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Early life [ ]

Pavel Chekov, son of Andrei Chekov , was born in Russia on Earth in 2245 . ( TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ", " The Way to Eden ")

Pavel was an only child . While under the influence of the Beta XII-A entity , he erroneously believed that he had had a brother named Piotr who was killed by the Klingons . ( TOS : " Day of the Dove ")

Starfleet Academy [ ]

Around 2263 , Chekov entered Starfleet Academy , from which he graduated with the rank of ensign . His Starfleet serial number was 656-5827D. ( TOS : " Catspaw ", " Who Mourns for Adonais? ", " The Way to Eden "; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

During the early 2260s , Chekov was romantically involved with Irina Galliulin while they both attended the Academy together. The two had several disagreements before they parted ways: Chekov believed Galliulin to always be too free-spirited, Galliulin believed Chekov to have always been rigid. When Galliulin dropped out of the Academy, each accused the one of leaving the other. Chekov left, but came back to look for Galliulin, who was at the time staying in the city with friends . Galliulin eventually joined the counterculture movement of Dr. Sevrin and his search for the mythical planet Eden . ( TOS : " The Way to Eden ")

USS Enterprise [ ]

The five-year mission [ ].

Pavel Chekov, 2267

Chekov in 2267

Chekov's first assignment, at the age of 22, was on the USS Enterprise under command of Captain James T. Kirk. He joined the crew sometime prior to stardate 3018.2 (early 2267 ). ( TOS : " Catspaw ", " Who Mourns for Adonais? ", " I, Mudd ") He was serving there when sometime later, around stardate 3141.9, the Enterprise encountered SS Botany Bay , and he was seen by Khan Noonien Singh onboard the ship. ( TOS : " Space Seed "; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

Chekov would have likely been assigned to the Enterprise after the events of " Mudd's Women ", as Chekov did not know of Harry Mudd when the crew encountered him a second time in "I, Mudd".

Although the character of Chekov had not yet joined the cast during the first season, he must have been assigned in some capacity, as an off-screen encounter with Khan must have occurred during his assault in "Space Seed"; Khan recognized him in Star Trek II , stating " I never forget a face... "

Film writer Jack B. Sowards acknowledged this apparent inconsistency was not part of his final draft, but rather a change instituted by Nicholas Meyer . Sowards's script originally had Chekov reviewing a library tape on Khan before his first encounter with him. The sequence was deleted, and the dialogue in subsequent scenes was slightly reworked, creating the alleged plot hole. ( Starlog #67, February 1983 , p. 23)

Pavel Chekov celebrating

Chekov celebrating the Enterprise 's defeat of an Orion scout ship

Chekov served a standard junior officer rotation, eventually earning the post of navigator , although he was also proficient with the science officer station, often serving at the post in Commander Spock 's absence. While acting the role of science adviser , Chekov made every attempt to be as thorough as possible. Chekov also became good friends with the slightly older helmsman Lieutenant Sulu who sat next to him on many missions. ( TOS : " Catspaw ", " Amok Time ", " The Deadly Years ", " Spock's Brain ", " Day of the Dove ")

While investigating a humanoid who could generate and control energy , who referred to himself as Apollo , in 2267, Chekov began to spout off information on similar creatures. After naming the electric eel and giant dry-worm , he was stopped by Dr. Leonard McCoy , who told him " not the whole encyclopedia , Chekov. " McCoy later quipping on Chekov's dedicated thoroughness by stating: " Spock's contaminating this boy, Jim. " ( TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ")

Chekov frightened by a dead body on Gamma Hydra IV

Chekov frightened by a dead body on Gamma Hydra IV

On a mission to deliver supplies to a Federation experimental colony on the planet Gamma Hydra IV , the six member landing party discovered that most of the colonist were either dead or close to death from rapid aging with Chekov becoming frightened upon finding the dead body of Alvin in one of the buildings. On return to the Enterprise , the entire landing party was infected with the rapid aging except for Chekov. Chekov complained to Sulu about how many times Dr. McCoy put him through a series of tests to discover why he wasn't aging, especially emphasizing that if he gave any more blood he wouldn't have any left. Spock soon discovered that the rapid aging was caused by radiation left on Gamma Hydra IV from a rogue comet . McCoy determined that the cure was adrenaline . Chekov had been so shocked upon finding the dead body that his adrenaline provided an immunity to the radiation's effects. ( TOS : " The Deadly Years ")

Tamoon

Tamoon, Chekov's drill "thrall" on Triskelion

In 2268 , Chekov, Kirk, and Lieutenant Uhura were captured by alien beings who used them in gladiatorial combat, which the beings wagered on. Such captured beings were known as " thralls ". One of the thralls, Tamoon was assigned to train Chekov in gladiatorial combat and developed romantic feelings towards him, leading to many unwelcome advances. ( TOS : " The Gamesters of Triskelion ")

Chekov as William Claiborne

Chekov as Billy Claiborne in 2268

Chekov was killed as a member of the landing party that made contact with the xenophobic Melkotians . The Melkotians considered Humans as a disease that must be destroyed, and placed the five member landing party in a frontier setting of the 19th century American West . The away team filled the role of the Clantons , one of the two major gangs involved at the OK Corral gunfight with Chekov playing gang member William Claiborne . Chekov was killed by one of the Earps over a girl named Sylvia , who was in love with Chekov/Claiborne, and not the Earp that wanted her. Spock realized that this simulation was not real, and thus the four other landing party members could not be hurt as long as they did not believe in the illusion. After successfully escaping the illusory setting, the landing party was transported back to the Enterprise , along with Chekov who was alive once again and the Melkotians were willing to begin talks to join the Federation. ( TOS : " Spectre of the Gun ")

Lordchekov

Chekov being tempted by androids Alice 118 and 322 on Mudd's planet

When the ship was hijacked by android Norman to an undiscovered planet , the Enterprise 's crew discovered Harcourt Fenton Mudd who had crashed on the planet. The planet was populated by androids who wished to use the Enterprise to visit other planets, but strand the crew there. The androids tempted Chekov with a planet full of beautiful women to serve him. In the end, the crew banded together and escaped the planet, leaving Mudd with five hundred android replicas of his overbearing wife, Stella . ( TOS : " I, Mudd ")

