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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.”

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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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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

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel (alternate reality)
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) personnel (alternate reality)

Pavel Chekov (alternate reality)

View history

Pavel Andreievich Chekov was a 23rd century Human Federation Starfleet officer . As a cadet , this whiz kid was assigned as a navigator to the USS Enterprise in 2258 , at the age of seventeen where he was involved in the defeat and death of Nero , a Romulan bent on the obliteration of the entire United Federation of Planets . ( Star Trek )

A year later, in 2259 , Chekov was promoted to acting chief engineer following Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott 's resignation . During this time, Chekov was present when the Enterprise crew faced Khan , an enhanced Human from the late 20th century with superior strength and intellect. However, the crew of the Enterprise managed to stop him and afterwards in 2260 , the Enterprise set out on the first five-year mission with Chekov at his regular post as navigator. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

In 2263 , during its five-year mission, Chekov was present when the Enterprise was destroyed by Swarm ships , led by Krall , stranding the crew on Altamid . The crew and Jaylah , who was also stranded by Krall, later managed to leave the planet after repairing the USS Franklin , a ship commanded by Balthazar M. Edison that went missing in 2164 . The crew traveled to Starbase Yorktown and stopped revenge plans put into motion by Krall, who was revealed to be Edison. Afterwards, Chekov continued to served under Kirk when he was given command of the USS Enterprise -A and continued the five-year mission. ( Star Trek Beyond )

1 Early life
2.1.1 Stopping Nero
2.1.2 Nibiru
2.1.3 Acting chief engineer
2.2.1 Altamid
3 Key dates
4.1 Catch phrases
5.1 Appearances
5.2 Background information
5.3 Apocrypha
5.4 External links

Early life [ ]

Pavel Chekov, son of Andrei Chekov , was born in 2241 . Originating from Russia , he spoke with a heavy Eastern European accent , which caused him difficulty when speaking to Starfleet computer systems; his authorization code aboard the Enterprise – "9-5-Victor-Victor-2" – was particularly difficult for him to pronounce.

Starfleet career [ ]

Navigator of the uss enterprise [ ], stopping nero [ ].

In 2258 , Chekov was the navigator assigned to the Enterprise during her impromptu maiden voyage – an emergency mission to protect the planet Vulcan from attack by the time traveling war criminal , Nero .

Chekov saves Kirk and Sulu

Departing Earth 's Starbase 1 , Captain Christopher Pike addressed Chekov as "Russian whiz kid", ordering the ensign to use the ship wide comm to brief the Enterprise crew on the task at hand. As the Enterprise confronted Nero, Chekov used his superior mathematical skills to calculate the coordinates for beaming faster than the computer – allowing him to personally transport James T. Kirk and Hikaru Sulu back aboard the Enterprise before they fell into the singularity created on Vulcan by Nero.

Remaining in the transporter room, Chekov also transported Spock , Sarek and the surviving members of the Vulcan High Council from the surface of Vulcan. He was, however, unable to save Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson , before she fell to her death from a rock ledge that gave way shortly before transport.

After the destruction of Vulcan, Chekov devised a way to beam Kirk and Commander Spock to the Narada , without Nero knowing the Enterprise was in proximity to his ship. Chekov's plan required the Enterprise to drop out of warp near Titan , one of Saturn 's moons. The radiation from the rings obscured the ship from the Romulans ' sensors , allowing Kirk and Spock to successfully beam over undetected. Chekov's plan was ultimately instrumental in saving Earth .

After the defeat of Nero, Chekov served again as navigator under newly promoted Captain James T. Kirk and left with the crew to explore space. ( Star Trek )

Kirk promotes Chekov to chief engineer

One year later , Chekov was still serving in his role as navigator when the Enterprise was ordered to monitor the inhabitants of Nibiru . He offered a suggestion to Kirk on beaming Spock back from inside a volcano , as the planet's magnetic field prevented them from using the transporter. Chekov believed that if they had a direct line of sight, they could retrieve him. Chekov's suggestion was immediately shot down by Montgomery Scott , who reminded him the Enterprise would have to be near an active volcano. Kirk ended up following Chekov's suggestion, which resulted in a violation of the Prime Directive by exposing the Enterprise to the primitive Nibirans and also put the entire crew in danger.

Acting chief engineer [ ]

Shortly after the Nibiru mission, Chekov was temporarily promoted to chief engineering officer after the departure of Montgomery Scott. Upon learning of his promotion, Chekov expressed apprehension about donning a red shirt .

Before the Enterprise could reach its destination of Qo'noS , Chekov discovered a coolant leak in the warp core and was forced to drop the ship out of warp manually. Assured by Kirk that the coolant leak was likely the result of sabotage , Chekov succeeded in the repairing the warp drive, allowing the Enterprise to avoid an initial attack by Section 31 's USS Vengeance . The Vengeance , however, was able to catch up to the Enterprise and quickly crippled the ship, sending it into Earth's gravitational pull .

Chekov back at his post and tracking Harrison

Catching a dangling Kirk and Scott before they plummeted to their deaths aboard the foundering Enterprise , Chekov reestablished the ship's power systems before it crashed into the surface, then retook his post on the bridge to aid in the hunt for and eventual capture of John Harrison .

The five-year mission [ ]

Almost a year later , Chekov attended a memorial service for those who died and resumed his role as navigator on the repaired Enterprise when it embarked on the first five-year mission . ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Altamid [ ]

In 2263 , halfway through its five-year mission, the Enterprise docked for resupply at the Federation Starbase Yorktown . After receiving a mission to escort Kalara through the Necro Cloud in an attempt to find her crew, the ship was attacked by Krall 's forces. In the midst of the battle, Chekov remained on the bridge helping the ship stay afloat as Captain Kirk hid an artifact known as the Abronath from the attackers and executed a saucer separation , so the saucer section could safely land on the surface of nearby planet Altamid . Chekov, along with Kirk, Kalara and Sulu, escaped from the ship in their Kelvin pods to the surface of Altamid.

