chekov star trek actor

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.

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.

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.

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.

Walter Koenig

Born September 14 , 1936 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birth name Walter Marvin Koenig
Height 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
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) ). He went on to reprise that role in all 7 of the original Star Trek movies (The 7th movie, Star Trek: Generations (1994) was mostly ST: The Next Generation, but had the original series section at the beginning, and Kirk at the end), as well as voicing the same character in several of the video games. He has continued to reprise that character in several different Star Trek video's, and TV series, rising in rank to Lieutenant, Commander, Captain and Admiral through the years (his most recent being Admiral Chekov in the pilot of Star Trek: Renegades (2015) , which never launched, but that evolved to Renegades (2017) , a 2 part, crowd-funded, fan-made mini series that also stars fellow Original Series star Nichelle Nichols (as a character NOT named 'Uhura'). Since it was Fan-Made (and to avoid violating studio rights) they couldn't use the Star Trek Character's names, like Uhura or Chekov, so they simply called him 'The Admiral'. (however the uniforms and technology are remarkably Star Trek like.) He also had a recurring role of the quintessential scoundrel Bester on the television series Babylon 5 (1993) . He has been the "Special Guest Star" in twelve episodes and, at the end of the third season, the production company applied for an Emmy nomination on his behalf. He once again played Bester in the spin-off series Crusade (1999) . In between filming the 4th and 5th Star Trek films he took his first leading role in the video feature, Moontrap (1988) . In an interactive state-of-the-art video game from Digital Pictures called Maximum Surge (1996) , Koenig played as Drexel, another scoundrel. Walter worked in the low budget feature film Drawing Down the Moon (1997) from Chaos Productions, and has star billing as a German psychologist in the martial arts picture, Sworn to Justice (1996) . A one character piece that Koenig wrote and performed entitled "You're Never Alone when You're a Schizophrenic" was a finalist in the 1996 New York Film Festival awards. Koenig filmed a guest appearance as himself on the CBS situation comedy Almost Perfect (1995) , did sketch comedy on the Comedy Central series "Viva Variety" (1996) and performed on an ESPN sports commercial that aired in the spring of 1998. Walter also hosted a cult movie marathon for Comedy Central. It played once a week for the course of a month. Koenig's autobiography, "Warped Factors - A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe" was released through Taylor Publishing on April 1, 1998. The audio tape reading of the book by the author has been released through Dove Video in January 1999. Koenig performed as the Shadow Guy in an episode of Diagnosis Murder (1993) and went to New York to perform in a new radio broadcast version of "War of the Worlds" in tribute to both H.G. Wells and Orson Welles. From "The Girls of Summer" to "The Boys in Autumn", Koenig's stage career spans thirty years and includes stops in New York with "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Quince) and "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (Oldest Son). In Chicago, he guested in "Make a Million" (Johnny) opposite Jackie Coogan and on the road -- from Arizona to Philadelphia -- Mark Lenard (Sarek: Spock's father) and he performed in the short plays "Box and Cox" (Box) and "Actors" (Dave). They also toured in a two character play, "The Boys in Autumn", the comedy-drama about the reunion of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn forty years later. By himself, Koenig also starred as Larry the Liquidator in "Other People's Money" in Reno, Nevada. His Los Angeles productions include "Steambath" (God), "The White House Murder Case" (Captain Weems), "Night Must Fall" (Danny), "La Ronde" (Gentleman), "The Typist and the Tiger" (Paul), and "The Deputy" (Jacobson) among almost two dozen others ("Blood Wedding", "The Collection", et al.). Directorial credits include "Hotel Paradiso" for Company of Angles, "Beckett" for Theatre 40, "America Hurrah!" at the Oxford Theater, "Twelve Angry Men" at the Rita Hayworth Theatre, "Matrix" at the Gascon Theatre Institute, and "Three by Ten" at Actor's Alley. Walter has performed in the television movies Antony and Cleopatra (1984) (Pompey) opposite Timothy Dalton and Lynn Redgrave as well as the MOW's Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971) and The Questor Tapes (1974) . Walter has written for the television series The Powers of Matthew Star (1982) , What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977) , Family (1976) , Land of the Lost (1974) , and the animated Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) series. This actor-writer has seen publication with the non-fiction "Chekov's Enterprise" and the satiric fantasy novel "Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot". He also created the three issues of the comic book story "Raver" published by Malibu Comics. Koenig has taught classes in acting and directing privately at UCLA, The Sherwood Oaks Experimental Film College and at the California School of Professional Psychology. Most recently, he has been an instructor at the Actor's Alley Repertory Company in Los Angeles, California. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
Walter was educated at Grinnel College, Iowa the UCLA graduating with a degree in psychology. During high school he acted in 'Peer Gynt' and The Devil's Disciple' and during the Summer holidays from college he performed in Summer Stock in Vermont. After graduating he enrolled in New York's Neighbourhood playhouse for a while before returning to the West coast where his first job was as Irving da Dope in 'Day In Court'. While appearing in 'The Lieutenant' he met Gene Roddenberry which together with playing a Russian defector in an episode of 'Mr Novak' led to him being cast as Ensign Chekov in the 2nd tv series of 'Star Trek'. Away from acting he's written scripts for 'The Powers Of Matthew Star', 'Family', 'The Incredible Hulk, and the animated 'Star Trek' series - IMDb Mini Biography By: tonyman5
A man of many parts Walter is an actor, writer, director, producer and teacher. Born to Lithuanian parents he was raised in New York and attended varioius public schools through to the 6th grade then attended Fieldston High School.in the Riverdale area of the Bronx where he became interested in drama. He took the lead in Peer Gynt and played Dick Dudgeon in The Devils Disciple, Despite this he enrolled at Grinnell College in Iowa intending to be a psychiatrist and later transferred to the University of California in Los Angeles where he graduated with a degree in psychology but he had an ambition to act and while in college was in Summer Stock in Vermont and on graduation enrolled at the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York, Two years later he returned to the West Coast and his first acting job as Irving in Day in Court. He then had guest roles in the television series Columbo .Ironside, Mannix, Ben Casey, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Untouchables. He made his film debut in The Deadly Honeymoon and appeared off Broadway in Six Characters in Search of an Author. Back on television he was in the tv films The Quester Tapes, and Goodbye Raggedy Ann. Since Star Trek ended he devotes his time to writing which included several tele plays including episodes of The Family, The Class of 65. He wrote and produced the low budget film I Wish I May and directed 3 plays Hotel Paradise, American Hurrah and Beckett in LA, He made a Video production of Anthony and Cleopatra with Lynn Redgrave and wrote 'Chekov's Enterprise' about the making of Star Trek the Motion Picture. He's married to, the actress Judy Levitt and have 2 children Joshua and Danielle - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5
Spouses Judy Levitt (July 11, 1965 - December 9, 2022) (her death, 2 children) Anjanette Comer (divorced)
Children Danielle Koenig Andrew Koenig
Parents Isadore Koenig Sarah Strauss Koenig
Unique Chekov accent in which he pronounces V as W, e.g. "nuclear vessels" becomes "nuclear wessels"
Ensign Pavel Chekov on Star Trek (1966) and seven of the Star Trek films
His Russian accent is faked on the series, albeit his parents really were from Russia.
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6679 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 10, 2012 (four days before his 76th birthday).
Attended and graduated from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa with a major in pre-med. Transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received his Bachelor's degree in psychology.
Was the only Enterprise crew member to interact face-to-face with Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Montalban ) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) . Ironically, Khan recognizes him even though he did not appear on the original series episode "Space Seed".
His son, Andrew Koenig , committed suicide on February 14, 2010.
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!".
Star Trek (1966) has given me a considerable amount of satisfaction and a certain amount of respect in the industry community and among people who watch television and movies. I enjoy that. I enjoy feeling good about myself. God knows it's easy enough for me to feel bad about myself -- I need all the support I can get. Star Trek deserves the respect it has received. If I'm going to be aligned with something, it might as well be something that makes a worthwhile statement most of the time. No, I don't have any regrets about my involvement with Star Trek.
[on being cast as Pavel Chekov] I was only one of two people who auditioned for the part, which is quite extraordinary. Considering that this has so materially effected the last 35 years of my life... a couple of hours after I auditioned, I heard that I had gotten the role.