Chekov drinking vodka

Chekov drinking vodka at the bar on Deep Space Station K-7

During shore leave on Deep Space station K-7 , Chekov, along with Lieutenant Uhura, brought one tribble back to the Enterprise , which reproduced so fast that the ship became overrun with them in three days. Chekov participated in a bar fight with Klingons in the bar on the space station and was temporarily arrested by some redshirts . He had to then participate in an interrogation line on the Enterprise , in front of Kirk, until Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott admitted he started the fight. Scott found a humane way to dispose of all the tribbles on the Enterprise by beaming them over to the Klingon ship IKS Gr'oth just before it went into warp speed. ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles "; DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

Chekov neutralized into an inert solid

Chekov was at navigation when he noticed the Enterprise navigation controls were not working, and then tried to assist Lieutenant Hadley , manning the helm, with the helm's stuck controls. The Kelvan Hanar then suddenly transported himself onto the bridge and put Chekov and the rest of the bridge crew into temporary motionless stasis. Two other Kelvans, Tomar and Drea , had already seized control of engineering and environmental engineering in a similar fashion. Thus began the attempted hijacking of the Enterprise by the Kelvan Milky Way Expedition so they could return to the Andromeda Galaxy . After the Enterprise successfully exited the Milky Way galaxy through the galactic barrier , Kelvan leader Rojan neutralized and reduced Chekov into a dehydrated porous cuboctahedron solid the size of a Human fist, composed of Chekov's base minerals which represented the "distilled" essence of Chekov's being, because he was considered along with most of the rest of the crew non-essential personnel. Chekov was reconstituted after Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott, the only four of the crew who were not neutralized, regained control of the Enterprise . ( TOS : " By Any Other Name ")

Chekov, Freeman and security guard arresting Kirk and Spock

Chekov, Freeman and a security guard attempt to arrest Kirk and Spock

After the Starnes Exploration Party children were brought aboard the Enterprise from the planet Triacus , no one on board knew that the children were under the influence of Gorgan , who had given the children the ability of mind-control . This telekinesis had already caused the deaths of the children's parents and was the way in which Gorgan hoped to achieve galactic dominance by way of other children. The children used their mind-control on Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura to make them believe that the Enterprise was still orbiting Triacus, when in actuality Chekov and Sulu had set course for Marcus XII , the intended next target for Gorgan. This also caused Kirk, unaware of the change of course and the departure from the orbit of Triacus, to have two crewmen have their molecules beamed into and spread throughout space and to their deaths. Then Tommy Starnes manipulated, by telekinesis, Chekov, Security Chief Freeman , and another security guard to attempt to arrest and put in the brig both Kirk and Spock because of false "orders" of Starfleet command. Kirk and Spock fought off Chekov, Freeman, and the other security guard, who were temporarily put in the brig themselves. Chekov was freed from the mind-control once the children were freed from the influence of Gorgan. ( TOS : " And the Children Shall Lead ")

Main viewer rear projection

Chekov in front of the bridge's main viewscreen showing a chart of the Sigma Draconis system during the search for Spock's brain

Chekov and security guards staying warm

Chekov and two security officers keeping warm on Sigma Draconis VI

Chekov was rendered unconscious by the Eymorg Kara when she boarded the Enterprise and used her control bracelet in order to steal Spock's brain . After the crew regained consciousness and found Spock's body without his brain and they found Kara's ship left an ion trail to the Sigma Draconis system , Chekov placed a schematic of the system on the bridge's viewscreen . A debate ensued between Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura as to which of the three class M planets they should look for Spock's brain, with Kirk reminding them that Dr. McCoy said that Spock would have only three hours to live without his brain. None of the three planets seemed capable of supporting interstellar flight, but Kirk's best hunch of where to look came from Uhura, who found large, regular energy pulsations on the otherwise glaciated and pre-industrial Sigma Draconis VI . Chekov was part of a landing party that also consisted of Kirk, Scott, McCoy, and two crewmen who beamed down to the surface of Sigma Draconis VI. There the landing party suffered an ambush by the Morg , primitive humanoid men, until one of them was subdued by a phaser . The Morg that was hit hinted at "the Others" who gave "pain and delight", but seemingly the Morg had no mates and didn't know what a female was. Chekov then ran his tricorder and found evidence of an underground city. Kirk, McCoy, and Scott went underground and found that the Eymorg were the females of the Morg and discovered Spock's brain was being used to power the city, Chekov used his phaser to heat a rock to keep him and the two crewmen warm. McCoy was able to get Spock's brain back in his head, just in the nick of time, and they met back up with Chekov and the two crewmen leaving the Eymorg to have to start living with the Morg. ( TOS : " Spock's Brain ")

When Spock mind melded with Medusan Ambassador Kollos to guide the Enterprise into normal space after being stranded in an uncharted void of the galaxy by a then-dead Larry Marvick , Spock-Kollos took over, temporarily, the helm console from Sulu and was assisted in the task by Chekov at navigation. Unfortunately Spock-Kollos forgot to put back on the visor, which caused Spock to go temporarily insane while still on the bridge. During this temporary insanity, he pushed very hard backwards both Chekov and Sulu, who were trying to help him, with Chekov landing on top of the navigation console and then to on his back on the floor. Fortunately Chekov recovered quickly and Spock did so, as well, a short time after that. ( TOS : " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ")

Chekov attacks Spock

Chekov goes insane and attacks Spock while in Tholian space

Chekov was part of an away team that beamed aboard the starship USS Defiant , which was adrift in space. They discovered that the ship was dissolving due to the effects of the interphase of that part of space. They also discovered that there had been mass insanity aboard the USS Defiant with its whole crew dead. Kirk unfortunately had to remain behind because the transporter could only beam aboard three of the four away team members. After beaming back to the Enterprise , Chekov attacked Spock on the bridge in a fit of madness. The illness then spread throughout the ship. The interphase was causing mental breakdowns in the crew of the Enterprise . Chekov was cured of his madness the same way the rest of the crew who suffered mental breakdowns did, from Dr. McCoy discovering and then dispensing a diluted theragen derivative. Spock told Chekov that it was great to see Chekov back to his normal self. The crew rescued Kirk and escaped the Tholians . ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

