story. They don’t know why they’re there and what their purpose or future is. It’s a universal issue despite the fact that they have 4-inch long teeth. I’m having a great deal of fun writing it. The caveat is that if we don’t reach 700 advance orders the chances are the book won’t be published. So we’re on a campaign on Twitter and Facebook.

THR: More than 700 fans demanded your Walk of Fame star.

Koenig : Yeah, but maybe they’re exhausted.

THR: Who would star in the vampire comic’s movie adaptation?

Koenig : I wrote a character who’s balding with white hair, so if it’s made into a movie, I would get a good chance at playing it. He’s one of these people who’s initially very pleased about becoming a vampire, because he didn’t feel he succeeded very much in his human life, and in this kind of existence he might achieve more. So it’s a little different than vampires are usually depicted.

THR: Vampires as ambitous people?

Koenig: In his case, yeah. And vampires as searching for their humanity, wondering why they have been cursed, is this in fact God’s curse on them? Can they get back into his good graces? One group of vampires actually build a church hoping to reconnect with God. Vampires are individuals, their choices and their needs are different. And that’s where a lot of conflict comes in.

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Star Trek 's Anton Yelchin Talks Chekov Accent and Klingons

...and green screen work aboard the enterprise..

chekov on star trek

In the new Star Trek movie, rebooting the franchise with all new actors playing the original Enterprise crew, Anton Yelchin is the new Chekov. Reinterpreting Walter Koenig ‘s Russian starship lieutenant required some interesting linguistic decisions on Yelchin’s part.

“The thing is about Walter Koenig was his accent was interesting,” said Yelchin. “I think I’m just going to leave it at interesting. All of us had to make the choice of what we wanted to take from the original and what we wanted to bring to it. There are certain things that I took, from the fact that he replaced every V with a W which is weird. I don’t really know where that decision came from but regardless that’s the decision that he made and I thought it was important to bring that to the character.”

If he can nail that down, Yelchin has done Chekov proud and should have free reign to do whatever else he wants with the character. “I talked to J.J. [Abrams] a lot about what he wanted. His thing was we’re not making something that’s supposed to be the old Star Trek . He’s making his own movie but there is a bit of, like, I think people want to see what they love so we’re all trying to find things that will remind people of the old characters. So it’s been interesting picking up on little things.”

As for finding opportunities to say the line “But Ceepteen, the Kleengons are approaching,” Yelchin has spent most of his time on the ship. “Chekov is just on the Enterprise. A lot of it is green screen. I mean, the Enterprise itself, J.J.’s trying to shoot as much of it as he can with out green screen, but I think a lot of space is obviously green screen — what I’m looking at while seeing the Klingon warships.”

Star Trek hits theaters Christmas 2008.

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How Will ‘Star Trek 4’ Handle The Absence of Chekov?

chekov on star trek

| May 15, 2018 | By: Matt Wright 207 comments so far

The news of the accidental death of Chekov actor Anton Yelchin at the young age of 27 was a shock to his family, friends, castmates, and fans. Yelchin can never be truly replaced, but as progress is being made on the fourth Star Trek movie set in the Kelvin timeline, we thought we’d discuss what’s next for Chekov and the navigator’s station on the bridge of the newly launched USS Enterprise-A.

chekov on star trek

The USS Enterprise-A from the end of Star Trek Beyond

Shooting Star Trek 4 without Anton will be hard for the cast

Yelchin’s fellow castmembers have often expressed how deeply his passing impacted them, especially as they were tasked to promote Star Trek Beyond so soon after. And even more recently, as the word got around about new interest in the Trek film franchise, Yelchin’s castmates said they’ll have a hard time shooting the next movie without him.

In late 2017, Karl Urban told ScreenCrush :

I think it [ Star Trek Beyond ] was a good note to end it on. And certainly, it wouldn’t be the same without Anton [Yelchin], so that would be bittersweet.

More recently, in April, Simon Pegg said to The Quietus :

I know we’re doing more. I’d love to – I love those guys. It’s, of course, difficult because we lost Anton [Yelchin] and moving forward without him still feels unimaginable.

chekov on star trek

Anton Yelchin and John Cho goof around on the set of Star Trek Beyond

Chekov won’t be recast, so what happens to him?

Producer J.J. Abrams made sure to address the burning issue on fans’ minds. Speaking to the Toronto Sun in July 2016, he confirmed that the role of Chekov would not be recast:

I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better.

However, when asked if Chekov would be killed off, Abrams was more vague:

I have thought about it, we’re working on it, and it’s too early to talk about it.

It seems in poor taste to kill off Chekov the character, as there are a number of ways to gracefully write him out of the current adventures. For example, why not say he transferred to the USS Reliant? It’s a bit of fan service, and handles the issue nicely, fitting in with a history we’re already familiar with.

chekov on star trek

Chekov was transferred once before, this time it could be off the ship.

An ensemble of six?

The loss of Yelchin and his enthusiastic take on Chekov as a young, eager officer leaves a hole in the cast. He was a proxy for young audience members, while the rest of cast are approaching 40 (or older). It could certainly behoove Paramount to get a younger character back into the ensemble. This character could take Chekov’s navigator station on the bridge, or possibly have some other role on the ship.

On the other hand, as much as we love the idea of a large ensemble cast, it gets harder to give screen time to everyone as the cast grows. There’s also the very real issue of money–we’d tend to expect that the next movie will be more conscious of the budget, so one less main character could help the bottom line.

chekov on star trek

The seven main cast members on the set of Star Trek (2009)

What about Jaylah?

If it is decided the main crew works best as an ensemble cast of seven, one possible choice would be to bring back the character of Jaylah who was a breakout character in  Beyond , a lot of fans want to see more of her. Actress Sofia Boutella seems like she might be available, and in 2016, she told USA Today that she’d be “…excited to be a part of it again,” even though it hadn’t come up as an option at that time she said “I’m ready to jump on the next plane, no problem.” Storywise, Jaylah would be fresh out of Starfleet Academy and ready to go. Jaylah could be assigned to Chekov’s old position of navigator, or possibly a different role.

chekov on star trek

Sofia Boutella as Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond

The Enterprise-A still needs a navigator

If a new main character isn’t introduced as the new navigator, the ship still needs a navigator, even if they have limited or even no dialogue. They could possibly just have a background character fill the role, perhaps named for one of the commonly seen background characters from TOS such as  DeSalle , Hadley , or  Leslie . They could of course also create a new character, but there are a few reasonable possibilities for new navigators from the Kelvin movies and classic Star Trek. We have pulled together a few suggestions.

Original Kelvin timeline characters

Darwin – Lieutenant Darwin took over the navigator’s station for Chekov during the events of Into Darkness , when he was reassigned to engineering. She didn’t get to say much in her first appearance, and it would be nice bit of continuity to give actress Aisha Hinds some more screen time.

0718 – Transferring Science Officer 0718 to navigation is another possibility. This unique cybernetically-enhanced character from Into Darkness would certainly make for an interesting navigator, since according to behind-the-scenes information, they intended him to have a link to the Enterprise computer with his augmentations. Actor Joseph Gatt told fans that 0718 was written into the script for the initial idea for a third movie (by “Star Trek 4” scribes McKay and Payne) that was later scrapped, so maybe they’ll include him in the fourth movie.

Kevin the Teenaxi – “Kevin” (his real name is unpronounceable for humans) was one of the two Teenaxi beamed up while Captain Kirk was under attack at the beginning of Star Trek Beyond . He appears at the end of the movie in a blue civilian shirt during Kirk’s birthday celebration. Behind-the-scenes, while shooting the birthday celebration, they used a physical model of Kevin in a blue sciences uniform, which was then replaced with the CGI character in post production. So there’s a non-canonical hint that Kevin apparently joined Starfleet in some capacity. This idea was picked up in the IDW comic series Boldly Go , where they gave Kevin his own issue , in it he works along side the crew (while still not wearing pants) to get the new Enterprise-A ready to launch. He’s of course a CGI character, so there’s a concern about budget if they pick him.

Classic characters

Arex  – A number of fans have expressed their interest in seeing The Animated Series three armed and legged alien navigator Lieutenant Arex brought to life with modern cinema techniques. He would be pretty expensive. While a similar alien named Alnschloss K’Bentayr  was seen on the USS Kelvin, Alnschloss was on screen for no more than 10 minutes, so springing for an entire movie’s worth of Arex as navigator is likely out due to budget.

Dave Bailey – The newly promoted Lieutenant from “The Corbomite Maneuver” is one of the first navigators we meet in TOS, and over the years he’s caught the interest of a number of authors in the non-canon expanded universe books and comic books. He was also featured quite a bit in the funky Star Trek UK weekly comic strip.

Kevin Riley – “Have no fear, O’Riley’s here!” This early TOS reoccurring character is a fan favorite and would be a fun addition to the Kelvin-verse Enterprise crew.

chekov on star trek

Who will the new navigator be?

What do you say?

How do you think Star Trek 4 should deal with the absence of Chekov? Do you think the movie needs a new character to replace him? Who would you chose to be the new navigator? Sound off in the comments below.

Stay glued to TrekMovie.com for all news, whispers and more about the future of Star Trek movies. You can keep tabs on all updates on the next movie via our  Star Trek 4 category .

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What about Saavik? The original canon never gives her age, so she could easily fit into the Kelvin timeline.

I was about to say the same…bring in Saavik

That’s a good idea.

But since everyone in the Kelvinverse seems to have been born roughly around the same time as everyone in the prime universe, Saavik couldn’t be more than a child (in-universe, Vulcans appear to age at the same rate as humans until a certain point and Saavik was obviously in her early twenties in TWOK, which takes place well over a decade after the five-year mission), if she has even been born at all. Remember that Vulcan is gone in the Kelvinverse and the Vulcan population has been utterly decimated in that timeline. [Edit: Oh, I only just realised that Kirstie Alley was already over 30 when she played Saavik. Nevertheless, the character’s age must be far below that, since she’s a cadet in TWOK… who’s also a commissioned Lt. JG… I never got that, to be honest]

actually…in the official cannon, Saavik is meant to be a half Romulan from when Spock and kick 1st met the Romulan cloak ship episode..the story time line is that Spock investigates and finds out the Romulans have been kidnapping Vulcans and NOT releasing prisoners who eventualy settle on a small colony/prisoner world and some marry and have children with Romulan guards, Spock finds out the Vulcan gov has known this and done nothing and he leads a covert rescue operation to bring them ‘home’, Saavik is one of these children who returns with Spock…in the Into Darkness movie they imply they know the Romulans and Vulcans are related, in the last movie they reference a Romulan war..so they could bring in a Saavik character

Remember that T’Pol was 60-65 years old during Enterprise yet appeared to be in her mid 30s, signifying that Vulcan females look relatively young for their age. Saavik could have easily been in her 30s-40s and simply entered Starfleet Academy later than usual.

Hmm, yeah. Argh, my head! I guess canon states that Vulcans are aging at plot-speed… Or maybe they have really capable plastic surgeons on Vulcan.

The same way TNG movies handled Worf being back on the Enterprise…

“Oh Chekov’s away on… (inaudible)”

” Commander Chekov has been re-assigned to the Uss Reliant. We will miss him dearly but we are happy to welcome Ensign Jaylah to the helm. “

I like it. Jaylah for navigator!!

I agree, Jaylah for navigator !!!

I kinda thought that Jaylah would be more into engineering than navagation, I do want her to return, but not that way.

Jaylah makes the most sense. Otherwise Riley or Arex.

Any Chekov replacement should be as bold as having a Russian character was at the height of the Cold War. I think the best option would be a Muslim character (Arab, Indonesian, whatever). It expresses the same hope for a future of cooperation among all people of Earth that Chekov’s presence did in the 60s.

That’s a fabulous idea, truly Trekkian!

But wasn’t the original “Trekkian” idea that people of Earth moved past religions, leaving it behind, as one would leave behind old clothes that grew too small to wear? I mean, the ultimate “hope for a future of cooperation” is exactly that there are NO muslims (or buddhists, or zarathustrians or mormons or anabaptists or amishes) anymore. Because we grew out of our old stuff and left it behind, as mature people are supposed to.

Also, a huge part of Chekov’s charm was that the character was a stereotype personified, used to poke good-hearted fun at Russians. Last time someone tried to poke fun at muslims like that, embassies were burning.

And personally, I don’t see much hope for cooperation with people who can’t understand that you are supposed to _undress_ before entering a swimming pool. ;) (See, that was the kind of humor they did with Chekov back in the 60s. Do you think that would be viable, or even acceptable, in the current political climate? No, of course not: the writers would be too scared to pull anything like that. Ultimately, we would end up with a deadly serious character whose only noticeable trait would be that he/she has to stop working five times a day in order to wash their feet and curl up on the floor while facing in a particular direction. And strictly speaking, you don’t have to rely on Star Trek to see that, either: simply book a trip to Paris and watch it live.)