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Tributes pour in for late 'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin

Actor Anton Yelchin, best known for his role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek movie series, has died in what is being labelled a "freak accident" involving his own car.

Los Angeles police found the actor in his driveway at around 1am PST on Sunday morning. The cause of death has been declared accidental by authorities, with LAPD spokesperson Jenny Houser telling The Hollywood Reporter : "It appears he momentarily exited his car and it rolled backward, causing trauma that led to his death."

Born in what is now Saint Petersburg, Russia on 11 March 1989, Yelchin's parents Irina and Viktor – both figure skaters who had qualified for the 1972 Olympics but were prevented from competing by the former Soviet regime – moved the family to the USA when Anton was six months old.

Anton Yelchin's movie debut came in 2000's independent film A Man is Mostly Water . He also appeared on television in series such as E.R., Hearts in Atlantis, and Huff . His big screen career took off in 2009 when he appeared as Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation and the JJ Abrams-directed Star Trek .

Yelchin would go on to resume the role of Chekov in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness in its impending sequel, Star Trek Beyond , and appear in numerous movies including 2011's Fright Night remake, Odd Thomas , and Only Lovers Left Alive . He also lent his voice to animated feature The Pirates! and the English language dub of Studio Ghibli's From Up on Poppy Hill .

Tributes to the young actor have flooded in, praising his charm and charisma, and mourning the loss of such a talent so young.

Trek director and producer JJ Abrams tweeted a note reading "Anton - you were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented. And you weren't here nearly long enough. Missing you, JJ."

In a further statement to Entertainment Weekly , Abrams said "Anton was our little brother. But only by years; he was as wise and clever and intellectually curious as anyone we ever knew. His laugh was preposterous – you couldn’t hear it and not laugh yourself. He was funny, edgy, wild and talented beyond measure. His focus and dedication was admirable, as was his love of family, friends, literature and music."

"We loved Anton, at work or at play. We are all shocked and numb and devastated by the world’s loss of an extraordinary young man. To his family, we send you our love during this impossible time. We will miss Anton forever."

Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the Star Trek film series, also released a statement. It said: "All of us at Paramount join the world in mourning the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin. As a member of the Star Trek family, he was beloved by so many and he will missed by all. We share our deepest condolences with his mother, father and family."

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Yelchin's Star Trek cast mates also paid tribute. John Cho, who plays Sulu, said "I loved Anton Yelchin so much. He was a true artist - curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I'm in ruins," and "Please send your love to Anton's family right now. They need it."

Zoe Saldana - Lt Uhura - said "Devastated by our friend's loss. We are mourning his passing and celebrating the beautiful spirit that he was. #RIPAnton".

Justin Lin, director of Star Trek Beyond added "Still in shock. Rest in peace, Anton. Your passion and enthusiasm will live on with everyone that had the pleasure of knowing you."

Dozens of other Trek cast and crew, both past and present, have also paid their respects to Yelchin, though it was perhaps a fan tribute to the late actor that most poignantly hits home .

Yelchin will be posthumously seen in Star Trek Beyond , released 22 July, 2016's Porto and We Don't Belong Here , and 2017's Thoroughbred .

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

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Anton Yelchin, ‘Star Trek’ Actor, Dies at 27

By Dave Itzkoff

June 19, 2016

Anton Yelchin, who played the young incarnation of Chekov, an excitable officer on the Starship Enterprise, in the rebooted “Star Trek” movie series, died early Sunday morning when he was pinned by his car in his driveway at his home in Los Angeles. He was 27.

Officer Jenny Houser of the Los Angeles Police Department said Mr. Yelchin was hit around 1:10 a.m. The car, an SUV, had rolled backward down a steep driveway and trapped him against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.

Officer Houser said he was found dead by friends who had come to his house, in the Studio City neighborhood, after he did not show up for a rehearsal.

(On Monday, The Associated Press reported that the vehicle, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was one of 1.1. million vehicles recalled by the manufacturer, Fiat Chrysler, in April because their gear shifters had confused drivers, causing the vehicles to roll away, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records.)

Mr. Yelchin was born on March 11, 1989, in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, in what was then the Soviet Union. His parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, were superstar figure skaters with the Leningrad Ice Ballet.

But the Yelchins, who are Jewish, fled the Soviet Union six months later, facing political and religious oppression and fearing for their son’s safety. They settled in Los Angeles. His parents survive him.

“It is a very bad situation over there,” Viktor Yelchin told The Los Angeles Times . “I would get angry, too — I’d say, ‘Why should we have to buy things on the black market? Why should we have to stand in line?’”

As a child actor, Anton made memorable appearances on television shows like “ER,” “The Practice” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” on which he played a child magician who frustrates Larry David with a card trick.

He also appeared in the films “Charlie Bartlett” (2007), with Robert Downey Jr., in which he played the title role, a talkative student who appoints himself his school’s resident therapist, and “Alpha Dog” (2006), in which he played an innocent boy who becomes an unwitting pawn in a drug war.

His breakthrough came in the director J. J. Abrams’s 2009 resuscitation of “Star Trek,” the venerable science-fiction adventure franchise. Mr. Yelchin was cast as Pavel Chekov, the Russian-born Starfleet officer portrayed by Walter Koenig in the original “Star Trek” television series and movies.

As played by Mr. Yelchin, Chekov was endearingly antic, humorously navigating his way through high-pressure scenarios and — even in the 23rd century — having difficulty with the “V” sounds in words like “Victor” and “Vulcan.”

Mr. Yelchin reprised the role in a 2013 sequel, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” and will be seen in a third film, “Star Trek Beyond,” to be released this summer.

His other recent roles included the voice of Clumsy Smurf in two “Smurfs” movies and a member of a punk-rock band fighting its way out of a neo-Nazi skinhead club in the horror film “Green Room” (2015).

His co-stars mourned his death on social media. In an Instagram post , Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the new “Star Trek” movies, wrote that Mr. Yelchin was “one of the most open and intellectually curious people I have ever had the pleasure to know.” In a post on Twitter , John Cho, who plays Sulu in the new movies, called Mr. Yelchin “a true artist — curious, beautiful, courageous.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin crushed to death at Studio City home

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Anton Yelchin, a charismatic and rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, has died at the age of 27 after a freak accident at his Studio City home, his publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed.

Yelchin's friends went to his house in the 3800 block of Berry Drive at about 1 a.m. Sunday when he failed to show up for a rehearsal meeting. Authorities from the LAPD Valley Traffic Division said he was pinned between a car and a mailbox pillar in his driveway.

The actor's car was in neutral and running when it appeared to have gone down the bottom of the steep driveway, killing Yelchin, authorities said.

Police said no foul play was suspected, and it was unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

Yelchin started small with roles in indie films and various television shows before breaking out in films like the crime thriller "Alpha Dog" and the teenage comedy "Charlie Bartlett." His biggest role to date has been in the rebooted "Star Trek" films - the third of which, "Star Trek Beyond," comes out in July.

MORE: "Star Trek" co-stars, celebrities react to tragic death of actor Anton Yelchin

The official "Star Trek" Twitter page posted the news saying "We're saddened to report the passing of Anton Yelchin, best known as Chekov."

Director J.J. Abrams, who cast Yelchin in the "Star Trek" franchise, wrote in a statement that he was, "brilliant ... kind ... funny as hell, and supremely talented."