Starfleet command survival uniform, 2263

Chekov with Kirk in Altamid

On the planet's surface, Chekov landed in the same location as Kirk and Kalara. Given Chekov could not get any transmissions on his communicator, they decided to return to the crashed saucer to locate the stranded crewmembers. In the meantime, Chekov was ordered by Kirk to investigate on Kalara as he suspected of her intentions. He was proven right as Chekov traced her communications back to Krall, proving she had been working for him all along. As Kalara pointed a phaser to Kirk demanding an artifact he hid on the saucer, Chekov appeared behind her with a gun of her own. Krall's troops attacked, but Kirk and Chekov escaped by activating the Enterprise thrusters, causing an explosion which in turn killed Kalara and thrust them through the air as they made their getaway.

The next morning, Kirk and Chekov walked into one of multiple traps prepared by Jaylah , a scavenger who was living on the planet, but they were freed after Scotty told her they were friends of his. Jaylah revealed she had made the wreckage of a 22nd century Federation starship – the USS Franklin – her home and Chekov helped Scotty use the scanners to locate Spock and McCoy, who were beamed onboard. Using Chekov's trace from Kalara's communication and pinpointing it with a Vulcan amulet Spock had given Uhura, Kirk's team was able to learn the exact location of their former shipmates and formulate a plan to not only rescue them but also stop Krall before he attacked Yorktown.

Kirk wanted Chekov to be part of the extraction team, but Spock convinced the captain that the Ensign was better off helping Scotty fix the Franklin , to make sure the transporters could rescue the crew and also that the ship could fly again. Once all the crew was beamed aboard, Chekov seated at the helm with Sulu, who proceeded with some difficulty to fly the ship from the Altamid surface to a crash landing in Yorktown.

Following the defeat of Krall, Chekov and the crew of the late-USS Enterprise gathered in Yorktown to celebrate the birthday of Captain Kirk. He was seen flirting with an alien woman named Natalia , claiming that Scotch whisky had been invented by "a little old lady from Russia ." ( Star Trek Beyond )

Key dates [ ]

2241 : Born to Andrei Chekov
2258 : Appointed navigator of the USS Enterprise
2259 : Appointed acting chief engineer of USS Enterprise
2260 : Sets out on five-year mission as navigator of USS Enterprise
2263 : Appointed navigator of the USS Enterprise -A

Catch phrases [ ]

" Keptin on ze Bridge. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

Star Trek (First appearance)
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond

Background information [ ]

Chekov was played by the late Anton Yelchin .

Chekov's age in 2258 places his birth in 2241 , which is different from the birth of his prime universe counterpart , who was born in 2245 , according to TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ".

Anton Yelchin was unsure precisely why he was cast in the role of Chekov, though he figured it had to do with his young age and the fact that he was "familiar with Russian people. Very, very familiar." (His parents are Russian.) [4] During his audition, Yelchin had to try out his Russian accent, which included saying Chekov Prime's famous line from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home : "nuclear wessel". [5] When he took the role of Chekov, Yelchin signed on to reprise the character in a total of three Star Trek films. [6]

Yelchin prepared to play Chekov in the films Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond by consulting Star Trek: The Original Series , paying close attention to the portrayal of the prime version of the character therein. " I try and embrace that energy every time, and be respectful of that [....] It's a little different from how I approach other characters, " Yelchin noted. Although he personally preferred the first and second seasons of the series, he based his performance of Chekov mainly on TOS Season 3 due to how much it emphasized the character of Chekov Prime. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , pp. 84 & 86)

Despite appearing as Chekov in as many as three films, Anton Yelchin remained passionate about the role. " The character is so much fun to play, so I'm always game for it, " commented Yelchin, shortly after completing his work on Star Trek Beyond . " It's interesting, because I've never had the experience of making three films in a row with the same people, and, most importantly, the same character, before. I grow as I learn. How I look at my work has changed. Every time, I get to apply these new ideas to the same character. That's the thing that excites me the most [....] Inevitably, I start drawing from other sources that I wasn't aware of when I was younger. I've been very fortunate to be playing this character, this joyous, fun role [....] I've developed a different way to look at work, and what I was trying to accomplish [when first playing Chekov]. The more my perspective on the actual process changes, the more different ways I look at my own work. Even this time versus last time, I viewed things another way, and borrowed from different things. That being said, I always try and accomplish a similar character. You can see what you've learned about yourself every time you go to work. It's kind of odd, but I like it. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , pp. 84 & 87)

Remaining in character as Chekov wasn't always easy for Anton Yelchin. " It's a little hard to stay in character with Chekov throughout, because he's so goofy, " he admitted. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 86)

Anton Yelchin once joked that, in Star Trek Beyond , Chekov, much to Kirk's disbelief, is revealed to be Croatian instead of Russia, though the actor then clarified, " No, that is not true. " Aspects of Chekov's depiction in Beyond that Yelchin approved of included the character getting to leave the ship, which the actor compared to the occasions Chekov Prime left the USS Enterprise in TOS, and take part in some action sequences, which Yelchin enjoyed performing. " I probably have more action than in any of the previous two films, " he reckoned. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , pp. 86 & 87)

Following the tragic death of Anton Yelchin on 19 June 2016 , the alternate reality version of Chekov would not be recast. [7] Chekov Prime actor Walter Koenig approved of this decision, remarking, " I think it’s the right call; it’s paying Anton the most respect. " [8]