Religion can mean all sorts of things to different people. It will always be part of humanity. Good and bad. Spock had a religion.

No. We have seen Trek characters such as Picard celebrate Christian holidays (Christmas) and references to Easter.

So religion has not entirely disappeared, although it is likely the secular values of Europe went global.

Actually, the idea of “modesty” was around long before Islam. Ergo, you could have a Bedouin or Arab crewmember who is “non-religious”, but is sensitive to his or her cultural heritage.

That would be an awesome idea. They don’t even need to be Muslim specifically but even a humanoid alien (such as Bajoran for example) that had a strong religious belief that initially seemed at odds with the more secular outlook of the other crew members.

Kal Penn. Think about it.

Do you *really* want to risk putting Kal Penn and John Cho on the bridge together? “Mr. Kumar, set course for the planet code-named ‘White Castle’.” Besides, Penn is a bit long in the tooth to play a noob.

Do they have White Castles on Starbases?

That’s more in the spirit of Worf than Chekov.

Well, yeah. You don’t even need to go the explicitely religous route there. A character with a distinctly Arabian name would be one idea (of course, we already had Bashir on DS9, but to be honest, Siddig El Fadil and the character he portrayed never struck me as anything other than English…) or why not go for broke and introduce a character with a Persian name?

“why not go for broke and introduce a character with a Persian name?”

I would be in favor of the producers’ casting as Persians.

Perfect suggestion

YES. Great idea. Perfect.

There haven’t been any Christians represented in any of the Star Trek series, as far as I can remember. As much as Star Trek loves the debate about science vs faith, wouldn’t this be also a great narrative? As of 2010, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31 percent) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth,” the Pew report says. “Islam was second, with 1.6 billion adherents, or 23 percent of the global population.” But sure, Muslim or transgender or whatever.

The TOS character of Angela Martine was presumably Catholic. And even though it was never explicitely stated, the character of McCoy always struck me as rather obviouly Christian (as indicated by his outrage over the Genesis device, his stance towards the “God”-alien in TFF and just his general… “southern-ness”)

But anyway, if I read David’s comment correctly, it wasn’t about representing any one specific religious group, but rather about depicting ideologies that are currently conflicting, but wouldn’t be in an utopian future.

@Brandon Home — I trust you mean as regular crew members? Certainly there was a whole planet of Christians explicitly represented in Bread and Circuses.

Whaaaaaat? Star Trek’s entire ethos is about humankind bettering itself and moving away from misogynistic superstitions. I can’t think of the worst representation of that then a devout Muslim… what an absolutely clueless sheltered and privileged life you must live. I wish I lived on your unicorn cloud but coming from a middle eastern family myself – I watch Star Trek to get away from the nonsense of 2018! although discovery thought they were being very clever by putting a headscarf on one of their crew members… it just makes me cringe.

although discovery thought they were being very clever by putting a headscarf on one of their crew members

Huh? When? Where? – The only headscarves seen in the series that I can think of, would be those worn by Burnham and Georgiou in the pilot when they’re on the desert planet.

People seem to be forgetting Kirk’s line from Who Mourns for Adonis to Apollo:

“We don’t need gods. We find the One sufficient.”

Klingons have religion. Bajorans have religion. Vulcans have religion. The Dominion has religion.

Why must there be a rule that humans can’t have it when obviously so many in the rest of the fictional galaxy does?!

I appreciate your response.

Sadly in this modern world many people view religion as a superstitious thing. The bible teaches us to love one another, to turn the other cheek, and tolerance.

The real problem is that religion and the bible are two different things. If you put faith in the bible but fail to live by it, then you have no faith.

Many people claim to be Christians yet they ignore bible teachings. They pray the “our father”, where they say “let thy kingdom come.”

So many pray for this government that God has established, which will eventually bring all other governments to an end, yet those same Christians also promote nationalism and encourage people to fight for America. The bible tells us to beat our swords into plow shears and also not make war anymore.

Yet priests bless troops on both sides of conflicts. I can kind of understand the atheism. Because nothing seems to make any sense…so few practice what they preach or claim to beleive.

Also, Kirk is reminded of a previous encounter with a female crew member at the “science lab Christmas party” in the TOS episode, “Dagger of the Mind.”

@Ron Obvious — Christmas has already been secularized around the world. It’s not hard to imagine a world 300 years into the future where the wonderful traditions and trappings of the holiday are dissociated with the Christian religion that conscripted it in the first place from the Pagan holiday otherwise celebrated on December 25th.

@TokyoGaijin — the beauty of lines like that is, Kirk could have been referring to the idea of individuals being their own god, or Egotheism. “We find the one sufficient”, i.e. ‘ourselves’. Regardless of interpretation, it by no means suggests that the “one” god is the Judaeo/Christian God.

Gene Roddenberry was NOT a fan of religions at all. In his Trek World there was no place for human religions.

and OF COURSE Chekov went to the Reliant! Seems like a no-brainer without distastefully killing the character.

My thought exactly.

It can be pointed out that Chekov was the latest crew member to part of the Enterprise. The Navigator role was played by various people until he came around.

@Todd — I vote for a Medusan as navigator. Just have a box sitting on the chair.

Considering how off Trek was with the advent of AI, it’s time to welcome Watson aboard….

Watson’s too busy trying to get a date with the amazingly fluent and versatile UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR.

The ship’s computer interfaces the way that it does likely because of a conscious choice not to run its I/O thru the UT.

Forget the M5, in the 1st series’ TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY the E’s computer hardware is shown to be more than capable of running a fluent sensual AI with feelings that can be hurt that embarrasses Kirk giving the USAF pilot a tour. Also, in RETURN TO TOMORROW and WOLF IN THE FOLD, the Enterprise’s computer hardware is also shown to be likewise capable of containing and sustaining complex lifeborn personalities of beings far in advance of its human creators.

What’s more mysterious is why the misogynist, Pike, agreed to give it a female voice – let alone one based on his Number One, although he did note she was the one exception to his bridge decree? And why did he and his science officer decide that that stilted delivery was ideal for efficiency?

The 1st series does reveal a healthy mistrust of AIs but that’s something that could still come to pass — eventually the death tolls both accidental and intentional [warfare] will reach some number that the bloom will fall from the current AI rose; but for the nonce, AIs have a ways to go to catch up to humans responsible for the deaths of others.

M-5. Just don’t try to unplug him.

Classic, nice one there, Cadet.

Can’t believe you left out M’Ress from the Animated Series and she would be easier to do than Arex.

We’d probably end up with a #metoo story involving a certain starship captain who has a taste for aliens…

Re: …she would be easier to do…

Since Pine’s Kirk has already been depicted as bedding two of her species on screen, one would think so.

The emotional part of my brain wants Ares or M’ress from the animated series as navigator but the logical part of my brain says bring back Jaylah.

My guess is they’ll have Jaylah at the helm.

And that would be fine too. Plus she could go fill in for Scotty if he has to go to the Vengeance

I think there was a glimpse of Arex, on Star Trek New Voyages, 4xV4, Going Boldly, whixh I assume was the work of Tobias Richter?

Why not have this timeline have Chekov having a sister? It would be a great way to keep a Chekov on the Enterprise while brother is out making a name for himself on the Reliant.

Because Sulu said Chekhov was an only child in the hippie episode.

What abou the Deltan Ilia from the first Star Trek movie?

Yup. She’s my vote.

Well, I’d imagine she be a bit young at that point. Considering that the main character attribute that sprang forth from the frisky mind of Roddenberry was her raging pheromones that left a trail of horniness in her wake, that has potential to be really creepy. Maybe in QT’s movie….

Priyanka Chopra as Ilia.

Darwin. Jaylah should be in Engineering with Montgomery Scotty!

Want to explain where Chekov is? Easy:

Bones: If we’re all here, where’s Chekov? Kirk: Commander Chekov….On assignment.

I’ve long thought that it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have Chekov die, but that it could perhaps serve as the thrust of the story. Maybe Chekov dies or disappears and Kirk makes it his mission to find out what happened to him.

Why not Gary Mitchell?

@DeBeckster — this gets my vote. Unfortunately it doesn’t address the need for diversity so badly needed in TOS-era Trek. Unless we make Mitchell another race. I’d be down for that. There’s nothing in canon that identifies him as a particular race, or species for that matter. But I’d prefer adding another woman to the core crew. Since this Trek is supposed to take place in the “Kelvin Universe”, how about Gayle Mitchell? Maybe even make her Kirk’s ex girlfriend from his cadet years, as Ilia was Decker’s? That could make for some interesting storylines …

All valid suggestions. Or maybe Benedict Cumberbatch is free….

PLEASE another woman on the cast. It can’t just be Uhura.

Seeing Gary Mitchell in this timeline would be cool. If they had chosen that story line vs. Khan, we would have had a better movie than Into Darkness…

Yup, oh what could have been.

Jaylah would be awesome!

I agree. Jaylah would be awesome!

Jaylah would be great. More loud beats and shouting. :)

Nah, he’s in security.

Chekhov is promoted and assigned to the Reliant. Done.

Make it so!

Arex would be my top choice, but if the budget isn’t there to pull him off successfully then I would be happy with Riley.

Split the role between Lt. Arex & Lt. M’Ress from the animated series.

I say just don’t replace him in any noticable way. Just have the postion be filled by a one liner extra (preferably female to balance the crew more) when needed. TOS did fine without Chekov in season one and also in TAS. Something the movies suffer from is trying to give everyone something to do.

As for what explanation to give, in STID Chekov is made chief engineer while Scotty is away. Since nu!Chekov is a boy genius, I think it makes sense that by after 3 films worth of time he has been transfered to a perminant chief of engineer position elsewhere. Killing him off in anyway would be bad taste.

Having rewatched Beyond last night, in the final crew gathering party, Chekov is shown chatting up an alien which I think Justin Lin says in the commentary was Anton’s idea. Why not have Chekov leave Starfleet to raise a family? They can have Kirk writing a letter of congratulations or have a photo of Anton and the alien happily married together in the background of a scene. Or use the marriage combined with being promoted to chief engineer elsewhere.

To clarfiy on my “giving everyone something to do” point, I meant that sometimes it feels like scenes were written to have a character do something because they have to use everyone and not to forward the plot. Having less characters in the main team will mean less characters awkwardly standing around on the bridge while conversations are happening around them.

Also, I believe the production team mentioned upon Anton’s death that they had no plans to recast Chekov.

I would love to see Jaylah return but I get the distinct impression that having made her the central focus of film 3, they would feel that they couldn’t just make her generic navigation officer with not much to do in the 4th. I disagree and think it would be cool to have that kind of prolonged introduction for a character that then doesn’t do much more than say “thrusters at maximum!”. The actress hasn’t really gone onto the massive success that was at one time expected (due to the flop of The Mummy) so I can’t imagine she’d turn down the paycheck either.

He’s been transferred to the Reliant.

With Kevin Riley being the most popular of the known possibilities, I would say his character would fit in very nicely.

Way over thinking this – crew have transferred on and off ships since men first took to the seas. Even with Chekov on screen, Enterprise had plenty of navigators. We just didn’t see them. Transfer him off, shore duty, shore leave, there’s no compelling reason at all to have to explain his (or anyones) presence, or lack of it. If they reconsider and recast the character, that’s not horrible, either.

Creatively, why would an ensemble cast be chiseled in stone? The original series was, first and foremost, about Kirk and Spock. Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, and Scotty were supporting cast. If the next movie wasn’t an ensemble cast, and well made, the world doesn’t come to an end, and it doesn’t dishonor Yelchin’s memory.

Lieutenant Ilia

Done and done.

Hey, now THAT is a good suggestion. We didn’t explore much of the character in TMP, although the novelization went into great detail about the sexual prowess of the race, the Deltans. A movie treatment of the character and the race could be interesting. I’d cast another Indian in the role to continue the exotic look set by the late Persis Khambatta. If its a Tarantino R-rated Trek.. imagine the possibilities of this character in this timeline. Hmmm.

@JoeTrekFan — yes that makes a lot of sense. Probably the best option of many good ones. Also, casting an Indian continues a trend established by Lt. Rahda in “That Which Survives”. That said Jaylah also fills that bill nicely as a new original, and truly alien character.

I would say that Jaylah as a full-fledged replacement character seems to be the only viable option. As far as I know, the character was very well-received, too. That bit of “Leloo-ness” sure struck a chord with many audience members [Edit: Okay, reading through the comments here it’s quite clear that pretty much everyone LOVED Jaylah]. I for one would love to see a bit of storytime dedicated to her.

Navigator Jaylah. Maybe she and Chekov were close when he died. I don’t know if transferring him to the Reliant honors Anton’s memory. Vulcan was destroyed, Amanda, Admiral Pike and Ambassador Spock died, no established character is entirely safe in the Kelvinverse. Maybe an Arex cameo to underscore Chekov’s absence.

How about Jaylah and a cameo from Arex.