Near the end of 2268, Chekov was very nervous when Kirk, Spock, and Scott were forced to activate the three-part self-destruct sequence in order to force Commissioner Bele to relinquish control of the Enterprise to Kirk. Shortly after in the recreation room , Chekov attended the speech by Lokai regarding how his people had been enslaved and then subjugated by Bele's people on their home planet of Cheron for many centuries. Chekov expressed surprise about this by saying to Lokai, " There was persecution on Earth once. I remember reading about it in history class. " Sulu then reminded Chekov that that took place several centuries earlier on Earth and was considered primitive thinking in the 23rd century. Chekov, manning the bridge's main science station for Spock, was later the one to discover that Bele sabotaged the self-destruct program so he and Lokai ended up having their final battle on the already mutually annihilated, by civil war , Cheron. ( TOS : " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ")

Early in 2269 , Chekov's sight was affected when the "lights of Zetar " beings attacked the Enterprise as the ship was trying to reach Memory Alpha . Apparently as navigator, Chekov's sight was considered by the Zetarians to be the most important part of Chekov's brain to render useless in the young man during the attack. Chekov later expressed that he couldn't force himself to look at the navigation controls during the attack. ( TOS : " The Lights of Zetar ")

Pavel Chekov and Irina Galliulin kiss

Chekov kissing Irina Galliulin

A bit later in 2269, Chekov once again encountered his lost love, Irina Galliulin. Although they were initially happy to see one another, Chekov adamantly disapproved of her new lifestyle and attempted to cast her off. She visited Chekov, who was working in auxiliary control assigned to help Spock locate the planet Eden , to apologize for upsetting Chekov. Her ulterior motive, however, was to subtly use him to gain his knowledge of the systems of the ship, which were later used by Dr. Sevrin and his followers to hijack the Enterprise . The two left each other once again, this time while saying "good-bye" to one another, as well as each with a better understanding of the other. ( TOS : " The Way to Eden ")

Sulu and Chekov

Chekov and Sulu refusing to comply with the captain's orders as Kirk's body was inhabited by Dr. Janice Lester in 2269

A short time after that unaware that Kirk's body was being inhabited by Dr. Janice Lester after a life-entity transfer , Chekov and Sulu started protesting when the captain extended the mutiny charges against Spock and the doctor to Scott and McCoy and ordered the death penalty for all four of them. Chekov persisted and tried to remind the captain that the death penalty was forbidden except for violation of General Order 4 , which had not been violated. But the captain refused to listen. A short time later on the bridge, Chekov and Sulu took their hands off their consoles in defiance of the captain's orders to go to the planet Benecia for the internment of the prisoners. This action by Chekov and Sulu fortunately started the process of returning Kirk back to his own body. ( TOS : " Turnabout Intruder ")

Later in 2269, Chekov was no longer the navigator on board the Enterprise , having been replaced as navigator by Arex . ( Star Trek: The Animated Series )

According to his Animated Series bio at StarTrek.com , Chekov was transferred to another ship and was replaced by Arex, his former instructor at the Academy. [1] (X)

Pavel Chekov, 2270s

Lieutenant Chekov in the 2270s

By the early 2270s , Chekov had been promoted to lieutenant and served as the security chief and tactical officer of the refit Enterprise under the command of Captain Will Decker .

Chekov in pain

Chekov's hand burned during V'ger 's attack

Chekov was manning the weapons console when the Enterprise entered a wormhole created by its imbalanced warp engines. Kirk ordered Chekov to fire phasers on an asteroid they were going to collide with in the wormhole, but Decker ordered that he fire photon torpedoes at it instead. Slowly, Chekov fired the weapons due to the wormhole effect but ultimately saved the ship. Later, Chekov's hand was severely burned by a feedback pulse when the ship was probed during its encounter with V'ger . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

USS Reliant [ ]

By the 2280s , Chekov was promoted to commander and assigned as first officer to USS Reliant under Captain Clark Terrell .

Chekov ceti eel pain

Chekov in pain as a Ceti eel leaves his ear

In 2285 , the Reliant was on a mission to find a suitable planet to conduct trials with the Genesis Device . When they explored Ceti Alpha V , Chekov and Captain Terrell encountered Khan Noonien Singh and his Augments .

By putting Ceti eels inside their heads, Khan made them susceptible to his suggestions, his motive being to seek revenge on Admiral Kirk. Using Chekov and Terrell, Khan was able to seize the Reliant and subsequently steal the Genesis Device.

After Captain Terrell's death, and the departure of the Ceti eel from his head, he returned to the Enterprise after his rescue from Regula I , and recovered in time to help Admiral Kirk defeat Khan in the Battle of the Mutara Nebula . ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

USS Enterprise , again [ ]

Following the death of Spock, he assumed the post of Enterprise 's acting science officer . ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

Chekov braces

Chekov braces himself when Kruge fires at the Enterprise

After it was discovered that Spock may still be alive on the newly formed Genesis Planet , Chekov and his shipmates Kirk, Scott, Sulu, and McCoy stole the Enterprise from Spacedock One (with Uhura's help) in an attempt to recover his regenerated body.

The Enterprise was disabled by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey in orbit around the Genesis Planet and was then self-destructed by Kirk (with help from Scott and Chekov) to prevent its capture. Kirk and his crew later seized command of the Klingon ship, which they named the HMS Bounty .

The crew then transported the regenerated body of Spock to Vulcan , where the body was reunited with his katra , which had been placed in McCoy. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

HMS Bounty [ ]

Following their exile on Vulcan, Chekov chose to return to Earth with his comrades aboard the HMS Bounty , where while en route, they discovered reason Earth was under "attack" by an orbiting Whale Probe .

Using the slingshot effect , the Bounty went back in time to 1986 to transport two Humpback whales to the 23rd century. While on Earth, Chekov and Uhura were part of "Team 2," assigned to locating and acquiring photons for recrystallizing the dilithium crystals aboard the Bounty .

Pavel Chekov injured

Chekov injured after falling from the USS Enterprise CVN-65 in 1986

Although the mission was a success in acquiring the necessary photons from the nuclear vessel, USS Enterprise , Chekov was captured by the ship's security. Accused of being a "Russkie," Chekov made a failed escape attempt from the aircraft carrier , only to become critically injured when he fell over fifty feet from the ship's hangar deck, running through an open hatch that led out to one of the ship's massive aircraft elevators.