In the screenplay of Star Trek , Chekov at one point physically fought with Kirk, about to stun him with Chekov's own phaser. However, he was assaulted by Kirk in retaliation, causing Chekov to drop his phaser, before Kirk was finally subdued by Spock. [9]

The decision to have Chekov, in Star Trek Beyond , become isolated with Kirk, away from the rest of the Enterprise crew, was made by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung , while they wrote the film together. " We liked the idea of the youngest and seemingly most naïve character pairing up with the slightly older statesman, " said Pegg. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 77)

Apocrypha [ ]

His female counterpart

In the Star Trek video game, an audio log can be found in engineering where Chekov mentions he ran away at a young age to join Starfleet. When a Gorn is transported onto the Enterprise by accident, Chekov hides under a transporter room console until it leaves. One of the game's tasks involves the rescue of an injured Chekov who is hurt while barricaded in a room, defending other crew members. He must be helped to sickbay by one of them, but is still able to defend Kirk and Spock from the invading Gorn with his phaser. (The player takes control of Pavel's shooting arm.) Later, when Kirk orders the Enterprise to, if necessary, go back through the rip whether or not he and the landing party return, McCoy begs Chekov not to leave him down there, giving the navigator conflicted feelings over who to obey.

According to the Star Trek iTunes movie app, Chekov was born in Tagnarog, Russia (the real-life home of Anton Chekhov ). His mother's name was Anna (who is now deceased). His family spent several years at the Mare Imbrium colony on Luna . He graduated from Moscow State University in 2256, where he then enlisted in Starfleet, graduating from the Academy in 2258. It should be noted that he beat Big Blue in a game of 3D chess. Chekov received a special commendation for bravery in the line of duty during Enterprise 's recent mission to Pollux IV.

According to the 2011 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy novel " The Gemini Agent ", Chekov liked to run on the academy grounds barefoot. Due to his youth, he was often treated like a little brother by the older girls in his dorm. He was also known in the underground web for being a white hat hacker.

According to " The Khitomer Conflict, Part 1 ", issue 25 of Star Trek: Ongoing , in 2261 , Chekov was promoted to Lieutenant .

The 2013 virtual collectible card battle game Star Trek: Rivals is using his pictures for card #79 "Ensign P. Chekhov" and card #95 "Acting Engineer P. Chekhov".

In the First issue of IDW's Star Trek: Boldly Go comic series that is set after the events of Star Trek Beyond , Chekov joins Kirk and McCoy on the USS Endeavour .

External links [ ]

Pavel Chekov (Kelvin timeline) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
Pavel Chekov at Wikipedia
2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Find anything you save across the site in your account

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."

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Walter koenig: chekov.

Photos (32)

Photos

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

Quotes

Chekov : [to a policeman] Excuse me, sir! Can you direct us to the naval base in Alameda? It's where they keep the nuclear wessels.

[He pauses, looks at Uhura, and tries again]

Chekov : *Nuclear wessels*.

[Chekov is being interrogated]

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : Name.

Chekov : My name?

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : [sarcastically] No, my name.

Chekov : I do not know your name.

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : You play games with me, Mister, and you're through.

Chekov : I am? May I go now?

Chekov : Admiral. We have found the nuclear wessel.

Kirk : Well done, Team two.

Chekov : And Admiral... it is the *Enterprise*.

[Kirk and Spock look at each other]

Kirk : Understood.

[to 20th Century American interrogators]

Chekov : I am Pavel Chekov, a commander in Starfleet. United Federation of Planets Service Number 656-5827D.

Kirk : [Trying to revive Mr. Checkov] Pavel, talk to me

[pause]

Kirk : Name! Rank!

Chekov : [groggily] Chekov, Pavel. Rank

Chekov : Admiral!

Chekov : Cloaking device now available on all flight modes.

Kirk : I'm impressed - That's a lot of work for a short voyage.

Chekov : We are in an enemy wessel, sir. I did not wish to be shot down on our way to our own funeral.

Kirk : Good thinking.

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : What do you think?

FBI Agent 2 : He's a Russki.

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life, of course he's a Russki but he's a retard or something...

FBI Agent 2 : You better call Washington.

Chekov : [picks up his phaser from the table, aiming at the FBI agents] Don't move!

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : OK, make nice, give us the ray gun.

Chekov : I warn you, if you don't lie on the floor... I will have to stun you.

FBI agent interrogating Chekov : Go ahead. Stun me.

Chekov : I'm very sorry, but...

[tries to fire the phaser, but it jams. Laughs nervously]

Chekov : Heh, must be the radiation.

[throws the phaser at the FBI agent and escapes through a back door]

Chekov : Please, please - We're looking for the naval base in Alameda can you tell us where the nuclear wessels are?

Passerby : Oh, I don't know if I know the answer to that. I think it's across the Bay. In Alameda!

Chekov : That's what I said - Alameda, I know that.

Cmdr. Uhura : But where is Alameda?

[Captain Kirk and his crew prepare to time warp in order to retrieve Humpback whales from the past; via sling-shooting around the sun]

Kirk : [to himself] May fortune favor the foolish...

[normal voice]

Kirk : Warp speed, Mister Sulu.

Sulu : Aye, sir. Warp speed.

[the captured Klingon Vessel speeds up at warp speed]

Sulu : [silence in the cockpit; nonchalantly] Warp two... warp three.

Kirk : [uneasy] Steady as she goes...

Sulu : Warp four...

[a metallic reading plate slips off of Spock's desk. Spock reaches for it, but it falls into the grate. As the ship gets closer and closer to the sun, the interior of the Klingon vessel begins to vibrate gradually]

Sulu : Warp five...

[Another metallic reading plate slips off of Uhura's communications desk; clattering to the floor]

Sulu : Warp six...