Chase I was thinking the Same thing What about Saavik But Also they can have a New Character in the Movie as well or even Kirk’s Nephew can be the new Navigator

A No-Brainer Jaylah

While I’d prefer a woman, I wouldn’t want Jaylah as navigator. She’d obviously be better suited as an engineer.

I’d love to see Kevin Riley as long as his personality comes across, rather than just filling a seat with a familiar name. Mitchell would make a lot of sense too.

I’d be happy with Mitchell, Riley, or Saavik, although Saavik might be a little young at this point in the timeline?

If it’s Kevin Riley, I want a musical number!

…one…more…time… ;)

Kevin O’Riley!! The Original Series should have used more of him— cast a very young actor for the role. If not him, then a non-white character, or a woman– but she/he should be young! The character should be 20 to 22 years old, approx. Chekov’s age in “Beyond.”. — Keith G. Knight, Star Trek fan since 1966 (3rd grade?)

I understand about Chekov, but the idea of saying that he transfer himself to the Reliant sound great. But please put Jayla and Kevin. I love the idea of Kevin and Jayla part of the crew.

Or, the suggestion of Cadet/ just graduated Jaylah, or Lt. Gary Mitchell (but never do the 2nd pilot story).

Or do it differently, perhaps…well?

Unlike bringing in the character of Carol Marcus only to do an ill-conceived Wrath of Khan rehash… ugh..

I like the Jaylah senario where she becomes the new pilot since she is a strong presence and funny at times…

While Ilia makes the most sense, it could be anyone. Leslie had the most screen time other than the big three. I disagree that Trek is needs an “ensemble of seven”. It was about Kirk, Spock and McCoy. The others are secondary charters. The scripts had good agents to make them more important in the movies. The Kelvin timeline has pushed McCoy in favor of a Spock- Uhura relationship, and I’m ok with that. Just move the story on.

Use the original chekov as a cameio and claim a accident with transporter or something and let him retire

I vote for Jaylah. She was great! And there needs to be more than one female character either way, so why not her? Another guy is not a good option. And she is an alien and the Enterprise could use some more in the crew.

It makes sense and id love it

How about Pike’s navigator, Jose Tyler?

Adding a hispanic character would also keep the classic Trek diversity juices flowing.

You think about how many Hispanics there are in America and you think about how Hispanic culture has integrated into American culture you seriously wonder why in the heck there has never been Hispanic star trek character! They were going to in the 1980’s but didn’t. Why not recycle a concept from the 1980’s that it is absurd that is hasn’t yet. And I’m not even Hispanic. A British or Australian or a Kiwi character would be cool.

Belanna Torres is chopped liver? (To say nothing of Erika Hernandez, who was basically a semi regular in Season 4.)

@Drew — excellent suggestion. I never bought Jose was Hispanic in the first place, but they could definitely emphasize it. I suspect that had more to do with the network opposition to a minority depicted on screen in any major role.

Has any one even asked walter koenig

To portray an 82-year-old navigator?

Well it could work. I’ve said it elsewhere but my idea to close Chekov’s arc would be to open the movie in the middle of the TOS episode ‘The Deadly Years’ but have him not be responsive to the treatment.

Asked him what?

I like the idea I’ve seen going around of filling his seat with a character in the spirit of putting a Russian on the bridge in 1967: someone who represents a culture we in America today very often cast as the enemy.

Jaylah & Lt Darwin both make a lot of sense to me. Lt Darwin is already a navigator, presumably of senior time in service by the time JJ 4 comes out. Jaylah also makes alot of sense to me given her engineering knowlege of the USS Franklin and by extension Starfleet ships. As a newly minted Ensign she’d have at least as much experience as Checkov did in JJ 1 if not more. It’s not every cadet that gets to have a few years in the engineering plant of a Starfleet ship before even entering the Academy. Just my 2 cents.

Hmmm… Emony Dax. But she would actually have to be rather old then (definitely older than McCoy).

Promoted to first officer aboard the USS Reliant. Arex takes over.

Yeeeeeees, Darwin! I LOVE Aisha Hinds and you bet I picked up on her bit part immediately!

I have no qualms about recasting Chekov. The 3 Star Trek Kelvin timeline movies have not reached the iconic status that makes recasting problematic. If they were to bring a previous character back, I’d sooner like to see them bring back Chapel and Rand to an already male heavy cast. And Kevin Riley did man the nav station occasionally in TOS so he’d make sense.

I agree with all you say, sir!

@Phillip — I agree. At this point, re-casting a character shouldn’t be a big deal to anyone. Chekov would be the easiest of the bunch to recast due to the accent.

They should have iT where he was needed back home in Russia so he resigned from star fleet. As for the new navigator have Riley, he was great in tos.

They Could just say That he was Killed by Klingons on a Mission, maybe the Klingons Bored the Enterprise and they Killed Checkov, that’s how you write off Checkov nice and Clean.

Or have Checkov get infected with some virus that ages him rapidly and bring back Walter Koenig lol

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Pavel Chekov

Later in his career, he served as first officer aboard the USS Excelsior under Captain Hikaru Sulu , as captain of the USS Potemkin , USS Cydonia and USS Undaunted , and as Commander-in-Chief of the Federation Starfleet .

  • 1.1 Early life
  • 1.2 Starfleet Academy
  • 1.3.1 Mission to Modala
  • 1.3.2 Julia Crandall
  • 1.3.3 Respected officer
  • 1.3.4 Security career
  • 1.4.1 Belle Terre
  • 1.5 Aboard the USS Reliant
  • 1.6.1 Peacekeeper
  • 1.7 Temporary assignment to Excelsior
  • 1.8 Mission to Sanctuary
  • 1.9 Sidetracked: Those Believed Lost
  • 1.10 The USS Excelsior
  • 1.11 Later career
  • 3 Starfleet service record
  • 4.1 Connections
  • 4.2 Background
  • 4.3 Appearances
  • 4.4 External links

Biography [ ]

Early life [ ].

Pavel Chekov, son of Andrei Dimitrievich Chekov and Larisa Irinova Chekov , was born in Saint Petersburg , Russia , Earth , on 19 September 2245 . He was his parents' first and only child. ( ST video game : Starship Creator ; TOS - The Janus Gate novel : Future Imperfect ; TOS episode : " Day of the Dove ")

Prior to being able to read, Chekov and his family lived on Luna . ( TOS novel : The Wounded Sky )

Pavel's interest in space and alien life-forms began at the age of 6 when he was given his first telescope. ( TOS novel : Pawns and Symbols )

Sometime during his childhood, his mother died and he grew up somewhat distant from his father. ( TOS novel : The Captain's Daughter )

Chekov played competitive hockey in high school, making it to the playoffs his junior and senior years, 2259 and 2260 . He sprained his knee during the '59 game in Minsk , and when sent to the showers early, he accidentally walked into the women's locker room. In the '60 game he competed against a team from Kola Peninsula . ( TOS - The Janus Gate novel : Future Imperfect )

Starfleet Academy [ ]

While at the Academy, Chekov entered into a relationship with fellow Russian Irina Galliulin , who was also attending the Academy. Unable to adapt to the rigid structure of the Academy, she dropped out and broke off her relationship with Chekov. ( TOS episode : " The Way to Eden ") Having moved on to other promising women , Chekov had once even fallen in love with a Melkotian , telepathically-induced illusion . "She" left such an impression on him, all his other memories were nearly gone from the experience on Theta Kiokis II. ( TOS episode : " Spectre of the Gun ") Although Pavel never made it widely known, he admired Klingon women and found them very attractive. ( TOS episode : " Day of the Dove ", TOS movie : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

In 2264 , Cadet Chekov was assigned to the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) to undergo navigation training, while the Enterprise conducted a three-month voyage around the Federation Phalanx , its first voyage under James T. Kirk . ( TOS novel : Enterprise: The First Adventure )

When Chekov graduated in 2266 , he was re-assigned to the Enterprise as an ensign . ( TOS - The Janus Gate novel : Present Tense )

Chekov's Starfleet serial number was 656-5827D. ( TOS movie : Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) [ ]

Chekov02

Ensign Chekov in 2267 .

When Chekov was first assigned to the Enterprise , he was assigned to study in as many areas of starship operations as possible, as is normal with a command track ensign. Chekov spent several months in engineering, as well as the science departments. During Khan Noonien Singh 's and his crew's takeover of the Enterprise , Chekov led an organized resistance against him. Even as gas filled the engine room, Chekov remained calm and got the others to safety without thinking of himself. Chekov received recommendations from other members of the crew for his actions. ( TOS - The Janus Gate novel : Present Tense , TOS novelization : Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; TOS comic : " Who's Who in Star Trek, Issue 1 ")

Ensign Chekov finally earned the respect and trust of Captain Kirk in 2267 , when Chekov was on assignment in the auxiliary control room . The Enterprise had become trapped in the gravity well of a black hole , while traveling at warp. While the bridge crew are disabled, Chekov managed to plot a spiral course out of the gravity well, saving the Enterprise . Captain Kirk temporarily assigned Chekov to the navigator's position. ( TOS short story : " Indomitable ")

Mission to Modala [ ]

Ensign Chekov's first days of bridge duty did not go well as he was rebuked by Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott for daydreaming while on duty during his first bridge shift. However, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu introduced himself, after his shift was over, for encouragement. This was the beginning of their long-time friendship. ( TOS - The Modala Imperative comic : " A Little Seasoning ")

When the Enterprise was assigned to perform a follow-up survey to the planet Modala , and Captain Kirk announced that he wanted Chekov to accompany him. Both Commander Spock and Doctor Leonard McCoy had concerns about Kirk beaming down with such an inexperienced officer, but Kirk and Chekov beamed down to Modala anyway. Kirk later observed the ensign 's "hero worship" of him.

On the world's surface, Kirk and Chekov help restore the planet legitimate government from an usurping force using alien (later revealed to be Ferengi ) weapons. ( TOS comic : " The Modala Imperative ")

Following this mission, Ensign Chekov was permanently assigned to the bridge crew as navigator and junior science officer under Commander Spock's tutelage. ( TOS novel : The Disinherited )

Julia Crandall [ ]

On Chekov's first assignment as permanent navigator, the Enterprise was charting the unexplored Mariotian sector , when they received a distress call from a unexplored planet. On arrival at the planet, they discovered a large vessel bombarding the Harahni colony with radiation .

Chekov and Lt. Julia Crandall transported down to the colony and learned that the colonists had never tried to adapt local plant life for their needs, and instead tried to recreate their homeworld .

After managing to break through the radiation ship's shields, Kirk and Chekov beamed aboard and found a malfunctioning ark, with dead creatures and plants in its cargo hold, and managed to shut down the ship.

When Crandall decided to remain behind and study the ship, Chekov proposed to Crandall, and they vowed to find each other again. Unfortunately, this never occurred; she died in late 2290 . ( TOS comic : " No Compromise ")

Respected officer [ ]

ChekovVodka

Ensign Chekov at Deep Space Station K-7 .

After being assigned to the bridge, Chekov became a valued member of the crew and built friendships with Hikaru Sulu and Nyota Uhura , as well as earned the respect of Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and Lt. DeSalle who were all very pleased with his progress. His reputation grew also with his brand of connecting various items/events with his country and referring to those he disliked as " Cossack. "

In an attempt to give Chekov all the experience he needed as an officer, Captain Kirk had Chekov assigned to numerous landing parties with him, including missions to Pollux II , Gamma Hydra IV , Mudd , Triskelion , and Theta Kiokis II . ( TOS episodes : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ", " The Deadly Years ", " I, Mudd ", " The Gamesters of Triskelion ", " Catspaw ", " Spectre of the Gun ")

Chekov-red

Chekov, Security Lieutenant .

By 2269 , Chekov had progressed so well that he took an interest in security, and began training aboard the Enterprise . After being temporarily re-assigned, his old navigation instructor, Lt. Arex, took his place on the bridge, while Chekov received training at Starfleet Academy's Reed Annex . When Chekov returned a few months later, he was made temporary chief of security . ( Star Trek: The Animated Series ; TOS comics : " The Mummies of Heitius VII ", " What Fools These Mortals Be.. "; TOS - Unlimited comic : " Action of the Tiger "), ( TOS novel : The Latter Fire )

Security career [ ]

When the Enterprise returned to Earth at the end of its five-year mission in 2270 , Ensign Chekov entered Starfleet Security Academy in Annapolis to continue his security training. While there, Pavel studied many subjects, including Klingon weaponry, such as disruptors . Chekov's experience was unique in this regard, as he was the only student on Earth who had ever seen a Klingon disruptor in operation, during his Enterprise service. ( TOS novel : The Lost Years )

In December 2271 , Chekov was enjoying dinner with Nyota Uhura , Hikaru Sulu , and Dr. McCoy at New Harborplace Restaurant in Baltimore , when he was approached by former Enterprise CMO , Dr. Mark Piper . Piper enlisted Chekov to help in a research project at Johns Hopkins University involving the mitigating effects of a Klingon sonic disruptor blast.