Chekov cured

Chekov at Mercy Hospital

Chekov was taken into emergency surgery at Mercy Hospital where he was diagnosed with a tearing of the middle meningeal artery after a fundoscopic examination . He would successfully be healed, narrowly escaping the removal of an epidural hematoma by trepanation, and subsequently evacuated from the hospital by McCoy, Kirk, and Gillian Taylor .

USS Enterprise -A [ ]

Upon returning to the 23rd century, Chekov and his shipmates faced court martial for their actions. However, they were eventually cleared of all charges and Chekov was reassigned as navigator on the USS Enterprise -A . ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Pavel Chekov, 2287

Chekov posing as captain of the Enterprise -A in 2287

In 2287 , Chekov took temporary command of the Enterprise -A and posed as "Captain Chekov" as a ruse to negotiate with Sybok for the hostages that the renegade Vulcan took on Nimbus III . While Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura and a security team landed on the planet covertly by shuttlecraft , Chekov successfully distracted Sybok long enough for the landing party to launch an attack on Paradise City . Sybok later captured the landing party and boarded the Enterprise . Making his way to the bridge, Sybok confronted Chekov and took away his "pain". Afterward, Chekov became one of the Vulcan's followers. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Pavel Chekov, 2293-A

Chekov, shortly before the Enterprise -A's decommissioning

In 2293 , Chekov undertook his final voyage on the Enterprise -A as part of the mission to escort the Klingon Chancellor to peace negotiations with the Federation. Chekov used his investigative science background to find forensic evidence linked to a Federation-Klingon conspiracy attempting to undermine the peace talks. After the Khitomer Conference, Chekov's last duty on the Enterprise -A was to man navigation and the helm for her decommissioning cruise. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

Guest of honor [ ]

Chekov, Kirk, and Scott

Chekov with Kirk and Scott on the new USS Enterprise -B's bridge in 2293

In the latter part of 2293, Commander Chekov was a guest of honor aboard the new USS Enterprise -B , which was under the command of John Harriman . During the ship's maiden voyage , Captain Kirk went missing (presumably swept into space) during a hull breach caused by a part of the Nexus energy ribbon when it collided with the Enterprise -B. ( Star Trek Generations )

At some point, Chekov had a son , Anton , who served as the president of the United Federation of Planets in 2401 , by which time Chekov had died. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Russian heritage [ ]

Chekov was very proud of his heritage. He often noted – mostly erroneously – that most great inventions and events ever noted in history came from his homeland, which both amused and annoyed his crewmates.

  • He claimed that the old Earth saying " Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me, " was invented in Russia. ( TOS : " Friday's Child ")
  • He once sarcastically referred to himself as " the tsar of all the Russias " when meeting Apollo . ( TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ")
  • He claimed that the English story about the Cheshire Cat was actually a Russian story about a disappearing cat from Minsk . ( TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ")
  • He claimed that the Garden of Eden was located just outside Moscow . He described it as " a very nice place " and that " it must've made Adam and Eve very sad to leave, " to which Kirk sarcastically responded with " Just... outside Moscow, all right. " ( TOS : " The Apple ")
  • He once referred to Harry Mudd as an "' unprincipled evil-minded lecherous Kulak . " He then commented that planet Mudd was " even better than Leningrad . " ( TOS : " I, Mudd ")
  • He claimed that the region surrounding Sherman's Planet was first mapped by the famous Russian astronomer Ivan Burkoff , when in fact, it was discovered by John Burke , of the Royal Academy . ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ")
  • He claimed that quadrotriticale was a Russian invention, when, in fact, it was invented in Canada . ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ")
  • He was also known to have made references to Peter the Great . ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ")
  • He claimed that scotch was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad . ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ")
  • He was also fond of the Russian beverage vodka and referring to the Klingons, among other individuals, as Cossacks . ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ", " Spectre of the Gun ", " Day of the Dove ")
  • He claimed Cinderella was a Russian epic. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

In addition to these, Captain Kirk once stopped Lieutenant Sulu mid-sentence, while Sulu was referencing an incident in Siberia , and told Sulu, " If I wanted a Russian history lesson, I would have brought Mr. Chekov. " ( TOS : " That Which Survives ", in which Chekov himself did not appear)

In the novel Prime Directive , Chekov claimed that karate was invented in Russia before being stolen by the Chinese.

In the video game Star Trek: Judgment Rites , Chekov claims that cognac was a Russian invention.

His erroneous claims might be a satire of the Soviet Union 's propaganda and relative isolation from the western bloc during the Cold War , when TOS was being filmed.

Biographical timeline [ ]

  • 2245  : Born in Russia , on Earth
  • ca. 2263  : Enrolls at Starfleet Academy , later graduates with the rank of ensign
  • ca. 2267  : Assigned to USS Enterprise as navigator and relief science officer
  • 2270  : The Enterprise 's five-year mission ends.
  • Early 2270s  : Joins the refit Enterprise crew as lieutenant , assigned as security chief
  • 2285  : Assigned to USS Reliant as commander , first officer . Assignment ends when the vessel is stolen and destroyed by Khan Noonien Singh . Chekov participates in the theft and destruction of Enterprise , and flees with Admiral Kirk's party to Vulcan
  • 2286  : Charges against the crew and Chekov are dropped, Chekov becomes navigator of USS Enterprise -A
  • 2287  : Temporarily in command of the Enterprise -A, acts as captain to negotiate with Sybok at Nimbus III
  • 2293  : After helping to solve the Khitomer conspiracy , Chekov's assignment to the Enterprise -A ends when the vessel is scheduled for retirement. Chekov is a guest on board the new Enterprise -B.
  • 24th century : Has a son named Anton Chekov , who has become the President of the United Federation of Planets by 2401.