[several objects fall to the floor noisily in the background as the ship's alarms go off]

Sulu : Warp seven... warp eight...

Chekov : Sir... heat shields at maximum!

Sulu : [over the alarms] Warp NINE! Nine point two, Nine point three...

Kirk : [over the noise] We need to breakaway speed.

Sulu : [literally shouting over the alarms] Nine point five, Nine point six, Nine point seven, Nine point eight...

[a screen bursts into shatters due to the pressure from the sun; Uhura screams. Kirk, Chekov, McCoy and Spock immediately turn their heads toward Uhrua's direction]

Cmdr. Uhura : [over the noise] I'm all right. I'm fine...

[Kirk lets out a sigh of relief; steam hisses as the ceiling cracks; the window shows that they are getting really close to the sun]

Kirk : [shouts] NOW MISTER SULU!

[the ship successfully maneuvers around the sun]

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Actor Anton Yelchin was crushed to death by his SUV. His parents just settled with Fiat Chrysler.

The parents of Anton Yelchin, the “Star Trek” actor who died in 2016 when his SUV rolled down his driveway and trapped him against a security gate, have reached a settlement with the makers of Jeep Grand Cherokee.

A confidential settlement between Victor and Irina Yelchin and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which manufactures the Jeep Grand Cherokee that crushed Yelchin, was filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. The details of the settlement were not disclosed.

“Anton Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death,” the lawsuit states.

Yelchin’s family attorney, Gary Dordick, and Yelchin’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, could not be immediately reached for comment. Fiat Chrysler told the Associated Press in a statement that it is “pleased that we’ve reached an amicable resolution in this matter” and that the car company continues to “extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss.”

The settlement money will got to the Anton Yelchin Foundation and to the filming of a documentary on Yelchin’s life, Allen said in a statement to People .

“The mission of the Foundation is to empower and support young people engaged in creative arts who face career challenges due to debilitating disease or disability,” she said.

‘Star Trek’s’ Anton Yelchin and the scary reality of the Jeep that rolls away and kills you

Yelchin, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, was best known for playing Chekov in the reboot of the “Star Trek” movies as well as his roles in “Alpha Dog” and “Terminator Salvation.” He was 27 when he died.

“Star Trek” fans were hit with a sense of loss upon realizing that they wouldn’t again see Chekov on screen. Yelchin’s former “Star Trek” castmate, John Cho, told The Washington Post after Yelchin’s death that he could not “begin to express how badly my heart has been broken by his passing.”

“He was a young man who was just starting to become what he was going to become,” said Cho, who played helmsman Sulu right next to Chekov on the starship Enterprise’s bridge.

Yelchin had been driving a car that came under scrutiny for its gear system. In 2016, TMZ reported , citing the Los Angeles Police Department, that when Yelchin’s friends discovered his body, they found the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee idling in neutral.

In 2016, the automotive blog Jalopnik reported that the Jeep was among one of 1.1 million vehicles that had been recalled about two months before Yelchin’s death because of a confusing gear shifter that could cause the car to roll away unexpectedly. According to former Washington Post reporter Jeff Guo :

[In 2015], NHTSA began investigating the unconventional gearstick design on these cars, which was causing crashes because drivers were mistakenly shifting to neutral when they thought they were shifting to park. With a regular gearstick, drivers choose a transmission option (park, reverse, neutral, drive, etc.) by moving the stick into the corresponding notch or detent. Drivers can feel the stick settle into position. But a new, different, design was used in the cars affected by the recall, which include certain recent models of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Rollaway vehicles kill about 93 people a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .

Yelchin’s parents in 2016 announced in an emotional news conference that they were suing Fiat Chrysler for wrongful death and product liability, during which they said Anton was their only son and “a remarkable human being.” The automaker in response claimed that Yelchin’s “misuse” of the car led to his death, according to People .

“In spite of our unbelievable grief, we decided to come here to prevent other families from the same tragedy,” Victor Yelchin said during the 2016 news conference.

CNN chief calls Fox News ‘propaganda machine,’ and Hannity responds

Former Fox News anchor sues Bill O’Reilly, alleging defamation

What Happened To Anton Yelchin? The Tragic Death Of The Star Trek Actor

Anton Yelchin's death in 2016 at the age of 27 continues to be a harrowing reminder of the fragility of life. He was perhaps best known for playing Chekhov in the rebooted Star Trek movies, but also had noteworthy performances in "Fright Night," "Odd Thomas," and "Green Room." He had a promising career that was tragically cut short by a freak accident.

After starting his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Yelchin stepped out to check for mail when the vehicle rolled down the steep driveway at his Los Angeles home, crushing him against a security fence and brick wall. The Guardian reported how the coroner declared Yelchin's death a result of "blunt traumatic asphyxia."

Yelchin's passing devastated the entertainment industry. He was a young actor with a bright future ahead of him, and his death was something that could've been avoided. His Cherokee had been part of a recall due to problematic gear shifters that made it difficult to ascertain if a vehicle was in park or neutral. That's precisely what happened to the actor, and his family filed a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler for the wrongful death.

Anton Yelchin's family settled with Fiat Chrysler

Before Anton Yelchin's death, a recall for 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokee models was issued after reports of injuries from people who thought they put their vehicles in park — only for them to be in neutral and capable of rolling away. Dozens of injuries came to light, but according to The New York Times , the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a statement following the actor's passing, saying, "This the first fatality we're aware of that may be related to this safety defect and vehicle recall."

Victor and Irina Yelchin, Anton Yelchin's parents, filed a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler for wrongful death and product liability. Victor Yelchin released a statement at the time of filing: "In spite of our unbelievable grief, we decided to come here to prevent other families from the same tragedy." The Los Angeles Times reported on March 22, 2018, that the two parties had reached a confidential settlement.