A few days later, Piper was found murdered by a Klingon disruptor, and Chekov was implicated for the crime. Realizing that he had been framed for the crime and that he had assassins following him, Chekov fled Earth to board the abandoned secondary hull of the Enterprise along with Sulu and Uhura, who were also being framed for the alleged theft of a Romulan cloaking device .

It was later revealed by Commander Kang of the Klingon Defense Force that Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura had been framed as part of a conspiracy between the Klingons and the Romulans to start a war with the Federation. The real perpetrators, Commodore Adam Willis and Jackson Kahle , were arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, theft of restricted technology, and high treason.

Following this incident Chekov was promoted to full Lieutenant and was offered the position of Chief of Security aboard the Enterprise , once the refit was completed. ( TOS novel : Traitor Winds )

Second five-year mission [ ]

In 2273 , shortly after the launch of the refitted Enterprise , Chekov took the opportunity to tell the story of his Kobayashi Maru test to Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Sulu while they were stranded aboard a drifting shuttlecraft following an accident. ( TOS novel : The Kobayashi Maru ) When a child was killed by a plasma grenade during a fight between Klingons and an Enterprise landing party on Cragon V , Weyland , the omnipotent ruler of the planet , punished Kirk by sending Chekov, Scotty and Sulu back in time . Chekov found himself in Stalingrad in 1942 during the great battle in the city . He was incarcerated in a German prison camp, where his cellmate was John Kirk , an ancestor of James T. Kirk. Chekov and Kirk escaped together and made their way to Moscow , where Chekov was inducted into the Russian Army and joined a Red Guard pilot squadron. While protecting a transport piloted by Kirk from German planes, Chekov lost a wing and bailed out into the Baltic Sea , but was returned to the 23rd century by Weyland. ( TOS novel : Home Is the Hunter )

ChekovDD33

Chekov in 2278.

Following the end of the second five-year mission in 2278 , Chekov was promoted to full Commander and accepted a position as first officer aboard the USS Reliant , but the offer evidently fell through. ( TOS novels : Deep Domain , Rules of Engagement , Star Trek: Untold Voyages comic : " Odyssey's End ")

Belle Terre [ ]

When Admiral Kirk volunteered the Enterprise to lead the colonization mission to Belle Terre in 2279 , Chekov readily accepted his old post as Chief of Security for the mission. ( TOS - New Earth novel : Wagon Train to the Stars )

During the expedition, the post of first officer of the Reliant opened up once more, and this time, Chekov received the position. ( TOS - New Earth novel : The Flaming Arrow )

Aboard the USS Reliant [ ]

Commander Chekov signed aboard the Reliant as first officer in 2280 , and developed a good working relationship with his new captain, Clark Terrell .

A few months later, the Reliant proceeded to the planet Halka after learning that they had been attacked by the Orions . Chekov led a landing party to the surface and learned that a local boy named Lojur took up arms against the Orions, and was subsequently banned from his village by the Elders. Chekov took pity on the boy and beamed him aboard the Reliant . ( TLE novel : The Sundered )

In 2282 , Chekov and the Reliant were assigned to the planet Mestiko to help monitor elections. ( TOS eBook : The Darkness Drops Again )

Later in 2282, Chekov, Captain Terrell and several Reliant crewmembers crashed the shuttlecraft Kepler (NCC-1864/05) on a Gorn planetoid . After some misunderstandings, the crew of the Kepler was able to get rescued by the local Gorn garrison. ( ST - Alien Spotlight comic : " The Gorn ")

In 2284 , the Reliant was detached from active service and assigned to assist Dr. Carol Marcus and her Project Genesis team find a suitable uninhabited planet for testing. In 2285 , Terrell and Chekov beamed down to a planet they believed to be Ceti Alpha VI . When they discovered Khan Noonien Singh and his followers, they discovered that they were, in fact, on Ceti Alpha V , and that Ceti Alpha VI had been destroyed.

Using Terrell and Chekov, Khan took control of the Reliant , marooned it's crew and stole the Genesis Device . Although Terrell was later killed, Chekov was rescued by his old comrades from the Enterprise , and returned to duty aboard his old ship. Chekov manned the weapons console and fired the torpedo that destroyed his old ship, defeating Khan. ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; WizKids module : Attack Wing )

In 2286 , Chekov and his Enterprise crewmates were charged and cleared of the theft of the Enterprise (events that had occurred in 2285 ). ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; ST website : StarTrek.com )

Aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) [ ]

Power pack ejected

Commander Chekov joined the Enterprise -A crew in 2286 .

When the Enterprise -A was launched in 2286, Commander Chekov resumed his old duty-post as Chief of Security. ( TOS novelization : Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Later that year, Chekov attended Ensign Konom 's bachelor party, where he spiked the fruit punch with some vodka . He then attended Konom's and Ensign Nancy Bryce 's wedding. When Sulu caught the wedding bouquet, Chekov told M'Ress about the "Russian" tradition that, when someone catches the bouquet, they might get married. When Sulu left, Chekov told M'Ress that Sulu was inscrutable. Chekov was on the bridge when the crew started to experience hallucinations being created by Lt. Castille , receiving reports about a three-headed dog, etc. ( TOS - Who Killed Captain Kirk? comics : " Aspiring to be Angels ", " Haunted Honeymoon ")

During the priority situation on Nimbus III in 2287 , Chekov had a first-hand taste in the responsibility of being a commanding officer . Even though his ruse to distract Sybok from Kirk's landing party failed, Pavel benefited from the experience. ( TOS movie : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Peacekeeper [ ]

In 2290 , Commander Chekov and Captain Montgomery Scott were assigned to the Miranda -class USS Pacific to prepare to test a new protomatter weapon, which was to be tested on an asteroid, while the Enterprise observed.

When the Pacific fired the protomatter device at the asteroid, the Pacific was transported over 30,000 light years away. Scott and Chekov discovered that the weapon and the Pacific were tampered with by group that called themselves the Aegis , who were rebel supervisors, like Gary Seven . They demanded that Chekov and Scott conduct repairs on the ship.

The Enterprise managed to track down the Pacific with Gary Seven 's assistance. The Pacific was then destroyed in battle, but Scotty saved the crew by jury-rigging the vessel's transporter . ( TOS comic : " The Peacekeeper ")

Temporary assignment to Excelsior [ ]

When Commander Sulu was promoted to Captain and given command of the USS Excelsior in early 2290 , he requested that Chekov come aboard as first officer, but Chekov did not accept this position until near the end of the year.

Before leaving Deep Space 3 , both the Excelsior and the base were attacked by the Anjiri-Nykuss , who captured six crewmembers, including Chekov. The Excelsior set off in pursuit, and discovered that the Anjiri-Nykuss's recent hostile actions were due to incubation problems and internal conflict. Chekov was eventually rescued, but decided to decline Sulu's offer to continue serving as first officer. Chekov returned to the Enterprise -A as second officer and Chief of Security. ( War Dragons - The Captain's Table novel :)

Mission to Sanctuary [ ]

When the Enterprise finally returned to Earth in 2293 for decommissioning, Chekov started teaching at Starfleet Academy. However, this post was short-lived when, a few months later, he joined Captains Kirk and Scott on a colonization mission to the planet Sanctuary in the Besar system along with Kirk's nephews, Alexander and Julius .

On the planet, Chekov helped Kirk uncover a secret Falorian base on the planet, which was part of a plan to retake their homeworld Huan . While exploring the Falorian base, Chekov discovered a nano-virus that would render all dilithium inert, and would have created warp core breaches in all infected vessels. With the help of their former colleagues Spock, McCoy, and Uhura, as well as with Klingon aid, they managed to destroy the virus and stop the invasion of Huan. ( TOS novel : The Last Roundup )

Sidetracked: Those Believed Lost [ ]

At the end of the Sanctuary affair, Sulu offered Chekov the chance to replace the Excelsior 's soon-to-be-departing first officer, but Chekov refused, feeling he was in line for a command of his own. In the meantime, he returned to teaching at the Academy, and other shore duties in Starfleet's San Francisco complex. He joined Kirk and Scott for the launch ceremony of the USS Enterprise -B from the San Francisco Fleet Yards , which some in Starfleet Command had played up for its symbolism in "passing the torch" to a new generation of men and ships.

Unfortunately, the fitting-out of the Enterprise -B was behind schedule, with key systems still offline and key personnel not yet aboard. However, since the launch ceremony was supposed to merely consist of a short trip around the solar system, these systems and people were not considered vital, and the Enterprise-B 's young captain, John Harriman , succumbed to pressure not to delay the press- and dignitary-laden launch ceremony.

This proved to be a tragic error, when, during the mission, the Enterprise received a distress call from two Federation freighters, the SS Lakul and SS Robert Fox , both containing El-Aurian refugees, caught in the phenomenon known as the Nexus . When the Enterprise -B arrived to rescue survivors from the freighters, Chekov had to draft the journalists as makeshift medical staff to treat them, as the medical staff was one of those not yet aboard. During the successful attempt to leave the Nexus, Captain Kirk was believed killed. The loss of his longtime commander, mentor, and friend was a severe blow to Chekov. ( TNG movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek: Generations )

A second tragedy came a year later with news of the (apparent) death of his "niece," Ensign Demora Sulu of the Enterprise -B. Chekov blamed Harriman for this death too, and sucker-punched him at Demora's memorial service . Starfleet Command considered the circumstances, and Chekov was allowed to avoid a court-martial by giving a formal and public apology to Captain Harriman. Subsequent events also revealed that Demora Sulu was not, in fact, dead. However, this incident was a black mark that sank any chance he had of gaining a captaincy at this time. ( TOS novel : The Captain's Daughter )

The USS Excelsior [ ]

After a few years cooling his heels, the job of first officer on the Excelsior opened up again. This time Chekov accepted Sulu's offer and by 2295 he was a key member of Captain Sulu's team on the Excelsior . ( TOS novel : Excelsior: Forged in Fire and TLE novel : The Sundered )

Later career [ ]

Captain Pavel Chekov

Captain Chekov.

After serving for many years as first officer aboard the Excelsior , he was promoted to captain and assumed command of the USS Undaunted . On one of his assignments on the Undaunted , Chekov made first contact with an enigmatic race known as the Watraii , who hid their true visages behind masks. The contact was brief as the Watraii had little or no interest in contact with other species. However, this brief contact was sufficient for Chekov to be Starfleet's only "expert" on the Watraii when they started a war of extermination against the Romulan Star Empire in 2377 . ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus )

Chekov later went on to command the starships USS Potemkin and USS Cydonia . He eventually served as Starfleet C-in-C for a time. ( ST novels : Federation , The Return )

By the time of the Dominion War , Chekov served as an Admiral and an instructor at Starfleet Academy . With the onset of the war, Chekov was instructed to accelerate his students' lessons, focusing primarily on tactical and battle strategies. After the war, Chekov was given a desk job at Starfleet Command . ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus )

Later in the 2370s , Chekov had reached the rank of grand admiral , and was considered the foremost authority of Starfleet. In 2375 , Jean-Luc Picard felt very strongly in his opposition to Starfleet orders to allow the Ferengi to donate sensor technology to the planet Halkan —so much so, in fact, as to feel that he would even object to Grand Admiral Chekov's orders if they had indeed been the orders that put him at odds with Captain Christine MacDonald in that situation. ( TOS novel : Preserver )

When the Watraii declared a war of extermination against the Romulans in 2377, Chekov was recruited by his old Enterprise shipmate, Admiral Uhura , who was now the head of Starfleet Intelligence , for an unsanctioned mission into Watraii space onboard the USS Alliance , commanded by another old Enterprise shipmate, Captain Saavik . Also along for the mission was another old shipmate from the Enterprise , Saavik's husband, Ambassador Spock .

The confrontation with the Watraii ended in a stalemate after Spock and the Romulan named Ruanek managed to steal a key piece of technology from the lead Watraii vessel. When the Watraii beamed somebody to the Alliance to retrieve their technology, Chekov struggled with him in an attempt to stop him. When the Watraii attempted to beam their man back, Chekov was caught in the transporter 's energies and was believed to have been killed. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus )

Two months later, Admiral Uhura received word that Chekov was alive and being held on the Watraii homeworld. Uhura arranged another covert mission for Captain Saavik and the Alliance , this time to rescue Admiral Chekov. The Alliance successfully infiltrated Watraii space, and a rescue team consisting of Spock, Ruanek, Captain Montgomery Scott , and Lieutenant Commander Data of the USS Enterprise -E successfully retrieved Chekov from his Watraii captors.