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

  • " Catspaw "
  • " Friday's Child "
  • " Who Mourns for Adonais? "
  • " Amok Time "
  • " The Apple "
  • " Mirror, Mirror "
  • " The Deadly Years "
  • " I, Mudd "
  • " The Trouble with Tribbles "
  • " Bread and Circuses "
  • " Journey to Babel "
  • " A Private Little War "
  • " The Gamesters of Triskelion "
  • " Obsession "
  • " The Immunity Syndrome "
  • " A Piece of the Action "
  • " By Any Other Name "
  • " Patterns of Force "
  • " The Ultimate Computer "
  • " Assignment: Earth "
  • " Spectre of the Gun "
  • " Elaan of Troyius "
  • " The Paradise Syndrome "
  • " The Enterprise Incident "
  • " And the Children Shall Lead "
  • " Spock's Brain "
  • " Is There in Truth No Beauty? "
  • " The Tholian Web "
  • " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "
  • " Day of the Dove "
  • " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield "
  • " The Mark of Gideon "
  • " The Lights of Zetar "
  • " The Way to Eden "
  • " The Savage Curtain "
  • " Turnabout Intruder "
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  • Star Trek Generations
  • Star Trek Beyond (Picture only)
  • DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations " ( archived footage )

Background information [ ]

Chekov was played by Walter Koenig , who joined the cast of Star Trek at the beginning of TOS Season 2 , and filled in what were originally intended to be roles for Hikaru Sulu while George Takei spent much of this time involved in filming The Green Berets during Season 2. ( "To Boldly Go...": Season 2 , TOS Season 2 DVD special features)

According to Gene L. Coon in his The Making of Star Trek , Gene Roddenberry wanted to add in a young Englishman to appeal to younger demographics. However, he received a written complaint from Russian sources, who complained that Star Trek – though trying to fashion a future where the world was united – was ignoring the USSR, which, at the time, was the leader in the space race. Roddenberry soon after altered his English youth into Chekov.

On the video release of William Shatner's Star Trek Memories , Walter Koenig himself said that the Russians didn't say anything about there being no Russians on the Enterprise and the Pravda article that Roddenberry and Coon referred to likely didn't exist because at the height of the Cold War, no American programming was airing in Russia. ( Allan Asherman 's The Star Trek Compendium says that the Pravda journalist "[had] seen a Star Trek episode televised in Germany", but Star Trek didn't air in Germany until 1972 .) According to Koenig, the character was created to add Davy Jones -like appeal to the show and the Russian heritage was added by Roddenberry because he wanted to honor the fact that the Russians were the first people in space. In his first couple of episodes, Koenig indeed wore a Monkees -style wig to look more like Davy Jones. ( "To Boldly Go...": Season 2 , TOS Season 2 DVD special features) Ironically, during the time of TOS in the late 1960s, Soviet teens sporting this look, derisively called "hairies" and viewed as dangerously rebellious by their elders, were often arrested and had their hair cut off by the police. [2]

Chekov was the only main character from Star Trek not to appear in Star Trek: The Animated Series , due to budgetary constraints. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 422) He was briefly written into the series, appearing as an ensign in the first draft script of " Yesteryear ", though his role in that story was rewritten for a newly created character, Ensign Bates . Despite Chekov's exclusion, StarTrek.com has a TAS Chekov biography page explaining what he was up to away from the Enterprise in the years of The Animated Series . [3] (X) Koenig, however, was not entirely absent from the series; he did provide the script for " The Infinite Vulcan ".

Chekov was referenced in the first draft script of the Star Trek: The Next Generation sixth season episode " Relics ". Moments after Scott was rematerialized on the USS Jenolan in the 24th century, he started to suggest to Geordi La Forge that perhaps he (i.e. Scott) and Chekov could do something related to salvaging the Jenolan . However, Scott trailed off, not finishing his sentence, upon first seeing Worf . The reference to Chekov was completely dropped by the final draft of the script. [4]

A 24th century version of Pavel Chekov was briefly planned to feature in an episode that was conceived but not filmed for the seventh season of TNG . Writer Naren Shankar recalled how Chekov was portrayed in the story; " He returns as a prisoner-of-war from a planet where he was imprisoned for many years and finally released. Now he has come back as an ambassador to help the Federation open up diplomatic relations, like Vietnam, essentially. " Chekov would have also, in the same story, formed a friendship with Worf, who had likewise been brought up in Russia. Shankar concluded, " Throughout the course of the negotiations with these people, it appears as though Chekov is sabotaging them. It turns out he is plotting to use the Enterprise to lay waste to their capital for revenge and to screw things up for the Federation because he feels they abandoned him and let these people torture him. " ( Sci Fi Universe , September 1994 issue [ page number? • edit ] )

In the first draft script of Star Trek Generations , Chekov had a total of three lines. He was aboard the Enterprise -B when it encountered El-Aurian vessels caught in the Nexus, though he didn't have any dialogue on the Enterprise 's bridge. After being recruited as a nurse by Dr. McCoy and accompanying him to the Enterprise -B's sickbay with the intention of treating the El-Aurian survivors, Chekov reported to McCoy, while scanning the El-Aurians with a tricorder, that he had found "only minor injuries so far...." One of the people Chekov scanned was Dr. Tolian Soran , who roughly grabbed him. Chekov tried to assure Soran, who was desperate to return to the Nexus, that he was safe on the Enterprise . However, Chekov began to be attacked by Soran, so McCoy rendered Soran unconscious with a hypospray before he could seriously wound Chekov. Puzzled, Chekov asked McCoy what Soran had been talking about, though McCoy didn't know. Chekov returned to the bridge of the Enterprise -B and remained there until the setting of the script changed.

In Star Trek Generations , Chekov is briefly referred to as "Captain Chekov" by one of the reporters on the Enterprise -B. Chekov was referred to in the final draft script (but not in the first draft) as "Commander". He is also shown wearing a commander's pin on screen.

By the time Star Trek Generations came about, Walter Koenig felt it was finally time to say goodbye to the character of Chekov, having believed Star Trek VI would be Chekov's last appearance. As it turned out, the amount of content which was ultimately given to Chekov to say and do in Generations also pleased Koenig. " I found this attractive and appealing because there is a couple of personal moments that Chekov has in this story that were absent in what was supposedly our last appearance, " he stated, " and although the story certainly isn't about Chekov, nor is any one page about Chekov, still I feel that I have been given the opportunity to invest some character into the dialogue and to leave an impression of Chekov's personality on the screen. " ("Uniting Two Legends", Star Trek Generations (Special Edition) DVD / Blu-ray )

One of Chekov's costumes was added to the ScienceFictionArchives.com collection and was showcased at Paris science museum during 2010-2011 exhibition "Science (and) Fiction: Imagination Meets Reality". [5]

Walter Koenig's portrayal of Chekov, especially in TOS Season 3 , heavily influenced Anton Yelchin 's depiction of the alternate reality version of the character. " There's a lot more Chekov in season three, so I wanted to focus on [that] season [....] I'm indebted to [Walter Koenig] for setting me up in this great way, " Yelchin remarked. " He crafted such a fun character, so I try and embrace that energy every time, and be respectful of that. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 84)

Heather Kadin remarked, " I don't think I realized as a kid when I was watching what it meant that Chekov was on the bridge in the middle of the Cold War. That's amazing that Gene Roddenberry thought to do that and actually was able to do that. " ("A Woman's Journey", DIS Season 1 DVD & Blu-ray special features)

Apocrypha [ ]

According to Star Trek II: Biographies , Chekov was born on 6 March 2245 in Moscow to parents Aleksei Mikhailovich Chekov and Catherine Rykova. While his biography in the video game Star Trek: Starship Creator , written by Mike Okuda , stated that his parents were named Andrei Dimitrievich Chekov and Larisa Irinova Chekov. He also had a daughter named Kim.