No amount of money can bring a child back, but hopefully, the lawsuit and the story of what happened to Anton Yelchin will remind everyone of the preciousness of life and being aware of any product recalls regarding vehicles.

Love, Antosha serves as a fitting tribute to Anton Yelchin

Anton Yelchin had great movie and TV roles outside of Star Trek , but his filmography isn't complete without the 2019 documentary film, "Love, Antosha." It utilizes archival footage of the actor to paint a portrait of a man who loved art and wanted to pursue his passion to the fullest. It also chronicles Yelchin's living with cystic fibrosis and includes interviews with many people who worked with him, such as J.J. Abrams, Willem Dafoe, and Jennifer Lawrence.

In a review, Roxana Hadadi of AV Club wrote, "Though clearly an adoring tribute, 'Love, Antosha' allows its subject a sort of complicated humanity that expands our understanding of him." It's a fitting capstone of a life well-lived, however short it might have been, and for fans of Yelchin's work, it's essential viewing to understand the person behind the performer fully.

Yelchin was an incredible actor. There was no shortage of roles he could've played had he gotten older, and there's no replacing him. After his death, J.J. Abrams said he wouldn't recast Anton Yelchin's part in "Star Trek 4," should it ever get off the ground. While Yelchin was taken from this world too soon, he still left behind a magnificent body of work, proving how one person can accomplish so much in so little time.

Den of Geek

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

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

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This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe George | @jageorgeii

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Anton Yelchin Dies In Car Accident: Chekov In ‘Star Trek’ Reboot Was 27

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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.

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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.

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Anton Yelchin Dies In Car Accident: Chekov In ‘Star Trek’ Reboot Was 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 In Atlantis , and the acclaimed horror film Green Room , is dead following a tragic car accident in his Studio City home last night. He was 27.

“Actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning. His family requests you respect their privacy at this time,” his publicist, Jennifer Allen said in a statement.

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Anton Yelchin, "Star Trek" actor, dead at 27

Updated on: June 19, 2016 / 12:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP

LOS ANGELES -- 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, his publicist, Jennifer Allen confirmed.

Yelchin, 27, was struck by his own car as it rolled backward down his driveway in Studio City, according to Los Angeles police Officer Jenny Hosier. The car pinned Yelchin against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.

He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

He 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.

An LAPD spokesperson told CBS News that foul play is not expected.

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."

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.

Car Accident

Family of 'Star Trek' actor settles with Fiat Chrysler over fatal accident

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FILE PHOTO: Cast member Yelchin poses during the photo call for the movie "Burying the ex" at the 71st Venice Film Festival

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This Was Anton Yelchin's Favorite Episode From Star Trek: The Original Series

J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" feature film wasn't so much an adaptation of the 1966 TV series as it was a film version of how non-Trekkies view the franchise. To explain: on the TV series, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is typically depicted as being judicious, stern, and decisive. Because of the few times Kirk solved problems with his fists, however, he has gained a (perhaps unfair) reputation for being a reckless cowboy, an insufferable lothario, and a flippant charmer. Abrams' version of Kirk (Chris Pine) rolled with those misconceptions, making a "high-octane" version of the character. Indeed, all the characters are now broader, more passionate versions of themselves. This is in addition to each of them being secret super-geniuses, deeply expert in at least one field of science, language, medicine, or engineering.

Case in point, Chekov (Anton Yelchin) knows how to operate a transporter in such a way that he can snatch crewmates right out of the air as they plummet through a planet's atmosphere below. Everything in the 2009 "Star Trek" is shifted into overdrive, with whirling cameras, shouting, fighting, and desperate last-minute escapes. Abrams turned "Star Trek" into an action movie.

That said, many of the new cast members did their "Star Trek" homework, watching old episodes of the original series and using their forebears as models for the latest versions of their characters. Yelchin in particular closely emulated Walter Koenig, and was even careful to imitate Koenig's unique Russian accent, even if it wasn't wholly accurate.

In 2009, TrekMovie interviewed the late Yelchin about playing Chekov, asking the actor — perhaps naturally — what his favorite episode of the original series was. Surprisingly, Yelchin was very fond of "Who Mourns for Adonais?," the episode wherein the Enterprise crew faces off against the Greek god Apollo.

Yelchin thought that 'Who Mourns for Adonais?' was 'fascinating'

"Who Mourns for Adonais?" (September 22, 1967) begins with the Enterprise being grabbed in space by a giant green human hand. Kirk and company beam down to a nearby planet to find Apollo (Michael Forest) living there. This appears to be the actual god Apollo of Greek myth, and he demands that the Enterprise crew worship him, just like he used to be worshiped back on Earth. Kirk, Chekov, and the others surmise that Apollo is actually an ancient alien that once visited Earth thousands of years ago, and the locals assumed he was a god. Kirk explains to Apollo that humans have outgrown the need for gods, and Apollo is sad. After Apollo ascends to join the other "gods," Kirk admits that even without the benefit of divinity, modern civilization still owes a lot to ancient Greek culture. The title is a reference to an 1821 Percy Shelley elegy about John Keats.

Yelchin probably liked "Adonais" because Chekov has a lot to contribute. He was part of the episode's landing party, and he was active and contributive. In Yelchin's words:

"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."

No such heady concepts were included in the 2009 film, as it was, as mentioned, an action picture. But It's nice to see that Yelchin found some of the original Trek concepts to be interesting.

'Amok Time' - a.k.a. the pon farr episode

Yelchin also liked "Amok Time," saying, "I also love the episode where Spock is PMSing and where Kirk has to fight Spock."