Following his rescue, Chekov announced that he was now retired from Starfleet, and was looking forward to returning home. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exiles )

Information obtained from the future indicated that Chekov eventually served as Federation President , but the information was unspecific as to the date. ( TOS short story : " One Last Adventure ")

A statue of Chekov was sited in the grounds of Starfleet Academy. ( DS9 - Millennium novel : The Fall of Terok Nor )

When Nero and Ambassador Spock were sent back to the 23rd century , causing what was called the Kelvin timeline after Nero's assault of the USS Kelvin , a photo of Chekov and Spock's crewmates aboard the USS Enterprise -A was among the personal effects bequeathed to the alternate Spock after Ambassador Spock passed away in the year 2263 . ( TOS movie : Beyond )

Chekov had a son named Anton , who by 2401 was the President of the United Federation of Planets . ( PIC episode : " The Last Generation ")

Starfleet service record [ ]

Appendices [ ], connections [ ], background [ ].

There is no known Starfleet insignia for grand admiral in the era at which Chekov held that rank, but since that rank has shared a historical equivalency with fleet admiral, the fleet admiral uniform rank will be shown for Chekov for the purposes of this wiki.

Appearances [ ]

External links [ ].

  • Pavel Chekov article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
  • 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
  • 2 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
  • 3 Lamarr class

A countdown of all of Pavel Chekov’s love interests on Star Trek: The Original Series

By lillyan ratcliffe | may 12, 2023.

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 28: Actor Walter speaks during 2020 C2E2 Koenig at McCormick Place on February 28, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)

Pavel Chekov had quite a bit of romance during Star Trek’s original run.

Star Trek: The Original Series often gets criticized for how many one-episode romances Captain Kirk had.  Yet, did Pavel Chekov, who didn’t join the crew until the second season, have almost as many romances as his captain?  Was the Russian answer to Davy Jones less prone to falling for aliens than Kirk, looking for love with his fellow crew members?

Pavel Chekov was known for saying “X was invented in Russia” and using his charm on several women throughout his two seasons on The Enterprise.  However, it is interesting to note that Pavel Chekov did not always follow the same romantic path Kirk did.

Kirk often used romance to achieve a goal with female aliens or female Starfleet officers.  Pavel Chekov often seemed to be genuinely interested in the women he had romances with.  Was Pavel Chekov more interested in romance for romance’s sake than Kirk?  Were his romances more focused on finding a long-term partner?

Looking at Pavel Chekov’s love interests across Star Trek

Pavel chekov romance in star trek: the original series (n/a in the animated series).

Pavel Chekov was introduced in season two of TOS when more romantic plotlines were introduced to the series overall.  The first four episodes he appears in, “Catspaw”, “Friday’s Child”, “Who Mourns for Adonais?”, and “Amok Time” are more focused on establishing Pavel Chekov as a character as the romances in these episodes do not involve him.

The first episode to feature a Pavel Chekov love interest “The Apple” immediately has him in a relationship with the Yeoman of the Episode, Martha Landon.  What makes this unique is that dialogue implies this relationship is known to most of the away party.  Kirk even chastises them for wanting to sneak off.  Compare this to most of the other relationships seen in the series where it is love at first sight or the relationship seems to be fairly new.  Pavel Chekov and Martha Landon appear to have been in a relationship prior to the episode and are very attracted to each other.

Pavel Chekov is not involved in another romantic plotline until “The Gamesters Of Triskelion”  where his drill thrall expresses romantic interest in him.  Pavel Chekov does not return these, however, although it is not clear if he doesn’t like how forward she is or if he does not find her attractive.  This is also unique as many romantic plotlines in TOS are mutual.  Does this point to Chekov having a type or being more interested in long-term relationships?

“Spectre of the Gun” finds Pavel Chekov being mistaken for Billy Clanton and kissed by Sylvia, ‘Billy’s girlfriend’ who is really an energy being.  Even though he protests at first Pavel Chekov does seem to fall for her later in the episode.   Most of the following episodes do not involve Pavel Chekov in a romantic role of any kind.  As the canonical newbie, Pavel Chekov often ends up as the character who gets hurt the most, whether that means having an alien take over his memories, being part of the landing party who gets injured, turned into a side character who comments about something, and so on.

One of Pavel Chekov’s most well-known love interests is Irina Galliulin from “The Way to Eden”.  They drifted apart during their time at Starfleet Academy as Irina Galliulin considered Pavel Chekov too rigid and he considered her too free-spirited.  When the Enterprise takes aboard Dr. Sevrin’s acolytes, including Irina Galliulin, their past lets her manipulate him to learn about the Enterprise’s systems so that Servin can hijack a craft to seek the Eden planet his followers have been looking for.  Although Pavel Chekov is hurt by this betrayal, they have a final scene where they mourn their lost relationship, opening up the opportunity that they might reconcile after the failed attempt to find Eden has left Irina Galliulin to find a new goal in life.

Pavel Chekov was not part of the crew during The Animated Series.   While the in-universe reason was he was transferred, could Pavel Chekov also have found romance on another ship? TAS had much less romance than TOS so even if Chekov had been part of the crew, he might never have a romantic plotline.

Pavel Chekov was a father (almost twice!)

It is interesting to note that Demora Sulu was originally Demora Chekov in the Star Trek Generations script.  While there is no clear story about why she was changed from Chekov’s daughter to Sulu’s (as the change from Chekov to Sulu occurred before casting), she is close to Chekov, possibly indicating he introduced her parents to each other or is her “Uncle Pavel”.

Pavel Chekov did become a father offscreen sometime following the five-year mission as his son Anton is the President of the United Federation of Planets in the Picard finale “The Last Generation” .  Audiences do not see him, but he is identified by name.  Sadly, the audience does not get to learn more about Anton – has he gone to politics after a Starfleet career?  Did he serve alongside Demora, taking the Sulu and Chekov friendship into the next generation?  A different President of the United Federations of Planets was seen during TNG so Anton could have been a politician who had yet to run for president or he could have been in a different field entirely.

What remains true for Pavel Chekov from his original appearance to his son Anton’s introduction decades later is that he was not a romantic in the same way Kirk was.  Pavel Chekov’s relationships tended to be less about instant attraction and more about seeking a long-term romantic relationship.  He does have more relationships than Sulu, but do others match him?

Pavel Chekov Love Interests : 4 on-screen (1 mutual; 1 with a one-sided crush; 1 energy being; 1 past relationship) 1 off-screen (implied)

Next. Hikaru Sulu Love Interests in ST:TOS. dark

Anton Yelchin's Chekov Accent In Star Trek Was Inaccurate On Purpose

Star Trek 2009

Viacom, the parent company of Paramount, underwent a dramatic split in 2005, causing the TV rights to "Star Trek" and the movie rights to "Star Trek" to be divided among two separate companies. This meant that if the movie-owners wanted to make a new feature film, they would have to license "Star Trek" iconography from the TV-owners. Under the conditions of such a liscense, a movie had to look legally distinct from the old TV show. What a headache.

This situation led to the creation of the Kelvin-verse, a "Star Trek" continuity that took place in a parallel timeline. The 2009 "Star Trek" movie featured the same ships and characters as the 1966 "Star Trek," but altered into something similar-yet-different. New actors played younger versions of the 1966 originals, and the U.S.S. Enterprise was now twice as big. Director J.J. Abrams also made the new movie more dramatic, action-packed, and full of explosions. There's some debate among Trekkies as to whether or not the Kelvin-verse is in the spirit of "Star Trek" or if it should be considered an autonomous media entity. 

What everyone seemed to agree on, however, was the new film's savvy casting. The newer, younger actors all did exemplary jobs of capturing the looks, mannerisms, and personalities of their 1960s counterparts. They were youthful, more impulsive versions of the characters we knew, but held the same appeal. 

The role of Ensign Pavel Chekhov, previously played by Walter Koenig, went to the late Anton Yelchin. Yelchin captured Koenig's cockiness, Russian-centric ego, and dazzling charm. He also recreated Koenig's broad Russian accent, a notable feature of the character. 

In 2009, Yelchin spoke with TrekMovie , and he revealed that the accent was deliberately broad; it wasn't supposed to sound authentic. He also explained why he made that decision. 

30 Best Star Trek Characters, Ranked

Space, the final frontier…

Incredibly, Star Trek has been part of our lives for nearly 60 years, ever since the original series (or TOS in Trek lingo) premiered on CBS on Sept. 8, 1966. And in the nearly six decades since, 12 series and 13 films — not to mention untold numbers of books, video games and merch galore! — have expanded upon Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a better future for mankind and all species capable of interstellar travel. 

So, who are the “best” Star Trek characters from across that plethora of media? So glad you asked as, from the hundreds of individual characters that have boldly gone the distance to be established in the pop culture firmament, we’ve chosen the top 30 for your enjoyment. And for our purposes, we’re keeping it to humanoid characters, hence why V’Ger, the sentient machine from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” won’t be making an appearance. 

Let the discussion begin!

30. Borg Queen

No. of appearances: 8 (7 episodes and 1 film)

Known for: Trying to take over Picard’s ship in two different timelines

Note: Film counts are inclusive of J.J. Abrams’s alternate “Kelvin timeline” that commenced with the 2009 “Star Trek” film. 

Why Borg Queen Is One of the Best

The Borg was set up in several “Next Generation” episodes as a hive mind collective organism — an uber-unified symbiotic being that engulfed the consciousness and intelligence of all species it conquered. However, screenwriters Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore altered the discussion somewhat for 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact,” in which the Borg goes back in time to prevent mankind from developing warp capabilities. When Picard and Co. go through the time portal, too, the new Enterprise-E is gradually taken over by the Borg, and Picard soon comes face to face with the Borg Queen, the personification of the techno-villains.

The Queen was played by Australian actress Alice Krige in “First Contact” and in several episodes of “Voyager,” but the late Annie Wersching, who sadly succumbed to cancer, portrayed a new queen on Season 2 of “Picard.” 

29. Wesley Crusher

No. of appearances: 70 (69 episodes and 1 film)

Known for: Coming of age on the Enterprise-D and going off with the Traveler

Why Wesley Crusher Is One of the Best

Depending on who you ask, Wesley Crusher was either the worst part of “The Next Generation” or a sadly overly bullied punching bag of Trek angst. Actor Wil Wheaton, known for “Stand By Me,” was all of 15 when he came aboard the Enterprise-D in 1987 as Dr. Beverly Crusher’s fatherless son.

Over the course of the show, Wes grew and changed from awkward teen into a confident young man at the helm of the starship. Wesley eventually went off on a journey beyond time and space with the being known as the Traveler; though, somehow, he still showed up in “Star Trek: Nemesis” at Riker and Troi’s wedding … though he had no speaking lines. 

In the ultimate cultural revenge, nerds are cool now, and Wheaton not only embraces the legacy of Wesley Crusher, but he’s also shown up on “The Big Bang Theory” and even brews his own beer . Nerds rule!

No. of episodes: 21

Known for: Annoying Picard, changing shape, making the TNG cast play “games”

Why Q Is One of the Best

The puckish Q is a powerful being of seemingly unlimited abilities, which he put to use several times against Picard and his crew. However, Q’s games typically weren’t malicious, and often his little tricks proved illuminating — such as when he allowed Picard to see himself in an alternate universe where he never captained the Enterprise. Every time Q magically appeared on the bridge of the Enterprise, you knew you were in for some fun.

While Qs don’t age, human actors do, and thus when John de Lancie showed up for Season 2 of “Picard” in 2022, there was “that moment” when he gazes upon an aging Picard, then clicks his fingers to “catch up” to Picard’s age at the dawn of the 25th century. (De Lancie was de-aged to his TNG-era physicality for the “before” effect.) 

27. Seven of Nine

No. of episodes: 115

Known for: Trying to find her human roots after being separated from the Borg

Why Seven of Nine Is One of the Best

Let’s face it, “Voyager” was a bit stale in those middle seasons. Enter Seven of Nine, a human female Janeway and crew rescued from the Borg who became part of the Voyager crew’s decades-long quest to return to Earth. Seven of Nine’s appearances on both “Voyager” and “Picard” have allowed the writers to explore the anguish of what happens when a human is unplugged from the warm embrace of the Borg collective.

Jeri Ryan has brought gravitas to Seven since her introduction in 1997 … and, because Star Trek is typically targeted at boys and men, there's no shortage of sex appeal either. 

No. of episodes: 173

Known for: Running the best damn pub in space; hoarding gold-pressed latinum

Why Quark Is One of the Best

“Deep Space Nine” dealt with heavy subjects like interspecies war, xenophobia and the trauma of losing one’s spouse to the Borg, so some comic relief was definitely in order. The barkeep Quark was always there with a dry quip as he poured a cocktail, but don’t turn your back on him for too long, as the Ferengi was usually figuring out how to fleece his customers out of their money.

Actor Armin Shimerman was always hilarious as the scheming publican, which may be why the good folks at Paramount set up “Quark’s Bar” at the “Star Trek: The Experience” at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1998. But don’t go boldly in search of that Sin City attraction, as the entire “Experience” closed for good in 2008. Bah!