Actor Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the reboot, posted a tribute on Instagram of his friend and colleague.

The post read: "Our dear friend. Our comrade. Our Anton. One of the most open and intellectually curious people I have ever had the pleasure to know. So enormously talented and generous of heart. Wise beyond his years. And gone before his time. All love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief."

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. Yelchin's family requested privacy at this time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Published Sep 14, 2016

Happy 80th Birthday, Walter Koenig

Walter Koenig, Star Trek 's original and iconic Pavel Chekov, turns 80 years old today. The actor/writer was born in Chicago to Isadore and Sarah Koenig on September 14, 1936. He, of course, earned his greatest measure of fame playing Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series and in seven feature films, but his acting credits span from The Untouchables, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Lieutenant and Gidget to Columbo, Babylon 5 and Moontrap , as well as the stage show The Boys of Autumn . He's written comic books, including Raver , as well as episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series , Land of the Lost, Family and The Powers of Matthew Star . Further, he's directed and taught, and also supported a wide variety of charities and human rights causes. He received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 10, 2012 during a ceremony in which he was surrounded by family, friends and such Trek co-stars as Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols and George Takei.

As part of StarTrek.com 's celebration of Koenig's big 8-0 today, we're pleased to re-share a guest blog by former Starlog editor David McDonnell, in which he recounts how his long professional relationship with Koenig got off to a horrible start. Check it out:

Walter Koenig wasn’t happy with me. And who could blame him? He was calling from the set of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , a soundstage nestled on the Paramount Pictures lot in California. I was in my Starlog office in New York City (Park Avenue, 32nd Street). I had no idea why Koenig wanted to chat with me. After all, we had met once but extremely briefly at a Boston Starlog Festival convention engineered by Creation Entertainment a year earlier. He knew Starlog Publisher Kerry O’Quinn and our ex-columnist David (“ The Trouble with Tribbles ”) Gerrold, but me? As Starlog ’s Editor, I was just a name on the magazine’s masthead.Koenig was direct. And, of course, he didn’t speak in the Russian accent of Pavel Chekov. Actor, you know. He had done a phone interview with a Starlog writer that week (assigned by me), and he was concerned about it. He wanted to read the story before Starlog published it.

Let’s break here for two paragraphs of explanatory matter. Skip them if you want to Choose Your Own Anecdotal Adventure. Everyone else, here’s the thing: As a product of the Watergate-spawned wave of young journalists in the 1970s, I was all Bob-Woodward-and-Carl-Bernsteined up. While at West Virginia’s Bethany College, I even took an independent study course on, yes, Communications Ethics. Topics included “checkbook journalism” (paying folks to talk) and granting interviewees (or their reps) pre-publication story/quote approval. Both were big no-nos!Well, it was years later, but I was still serious about this stuff. I had (and have) delusions of journalism. Starlog may only have been covering entertainment (movies, TV, books, animation, comics, pop culture) but, journalistically speaking, we weren’t going to do anything that Time or Newsweek wouldn’t. On the other hand, they (and other esteemed outlets like The New Yorker ) employ “fact-checkers” who might consult interviewees before publication to confirm a story’s basic facts and even “readback” relevant quotes over the phone. Starlog ’s policy—firmly (and formally) established after a 1984 incident—was this: Nobody ever got to read a story pre-publication except those crafting it for print (writers, editors, proofreaders and the article’s art director). And at Starlog , editors were our own fact-checkers, consulting reference works and colleagues’ expertise. We didn’t do “readbacks.”

But, back to Koenig. He asked to see the article. And I didn’t even pause to think. “NO. We don’t do that! It’s against company policy,” I declared in a particularly idealistic, incredibly arrogant, certainly smug manner. And I added, “We don’t show stories to George Lucas or Steven Spielberg, so we can’t show you your story.” Even then, that addition sounded condescending, which wasn’t my intent, but... Koenig was taken aback. After all, he had — uniquely among Trek actors at the time (followed by George Takei and John de Lancie years later) — written for Starlog with a three-part excerpt from Chekov’s Enterprise (issues #30-32). He was “one of us.” So (a point I didn’t then consider), perhaps he deserved some consideration. Nonetheless, confrontation continued. “Fine!” Koenig exclaimed. “If I can’t read it before, I’d rather you just not print it at all.”

Now, I was taken aback — and riding tall on my sanctimonious journalistic high (hobby) horse. “Fine!” I exclaimed. “Then, we won’t!”

“All right. They need me on set,” Koenig announced and said goodbye. “Bye,” I said and hung up, too. Uhhhmm, that went well.Now, you don’t have to post critical comments of my handling of this ancient situation; I realized within seconds, three decades ago, that I had screwed it all up. Koenig was blameless. Essentially, I had taken his simple request (reasonable to some, not so per journalistic rules) and transformed it into (at best) nuclear warfare or (at worst) Ragnarok. But, I was young and foolish. A relative rookie, I had served as Starlog ’s Editor for little more than a year then, and I was tortured by others constantly second- and third-guessing me (and me fourth-guessing myself, too). That year, I was especially overwhelmed by work (editing 26+ issues of Starlog, Fangoria and other titles).

But... what had the actor declared in the interview that had caused him enough post-conversation concern so as to ring me? Had he inadvertently revealed some plot twist from The Voyage Home ? (SPOILER ALERT: Here Be Whales! Kirk & Company Save Earth, Get New Enterprise) Had Koenig been too candid or overly critical? Apparently, he had second thoughts about something he said, fearing (I was later told) that his comments might be misinterpreted. But what had been said? There was only one way to find out. I called my writer, briefed him on the situation and requested that he give me the cassette tape the next time he was in town. I wanted to listen to the interview and find out what’s what. Maybe if I knew what was specifically the problem, I could call Koenig and find a middle path to a solution satisfying to all. Maybe even (like Newsweek or The New Yorker ) “readback” only the quotes? So, my writer dutifully put the cassette in his shoulder bag and flew off to a West Coast media event. He left the bag in the press hotel suite and proceeded to an inner room where he interviewed another celebrity, then returned for his belongings. Baboom! The whole bag was missing. Vanished! While he was inside doing one interview, someone had stolen the other. For all practical purposes, that untranscribed (!?!) Koenig chat no longer existed and thus certainly couldn’t be published by Starlog . No need for further brouhaha now. Ironic, eh?

That troublesome talk was gone, but life went on. Afterwards, as fate would have it, I increasingly kept running into Koenig at SF conventions. We were frequently fellow guests. We sat side-by-side at autograph tables, judged costume contests together and dined with con staffers. All those times, I was on my best behavior. I still had regrets about that incident and no desire to remind him of any unpleasantness. And I didn’t want to commit any new felonies, either.

So, I got to know Walter Koenig. Many, many of you have had a similar opportunity because he’s been such a frequent convention guest since the 1970s. If you haven’t gotten his autograph and/or chatted with him at a con, a cruise or some personal appearance, you just haven’t been trying. Koenig has been a warm, charming, if sometimes world-weary, presence at so many Trek conventions. I’ve witnessed firsthand as he was extremely generous to eager fans, gracious to clueless media and kind to perfect strangers; I’ve also seen him deal firmly with the occasional idiot (uhhhmm, you know, like me). Fortunately, all this togetherness led to unexpected friendship. Koenig (I believe) came to think I wasn’t a total fool. And I must admit that my character references got an upgrade when I began dating a young woman whom Koenig had known since she was a teenager. After all, if she (like me, a Syracuse University Graduate School alum) could put up with me, maybe I wasn’t so bad. Hapless and hopeless, yes, rumpled but not without merit.