That's an indelicate way of describing pon farr, a Vulcan phenomenon where their bodies sexually activate once every seven years. While undergoing pon farr, Vulcans become unbearably horny, but also very angry and animalistic. They are moved to mate. In "Amok Time" (September 15, 1967) , Spock (Leonard Nimoy) undergoes pon farr and returns to Vulcan to marry his betrothed T'Pring (Arlene Martel). T'Pring finds that Kirk is a more appealing mate, however, and Kirk and Spock have to fight in a Vulcan gladiatorial arena for her hand. It's a notable episode of "Star Trek" because of the amount of Vulcan lore it introduced into the franchise, but many — like Yelchin — seem attached to the episode's silly, horny violence.

Yelchin also admitted that he did more research than some of his co-stars. He read "The Star Trek Encyclopedia" by Mike and Denise Okuda, and watched every episode of the show. Chris Pine, it seems, began watching the series, but stopped partway through the first season. "I kept going. I loved it," Yelchin said. "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."

Yelchin also played Chekov in "Star Trek Into Darkness" in 2013 and in "Star Trek Beyond" in 2016, released posthumously .

Screen Rant

What happened to mirror universe captain kirk in star trek.

Star Trek: Discovery returns to the Mirror Universe, which raises questions about what happened to the Terran Empire's Captain Kirk after TOS.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors".

In "Star Trek: Discovery", new information about the fate of the Mirror Universe Captain Kirk is provided by the return of the ISS Enterprise.
Mirror Kirk may have faced execution or plotted violent opposition against Spock's peaceful reforms.
A planned William Shatner comeback in "Star Trek: Enterprise" involving Mirror Kirk's return was shelved due to financial reasons.

Star Trek: Discovery has just brought back the ISS Enterprise from the Terran Empire, raising the question of what happened to the Mirror Universe's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) after the end of Star Trek: The Original Series . In Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco, and directed by Jen McGowan, the next clue to the Progenitors' treasure is found aboard the ISS Enterprise , trapped inside a pocket of interdimensional space. As Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Book (David Ajala) explore the Mirror Universe's version of the starship Enterprise , they learn more about what happened after TOS ' "Mirror, Mirror".

In "Mirror, Mirror", the Mirror Universe version of Captain Kirk switched places with his Prime Universe counterpart. While in the Mirror Universe, Prime Kirk inspired the Mirror Universe variant of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to embrace the possibility of a more peaceful future. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revealed that Spock's more peaceful approach led to the downfall of the Terran Empire at the hands of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance . However, DS9 was vague on what happened to the ISS Enterprise, Spock, and Kirk. While Star Trek: Discovery has now revealed the fate of the ISS Enterprise, the fate of Mirror Kirk is something of a mystery.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Burnham Fight Makes Michael Even More Like Kirk

What happened to mirror universe captain kirk after star trek: the original series.

Star Trek: Discovery reveals that the Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms, which is presumably a reference to Mirror Spock . In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 23, "Crossover", it was confirmed that Mirror Spock rose to the role of Commander in Chief, and the peaceful reforms led to the Terran Empire being unprepared for war with the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. While Discovery seems to confirm that Mirror Spock was executed for this failure, it remains tight-lipped on the fate of Mirror Kirk after he was beamed off the USS Enterprise at the end of "Mirror, Mirror".

The fate of Mirror Kirk after Star Trek: The Original Series has spawned multiple comic books and novels over the years, including the Mirror Universe trilogy by William Shatner, and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

Many speculated that Mirror Kirk was either imprisoned or put to death by Mirror Spock, even though that doesn't correlate with the Vulcan's attempt to make peaceful reforms . However, career progression in the Mirror Universe is ruthless, so it's certainly possible that Spock would have had Kirk executed, so he could take control of the ISS Enterprise to cement his rise to power. Another possibility is that Kirk survived, and was one of the many Terrans who objected to Mirror Spock's more peaceful reforms, perhaps even being the one who killed him in Star Trek: Discovery 's new version of events.

Mirror Kirk’s Aborted Star Trek: Enterprise Return Explained

Mirror Kirk was an integral part of a William Shatner comeback pitched for Star Trek: Enterprise season 4. In Shatner's pitch, co-conceived with writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Mirror Kirk was put to death by Spock following the events of "Mirror, Mirror", by being placed in the Tantalus Field. However, it would be revealed that the Tantalus Field didn't kill its victims, it placed them inside a pocket universe, where they would be discovered by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the crew of the Enterprise NX-01. Mirror Kirk and his comrades would then launch a hostile takeover of the Enterprise, pitting Shatner against Bakula.

Another pitch for a William Shatner episode of Star Trek: Enterprise would have seen him play the NX-01's unseen chef, who would be revealed as an ancestor of James T. Kirk.

William Shatner's return in Star Trek: Enterprise would have been a ratings smash, but it was nixed by Paramount . The reasons behind Paramount aborting Shatner's Star Trek return were said to be financial, with both Manny Coto and Rick Berman telling "The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek" by Peter Holmstrom that the actor's fee was more than Enterprise could afford. With the Mirror Kirk episode abandoned, the fate of Captain Kirk's Terran counterpart would have to remain a mystery. However, Star Trek: Enterprise did return to the Mirror Universe in a season 4 two-parter involving the USS Defiant from Star Trek: TOS .

Enterprise’s Mirror Universe Episodes Marked The Sad End Of The Star Trek Prequel

Star trek: discovery reveals what happened to mirror captain kirk’s enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors" may not reveal the fate of Mirror Kirk, but it does reveal what happened to his Enterprise. Investigating the abandoned ISS Enterprise in search of Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) , Burnham and Book learn about what happened after Spock's reforms. Following the death of the Terran High Chancellor, a group of Terrans boarded the ISS Enterprise in search of the Prime Universe, perhaps inspired by the hopeful words of Prime Kirk in "Mirror, Mirror". The refugees were led by Mirror Saru (Doug Jones), who had become a resistance leader following Discovery season 1 .