In the Eleventh UK Annual Story , Chekov says that he took the same radio courses as Uhura, presumably at Starfleet Academy.

In the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy game, Chekov claims that prior to joining the Enterprise , he was stationed on the planet Benderi IV, where he had a commanding officer who believed getting angry was unprofessional and bottled up her rage until it exploded. He also authored several simulator missions used at the Academy.

In the novel To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh , Chekov led the security team that delivered Khan and his followers to Ceti Alpha V's surface. Khan remembers Chekov as having led a courageous but failed attempt to retake the engine room during Khan's brief takeover of the Enterprise . This coincides with both Khan's recognition of Chekov, as well as Chekov's comment in the novel Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan that he had seen the world Khan had been left on.

According to The Sundered , the first book in the Star Trek: The Lost Era series, Chekov served as executive officer of the USS Excelsior from 2293 through at least part of 2298 . Chekov is mentioned in TNG -era novels from Pocket Books , such as Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens 's Federation . That novel mentioned him becoming an admiral after commanding both the USS Potemkin and USS Cydonia . The Reeves-Stevenses collaborated with William Shatner on The Return , which had Chekov becoming a fleet admiral . In Exodus , a novel in the Star Trek: Vulcan's Soul series by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz , one plot thread had Chekov still be alive by the time of the Dominion War , along with Admiral Uhura.

The Face of the Unknown briefly depicts Chekov's longing for a new direction in his life following the events of " The Way to Eden ", and ends with him deciding to transfer for additional security training, to be replaced on the Enterprise by Arex Na Eth . The beginning of the novel The Latter Fire depicts his leaving the Enterprise for training at Starfleet Academy's Reed Annex in London (presumably a tip of the hat to Malcolm Reed ), and his subsequent replacement by a newly transferred Arex.

Chekov returns in the Agents of Yesterday expansion for Star Trek Online , again voiced by Walter Koenig. After the events of The Undiscovered Country , he eventually became a captain, and even later in his life he became a temporal agent , sometimes working alongside Daniels . Chekov – aided by the player character – removes a Na'kuhl bomb from the Enterprise and places it aboard the Orion scout ship that attacked during the trip to the Babel Conference ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "). He later leads Starfleet and allied forces against the Temporal Liberation Front in the Battle of Procyon V , joining with the player and unwitting temporal agent Montgomery Scott to use the Tox Uthat against the Sphere-Builders .

In Star Trek Cats , Chekov is depicted as a Russian Blue cat .

External links [ ]

  • Pavel Chekov at Wikipedia
  • Pavel Chekov at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • Pavel Chekov at the Star Trek Online Wiki
  • 1 Bell Riots
  • 2 Unnamed Romulan military personnel (23rd century)

TrekMovie.com

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

chekov and sulu 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

A countdown of all of Pavel Chekov’s love interests on Star Trek: The Original Series

By lillyan ratcliffe | may 12, 2023.

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 28: Actor Walter speaks during 2020 C2E2 Koenig at McCormick Place on February 28, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)

Pavel Chekov had quite a bit of romance during Star Trek’s original run.

Star Trek: The Original Series often gets criticized for how many one-episode romances Captain Kirk had.  Yet, did Pavel Chekov, who didn’t join the crew until the second season, have almost as many romances as his captain?  Was the Russian answer to Davy Jones less prone to falling for aliens than Kirk, looking for love with his fellow crew members?

Pavel Chekov was known for saying “X was invented in Russia” and using his charm on several women throughout his two seasons on The Enterprise.  However, it is interesting to note that Pavel Chekov did not always follow the same romantic path Kirk did.

Kirk often used romance to achieve a goal with female aliens or female Starfleet officers.  Pavel Chekov often seemed to be genuinely interested in the women he had romances with.  Was Pavel Chekov more interested in romance for romance’s sake than Kirk?  Were his romances more focused on finding a long-term partner?

Looking at Pavel Chekov’s love interests across Star Trek

Pavel chekov romance in star trek: the original series (n/a in the animated series).

Pavel Chekov was introduced in season two of TOS when more romantic plotlines were introduced to the series overall.  The first four episodes he appears in, “Catspaw”, “Friday’s Child”, “Who Mourns for Adonais?”, and “Amok Time” are more focused on establishing Pavel Chekov as a character as the romances in these episodes do not involve him.

The first episode to feature a Pavel Chekov love interest “The Apple” immediately has him in a relationship with the Yeoman of the Episode, Martha Landon.  What makes this unique is that dialogue implies this relationship is known to most of the away party.  Kirk even chastises them for wanting to sneak off.  Compare this to most of the other relationships seen in the series where it is love at first sight or the relationship seems to be fairly new.  Pavel Chekov and Martha Landon appear to have been in a relationship prior to the episode and are very attracted to each other.

Pavel Chekov is not involved in another romantic plotline until “The Gamesters Of Triskelion”  where his drill thrall expresses romantic interest in him.  Pavel Chekov does not return these, however, although it is not clear if he doesn’t like how forward she is or if he does not find her attractive.  This is also unique as many romantic plotlines in TOS are mutual.  Does this point to Chekov having a type or being more interested in long-term relationships?

“Spectre of the Gun” finds Pavel Chekov being mistaken for Billy Clanton and kissed by Sylvia, ‘Billy’s girlfriend’ who is really an energy being.  Even though he protests at first Pavel Chekov does seem to fall for her later in the episode.   Most of the following episodes do not involve Pavel Chekov in a romantic role of any kind.  As the canonical newbie, Pavel Chekov often ends up as the character who gets hurt the most, whether that means having an alien take over his memories, being part of the landing party who gets injured, turned into a side character who comments about something, and so on.