25. Miles O’Brien

No. of episodes: 67

Known for: Being the Enterprise-D’s and DS9’s transporter chief

Why Miles O’Brien Is One of the Best

For proof positive that a “hey, it’s that guy!” actor can make the jump to the main stage, we present Colm Meaney, whose Chief O’Brien was in charge of the transporter room on the Enterprise-D before beaming down to Deep Space Nine in 1993 as chief of operations.

O’Brien was notable for being more than a stock character, and Meaney truly brought this brainiac to life on both TNG and DS9 over his dozen years appearing within the Trek universe.

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24. Ro Laren

No. of episodes: 8

Known for: Being a Bajoran Federation member before defecting to the Maquis

Why Ro Laren Is One of the Best

It’s a difficult path to navigate a character with dual loyalties, but actress Michelle Forbes imbued the Bajoran Ro Laren with nuance and sympathy. She was heroic in her work aboard the Enterprise-D, which included acting as a spy to infiltrate the Maquis, a Bajoran underground movement whose campaign aimed at removing the Cardassian occupation of their homeland.

However, Picard’s plan to use Ro as a spy was too clever by half, as she decided to join the insurgency in her final TNG appearance. Goes to show that, even in the 24th century, people still wrestle with their consciousness.

23. Elim Garak

No. of episodes: 33

Known for: Living in exile aboard Deep Space Nine

Why Elim Garak Is One of the Best

One of the joys of DS9 was the ongoing relationship between Garak and Dr. Julian Bashir — kind of like an outer space version of “can’t we all just get along?” However, as the only Cardassian still living aboard the space station, Garak raised many a Federation eyebrow as to what he was really up to. Though he’d been exiled from Cardassia, several people on the station still believed he was up to no good.

Actor Andrew Robinson created a truly fascinating, multilayered character in Garak, and you were never quite sure whether to love him or hate him. But he kept you watching!

No. of appearances: 18 (14 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Being Vulcan’s ambassador to Earth and Spock’s dad

Why Sarek Is One of the Best

Mark Lenard was great in his various appearances as Sarek, from the original show (TOS) to TNG and three films. (Ben Cross played a younger Sarek in the “alternative” J.J. Abrams movie timeline in 2009’s “Star Trek.”) Not only was Sarek an intelligent and canny diplomat, but marrying Amanda Grayson, a human, allowed Sarek to be more informed about human affairs during his many years as Vulcan’s ambassador to Earth. Oh, and of course, he helped his half-human son, Spock, learn the ways of his father’s world while navigating the strangeness of human emotions. 

Fun fact: Mark Lenard also showed up in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” as the commander of the Klingon ship that gets vaporized by V’ger. 

Known for: Being chief of security aboard Deep Space Nine

Why Odo Is One of the Best

Because Odo was a changeling, he could shapeshift into nearly anything, which gave him a rather convenient way of keeping tabs on what was going on aboard DS9 for all those years. However, Odo had the unfortunate necessity of reverting to a liquid form to “recharge” on a daily basis, which made life for this character rather interesting.

Actor René Auberjonois personified icy coolness in portraying Odo, and it’s hard to imagine the space station without this Star Trek character around.

No. of appearances: 36 (34 episodes and 2 films)

Known for: Tending bar at Ten Forward, always with a kind word

Why Guinan Is One of the Best

What do you mean you forgot that Whoopi Goldberg was on TNG and “Picard”? Thankfully, we’re here with a reminder that long before she co-hosted “The View” in New York, Goldberg was working Los Angeles sound stages portraying the El-Aurian bartender Guinan in the Ten Forward lounge.

The TNG writers cleverly keep Guinan’s backstory mysterious, gradually unveiling that her homeworld had been conquered by the Borg, and most of her people were murdered. Guinan also had extra-sensory perceptions that helped out in such situations as realizing that the Enterprise-D had fallen into an alternate timeline in the classic episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Empathetic yet remote, Guinan was a key part of the TNG success formula.

19. Dr. Beverly Crusher

No. of appearances: 166 (162 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Being the Enterprise-D’s chief medical officer

Why Beverly Crusher Is One of the Best

Dr. Crusher had a complicated history with Captain Picard, considering that her husband Jack was killed during a mission Picard led while serving aboard the Stargazer years before the events of TNG. This always imbued their relationship with awkwardness and guilt, particularly as Picard slowly became a surrogate father figure to Crusher’s son, Wesley.

Gates McFadden lent Dr. Crusher a rather unique mix of gravitas, professionalism and vulnerability — and was so likable that her exit from the show during the second season was short-lived due to fan outcry. (Remember her replacement, Dr. Pulaski? Yeah, neither do we.)

18. Deanna Troi

No. of appearances: 188 (185 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Being the Enterprise-D’s onboard counselor

Why Deanna Troi Is One of the Best

TNG introduced us to several new species beyond the Klingons, Vulcans and Romulans of TOS, including the Betazed, a race of psychic telepaths. This made them empathetic and nurturing, which may be why, in a bid to get away from the cowboy mythos of TOS, Gene Roddenberry included Deanna Troi as the ship’s counselor for the Enterprise-D.

It sounds like a thankless role, but Marina Sirtis truly made Troi a fully realized character, and her anguished acting in the episode where she temporarily loses her psychic abilities is masterful. 

17. Jadzia Dax

No. of episodes: 148

Known for: Hosting her Trill symbiont 

Why Jadzia Dax Is One of the Best

Trills are an interplanetary species of little wormlike creatures who must “host” inside another being in order to function. Thus, when Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) stepped aboard Deep Space Nine during the pilot episode, she was actually the eighth host for the Trill Dax. Jadzia Dax was the first female host body the Trill had used in some time, which led to a bit of a learning curve on the show … and later tragedy.

Jadzia Dax married Worf following his tour of duty on the Enterprise-D, but her host body was killed during DS9’s Dominion War storyline (Farrell claimed she left the show due to clashes with producer Rick Berman). Thus, the moral quandaries posed by Star Trek continue, and nobody was more caught up in them than this character.

16. Kira Nerys

No. of episodes: 174

Known for: Acting as Bajoran liaison officer on Deep Space Nine before later assuming command 

Why Kira Nerys Is One of the Best

Things got off to a rocky start for Kira and Benjamin Sisco on the DS9 pilot, as the Bajoran wasn’t precisely keen on a human Starfleet bureaucrat becoming her new boss. However, over the course of the show, Kira and Sisco developed a mutual respect, particularly when the Dominion War threatened the entire galaxy. Kira provided no quarter for nonsense, and her no-guff style of leadership and warrior mentality made her both feared and respected among the denizens of Deep Space Nine. 

In case you are missing seeing her, you can actually catch Kira in a single episode of “Lower Decks” from fall 2022.

15. Kathryn Janeway

No. of appearances: 188 episodes and 1 film 

Known for: Commanding the USS Voyager on its journey from the Delta Quadrant back toward Earth

Why Kathryn Janeway Is One of the Best

When the Voyager found itself stranded on the far side of the galaxy, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) had a difficult choice to make: commission Maquis rebels into her Starfleet-led crew, or almost certainly never make it back to Earth without their help.

As quality leaders do, she made the best decision, and thus the Voyager commenced its 35,000-light-year trip back to Federation space in Alpha Quadrant (spoiler alert: thanks to some help in the finale, they made it home about 60 years ahead of schedule). It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Voyager, but Janeway was always a steady hand at the helm. 

14. Pavel Chekov

No. of appearances: 45 (36 episodes and 9 films)

Known for: Navigating the Enterprise under Captain Kirk

Why Pavel Chekhov Is One of the Best

Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek at the height of the Cold War when relations between Washington and Moscow were rather frosty. Thus, adding Russian navigator Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) to the cast in Season 2 lent faith to his vision of a brighter world of tomorrow, in which humans had finally conquered all war and famine back on Earth.

That was rather forward-thinking for the mid-1960s, with the Vietnam War raging, but fans immediately warmed to Chekov, who has been a part of Kirk’s crew over the decades. 

13. Nyota Uhura

No. of appearances: 104 (95 episodes and 9 films)

Known for: Making sure everyone on the Enterprise stays connected 

Why Nyota Uhura Is One of the Best

Isn’t it annoying when your cell phone signal drops? Try mastering communications from deep space, which was part of Uhura’s job description on the Enterprise. Think of her as an outer space operator among the stars. 

Beyond the character’s attributes, it’s undeniable that representation has always been one of the most amazing things about the Star Trek universe. It wasn’t typical to have an ethnically mixed cast at the time of TOS, so Roddenberry again used outer space of the future to address racism on contemporary Earth. The late Nichelle Nichols was actually planning to leave the show when she received an unexpected visit from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who encouraged her to stay aboard the Enterprise to be “seen” by the American public at large. (Perhaps it’s no coincidence that “Uhuru” translates to “freedom” in the Swahili language.) 

12. Geordi La Forge

No. of appearances: 194 (191 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Somehow seeing more than those of us with “real” human eyes

Why Geordi La Forge Is One of the Best

Any organization is only as good as its IT and engineering department. For the Enterprise-D, the big cheese of problem-solving was none other than Geordi La Forge, for whom no problem where an interspace-blaster-reverse-proton-thingamagig needed a quick fix was too big to handle. In addition to his technical know-how, Geordi was calm under pressure and kindly, which may be why he was so popular with other senior staff of the Enterprise. 

And showing what a pro he was, LeVar Burton did double duty on “Reading Rainbow” during his entire run on TNG. The beloved actor and host is widely credited with encouraging kids of all ages — especially those of color — to learn to love reading.

11. Hikaru Sulu

No. of appearances: 81 (72 episodes and 9 films)

Known for: Getting drunk and running around with a saber … and other things, too

Why Hikaru Sulu Is One of the Best

Sulu might not have gotten as much backstory as the other members of the original Enterprise crew, but thankfully George Takei was able to turn on the charm (“oh my!”) in the big-screen films — especially by “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” when he’d made it all the way to the captain’s chair of the Excelsior.

However, everyone probably remembers Sulu for that time on TOS when he went crazy and ran around shirtless with a saber because, you know, reasons. It was such a Trek-ism that it even became the reason behind Kelvin-timeline Sulu (John Cho) being absolutely ninja-level with a sword in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie. 

10. Benjamin Sisko

Known for: Keeping the peace aboard Deep Space Nine

Why Benjamin Sisko Is One of the Best

Talk about a dark backstory! Sisko’s wife was killed at the Battle of Wolf 359, where the Borg destroyed an entire fleet of Federation starships. The Borg was able to claim such a victory due to assimilating Captain Picard, who as Locutus effectively got behind Starfleet security protocols. Thus, when Sisko was tapped to command Deep Space Nine, whom should he run into but none other than Picard! Understandably, even though he had long since been removed from the Borg collective, Sisko was nowhere close to trusting Picard. And that was just in the DS9 pilot!

Over the seven seasons of the show, Sisko evolved as both commander and diplomat — and made a valiant, selfless choice in the finale episode for the greater good. Here’s to you, Sisko!

No. of appearances: 98 (88 episodes and 10 films)

Known for: Fixing just about everything

Why Scotty Is One of the Best

Being Scottish, Montgomery Scott was fond of dropping many an “aye” into his conversations with Kirk and the gang. And it’s a good thing he always answered in the affirmative, as the good captain tossed all sorts of problems Scotty’s way to solve. Remember when they went back in time to 20th-century San Francisco to fetch whales? Guess who was tasked with building a whale tank to warehouse the beasts on their time travel back to the 23rd century! 

In one of the most fascinating TNG episodes, “Relics,” Scotty was rescued from a transporter loop by Captain Picard, which led to some both hilarious and sad moments as the engineer tried to tackle 24th-century gadgets and gizmos. It was a really cool way to bridge the worlds of classic Trek and TNG.

No. of appearances: 287 (283 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Being the first Klingon to graduate Starfleet Academy

Why Worf Is One of the Best

Worf broke many a barrier — and quite a lot of other things along the way, being a Klingon warrior and all. He became the first member of his species to serve aboard a Federation starship and quickly rose to chief of security on the Enterprise-D following the death of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby).

Worf’s having been adopted by humans led to many intriguing storylines over the years, as he connected with his Klingon heritage, and his arc was expanded when he joined the cast of “Deep Space Nine” in 1995 for the last four seasons. 

No. of appearances: 187 (183 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Having no emotions at all … until he did

Why Data Is One of the Best

Like Worf, Data cracked through more than a few barriers on his ascent to operations officer aboard the Enterprise-D. Having an android on the crew was super handy, as Data could perform insanely complex computations at lightning speed and outthink most any carbon-based lifeform. The one thing he couldn’t do, however, was laugh or cry or be scared. That is, until an emotion chip was introduced into the TNG storyline, which allowed Data to be more like his human colleagues than ever before … and he even dropped a swear word or two for comic measure.

Brent Spiner also portrayed Data’s evil alter-ego Lore and the creator of both, Dr. Soong, throughout the Trek world. Data and Lore also returned for various storylines on “Picard.”