Wrapping up, let me share a kaleidoscope of Koenig encounters here and there over the years: In 1989, in Florida, Seatrek organizers Joe Motes, Ruthanne Devlin & Carroll Page took a busload of guests and staffers on a post-cruise airboat tour of the Everglades. After the alligators, we stopped at a restaurant (where Starlog Managing Editor Eddie Berganza informed on me, revealing my new status that May Monday). That’s when Koenig, Takei, Jimmy Doohan, Grace Lee Whitney and assembled friends and celebrities sang “Happy Birthday” to me.

We had our brush with death in Canada. Peter Bloch-Hansen ( Starlog ’s Canadian Correspondent) chauffeured me on a tour throughout Toronto of my favorite places (used bookstores!), and Koenig opted to come along. I sat shotgun upfront, Koenig in the rear passenger seat. And Bloch-Hansen, bless him, made a left hand turn from the right lane just as the stoplight changed against us, across three lanes of impatient traffic. Yes, he did. Unbelievably, this was my second or third near-accident while a vehicle passenger alongside a Trek celebrity. The next came soon after when (much to our open-mouthed incredulity) Bloch-Hansen repeated that same kind of turn at another intersection. Yes, yes, he did. Two nods with death in less than 90 minutes. Baboom!Down Under in Australia in 1993, Koenig brought his wife Judy and daughter Danielle on the Denver-based Starland Conventions tour. I was the other guest. The four of us took a pleasant boat ride together (alongside Starland pals Phil Watson & Sharon Macy-Watson) upriver to a wildlife sanctuary outside Brisbane, Queensland. There we ogled emus, petted kangaroos and held koalas (I have the pictures to prove it).

Australia is where, over a crowded dinner with the Starland gang, I finally brought up that seven-year-old incident, noted my regrets and privately apologized to Koenig. Also, we discussed Babylon 5 , then debuting as a TV movie. Koenig was hopeful it would go to series since B5 creator J. Michael Straczynski had promised him an eventual role. I felt the human characters weren’t as intriguing as the aliens, wondering if this would affect the show’s prospects. I was slightly right (a few human roles were reconceived and recast), but fortunately mostly wrong. B5 soon became a beloved SF TV saga, giving Koenig his second best role ever (after Chekov) — as Psi Corps’ Alfred Bester. Actually, Koenig believes it's been his best role.

Over in Pennsylvania, he did a con where my Mom & Dad were on hand to assist our friend the promoter (their only stint at an admissions table). Koenig charmed them, dining at a local Applebee’s with them and other staffers. I was at a Walt Disney World press event and didn’t even attend this con. Still, he was especially nice to my parents.In Illinois, my girl friend and I watched Koenig and Mark Lenard rehearse Bernard Sabath’s fine play The Boys of Autumn . It’s the bittersweet tale of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn meeting again late in life and reliving their triumphs and tragedies. Getting to Chicago early Friday, we were privileged to see a rehearsal and later the full performance Saturday night. We even met Boys director Allan (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ) Hunt and playwright Sabath. Koenig was terrific as the troubled Tom Sawyer.

Back in New York, Koenig and wife Judy dropped by Starlog ’s Manhattan offices, joining the select group of celebrities who toured the place (Takei, de Lancie, Arthur C. Clarke, Clive Barker, Paul & Linda McCartney, David Prowse, etc.). We had coffee downstairs and talked about Broadway, conventions and mutual friends.

Like most of his TOS colleagues, Koenig wrote an autobiography. Relaxing in New Jersey, I read Warp Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe (Taylor, 1998). It’s a candid memoir. And who knew that Koenig, as a youngish summer camp counselor, had known a frequent camp visitor, one of my heroes, legendary folk singer Pete Seeger? Good company! And a good book! Recommended reading.Out in California many years after our Chekov’s Enterprise excerpts, Koenig wrote another article for Starlog (“Are You Who I Think I Am?”), detailing offbeat personal appearances, some made alongside Doohan, Takei and Nichelle Nichols. I published it in issue #233. And he gladly did more interviews not only with the writer involved in that earlier incident, but with Starlog , too, talking to Lynne Stephens, Howard Weinstein, Lee Goldberg, Marc Shapiro, Ian Spelling, Martha J. Bonds, David J. Creek and others. He even gave me quotes for a couple multi-voice survey pieces I was writing. So, all forgiven, I think.

What did I learn from all this? Well, it’s what you all already knew: Walter Koenig is a great guy. I’m (still) sorry we started off as inadvertent adversaries, but I’m glad that our bad beginning was overcome by better days. Like legions of Star Trek fans worldwide, I’m pleased to have made his acquaintance. David McDonnell, "the maitre’d of the science fiction universe," has dished up coverage of pop culture for more than three decades. Beginning his professional career in 1975 with the weekly "Media Report" news column in The Comic Buyers’ Guide , he joined Jim Steranko’s Mediascene Prevue in 1980. After 31 months as Starlog ’s Managing Editor (beginning in October 1982), he became that pioneering SF magazine’s longtime Editor (1985-2009). He also served as Editor of its sister publications Comics Scene, Fangoria and Fantasy Worlds . At the same time, he edited numerous licensed movie one-shots ( Star Trek and James Bond films, Aliens, Willow , etc.) and three ongoing official magazine series devoted to Trek TV sagas ( The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager ). He apparently still holds this galaxy’s record for editing more magazine pieces about Star Trek in total than any other individual, human or alien. ©2016 David McDonnell

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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.

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)
2 Jamaharon

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EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Anton Yelchin, Chekov in ‘Star Trek’

| May 8, 2009 | By: Anthony Pascale 53 comments so far

Even though he just turned twenty, Anton Yelchin has already built over two dozen acting credits in less than a decade, including two big movies this month, Terminator Salvation and a certain Star Trek movie. In our exclusive interview we talk about how this Russian-born actor shaped the role (and accent) for the new Chekov and much more. We also have a new image of Yelchin as Chekov. [interview contains SPOILERS]

TrekMovie interview with Anton Yelchin

TrekMovie.com: I hate to do this but I am going to start off with the accent.

Yelchin: Well the accent is what makes it.

TrekMovie: In my review, it is one of the areas I had some difficulty with. I am one of those who would be OK with things being different. How much of a discussion with J.J. was there on the level of genuine ‘Russian-ness’ to put into it?

Yelchin: I wanted it to be close to the Chekov accent, I guess that is where our opinions differ. I have no problem doing a real Russian accent, but that wouldn’t be Chekov to me. The interesting thing about it is that his accent is a cold-war stereotype of a Russian person. And when I watched the series and the films, that is what I found interesting about it. And I adjusted it, it is not entirely the same, but Walter [Koenig] came on set and was like “that sounds like me.” And that is what was fun for me. As a person familiar with a Russian accent, and someone with Russian roots who can speak Russian and knows what Russian people sound like, it was fun to purposefully mess around with the Russian accent — to purposefully change what I thought a Russian accent was to suit that stereotype they had in the sixties.

TrekMovie: What does your family think of your version of Chekov’s Russian accent?

Yelchin: They think it’s great. We’re Russian, but not very Russian at the same time. There is no nationalism, there is no pride. It is a very difficult country to come from. I think they find it just as amusing as I did.

TrekMovie: I noticed that for the world tour you only did one stop, Moscow.

Yelchin: [laughs] Yeah, that was a no-brainer.

TrekMovie: What was the reaction from the Russian press to your portrayal?

Yelchin: They love it. There are certain things in the movie that are very Russian that is difficult for an American audience to pick up on. Like when [Kirk and Sulu] free fall and I capture them and I say something in Russian… [says Russian phrase]…it means “Oh man!” basically, which is something I ad-libbed. Which goes back to what I was saying. Chekov never speaks Russian in the series, and that was Russian slang. And that that is something I decided to add just for the hell of it because JJ [Abrams] said ‘throw in some Russian, let’s do it for fun.’ It was just a moment that needed some kind of reaction, and they loved it out there. It is one of those things that Russian people get . I think Russian people are very happy with Chekov because he is one of the few Russian characters in American pop culture history that is not the Red Dawn kind of Russians.