One of Pavel Chekov’s most well-known love interests is Irina Galliulin from “The Way to Eden”.  They drifted apart during their time at Starfleet Academy as Irina Galliulin considered Pavel Chekov too rigid and he considered her too free-spirited.  When the Enterprise takes aboard Dr. Sevrin’s acolytes, including Irina Galliulin, their past lets her manipulate him to learn about the Enterprise’s systems so that Servin can hijack a craft to seek the Eden planet his followers have been looking for.  Although Pavel Chekov is hurt by this betrayal, they have a final scene where they mourn their lost relationship, opening up the opportunity that they might reconcile after the failed attempt to find Eden has left Irina Galliulin to find a new goal in life.

Pavel Chekov was not part of the crew during The Animated Series.   While the in-universe reason was he was transferred, could Pavel Chekov also have found romance on another ship? TAS had much less romance than TOS so even if Chekov had been part of the crew, he might never have a romantic plotline.

Pavel Chekov was a father (almost twice!)

It is interesting to note that Demora Sulu was originally Demora Chekov in the Star Trek Generations script.  While there is no clear story about why she was changed from Chekov’s daughter to Sulu’s (as the change from Chekov to Sulu occurred before casting), she is close to Chekov, possibly indicating he introduced her parents to each other or is her “Uncle Pavel”.

Pavel Chekov did become a father offscreen sometime following the five-year mission as his son Anton is the President of the United Federation of Planets in the Picard finale “The Last Generation” .  Audiences do not see him, but he is identified by name.  Sadly, the audience does not get to learn more about Anton – has he gone to politics after a Starfleet career?  Did he serve alongside Demora, taking the Sulu and Chekov friendship into the next generation?  A different President of the United Federations of Planets was seen during TNG so Anton could have been a politician who had yet to run for president or he could have been in a different field entirely.

What remains true for Pavel Chekov from his original appearance to his son Anton’s introduction decades later is that he was not a romantic in the same way Kirk was.  Pavel Chekov’s relationships tended to be less about instant attraction and more about seeking a long-term romantic relationship.  He does have more relationships than Sulu, but do others match him?

Pavel Chekov Love Interests : 4 on-screen (1 mutual; 1 with a one-sided crush; 1 energy being; 1 past relationship) 1 off-screen (implied)

Next. Hikaru Sulu Love Interests in ST:TOS. dark

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Published Jan 24, 2024

'That Which Survives' Thrives at 55

The Original Series episode evolved in all sorts of ways before airing in 1969.

Stylized triptych of Losira from 'That Which Survives'

StarTrek.com

Every fan of Star Trek: The Original Series has compiled a list of their favorite third-season episodes, and " That Which Survives " is on ours.

We think it needs to be there because it has a lot going for it — a "beat the clock" story that finds the Enterprise racing uncontrolled across the cosmos, a landing party stranded on a strange world, and a beautiful but deadly alien woman that’s able to make herself disappear in a thin vertical line.

Since today is the 55th anniversary of the original broadcast of this episode, we thought we’d explore its origins, the development of a few of its characters, and one of its set pieces. But please, do not be afraid as you read this article. We are here for you, StarTrek.com reader.

Story Origin

'That Which Survives' was The Original Series 72nd broadcast episode and originally aired on January 24, 1969. The episode listing was featured in the Jan. 18-24 issue of TV Guide

January 1969 issue of TV Guide

The story for "That Which Survives" was provided by Dorothy (D.C.) Fontana via her March 8, 1968 outline entitled "Survival." Even though Fontana eventually requested that a pseudonym be used for her on-screen writing credit (specifically, she used Michael Richards, because reportedly, she was unhappy with the rewrites as the outline progressed to shooting script), many of her ideas survived to the finished episode. Major differences between her outline and what ended up on the screen include:

  • The landing party that investigated the outpost (and planetoid in the outline) originally consisted of Kirk, McCoy, Chekov, and Dawson. Chekov’s part eventually was given to Sulu and Dawson became D’Amato (a change made right before filming began).
  • Sulu stayed on board the Enterprise to help with the mystery of how the ship was suddenly transported across space.
  • Speaking of the Enterprise 's mysterious transportation, the outline provides an explanation as to why the ship was reassembled in an outphase condition (referred to as an incorrect molecular structure in the outline). Simply, the outpost had trouble transporting something as large as the Enterprise and it made an error.
  • The jeopardy caused by the ship’s uncontrolled acceleration — via the sabotage to the emergency bypass control — was not present in the outline. In fact, the Enterprise 's trip back to the outpost was fairly routine – and mundane.
  • The alien that eventually became Losira was a talon-ed energy image/being in the outline. This being could absorb energy from phaser beams and heat, and it used its talons to rip apart Dawson.
  • McCoy was captured by the talon-ed energy entity in the outline and replaced by a metalized version. The real McCoy was held prisoner in the computer cave.
  • At the conclusion of the outline, Kirk and Chekov located the real McCoy and escaped from the talon-ed energy being, which had been generated by the outpost's computer when it got distracted by the arrival of the Enterprise . Later, on the ship, Kirk informed Starfleet that the planetoid should be destroyed or declared off-limits, and then the Enterprise dropped warning buoys around it.

Kirk and Spock look at a projected computer rendering of Losira in 'That Which Survives'

"That Which Survives"

Character and Set Piece Development

As the story for "That Which Survives" evolved from its initial outline to its shooting draft (which was the September 20, 1968 revised final draft, teleplay by John Meredyth Lucas and story by D. C. Fontana), several of its guest characters also evolved, as well as one of its set pieces.

For example, as mentioned before, Lt. Dawson in the original outline became Lt. D’Amato in the episode (and played by Arthur Batanides). Here are a few other interesting changes.

In a side-by-side composite, a clapboard for the production is placed in front of Booker Bradshaw along with an episodic still of Dr. M’Benga's first appearance

Dr. M'Benga (played by Booker Bradshaw), seen above, made his first TOS appearance in the second-season episode, “ A Private Little War .”

Interestingly, he was added to "That Which Survives" fairly late in the process; in fact, only a few days before filming commenced. In the first draft of the script (story by D.C. Fontana and teleplay by John Meredyth Lucas, September 9, 1968) the doctor was a man named M’Boya. In the intermediate drafts, the character was eliminated completely and his dialogue given to Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry).