Saru is one of the few Star Trek characters to be a good guy in both the Mirror and Prime Universes.

However, the ISS Enterprise became trapped in the interdimensional fold encountered by the USS Discovery in the 32nd century. Forced to abandon ship, the refugees made it through the wormhole into the prime Star Trek universe. One of the refugees was Dr. Cho, who became part of the Federation's team that investigated the Progenitors' technology alongside Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman) and Jinaal . Dr. Cho is the only named refugee in Star Trek: Discovery , but it creates the fascinating possibility that Mirror Saru, and maybe even Mirror Kirk found their way to the Prime Universe in the 24th century.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

Giant Freakin Robot

Buffy's Best Villain Almost Played Star Trek's Stupidest Villain

Posted: May 1, 2024 | Last updated: May 1, 2024

<p>James Marsters is one of those omnipresent genre actors who seems to have been in damn near everything. He popped onto most of our radar screens playing the antiheroic vampire Spike on Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but he’s also appeared in Torchwood, Caprica, Smallville, The Clone Wars, and Supernatural over the years. </p>

Buffy’s Best Villain Almost Played Star Trek’s Stupidest Villain

James Marsters is one of those omnipresent genre actors who seems to have been in damn near everything. He popped onto most of our radar screens playing the antiheroic vampire Spike on Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but he’s also appeared in Torchwood, Caprica, Smallville, The Clone Wars, and Supernatural over the years.

<p>It turns out James Marsters also could have played a major role in the Star Trek universe a few years back: he apparently auditioned for the role of Shinzon, Captain Picard’s younger clone, in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.</p><p>That role eventually went to actor Tom Hardy, who has gone on to fame with roles in Inception and as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Speaking to the Australian Associated Press back in 2012, James Marsters said, “I don’t think I sucked eggs, but I didn’t do well enough. But I wish I had, I would have been proud to be Patrick Stewart’s clone.”</p>

James Marsters For Star Trek: Nemesis?

It turns out James Marsters also could have played a major role in the Star Trek universe a few years back: he apparently auditioned for the role of Shinzon, Captain Picard’s younger clone, in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.

That role eventually went to actor Tom Hardy, who has gone on to fame with roles in Inception and as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Speaking to the Australian Associated Press back in 2012, James Marsters said, “I don’t think I sucked eggs, but I didn’t do well enough. But I wish I had, I would have been proud to be Patrick Stewart’s clone.”

james marsters spike buffy the vampire slayer

Would James Marsters Have Worked?

It would have been interesting to see James Marsters take on the role and to see him up against Patrick Stewart on the big screen.

The coulda-been role isn’t Marsters’ only interest in the Star Trek universe, however.

“I have an idea for a Star Trek series but I haven’t shopped it yet,” said the the actor at the time. Unfortunately, he didn’t elaborate, and as of now, nothing has ever come of it.

<p>There aren’t many options for the reboot to bring these characters back, especially for more than cameos. The most technical solution to this problem would be to use de-aging technology, though that solution is both expensive and it doesn’t always work well. A more likely option would be to write in a supernatural explanation for the characters’ aging, perhaps connecting it to the open-ended finale of Angel or the fact that both characters are unique in that they have souls. </p>

James Marsters Is A Fantasy And Sci-Fi Fan

Finally, James Marsters explained why he was so attracted to the science fiction and fantasy genres, speaking of their ability to deal in metaphor and allegory.

He said, “Frankly sci-fi and fantasy can talk about social issues in a more a direct way that other more realistic forms can’t do. I like imagining very different social situations than the one I find myself in… and your imagination can run with that (on a sci-fi series). When you’re cast as a cop, you’re thinking, ‘I know what it’s like to sit in a car and drink coffee’.”

<p>As for Tom Hardy, well, Star Trek fans felt that Shinzon, as the main antagonist, was criminally underdeveloped and, even worse, just kind of boring. That’s not something James Marsters could have likely solved. </p><p>We never truly understood the motivations behind his actions, and in that one he turned pretty one-dimensional pretty quickly. </p><p>This really wasn’t Tom Hardy’s fault mind you, most would agree his acting chops in Star Trek: Nemesis were there. And he ended up turning out a career that’s been filled with some of the best roles around.</p>

Tom Hardy As Shinzon

As for Tom Hardy, well, Star Trek fans felt that Shinzon, as the main antagonist, was criminally underdeveloped and, even worse, just kind of boring. That’s not something James Marsters could have likely solved.

We never truly understood the motivations behind his actions, and in that one he turned pretty one-dimensional pretty quickly.

This really wasn’t Tom Hardy’s fault mind you, most would agree his acting chops in Star Trek: Nemesis were there. And he ended up turning out a career that’s been filled with some of the best roles around.

The Film’s Weak Point?

Overall, the Star Trek consensus is that Shinzon was a weak point of the film, and that Tom Hardy’s talents were not fully utilized in the character.

There should have been considerably more time devoted to Picard and his clone. Was it the only failing of the film? No, but it was a big one. James Marsters likely dodged one here.

James Marsters Career

James Marsters played Spike on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, becoming a fan-favorite character over the years. More recently, he had a main role as Victor Stein on the Hulu series Runaways from 2017-2019.

While Spike remains his most well-known character, it could have been a Star Trek role to push him over the top. But it didn’t happen.