6. Dr. McCoy

No. of appearances: 105 (96 episodes and 9 films)

Known for: Dispensing cranky Southern wit while patching up wounds

Why Dr. McCoy Is One of the Best

Was there ever a more crabby Trek character than Leonard McCoy? Bones always seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but tending the Enterprise’s walking and not-walking wounded, which led to much of the humor on TOS and the Trek movies.

His relationship with emotionless Spock, whom he called a “green-blooded hobgoblin,” added awesome laughter to the series and films — much of that credit due to the late DeForest Kelley. And mad kudos to Australian actor Karl Urban, who has done more than a yeoman’s job taking over the role in the Kelvin timeline. 

5. Will Riker

No. of appearances: 192 (188 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Acting as the steady second-in-command of the Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E

Why Will Riker Is One of the Best

Riker had that magical combination of intelligence, moxy, toughness and attractiveness that made him an incredibly effective senior member of the Enterprise crew. Oh, and don’t forget his many, many love affairs over the years, most notably with Counselor Troi, with whom he reconnected romantically in the film series and finally married in “Star Trek: Nemesis.”

That last film in the TNG canon finally finally finally (did we say finally yet?) saw Riker promoted to the rank of captain and getting his own ship at long last. But that didn’t stop him from showing up to help out his old buddy Jean-Luc in Season 1 of “Picard” and boards that final voyage with the admiral for Season 3. 

No. of appearances: 3 (1 episode and 2 films)

Known for: Getting his hands on as many doomsday weapons as possible

Why Khan Is One of the Best

Khan Noonien Singh was awakened from hypersleep by Kirk in the classic TOS episode “Space Seed,” where the supercriminal promptly tried to take over the Enterprise. His plans foiled, Khan and his genetically engineered acolytes were banished to Ceti Alpha V, which turned into a nightmare when nearby Ceti Alpha VI exploded and made their own planet all but uninhabitable … making Khan rather thirsty for some “wrath,” as it were.

While there have been a great many villains over the years of Trek, none has been as extreme, as deliciously awful or as memorable as Khan. 

No. of appearances: 91 (82 episodes plus 9 movies)

Known for: Acting in a highly logical fashion most of the time

Why Spock Is One of the Best

He started out as science officer of the Enterprise, then retired to Vulcan, then un-retired when V’Ger came around, then was promoted to captain, then died, then was resurrected, then retired from Starfleet again, then became Vulcan’s ambassador to Earth, then got sucked into a black hole that sent him into the alternate Kelvin timeline. (There will be a test.)

Spock did it all, and he was ever unflappable — even when wrestling with his human emotions on more than one occasion. The genius of Spock was how he was, as his father Sarek observed in the 2009 film, “a child of two worlds,” never quite feeling at home as either human or Vulcan. Leonard Nimoy truly brought Spock to wondrous life in the four decades he played the character, who will always be one of the true miracles of the Trek universe.

1. James Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard (Tie)

Kirk No. of appearances: 114 (104 episodes and 10 films)

Picard No. of appearances: 208 (204 episodes and 4 films)

Known for: Being the best two captains to ever take the helm of a starship

Why Kirk and Picard Are the Best

Some things are just not worth arguing over. Coke or Pepsi. Burger King or McDonald’s. Dick Sargent’s or Dick York’s Darrin on “Bewitched.” Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. Dan or Dave . 

Kirk or Picard.

The two most famous captains from the Star Trek universe are so different that it’s pretty much impossible to describe one as “better” than the other … though that hasn’t stopped Trekkies, Trekkers and even casual fans from fighting over it for more than 35 years now. James T. Kirk was brash, shoot-from-the-hip, fond of bending the rules when it suited him, yet unfailingly loyal — the classic cowboy of outer space. Meanwhile, Jean-Luc Picard was a by-the-books kind of leader, intelligent and introspective, but never failing at a moment of crisis when true authority was needed. They both had their flaws and their benefits, and we cheered them on no matter the adventure. The two met only once in “Star Trek Generations,” which required them to put their heads together to defeat a common enemy. 

Kirk and Picard have been Trek's most important, most consistent characters over more than half a century. It was so cool to see a younger Kirk in the Kelvin timeline played by Chris Pine, but to us, Kirk and William Shatner will always be synonymous. And thanks to the third and final season of “Picard,” we got to ride with Patrick Stewart as the old admiral for one final voyage.

No matter which was your favorite captain, both Kirk and Picard have taken us boldly to the final frontier on so many adventures. 

30 Best Star Trek Characters, Ranked

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Star Trek Prequel Movie In The Works With Star Wars Director

Toby Haynes, who directed episodes of Black Mirror, Doctor Who, and Andor, is lined up to make a Star Trek movie.

By Eddie Makuch on April 11, 2024 at 12:06PM PDT

A Star Trek prequel movie is in the works with Star Wars director Toby Haynes attached to direct, Paramount announced during CinemaCon. This has been rumored since January , and now it's confirmed. The movie is set for release sometime in 2025.

Haynes previously directed episodes of Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Sherlock, and the Star Wars series Andor. Collider reported on these details from CinemaCon.

Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote The Lego Batman Movie, is writing the untitled Star Trek film. Haynes has never directed or written a Star Trek movie, but he directed Black Mirror's Star Trek-inspired USS Callister episode.

The film is said to be an "origin story" that will take place prior to the events of 2009's Star Trek, which took place in 2255 and was itself an origin story. This likely means it will feature a different cast. The stars of the latest series, including Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, have been rumored to be coming back for a fourth film in their series, but it hasn't happened yet.

2016's Star Trek Beyond is the latest entry in the main Star Trek movie series, but the franchise has lived long and prospered on streaming with the TV shows Picard and Strange New Worlds.

The 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 sequel Into Darkness were directed by JJ Abrams, before he handed off directing duties to Justin Lin for Star Trek Beyond. The three movies collectively earned around $1.2 billion at the global box office.

In addition to Pine, Saldana, and Quinto, the latest Star Trek movie series featured John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Yelchin tragically died in 2016 at the age of 27 after a motor vehicle accident in his driveway.

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chekov on star trek

As my Star Trek character commanded the weight of a starship, I was hours away from becoming a father

The lines between fiction and reality collided when i welcomed my child into the world.

chekov on star trek

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This First Person column is the experience of Patrick Kwok-Choon, who was born and raised in Montreal. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ .

I was on the set of Star Trek: Discovery and my character Gen Rhys had been thrust into the captain's chair, burdened with making life-and-death decisions for himself and his crew.

I can't believe this was happening to me.

It was a milestone for my character — the first time as acting captain on the Starship Discovery — but also an important moment for me as a lifelong fan of the franchise.

Sitting in that chair, I couldn't help but think of the iconic performances by Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew and Avery Brooks. The weight of their legacy was palpable, and being part of that tradition felt incredibly significant.

But my real concern wasn't the scene; it was the crisis unfolding at home.

At 3 a.m., my wife went into labour. When her contractions increased, we called our midwife at 9 a.m. Despite the unpredictability of childbirth, she assured me, based on her extensive experience, that it was OK for me to go to work. She mentioned that while it's not guaranteed, deliveries typically occur at night, offering me some peace of mind.

A screenshot of CBS/Paramount+ show Star Trek: Discovery.

I was contractually obligated to go into work that day and my wife reassured me that her contractions were only uncomfortable, not painful. She insisted I go.

With a heavy heart, I asked my neighbour to watch over my wife and to call me if there was any emergency. I would come home immediately, regardless of the consequences.

When I arrived at work, my castmates greeted me with joy. The higher-ups were quickly informed and a production head came down to assure me that everything was being done to expedite my departure. The shooting schedule was rearranged so all my scenes would be filmed first. I immediately called my wife to share the news.

As I spoke with her, another production head approached, offering congratulations and reiterating the plan. But he added, "If things get too crazy at home and we haven't finished, just bail." I told him my wife felt we were still in the early phases of labour, and we should still have time. He leaned in, gave me a hug, and whispered in my ear, "Just bail."

A man takes a photo of him sitting in a hair styling chair.

All hands on deck

I was at a loss for words — studios aren't obligated to accommodate actors in such situations. I've heard terrible stories of actors unable to attend births, weddings and even funerals due to rigid shooting schedules. Yet here, amid the bustling set of a multimillion-dollar shoot, this person was giving me permission to prioritize my family. It was a heartfelt gesture that I'll never forget.

Returning to the chair, it felt like an actual "all hands on deck" moment straight out of Star Trek. Each department rallied together with precision and urgency, and I could feel their support willing me forward. Together, we navigated the challenges of the day, ensuring I could fulfill my duty as both actor and father-to-be.

After what felt like an eternity, the first assistant director called out, "That's a wrap on Patrick. He's free to leave."

The cast and crew of Star-Trek: Discovery behind the scenes with the director.

I leaped out of my chair and shouted, "I'm going to have a baby!" to the applause of the cast and crew.

At this point, I had been at work for nine hours and it was 8 p.m. I rocketed out of that studio at warp speed. When I got home, my wife's contractions had reached the point where the midwife advised it was time to go to the hospital. I couldn't believe my luck. Despite the chaos of the day, I had made it just in time for the delivery.

Five hours later, as I held my newborn in my arms, I was overwhelmed with a sense of relief and profound joy. The juxtaposition of the day's events felt surreal — acting out life-and-death stakes on set only to experience the miracle of life in reality.

Patrick pictured with his baby in a sling around his front.

My child is now 20 months old. Just this weekend, I had the luxury of taking my child out for a morning stroll, pushing them for what felt like an eternity on the swings, and sitting in silence together on a park bench as I watched them slowly gobble up a muffin, basking in the absolute wonder of this little miracle. A gift. My gift.

Patrick's baby pictured from the chin down wearing a yellow Star-Trek shirt.

I am miles away from the fearful day on set and have come safely to the other side of things – just as I'm light-years from my youth when I feared becoming a parent because, in my naive mind, it meant getting trapped into something or sacrificing my career, time and energy.

But I think most parents would agree: what you gain is absolutely priceless. No longer do I find myself consumed with work or clinging desperately to career aspirations. I have reshaped my understanding of what's really important to me and my life is immensely richer for it.

The day I spent in the captain's chair on Discovery will forever be etched in my memory, not just for the professional milestone it represented but for the personal journey it paralleled. The lines between fiction and reality blurred, the weight of commanding a starship colliding with the anticipation of welcoming new life into the world.

It was a stark reminder of the beautiful, unpredictable nature of life, where our most significant moments often unfold in the most unexpected ways.

Do you have a compelling personal story that can bring understanding or help others? We want to hear from you. Here's  more info on how to pitch to us .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

chekov on star trek

Freelance contributor

Patrick Kwok-Choon was born and raised in Montreal. He is best known for the five seasons he spent on the hit CBS/Paramount+ show Star Trek: Discovery.

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  • These girls haven't hugged their fathers in years. A father-daughter dance in prison gave them the chance to.

Screen Rant

“that pissed me off”: enterprise actor gives his honest take on star trek: discovery’s finale twist.

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I'm Glad Star Trek Is Showing More Love To Scott Bakula’s Enterprise

Star trek: discovery’s incredible scott bakula enterprise twist explained, mcu & dc actor joining one piece season 2 makes another dream casting possible.

  • Dominic Keating was not happy with the twist in Star Trek: Discovery's finale, calling it "a slap in the face."
  • Keating expressed resentment towards Enterprise's Temporal War storyline and the underuse of his character.
  • Keating would have preferred a reference like Captain Sisko's baseball rather than the reveal that Doctor Kovich is Agent Daniels in Discovery's finale.

Star Trek: Enterprise 's Dominic Keating gives his honest reaction to Star Trek: Discovery 's finale twist, saying, "That pissed me off." Discovery 's series finale, "Life, Itself", saw the mysterious Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg) reveal his true identity to Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green): Kovich is really Daniels, the temporal agent played by Matt Winston, on Star Trek: Enterprise . The Kovich-is-Daniels bombshell didn't land with Dominic Keating when he watched Star Trek: Discovery 's series finale.

Kyle Hadyniak of TrekNews.net interviewed Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer about their new podcast, The D-Con Chamber , which will soon host Star Trek: Discovery 's Sonequa Martin-Green as a guest. Regarding Doctor Kovich turning out to be Agent Daniels from Star Trek: Enterprise , Keating did not mince words, calling the reveal "a slap in the face." Dominic went on to explain his "resentment" over Enterprise 's Temporal War storyline. Read his quote and watch the TrekNews.net video (Keating's comments are at the 31:00 mark) below:

Dominic Keating: That pissed me off, I gotta say. Well, only the last bit. [Kovich] turns out to be f—ing Daniels. I mean, really? That was a slap in the face. I’m gonna be honest with you. I mean, he was a lovely guy, that actor [Matt Winston] who came on to play the timeline guy… He was a sweetheart and a very good actor. But if I’m gonna be honest, it kind of used to piss me off that they bring him back two or three times a season for really good episodes. And I’d get the ‘Yes sir, no sir, three bags full, sir’ lines. All right. I mean, I was surfing. But there was resentment there, I gotta be [honest]. I wasn’t as resentful as some. They underused us, I think. And Christ knows, I’ve watched Enterprise now twice, and if I can understand that temporal timeline storyline… I still haven’t got a clue what the f— was going on. But the fact that they referenced Daniels at the end of Discovery was like, “Whatever.” (laughs) There you go. I’m being honest. I’d have rather had the baseball.

