Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has reintroduced audiences to many fan-favourite characters from The Original Series, including Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and even the infamous James T. Kirk. But fans hoping to see the OG Enterprise bridge crew assembled in full before the show wraps up will be disappointed, as co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have confirmed that one of TOS‘ fan-favorite characters won’t appear.
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Speaking in a recent interview with TrekMovie about the show’s upcoming seasons, Goldsman was direct about the OG hero who won’t appear in the prequel: “Not Chekov. There’s no Chekov.” Myers elaborated further, explaining, “Yeah, Chekov doesn’t make any sense.” Their reasoning is simple: at the time Strange New Worlds takes place, Chekov would still be a teenager, most likely still attending high school, which makes his absence from Captain Pike’s Enterprise not only logical, but necessary for the series to keep its timeline intact.
Speaking at San Diago Comic-Con (via TrekMovie) Myers confirmed that more TOS characters might be appearing in SNW, teasing, “You are going to meet some of them for sure,” and “We haven’t heard the last of Sybok,” (Spock’s Half-brother). However, they would neither “confirm or deny,” to TrekMovie, whether characters like Sulu or Dr. McCoy (or Sybok) could still appear before the series concludes. Still, it seems Chekov remains firmly off the table.
Strange New Worlds’ Chekov Snub Is Actually A Good Thing
Ensign Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig, joined Star Trek: The Original Series in its second season, where he served as navigator and security officer. Canonically, Chekov was born in 2245, making him just 22 years old when he first stepped aboard Kirk’s Enterprise. Since Strange New Worlds takes place over a decade earlier, during Captain Pike’s command, the timeline places Chekov around 16 years old — far too young to serve on the bridge of a Federation starship realistically. This makes Chekov one of the few main TOS characters who cannot appear in Strange New Worlds without drastically breaking continuity, while Kirk, for example, has become a recurring presence ahead of eventually taking command of the Enterprise.
Chekov’s omission from Strange New Worlds highlights how carefully the writers are balancing fan service with canon integrity. While fans enjoy seeing familiar faces woven into Pike’s era, too much overlap risks undermining what made The Original Series special. Saving Chekov for Kirk’s tenure ensures that when he finally joins the Enterprise crew in TOS, the moment retains its original significance.
In some ways, Chekov’s absence also keeps Strange New Worlds focused on its own identity. The show has succeeded by spotlighting Pike, Number One, Spock, and original characters like La’an Noonien-Singh and Erica Ortegas. By not rushing to bring in every TOS character, the series preserves room for new storytelling while still building toward the inevitable handoff to Kirk’s Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already been renewed for two more seasons, with Season 4 set to arrive next year and Season 5 set to begin shooting on September 17 with the aim of wrapping up in December.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+.
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