TrekMovie: Right, there is nothing villainous about him. In fact, there is something new about this Chekov that I liked, which is that he is this kind of genius. He is seventeen, but already out of the Academy, so he must have gone in when he was pretty young. And Chekov figures out how to save them from the free fall and how to get onto the Narada. So this Chekov knows his physics and science, did you do any research to help you understand that angle?

Yelchin: No, most of my research involved reading the Star Trek Encyclopedia and watching the series and doing Trek research.

TrekMovie: You did a lot of that, Chris [Pine] said that after watching the first half of the first season he stopped.

Yelchin: I kept going. I loved it. I even watched the episodes that Chekov wasn’t in. The ones that he was in I found interesting, like when they go to a bar in “The Troubles With Tribbles” and they have a drink, I liked that. And that one with Apollo and the hand [“Who Mourns for Adonais”], I thought that was hilarious. I really got into the show.

TrekMovie: Which one was your favorite?

Yelchin: Probably the one with Apollo. I think is such an intelligent episode. It is an episode where the basic point is that humanity — looking at it in terms of the 60s when men are their own gods and look at where they brought their universe to. It was such a fascinating, touching, weird thing to have an episode where men come to a planet where a god wants to be a god again. I also love the episode where Spock is PMSing and where Kirk has to fight Spock [“Amok Time”].

TrekMovie: Now in this film you never get off the ship…

Yelchin: I barely get off the bridge!

TrekMovie: So what would you like to see for Chekov’s arc going forward?

Yelchin: I don’t know, I haven’t given it much thought and I agree with Chris [Pine] that it is kind of presumptuous to sit around and think about sequels before this comes out. It would be great to play this character again and I just got started with it. I got to do what I got to do, but it would be fun to see where I could take it.

TrekMovie: You are in two big May movies. How would you describe the differences between working on Terminator Salvation and Star Trek , and the differences between McG and J.J.?

Yelchin: Well first of all the visions between the two movies is so different. The universe of Star Trek is a very positive, optimistic universe. And in Terminator it is just the most f–ked up universe, to put it bluntly. So it was two totally different characters and two totally different looks. The closest this Trek movie comes to Terminator is Nero’s ship, but even that is not as disgusting as the filth-ridden universe of Terminator . The sets, costumes, and the philosophy behind it is totally different. The philosophy of Terminator is: what makes us human in the face of us losing all humanity and being destroyed — how can we preserve our humanity? With the characters, Chekov is like the Star Trek universe, joyous, fun. Kyle Reese is anxiety-ridden, paranoid, angry, unhappy, the list goes on — vulnerable, not to say Chekov isn’t vulnerable, but just in a different way. And that is just the difference between the films.

The sets were different, but I had a great time working on both. There is a great cast and crew here with Trek. J.J. is a wonderful filmmaker to work with. I really think he makes these kinds of films so well. I am so happy with this movie. And it is a cast of similar kind of young men and women. It’s funny though, on Terminator for the first time, I wasn’t the youngest member of the cast. There was girl that was seven, and I was like “yes, finally!” McG and J.J. are very different people. J.J. is very funny and very intelligent and witty, but not does not nearly put as much of himself out there as a human being. When he walks into a room, you may not know it. But when McG walks into a room, you hear McG right away. That was really different, but they are both really collaborative. If you offer an idea to J.J., that idea will get on film, and the same with McG. They are both really enthusiastic about what they are doing. They both love the franchises they are working with and want to honor them and do the best possible job with them.

TrekMovie: You mentioned bringing ideas. Can you talk about some examples of things that you brought that ended up on film?

Yelchin: Well that one Russian line and idea. And [in the scene running towards the transporter room] the freedom to run how I wanted to or to yell what I want to yell as I am pushing people out of the way. A lot of their jump sequence was ad-libbed. J.J. was like ‘just throw stuff out’. He just fully embraces your understanding of the character and works with you to achieve his vision, but factors in your vision as well.

TrekMovie: You spent a lot of time at your console on the bridge and the console in the transporter room. Did any of the set designers ever tell you ‘this button does this, and that button does that’? So when Pike issues an order, you know what button to push?

Yelchin: Me and John Cho kind of sat down the first day and talked to J.J. said that because this is going to become the way for us to do things, we need to figure out what is what. We really kind of stuck to doing the same things over and over again. We also got these neat little space pens, like when I come up with the solution. No one sat us down so it was up to us and John and I really coordinated what we were doing to make sure it looks legitimate.

Up Next – Romulans (Bana and Collins) This week’s series of Star Trek interviews will conclude a couple of Romulans, Eric Bana, and Clifton Collins, Jr. Look for that by Saturday.

Other final pre-movie exclusive interviews at TrekMovie:

Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Leonard Nimoy
Zachary Quinto
Zoe Saldana
Bruce Greenwood

Also check out:

Premiere red carpet interviews (including Simon Pegg )
Los Angeles Press Conference (including Chris Pine)

Keptin Kurk! Class!

It’s a geek thing, and not that important in the overall scope of the movie.. but I was so glad they actually used those glass walls for once, and that they weren’t just meaningless set pieces.

Those walls seem to be like general purpose blackboards to scribble ideas on and get all sorts of information from. I might sort of believe in them as useful interfaces now.

We’re approaching wulcan, complete genius, one of the highlights of the film. Chekov and McCoy now battling for my favouritism, even though I was alway a Picard or Data person.

“Nuclear wessel” must be included in the next movie.

The accent way maybe a little bit overdone but overall I really liked his Chekov!

I LOVED Chekov in this movie!!! What a nice surprise!! The single biggest laugh during the entire movie (at least in my theatre) was for those two words in russian that mean oh man! I dont know what he said, but it sounded hilarious and had the theatre cracking up!!

Although I loved all the characters, I wish they all followed Anton and Karl’s lead and watched TOS for pointers. These guys seemed to actually want to BE those characters, while the others wanted to take the characters off on their own. Both methods are fine, but I think Chekov and McCoy are by far the closest to the originals in this movie.

wictor, wictor…

absolutely brilliant stuff from Anton, funny but doesn’t fall into parody or take the mick. I thought he might end up as Wesley mark II (sorry Wil!) but he doesn’t. Now that we’ve got the band back together hopefully in the next film we’ll get more into the characters. As the saying goes:

Every character get’s their page…

Chekov was great – wide-eyed and full of wonder and enthusiasm.

I enjoyed Chekov as well. Sulu and Uhura were fine, but lacked Chekov’s spark.

I really liked this Chekov, very much in the spirit of the old, Anton made him fun, intelligent and that ad-libing was brilliant. It’s interesting how first of all people began by laughing at his accent and then by the end of the film it was accepted as his intelligence and spirit shone through, you can really see how Star Trek is so important, more today in our multicultural lifestyles than ever before.

he did a great job. He sounded a lot like Walter from the Tos. he has a bright future ahead of him in acting.

I mentioned it in a previous thread, but Anton’s little contribution, which he translates as “Oh, Man.” actually translates more as “Holy F*ck” (Yo Mayo!). Either a joke on JJ, or on us, but I can discuss the etymology ad nauseam.

I thought Anton’s contribution to the film was terrific. He was underused, but far from extraneous.

Also, Walter Koenig speaks native Russian. He had a line in STIII: TSFS: “Ya ne sumashedshii! Nu vot!” (I’m not crazy..take a look!) when he discovered someone had entered Spock’s quarters, and showed Scott on his screen.

Trek lives. Big time.

As great as this Movie was and is ju8st think how much better the next one will be. With everyone in there place and with all of the elements together the next movie will be one even more wild ride. I hoe they do something with the doomsday machine. But thats just wishfull thinking.

Okj. Bad Typing Sorry!. To the Agoniser booth for me!!!!.