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IMAGES

Mr. Chekhov
chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov. Star Trek
'Star Trek': J.J. Abrams Won't Recast Anton Yelchin's Chekov
The Reason Star Trek Added Chekov In TOS Season 2
Walter Koenig as 'Chekov'... STAR TREK (1968)

VIDEO

Ткачёв, Дацюк и Знарок об игре со сборной Швеции
Star Trek Online Chekov and APFMB USS lexington
Лучший вратарь сезона КХЛ vs Hockey Stigg \ Никита Серебряков
Хет-трик Владимира Ткачева / Vladimir Tkachyov scores three at TOR game
he Missed The Knight Trick!
Star Trek Kirk/Spock- Best Friends

COMMENTS

Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (Russian: Антон Викторович Ельчин, IPA: [ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn]; March 11, 1989 - June 19, 2016) was an American actor.Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of six months. He began his career as a child actor, appearing as the lead of the mystery ...
Why can't Chekov pronounce Victor? : r/startrek
Koenig's Chekov did the same thing. (Famously, with "Nuclear Wessels".) It was an oversight then, and an homage now. "We have found a Nuclear Wessel. And Keptin, she is named Enterprise." It was a trope during the early Cold War that that's how the russkies talked, based in some truth as Rrssh notes. (My Russian teacher did it too, and he was a ...
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.
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (11 March 1989 - 19 June 2016; age 27) was a Russian-born actor from Southern California who played Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. He also voiced Chekov in the 2013 Star Trek video game and appeared in character for an Xfinity commercial. [1] Yelchin took over the role from Walter Koenig, who portrayed the character on Star ...
Anton Yelchin Purposefully Made Chekov's Star Trek Accent ...
Viacom's split in 2005 led to the Kelvinverse, continuity in a parallel timeline that includes the 2009 "Star Trek" movie, in which Anton Yelchin played Ensign Pavel Chekhov. Yelchin recreated ...
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 ...
Anton Yelchin's Chekov Accent In Star Trek Was Inaccurate On ...
The 2009 "Star Trek" movie featured the same ships and characters as the 1966 "Star Trek," but altered into something similar-yet-different. New actors played younger versions of the 1966 ...
Star Trek XI
Clip del adorable Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) de Star Trek XI. Wictor Wictor!
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 ...
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Anton Yelchin, Chekov in 'Star Trek'
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 ...
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 ...
Pavel Chekov (alternate reality)
Pavel Andreievich Chekov was a 23rd century Human Federation Starfleet officer. As a cadet, this whiz kid was assigned as a navigator to the USS Enterprise in 2258, at the age of seventeen where he was involved in the defeat and death of Nero, a Romulan bent on the obliteration of the entire United Federation of Planets. (Star Trek) A year later, in 2259, Chekov was promoted to acting chief ...
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 ...
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 IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Kirk : Understood. [to 20th Century American interrogators] Chekov : I am Pavel Chekov, a commander in Starfleet. United Federation of Planets Service Number 656-5827D. Kirk : [Trying to revive Mr. Checkov] Pavel, talk to me. [pause] Kirk : Name! Rank! Chekov : [groggily] Chekov, Pavel.
Settlement will go toward foundation in Yelchin's name, publicist says
Victor and Irina Yelchin reached a settlement with the carmaker after their son was crushed to death in 2016. ... was best known for playing Chekov in the reboot of the "Star Trek" movies as ...
What Happened To Anton Yelchin? The Tragic Death Of The Star Trek Actor
Anton Yelchin's death in 2016 at the age of 27 continues to be a harrowing reminder of the fragility of life. He was perhaps best known for playing Chekhov in the rebooted Star Trek movies, but ...
Picard Season 3 Finally Reveals the Future of a Beloved Original Series
The name Anton is a nod to the second actor to play Pavel Chekov, Anton Yelchin, who portrayed Chekov in the three Kelvin-verse Star Trek films, starting with the J.J. Abrams-directed 2009 reboot ...
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, 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 Dies In Car Accident: Chekov In 'Star Trek ...
Updated June 19, 2016. , 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 ...
Anton Yelchin, "Star Trek" actor, dead at 27
LOS ANGELES -- 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 ...
Family of 'Star Trek' actor settles with Fiat Chrysler over fatal
Yelchin, 27, best known for playing navigator Pavel Chekov in the "Star Trek" movie reboot, died in June 2016 when his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled backward in the steep driveway of his Los Angeles ...
This Was Anton Yelchin's Favorite Episode From Star Trek: The ...
J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" feature film wasn't so much an adaptation of the 1966 TV series as it was a film version of how non-Trekkies view the franchise. To explain: on the TV series, Captain ...
New Star Trek Drink Details Confirmed By Discovery Writer
Star Trek: Discovery season 5's Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) promised his bridge crew casks of Kellerun citrus mash, and writer Carlos Cisco confirms what that alcoholic drink is made of. Rayner is a Kellerun, a species first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) has made a point to learn about Kelleruns to connect with the USS ...
Star Trek: DS9 Revealed Captain Kirk Broke The Mirror Universe
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revealed the prime timeline Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) broke the Mirror Universe during his one and only visit. At the end of Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 10, "Mirror, Mirror," Kirk suggests to Mirror Universe Spock (Leonard Nimoy) that the future of the Terran Empire could be more peaceful, like the Federation in Star Trek's prime ...
What Happened To Mirror Universe Captain Kirk In Star Trek?
Star Trek: Discovery reveals that the Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms, which is presumably a reference to Mirror Spock.In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 23, "Crossover", it was confirmed that Mirror Spock rose to the role of Commander in Chief, and the peaceful reforms led to the Terran Empire being unprepared for war with the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.
Buffy's Best Villain Almost Played Star Trek's Stupidest Villain
Apparently, there was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor who could have ended up with a major Star Trek role. But it wasn't to be. ... he had a main role as Victor Stein on the Hulu series Runaways ...

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