The baseball Dominic Keating refers to is the baseball belonging to Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which is one of the Easter eggs in Doctor Kovich's office in Star Trek: Discovery 's series finale.

Star Trek: Enterprise is now getting some long overdue recognition from new Star Trek and its heartwarming to see shoutouts to Scott Bakula's show.

Star Trek: Discovery's Kovich Is Daniels Enterprise Twist Explained

Discovery's homage to enterprise missed with dominic keating.

Doctor Kovich turning out to be Agent Daniels from Star Trek: Enterprise ingeniously answered the questions surrounding Star Trek: Discovery 's mystery man. Since his introduction in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Kovich took a keen interest in the time-traveling crew of the USS Discovery. Kovich's expertise was the Temporal Wars and the dangerous effects of time and interdimensional travel. While Kovich kept nearly everything he knew top secret, he had a peculiar fascination with antiquities, like writing with a pen and paper. Kovich turning out to be Daniels pays off his mystery and nicely bonds Star Trek: Discovery with its immediate predecessor, Star Trek: Enterprise.

Kovich's true identity means a character from Enterprise has been part of Discovery since season 3.

It's disappointing that Dominic Keating doesn't see Star Trek: Discovery' s Kovich reveal as it was intended: a nod toward the importance of Star Trek: Enterprise to the franchise. Kovich's true identity means a character from Enterprise has been part of Discovery since season 3, and has been sending Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery on missions ever since. However, Keating's reaction seems tied to his deeper "resentment" over how underutilized his character, Lt. Malcolm Reed, was on Enterprise . If anything, Kovich turning out to be Daniels makes the 22nd century of Star Trek: Enterprise vitally important to the 32nd century of Star Trek: Discovery and unifies the two opposite points of Star Trek 's thousand-year saga.

Star Trek: Discovery's series finale dropped a bombshell about Doctor Kovich tying back to Star Trek: Enterprise and the Temporal Cold War.

Star Trek: Discovery Has Homaged Enterprise Since Season 1

There has been lots of disco love to archer and enterprise.

In 2017, Star Trek: Discovery became the very next Star Trek series to premiere after Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005, and elements of Enterprise were baked into Discovery from its beginnings since the two prequels were only separated by 100 years in the Star Trek timeline. The original blue Starfleet uniforms on Star Trek: Discovery were a visual nod to the utilitarian blue Starfleet jumpsuits worn by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise. The Vulcan logic extremists who tried to kill Michael Burnham as a child are also rooted in the hostile and xenophobic Vulcans depicted in Star Trek: Enterprise .

Star Trek: Enterprise introduced the Denobulans via Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley).

When Star Trek: Discovery jumped to the 32nd century, the United Federation of Planets introduced the Archer Space Dock to rebuild and refurbish Starfleet's armada. The Archer Space Dock's unveiling came complete with the sound of "Archer's Theme" from Star Trek: Enterprise . In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, a Denobulan scientist, Dr. Hitoroshi Kreel, was one of the six 24th-century scientists who found and hid the Progenitors' technology , with Kreel using his science to help the water-deprived people of Halem'no. Doctor Kovich's reveal as Agent Daniels is just the final link between Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: Discovery .

Source: TrekNews.net

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Star Trek: Discovery (2017)

IMAGES

  1. Anton yelchin as Pavel Chekov in Satre Trek Into Darkness

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  2. Pavel Chekov

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  4. 'Star Trek': J.J. Abrams Won't Recast Anton Yelchin's Chekov

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  5. Pavel Chekov

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VIDEO

  1. STAR TREK After They Were Famous Part One

  2. I SAID: Ensign Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, sir

  3. Star Trek Online Ship Reviews

  4. Chekov Went Looking for Irina Galliulin

  5. STAR TREK After They Were Famous Part Two

  6. One Little Mistake

COMMENTS

  1. Pavel Chekov

    Pavel Andreievich Chekov (Russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe.. Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the second and third seasons of the original Star Trek series and the first seven Star Trek films. Anton Yelchin portrayed the character in the 2009 Star Trek reboot film and two sequels, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.

  2. Walter Koenig

    Walter Marvin Koenig (/ ˈ k eɪ n ɪ ɡ /; born September 14, 1936) is an American actor and screenwriter.He began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series (1967-1969). He went on to reprise this role in all six original-cast Star Trek films, and later voiced President Anton Chekov ...

  3. Pavel Chekov

    Pavel Andreievich Chekov (Russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) was a Human who served as a Starfleet officer during the latter half of the 23rd century. Although he mainly served as the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise and the USS Enterprise-A, he played a more variable role than the other senior staffmembers under Captain James T. Kirk. (Star Trek: The Original Series; Star ...

  4. Anton Yelchin In Star Trek & Tragic Death Explained

    As the navigator on the Starship Enterprise, Chekov aided in the defeat of Nero (Eric Bana), the Romulan time traveler who sought revenge against the United Federation of Planets for the destruction of Romulus.In Star Trek Into Darkness, the Enterprise faces off against the notorious tyrant, Khan Noonien-Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch), who reveals a Starfleet and Section 31 conspiracy.

  5. Walter Koenig

    Walter Koenig. Actor: Star Trek. Walter Koenig began his acting career in 1962 as an uncredited Sentry in the TV series Combat! (1962), and in the following few years had bit roles in several television shows, until he landed the role that would catapult his career in ways he could never have imagined, as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek's Original Series (Star Trek (1966)).

  6. Every Job Mr. Chekov Had In Star Trek

    Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) was an all-rounder throughout his Starfleet career, and fulfilled several job roles in both Star Trek: The Original Series and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies. While Chekov wasn't alone in his multitasking - hotshot pilot Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) started TOS in science - he was certainly the most prolific.Walter Koenig joined TOS in season 2 to cover for the ...

  7. The Best of Pavel Chekov

    The ensign joined the crew with Star Trek's second-season "Catspaw." Actor Walter Koenig's addition to The Original Series served two primary goals. ... Chekov proves that, even in the 23rd Century, no one enjoys a trip to the doctor's visit. Besides, don't punish him for his boyish good looks. Turns out, all you need is a healthy dose of ...

  8. Interview: Walter Koenig Talks New Memoir, Closure With William Shatner

    Walter Koenig appeared as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Orginal Series as well as in seven Trek feature films. The actor has just released Beaming Up and Getting Off: Life Before and Beyond Star ...

  9. Walter Koenig's 10 Best Star Trek Chekov Moments

    After Star Trek: The Original Series concluded in 1969, the cast went on to voice their respective characters in Star Trek: The Animated Series.Due to budgetary constraints, Walter Koenig's Pavel Chekov was the only character from the main cast not to appear in the animated show, with a new character, Lieutenant Arex (voiced by James Doohan), taking over the role of navigator.

  10. Koenig Recounts How He Got News of Landing Chekov Role

    Walter Koenig recently spoke to Parade Magazine for an interview that ran last week, and, among other things, he shared an amusing anecdote about how he got word that he'd landed his breakthrough role as Pavel Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series.

  11. Walter Koenig

    Walter Koenig (born 14 September 1936; age 87) is the actor and writer best known for playing Pavel Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series and in the first seven Star Trek movies. He was the only original cast member not to lend his voice to Star Trek: The Animated Series due to budgetary reasons, though he still contributed to the series by writing the episode "The Infinite Vulcan". His ...

  12. Picard Season 3 Finally Reveals the Future of a Beloved Original Series

    Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in The Original Series, voices his son Anton, the Federation president, in the series finale. Anton warns of a Borg invasion and his fate is unclear as the transmission cuts out.

  13. Anton Yelchin, new Star Trek's Chekov, dies in freak accident

    The actor died on Sunday. Anton Yelchin, the actor known for playing Chekov in the recent series of Star Trek reboot films, died in a freak accident in Los Angeles early Sunday morning. Left to ...

  14. The Original 'Star Trek's' Walter Koenig (That's Chekov!) on His Walk

    At last, at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on TV's original 1966-69 Star Trek series, will be the last of the seven main castmembers to get his star on the Hollywood Walk of ...

  15. Star Trek 's Anton Yelchin Talks Chekov Accent and Klingons

    In the new Star Trek movie, rebooting the franchise with all new actors playing the original Enterprise crew, Anton Yelchin is the new Chekov. Reinterpreting Walter Koenig's Russian starship lieutenant required some interesting linguistic decisions on Yelchin's part. "The thing is about Walter Koenig was his accent was interesting," said Yelchin.

  16. How Will 'Star Trek 4' Handle The Absence of Chekov?

    The news of the accidental death of Chekov actor Anton Yelchin at the young age of 27 was a shock to his family, friends, castmates, and fans. Yelchin can never be truly replaced, but as progress ...

  17. Pavel Chekov

    Pavel Andreievich Chekov (Russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) was a human Starfleet officer, best known for serving aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and USS Enterprise-A as navigator, weapons officer, and chief of security. Later in his career, he served as first officer aboard the USS Excelsior under Captain Hikaru Sulu, as captain of the USS Potemkin, USS Cydonia and USS ...

  18. Pavel Chekov's love interests on Star Trek: The Original Series

    One of Pavel Chekov's most well-known love interests is Irina Galliulin from "The Way to Eden". They drifted apart during their time at Starfleet Academy as Irina Galliulin considered Pavel Chekov too rigid and he considered her too free-spirited. When the Enterprise takes aboard Dr. Sevrin's acolytes, including Irina Galliulin, their ...

  19. Chekov's Star Trek: TOS & Picard History Explained

    Anton Chekov In Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Anton Chekov (Walter Koenig) is Star Trek: Picard 's new Federation President, who delivered a grave address to the rest of the galaxy during the Borg's attack on Frontier Day. Anton is confirmed to be the son of Star Trek: The Original Series ' Pavel Chekov, diverging from his father's Starfleet past ...

  20. Why wasn't Chekov among the Star Trek: The Animated Series crew?

    In-universe, according to StarTrek.com:. Ensign Pavel Chekov transferred to a new assignment during the final year of the U.S.S. Enterprise's historic five-year mission (2269-70), replaced by his own navigation instructor at Starfleet Academy, Lt. Arex.By stardate 7410.2 (2271), Chekov had received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant, and had rejoined the Enterprise's crew, then under the ...

  21. Anton Yelchin's Chekov Accent In Star Trek Was Inaccurate On ...

    While making press tours for the 2009 "Star Trek" film, Yelchin naturally made a stop in Moscow to address the Russian press. The actor said that Russia loved Chekov despite the inaccuracy of his ...

  22. 30 Best Star Trek Characters, Ranked

    Space, the final frontier… Incredibly, Star Trek has been part of our lives for nearly 60 years, ever since the original series (or TOS in Trek lingo) premiered on CBS on Sept. 8, 1966.

  23. walter ___ (chekov on "star trek") Crossword Clue

    Answers for walter ___ (chekov on %22star trek%22) crossword clue, 6 letters. Search for crossword clues found in the Daily Celebrity, NY Times, Daily Mirror, Telegraph and major publications. Find clues for walter ___ (chekov on %22star trek%22) or most any crossword answer or clues for crossword answers.

  24. Star Trek 4 Already Has The Perfect New Chekov Setup

    When the long-awaited Star Trek 4 hits movie theaters in 2023, Anton Yelchin sadly won't be part of the film but Star Trek Beyond already set up the ideal character to succeed Ensign Pavel Chekov on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Paramount and J.J. Abrams announced that the next Star Trek movie will reunite the cast led by Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Mr ...

  25. Star Trek Prequel Movie In The Works With Star Wars Director

    In addition to Pine, Saldana, and Quinto, the latest Star Trek movie series featured John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Yelchin tragically died in 2016 at the age of 27 after a motor ...

  26. As my Star Trek character commanded the weight of a starship, I was

    Patrick Kwok-Choon found himself in the captain's chair on set during a shoot for Star Trek: Discovery. But as his character was having a big moment, the actor was having an even bigger one off ...

  27. "That Pissed Me Off": Enterprise Actor Gives His Honest Take On Star

    Doctor Kovich turning out to be Agent Daniels from Star Trek: Enterprise ingeniously answered the questions surrounding Star Trek: Discovery's mystery man. Since his introduction in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Kovich took a keen interest in the time-traveling crew of the USS Discovery.Kovich's expertise was the Temporal Wars and the dangerous effects of time and interdimensional travel.