Region 4 salutes Walter Koenig
By Commodore Dave Mason
Davy Jones of The Monkees inspired Gene Roddenberry as he created Pavel Chekov of “Star Trek.”
Roddenberry thought “Star Trek” and its ratings could benefit from the addition of a young ensign. Besides, Chekov gave Roddenberry a chance to respond to the Soviet government’s newspaper Pravda’s complaint that there were no Russians on the Enterprise. Chekov, with his distinct accent, took pride in his Russian heritage, right down to his claims that everything great was created by a Russian.
Chekov became unforgettable, thanks to the skillful acting and wit of Walter Koenig, who will forever live in our hearts.
Region 4 of STARFLEET dims its lights in honor of Koenig, who played Chekov during the second and third seasons of the original series and seven “Star Trek” movies including “Generations.” Koenig died Sunday at his home in North Hollywood. He was 90. His passage leaves William Shatner (Capt. Kirk) and George Takei (Sulu) as the surviving members of the cast of the original “Star Trek” series.
We’ll never forget Chekov asking passersby in San Francisco about the location of “nuclear wessels” in his thick Russian accent as a police officer watches, or Chekov’s screams in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” We’ll always remember Chekov falling in love with young women during the original series or running from all the Marines chasing him on the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier in “Voyage Home” or his great scenes with Nichelle Nichols, aka Uhura, in both “The Voyage Home” and “The Trouble with Tribbles” episode. Koenig knew how to connect with other actors in a scene, and it was great to watch him.
More recently, Koenig was the voice of Chekov’s son, Federation President Anton Chekov, in the series finale of “Star Trek: Picard.” The unexpected addition of Koenig was a dream-come-true for fans for one reason.
Whatever the Trek, his characters shined like a star.
Koenig not only made Chekov memorable, but showed the various sides to a complicated villain on “Babylon 5,” Bester. And he was a great stage actor, performing a two-men play with the late Mark Lenard, aka Spock’s father Sarek, in “The Boys In Autumn.” I saw the play at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and was impressed with their portrayals of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as adults.
And Koenig proved his talent as a writer, penning everything from a script for the 1970s animated “Star Trek” series, “The Infinite Vulcan,” to the novel “Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot.” He also wrote about growing up in New York City, acting on early TV shows such as “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” and his time teaching acting and directing during the 1980s at UCLA in his autobiography “Warped Factors.”
By the way, a great, play-by-play description of the filming of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” is Koenig’s book “Chekov’s Enterprise.” Read it if you get a chance.
And Koenig spoke regularly at “Star Trek” conventions, including Creation Entertainment’s annual gatherings in Las Vegas. In addition, various STARFLEET members got their photos taken with Walter.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Koenig once in Thousand Oaks, just north of Los Angeles, when he was promoting “The Boys in Autumn” and found him thoughtful and insightful, an actor who picked his words precisely and expressed himself honestly. “Star Trek” fans were fortunate to have seen his work on screen and see him in person and at conventions. And Koenig was supportive of the late Anton Yelchin when the latter played Chekov in the J.J. Abrams-produced “Star Trek” movies.
Koenig was a class act, and he brought a lot of joy to “Star Trek.” He will be missed.
Walter Koenig will forever be remembered as the actor who played Chekov in the original “Star Trek” series and seven movies. (NBC photo, in public domain)