Have to agree with everyone, Anton Yelchin did a fabulous job in the film, he made Chekov stand out in a way the character hasn’t done for me before, and would love to see Chekov solve a few more problems if a sequel does happen.

You know I should’ve taken off of work after all.. a bit of a challenge with Trek on the brain! At least I had some Trekkie friends I could chat with. Even if they hadn’t seen the movie yet..

One of the things I just couldn’t get out of my head was this new Chekov. At first, I admit having mixed feelings.. I have a vague memory of slapping my face a couple times.. but when my boyfriend suddenly burst out laughing while uttering “nuclear wessels” (I forget the scene) I was beginning to enjoy him.

Guess I did love Yelchin in this role after all. Slightly over the top, yet very, very fun. Awesome job!

Spot on !! Keptain!

I just seen the movie in the Netherlands, and I must admit that I love it. It rocks. Thanks tot JJ and the team. All the actors are great and it all comes together very well. Can’t wait to see it again. Cheers!

I think Anton did a great job with Chekov. Really made him real and it felt good to hear all those W’s again :) I knew he’d be good when I watched House of D and Charlie Bartlett. He’s a good kid and I can’t wait for Terminator in a few weeks. Seeing Trek again on Sunday!

His accent was great even if it did sound like Borat.

I cringed the first time I heard the accent too, but I have to say by the end of the movie it didn’t really bother me.

Yelchin is just so damn endearing that somehow the cute accent kind of fits him.

Just seen the Movie for the 2nd time. Wow. What a Movie. my record for any Trek Movie is at 9 and thats for Trek 2. Could be that record will be broken.

Good on you, Anton.

I wanted to prejudge/dislike and just be a Hater.

Although I think a new (next) adventure would be crafted better- and I felt that there were moments when a bit of exposition(small) would have gone a long way.

Comic book prequel does make the movie make more sense- whether one is an old or a new fan.

Nero’s [on screen] motivation to do what he did, IMHO was simply not strong enough.

I grudgingly liked it at first- then liked it a second time.

Good Job on Chekov (writing and acting) Good to see him competent again- Treks V and VI had taken that away from our beloved Comrade.

“Yelchin: Me and John Cho kind of sat down … ”

Oh my. I see the Ruskies have slipped in their English language training since the end of the Cold War.

Sincerely, C.S. Lewis

I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of Chekov in this film. Loved the voice verification sequence!

I thought his performance and acting were both refreshing and extremely entertaining. Simon Pegg definitely shares the comic relief with Anton, as the audience and myself found all of Chekov’s scenes were hilarious yet showing his youth and genius.

Just saw the movie. I, too, was uncomfortable with Chekov’s accent at first, but by the end of the movie it fits perfectly. This must have been what it felt like back in the sixties to hear Walter do it for the first time… BTW, the movie is EXCELLENT, especially the last scene when Pine says “Bones” for the last time in the movie, GAWD that delivery was BRILLIANT, pure Shatner-esque.

that scene was flippin funny. whole theatre got a laugh out of it.

When is Paramont going to to greenlight a sequel ?

I love Chekov I hope he gets more line in a Squeal! here is to hoping we see more of the Enterprise Crew sooner rather then later!

@30: Jeff, there was an article in Variety a few weeks ago stating that Paramount already has greenlit the twelfth movie for a summer 2011 release.

Oh and p.s., Anton’s Chekov was one of my favorite parts of the movie.

One thing that came to mind during the voice-verification gag (which I thought was cute, btw), was the stuff that was being discussed back when the movie was being made in the midst of the writer’s strike … the notion that the writers and the director weren’t allowed to mess much with the script, but that the actors could ad-lib because that didn’t step on anyone’s contractual toes (pardon me if I’m misremembering the details).

And then remembering that Abrams had apparently given the crew license to choose their own level of homage to the old performances … and that it was said that Yelchin made a conscious choice to do the V/W swap.

… And then concluding that if it’s true that Yelchin made his own choice, and that it wasn’t scripted assuming that he’d make one choice or another, that the verification gag must either have been an ad-lib on set or something that they added/finished later in the process (post writer’s strike).

(Or maybe that it was scripted that way, but had Yelchin decided to go another way with an accent they just would have dropped the gag).

There’s a question lurking in this mess of a post and I’ve lost track of it, but if anyone knows the answer that’d be cool :)

Also: Enjoyed all the performances, including Yelchin’s (even if it felt like virtually everyone had only three minutes on screen each!). Will probably catch him in Terminator next week.

Yelchin = Sexy, can’t wait to see this guy grow up ;)

I posted as much yesterday but its worth repeating- Anton is terrific in the role of Chekov, really properly good. He’s clearly a very talented young actor.

After seeing the movie, Yelcin’s performance was probably the only disagreement I had with Anthony P.’s review. I liked him (and got a sense that the audience liked him as well).

i marveled at his performance, and found the “accent” (although the way an actor uses his voice can be much more than an accent, as was the case here) to solidify the film in a good way. this was new, this was strong, and this was a clearly defined character as opposed to a haircut and some lenigrad jokes, as the original chekov tended to be.

also, chekov’s part seemed very well written, as if they were having fun with the possibilities, creating the “best crew in the fleet.”

Yelcin was one of the highlights of the film and it is evident that he took the time to actually watch the original series. His performance was both fun, comical, and enduring.

A great touch was the ship wide briefing he presented through those translucent displays -a nice update to Kirk simply speaking into the intercom!

Yelcin appears to be way more intelligent that the average thespian.

He´s great. Although he´s not quite right that Checkov never spoke Russian before….he did in one of the movies…..sounded like “mi kalerma” or something like that

On Yelchin’s accent. I heard him say “ze” instead of “the” like I’ve heard a lot of Russians do. And the inversion of V’s and W’s like Koenig. (And, by the way, I have heard other Russians invert V’s and W’s. Just check out the Washington Capitals hockey team web site for some interviews and you’ll see what I mean.)

Yelchin…. If you’re reading this (don’t listen to those Hollywood people that tell you never to read press on you – you’ll like this one)

You were the best thing in the movie! Your characterization of Chekov was great. There was depth in the brief lines you had. Just as I always thought Keonig was underrated, I thought buzz on you has been WAY underrated. Have to admit I didn’t see or feel this deep characterization I’ve heard the movie has from the rest of the crew. Don’t get me started on that. However, I really felt if from you. And in the very brief moments you had on screen. I enjoyed you. Good job.

Let’s have a Chekov moive next time around.

Didn’t do it for me. He was miscast for the role.

“Yo mayo!” Does mean something closer to ‘holy shit!’ or the like, but still quite appropriate.

Genius, I love Anton. He was hands down my favorite.

Anton was wonderful. I enjoyed the movie as a whole, but his portrayal of Chekov had me smiling the entire time. Being so adorable helps, but hey.. it was a good performance. The accent fit perfectly. I know it’s been out for over a month now, but I feel like seeing it again. I can’t wait until the DVD release before Christmas!

I absolutely loved Anton Yelchin’s Chekov! My brother and I are die-hard trekkies, and I’ve seen the movie a couple of times now. I wasn’t expecting much from the movie, as far as it being accurate and true to the series, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love how Yelnich watched the whole series (glad you enjoyed it!)

I’m only fifteen, and I have a huge crush on Chekov!!!

sorry! i spelled it yelnich the second time. please forgive me!

I LOVE ANTON YELCHIN HE IS GREAT

I like ti sjf jltoooo much

I like the picture 3

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How Anton Yelchin’s Death Changes Star Trek Beyond

By Scott Meslow

Image may contain Human Person Clothing Apparel Anton Yelchin and Sleeve

At a key moment in Star Trek Beyond , Kirk leads the crew of the USS Enterprise in a toast. "To absent friends," Kirk says, as everyone raises a glass. And then the camera shifts, ever so slightly, to refocus on the man standing behind him: Pavel Chekov, the crew member played by Anton Yelchin, who died at age 27 in a freak automobile accident last month.

