Walter Koenig, Star Trek’s Original Chekov, Dies at 90

Walter Koenig, the actor best known to sci-fi fans for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek TV series (and several of the feature films), has died. TMZ brings word of Koenig’s passing, with reps confirming his daughter, Danielle, was by his side when he died on Sunday, October 25. Koenig was 90.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Walter Koenig went to school as a pre-med major but took up acting after a recommendation from a professor. One of his earliest credits on television was on the TV series The Lieutenant, the first TV series from Gene Roddenberry. After the first season of Star Trek aired years later, Roddenberry wished to bring a new character into the cast that was inspired by the popularity of bands like The Beatles and The Monkees, with Koenig’s look helping him secure the role of Chekov starting in Season 2. In an interview later in life, Koenig confirmed he was just one of two people to even audition for the part, and landed the role hours later.

Walter Koenig of Star Trek and Babylon 5 Dies

Making his debut in the Season 2 premiere of Star Trek: The Original Series, Koenig’s Chekov was given the job of navigator on the Enterprise but was written to be a very capable member of the team, especially with regard to science. Koenig would appear in 36 episodes of the series across Seasons 2 and 3, and was one of the few main cast members to not return for Star Trek: The Animated Series in the 1970s.

That said, he would return to the role when the series leaped to the big screen, playing Chekov in the first seven Star Trek movies. Not only would he return to the role of Chekov in the films, but Koenig continued to play the character on the new television shows as well, making appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and even returning to voice the son of his character in Star Trek: Picard, where it was revealed that Pavel Chekov had previously been elected the president of the United Federation of Planets. In a fitting tribute, the younger Chekov that Koenig voiced in the series was named after actor Alton Yelchin, who played the character in the JJ Abrams reboot films and who passed away in 2016.

“I really had a terrific time on Star Trek IV,” Koenig told StarTrek.com in a 2011 interview. “I felt like I was a member of the cast, like I was making a tangible, viable contribution in a couple of scenes that were very specifically about Chekov. I loved them. I loved the improv scene that we did, looking for the ‘nuclear wessels.’ But I also liked the interrogation scene that I had with the FBI. They were actually moments that didn’t involve other members of the regular cast and just gave me a chance to be more the focus of the situation.”

Walter Koenig’s sci-fi credits don’t start and stop with Star Trek, though, as the actor also had a role in shows like Babylon 5 and Harlan Ellison’s The Starlost, plus voicing himself in an episode of Futurama. Koenig would go on to play the role of Chekov in a number of Star Trek fan films along the way as well, in addition to having appearances in other classic shows like The Virginian, Columbo, and Ironside.

Our thoughts go out to Walter Koenig’s family and friends during this difficult time.