Appreciating the man who said "I can do that!"

By Maggie Lange

This image may contain Anton Yelchin, Coat, Suit, Clothing, Overcoat, Apparel, Human, Person, Man, and Fashion

At least, I thought the camera pivoted to Chekov. In retrospect, I'm almost 100 percent sure it was in my imagination. But for me, watching Star Trek Beyond so soon after Yelchin's sudden death cast his performance—and the film itself—in a different light. It's a resonance that the film's creative team never intended, but it's still there. When the film began, every time Chekov appeared on screen, I felt a little jolt of grief. As it continued, this feeling gradually softened, but it never totally went away.

None of this is to criticize the creative team behind Star Trek Beyond , who have felt the loss of Yelchin as both a colleague and friend, and who have been unfailingly thoughtful and gracious in their tributes to Yelchin during the movie's promotional circuit. But the death of an actor changes the context in which you watch a movie, and for fans of Yelchin's work, Star Trek Beyond will be both a tribute and a fresh source of grief. And sitting in a movie theater, it's hard to reconcile those feelings with what Star Trek Beyond wants to be: a fun, escapist summer popcorn blockbuster.

Star Trek Beyond is hardly the first Hollywood blockbuster to hit theaters under the shadow of a cast member's unexpected death. The Harry Potter franchise recast the role of Dumbledore after the death of Richard Harris. Last year, the final Hunger Games sequel was reworked to minimize the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the supporting character played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died in February 2014. Earlier this summer, Alice Through the Looking Glass featured the final performance of Alan Rickman, whose unmistakable baritone classed up an otherwise forgettable movie.

Of course, a movie faces a different challenge when a late actor's performance contains echoes of their death. One of the Joker's final lines to Batman in The Dark Knight —"I think you and I are destined to do this forever"—became unintentionally ghoulish after Heath Ledger died. And then, of course, there's Furious 7 —the James Wan-directed installment of a franchise largely defined by Stark Trek Beyond director Justin Lin, who directed installments three, four, five, and six. When Paul Walker died during the production of Furious 7 —in a car crash, no less—the film's producers faced a difficult decision: shut down production, or release a movie with some unsettling parallels to a real-life tragedy? In the end, they concluded that releasing the film was the right decision, and they managed to give Walker's protagonist a relatively graceful exit, using previously shot footage, along with CGI and body doubles, to complete the performance.

Star Trek Beyond is largely constructed as a tribute to another late Star Trek icon: Leonard Nimoy.

But the team behind Star Trek Beyond had a simpler choice to make. Yelchin's performance was finished, and nothing in the film directly recalls the circumstances of his death. In fact, Star Trek Beyond is largely constructed as a tribute to another late Star Trek icon: Leonard Nimoy, who died several months before Beyond entered production.

This timeline enabled screenwriters Simon Pegg and Doug Jung to weave Nimoy's real-life death into the fabric of the film. As Beyond begins, Spock (Zachary Quinto) learns that Ambassador Spock (Nimoy)—his older self from an alternate timeline, as seen in the previous two Star Trek movies—has died. This news sends the younger Spock into a soul-searching grief that informs his entire arc in the movie, as he contemplates leaving both the Federation and his girlfriend, Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), to spend more time rebuilding his culture with the other surviving Vulcans. The story crescendoes with a brief, poignant nod to Ambassador Spock and the rest of the original cast, offering a final love letter to both the character and Leonard Nimoy.

Star Trek Beyond features one of Yelchin's final performances, which is both the simplest and most complete way to honor his work in the franchise—but his death also hangs over the movie, and the already-announced Star Trek 4 will need to address it. J.J. Abrams has said that the role of Chekov won't be recast, but that it's "too early" to decide how they'll resolve the character’s absence.

As far as I can tell, the only change that was definitively made to Star Trek Beyond in the wake of Yelchin's death happens several minutes after the movie itself has ended. In the middle of the credits, a warm title card appears that was presumably planned a long time ago: "In loving memory of Leonard Nimoy." When those words fade away, they're replaced by a second, simpler dedication: "For Anton."

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‘Star Trek’ actor Anton Yelchin killed when his car hits him

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new “Star Trek” films, was killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway early Sunday, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles, Officer Jenny Hosier said. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn’t show up, the group came to his home and found him dead.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know and who had great artistic ambition. “Star Trek Beyond,” the third film in the rebooted series, comes out in July.

Director J.J. Abrams, who cast Yelchin in the franchise, wrote in a statement that he was “brilliant ... kind ... funny as hell, and supremely talented.”

His death was felt throughout the industry.

“What a rare and beautiful soul with his unstoppable passion for life,” Jodie Foster said. “He was equal parts serious thinker and the most fun little brother you could ever dream of.”

Yelchin co-starred in Foster’s 2011 film “The Beaver.”

“He was a ferocious movie buff who put us all to shame,” said Gabe Klinger, who directed Yelchin in the upcoming film “Porto,” likely to be released this fall. “He was watching four or five movies every night.”

Klinger said Yelchin had a particular affinity for silent films.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as “ER,” ’'The Practice,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001’s “Hearts in Atlantis.”

He transitioned into teen roles in films such as the crime thriller “Alpha Dog” and the comedy “Charlie Bartlett.” He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation.”

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn’t very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

“I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing,” Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama “Like Crazy.” He starred opposite Felicity Jones.

"(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did,” Yelchin said. “But this is what I wanted.”

The discipline that Yelchin learned from his athlete parents translated into his work as an actor, which he treated with seriousness and professionalism, said Klinger, the director.

He drew on his Russian roots for his role as the heavily accented navigator Chekov in the “Star Trek” films, his most high-profile to date.

“What’s great about him is he can do anything. He’s a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate ones,” ’'Like Crazy” director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. “There are a lot of people who can’t, who can only do one or the other. ... That’s what blows my mind.”

Yelchin seemed to fit in anywhere in Hollywood. He could do big sci-fi franchises and vocal work in “The Smurfs,” while also appearing in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch’s vampire film “Only Lovers Left Alive” and Jeremy Saulnier’s horror thriller “Green Room,” a cult favorite that came out earlier this year.

Klinger recalled a conversation with Jarmusch about Yelchin before Klinger cast him in “Porto.”

“Jim was like, ‘Watch out. Anton read Dostoyevsky when he was like 11 years old!’” Klinger said.

The director said that for Yelchin, every film was an opportunity to learn and study more. He admired Nicolas Cage’s laser-focus on the Paul Schrader film “Dying of the Light” and also got to work with one of his acting heroes, Willem Dafoe, on the film “Odd Thomas.”

“He used to refer to Willem as an artist, not an actor,” Klinger said. “That’s the kind of actor he aspired to be, where people didn’t regard him as an actor, they regarded him as an artist.”

Yelchin’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy.

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Star Trek 's Anton Yelchin Talks Chekov Accent and Klingons

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

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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Star trek 4 already has the perfect new chekov setup.

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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. Spock. Directed by Matt Shakman ( WandaVision ), Star Trek 4 is scheduled for release on December 22, 2023, and is expected to follow up the events of 2016's Star Trek Beyond .

Anton Yelchin died in a tragic accident on June 19, 2016, just over a month before Star Trek Beyond 's theatrical release on July 22, 2016. Just 27 years old, the Russian-born Yelchin was a respected actor who was popular among his peers. Along with starring as Ensign Chekov in the three Star Trek movies produced by J.J. Abrams, Yelchin is also known for his roles in Alpha Dog, Terminator: Salvation , Thoroughbreds , and Green Room . Star Trek Beyond , which was directed by Justin Lin, ended with a tribute to Anton Yelchin, while a climactic moment in the film when Captain Kirk toasted, "To absent friends," was intended as a farewell to the late Leonard Nimoy and the original Spock but it also became a touching meta nod to losing Anton Yelchin in the prime of his life. Although Mr. Chekov was alive at the end of Star Trek Beyond , producer Abrams stated there was no intention of ever recasting Anton Yelchin's role as Chekov in a future Star Trek movie.

Related: Star Trek Into Darkness Alice Eve Controversy Explained

However, Star Trek Beyond also introduced Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), a new female alien character who could perfectly step into the role Ensign Chekov performed on the Enterprise. Jaylah is a young woman of an unknown species who lived as a scavenger on the planet Altamid. She met Scotty (Simon Pegg), Captain Kirk, who Jaylah referred to as "James T.", and the rest of the crew when they were stranded on Altamid after the Enterprise was destroyed by Krall (Idris Elba). Without the help of Jaylah, who led them to her "house," which was the derelict USS Franklin, the Starfleet heroes couldn't have escaped Altamid and defeated Krall. Star Trek Beyond ended with Jaylah enrolled in Starfleet Academy, which was an obvious setup for her to come aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-A.

Jaylah was purposefully designed by Star Trek's filmmakers to be a new, ongoing female character. After the controversy that met Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) in Star Trek Into Darkness , Jaylah was a successful retry of introducing a new female Star Trek heroine that was as well-received as Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley) was in Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan . The alluring alien design of Jaylah, along with the athletic physicality and unusual wit Sofia Boutella brought to the role, won Trekkers over and made Jaylah an unforgettable screen presence. Boutella also had crackling chemistry with Simon Pegg's Scotty and Chris Pine's Kirk.

It would be logical for Star Trek 4 to be set a few years after Star Trek Beyond to reflect the passage of time in the real world. The benefit of a time jump also means that Jaylah will have completed Starfleet Academy and could be stationed on the Starship Enterprise as an Ensign, as opposed to vanishing like Alice Eve's Carol Marcus . It's unclear what the next voyage of Captain Kirk's crew will be about, and Anton Yelchin's Chekov will always be missed, but thankfully, Jaylah is already established as a fan-favorite Star Trek character and she is perfect to take Mr. Chekov's place in Star Trek 4 .

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'Star Trek' Actor Anton Yelchin Killed By His Own Car At Age 27

June 19, 2016 / 2:28 PM EDT / CBS Boston

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his own car as it rolled backward down his driveway early Sunday, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Studio City, according to Los Angeles police Officer Jenny Hosier. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn't show up, the group came to his home and found him dead.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as "ER," ''The Practice," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001's "Hearts in Atlantis."

He transitioned into teenage roles in films such as the crime thriller "Alpha Dog" and the teen comedy "Charlie Bartlett." He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009's "Terminator Salvation."

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn't very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

"I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing," Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama "Like Crazy." He starred opposite Felicity Jones.

"(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did," Yelchin said. "But this is what I wanted."

His biggest role to date has been in the rebooted "Star Trek" films as the heavily accented navigator Chekov, for which he was able to draw on his Russian roots. The third film in the series, "Star Trek Beyond," comes out in July.

"What's great about him is he can do anything. He's a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate ones," ''Like Crazy" director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. "There are a lot of people who can't, who can only do one or the other. ... That's what blows my mind."

Yelchin transitioned between the big sci-fi franchise and voicing a part for "The Smurfs." He also appeared in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch's vampire film "Only Lovers Left Alive" and Jeremy Saulnier's horror thriller "Green Room," a cult favorite that came out earlier this year.

The actor's publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy.

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IMAGES

Pavel Andreievich Chekov
Anton yelchin as Pavel Chekov in Satre Trek Into Darkness
Chekov as Anton Yelchin Star Trek Beyond wallpaper
Anton Yelchin who played Chekvo in Star Trek passed away this morning
Mr. Chekhov
Pavel Chekov played by Anton Yelchin in the 2009 Star Trek

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Станислав Чекан. Суровое детство, фронтовой театр, тяжелая болезнь сына
Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) Thanks Walter Koenig (Chekov) for TRAILBLAZING

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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 ...
Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig is best known for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek's Original Series and its movies. He also starred in Babylon 5, wrote books and plays, and directed theater productions.
Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin. Actor: Star Trek. Anton Yelchin was an American actor, known for playing Bobby in Hearts in Atlantis (2001), Chekov in the Star Trek (2009) reboot, Charlie Brewster in the Fright Night (2011) remake, and Jacob in Like Crazy (2011). He was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, USSR, to a Jewish family. His parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, were a successful pair ...
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 ...
Anton Yelchin
In the final episode of Star Trek: Picard, a transmission can be heard from an Anton Chekov. Canonically, Anton Chekov is the son of Pavel Chekov, and was voiced by Walter Koenig, the first actor who played Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series. Lawsuit and recalls A Jeep Grand Cherokee like the one Yelchin owned
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.
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)).
Tributes pour in for late 'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin
Actor Anton Yelchin, best known for his role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek movie series, has died in what is being labelled a "freak accident" involving his own car. Los Angeles ...
Anton Yelchin, 'Star Trek' Actor, Dies at 27
June 19, 2016. Anton Yelchin, who played the young incarnation of Chekov, an excitable officer on the Starship Enterprise, in the rebooted "Star Trek" movie series, died early Sunday morning ...
'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin crushed to death at Studio City home
Anton Yelchin, a charismatic and rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, has died at the age of 27. He was killed in a fatal traffic collision early Sunday morning.
Happy 80th Birthday, Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig, Star Trek's original and iconic Pavel Chekov, turns 80 years old today.The actor/writer was born in Chicago to Isadore and Sarah Koenig on September 14, 1936. He, of course, earned his greatest measure of fame playing Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series and in seven feature films, but his acting credits span from The Untouchables, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Lieutenant ...
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 ...
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Anton Yelchin, Chekov in 'Star Trek'
In our exclusive interview we talk about how this Russian-born actor shaped the role (and accent) for the new Chekov and much more. ... Chekov is like the Star Trek universe, joyous, fun. Kyle ...
Anton Yelchin, "Star Trek" actor, dead at 27
Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed in a car accident in 2016. He was a charismatic and versatile actor who started his career as a child and had roles in various genres.
Anton Yelchin, 'Star Trek' Reboot Series' Chekov, Dies At 27
Anton Yelchin, best known for portraying Ensign Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek reboot film series, as well as for roles in, Jim Jarmush's Only Lovers Left Alive, the Stephen King adaptation Hearts ...
Anton Yelchin, Star Trek's Chekov, killed by his own car
Fellow Star Trek actor John Cho, who plays Sulu, tweeted, external: "I loved Anton Yelchin so much.He was a true artist - curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I'm in ...
How Anton Yelchin's Death Changes Star Trek Beyond
CBS via Getty Images. At a key moment in Star Trek Beyond, Kirk leads the crew of the USS Enterprise in a toast. "To absent friends," Kirk says, as everyone raises a glass. And then the camera ...
'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin killed when his car hits him
Updated 7:57 PM PDT, June 19, 2016. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway early Sunday, police and his publicist said. The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home ...
Anton Yelchin, 'Star Trek' actor, dies
Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in the most recent "Star Trek" movies, died June 19 after a freak car accident outside his home, police said. He was 27. Actor Ron Lester, who portrayed ...
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.
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 ...
'Star Trek' Actor Anton Yelchin Killed By His Own Car At Age 27
June 19, 2016 / 2:28 PM EDT / CBS Boston. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his own car as it rolled ...
All the Easter Eggs We Spotted in STAR TREK: PICARD Season 3
The first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard had their share of Easter eggs for longtime fans to spot. But season three blew the previous two out of the water in this regard. With the final season a ...

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

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EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Anton Yelchin, Chekov in ‘Star Trek’

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