A side-by-side composite, a clapboard is placed in front of Naomi during a production and Lt. Rahda at her station on the bridge of the Enterprise

Lt. Rahda, played by Naomi Pollack, was developed essentially by combining two male lieutenants that appeared in the first draft.

Incidentally, Pollack’s first appearance in TOS was as a Native American in the third-season episode, " The Paradise Syndrome ."

A production still on the set of a surface of a planet as William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, and George Takei standing across from Lee Meriweather as a production member holds a clapboard with details of 'That Which Survives'

The talon-ed energy image/being in the story outline was replaced with Osira the Thalassan in the first draft.

In subsequent versions, including the shooting draft, the image/being became Losira the Kalandan (portrayed by Lee Meriwether).

A clapboard for the production of 'That Which Survives' is placed in front of a glowing cube

In the finished episode, the cube-shaped computer on the outpost was suspended from the ceiling of the "brain room." However, in the shooting script, it was supposed to sit in the middle of it.

As seen in the episode, the computer had translucent panels on which pulsating/rotating lights were projected. The final effect was reminiscent of one generated by a rotating lamp shade.

And with that, we come to the end of this piece. Remember: although this article is transitory, the beauty of this episode is not. Until next time.

Get Updates By Email

This article was originally published on January 24, 2019.

David Tilotta is a professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC and works in the areas of chemistry and sustainable materials technology. You can email David at [email protected]. Curt McAloney is an accomplished graphic artist with extensive experience in multimedia, Internet and print design. He resides in a suburb of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and can be contacted at [email protected]. Together, Curt and David work on startrekhistory.com. Their Star Trek work has appeared in the Star Trek Magazine and Star Trek: The Original Series 365 by Paula M. Block with Terry J. Edrmann.

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What did Chekhov say?

  • Thread starter Anduril
  • Start date Mar 13, 2011

Anduril

Nose down. Throttle up.

  • Mar 13, 2011

When he beamed Kirk and Sulu while they were falling. I've tried searching but I haven't gotten any satisfactory results.  

F. King Daniel

F. King Daniel

Fleet admiral.

I can't remember what the word is offhand, but this has come up before and it turned out it's a Russian word with no exact translation.  

M'Sharak

M'Sharak

Definitely herbert. maybe..

  • Mar 14, 2011
Rothschild said: When he beamed Kirk and Sulu while they were falling. I've tried searching but I haven't gotten any satisfactory results. Click to expand...

HoneyBLilly

HoneyBLilly

  • Mar 19, 2011
M'Sharak said: Rothschild said: When he beamed Kirk and Sulu while they were falling. I've tried searching but I haven't gotten any satisfactory results. Click to expand...

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Star Trek's Most Popular Show Is About To Rebuild TOS Canon

Will we see Bones and Sulu again very soon?

Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Mr. Sulu (George Takei) in "Shore Leave" in 'Star Trek: The Original...

With a possible reboot “origin story” feature film in the works and a new future-tense Starfleet Academy series focused on brand-new characters, the original 1960s continuity of Star Trek might seem very distant from the current franchise offerings. And yet, in Star Trek’s most popular show — Strange New Worlds — the canon and vibes of TOS are suddenly more prominent than ever. Going into Season 3 and beyond, it seems that Strange New Worlds is readying to redefine the backstory not just of Spock, Uhura, and Kirk, but the rest of the classic gang, too.

Speaking to multiple outlets, and as reported by TrekMovie , following San Diego Comic-Con, Strange New Worlds showrunners, cast, and crew have laid down quite a bit of information about what’s to come in Season 3 and, hypothetically, the already-greenlit Season 4. For serious Trekkies, the biggest development isn’t that Strange New Worlds will hint at or reference TOS a bit more. Instead, this prequel show is basically going to “drive right into” the start of the first Trek ever.

Scotty becomes a regular — Bones and Sulu next?

Martin Quinn as Scotty

Martin Quinn as Scotty in the finale of Strange New Worlds Season 2.

While many Strange New Worlds fans were probably aware that Martin Quinn’s take on Scotty would return for SNW Season 3, it was recently confirmed that Quinn would be part of the regular cast, not just a recurring character. (I.E. Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk is not a regular cast member of SNW , despite appearing in three episodes of Season 2.) Scotty’s appearance at the end of Season 2 in the cliffhanger “Hegemony” was a well-kept secret in the Star Trek camp, which makes fans and pundits wonder if new versions of Hikaru Sulu and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy are next.

While not confirming Bones and Sulu appearances in Strange New Worlds Season 3, co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers told Variety :

“These characters are not the people that they will become when we get to The Original Series . They are still younger. They are going through things. They have a lot of life and lessons to go through. They have some growth to do so you don’t see them exactly the way that you would see them later on.”

While the Prime Universe version of Pavel Chekov will be canonically far too young to appear in Strange New Worlds , Bones, and Sulu are very good bets. In two episodes of TOS , Bones works side-by-side with Dr. M'Benga, who in SNW is the current chief medical officer of the Enterprise . M’Benga was a guest character played by Booker Bradshaw in TOS , but Babs Olusanmokun’s performance has utterly redefined the character. So looking at the way SNW handles the rest of the legacy characters (like Paul Wesley’s Kirk and Celia Rose Gooding’s Uhura) is probably a good indication as to how a young Sulu and Bones could appear.

One fun canon note on Bones in Strange New Worlds : If he does appear, it could create a Deep Space Nine crossover. In the 1996 DS9 episode “Trials and Tribble-ations,” Jadzia Dax(Terry Farrell) insinuated one of her previous Trill hosts, Emony Dax, was romantically involved with Bones when he was a younger man. So via Bones, could we get a retro version of Dax?

How Strange New Worlds Could Become the new TOS

Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) in 'Strange New Worlds' Season 2

Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) strike a very classic pose in Season 2.

The biggest takeaway from the various post-San Diego Comic-Con interviews with Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman is that Strange New Worlds is not shying away from its fidelity to The Original Series . Nurse Chapel’s former fiance turned-robot in TOS, Roger Korby, will appear in SNW Season 3, now played by Cillian O’Sullivan. Both Goldsman and Myers noted that his relationship with Chapel (Jess Bush) will be complicated in Season 3, and that “[he] is going to travel a long path before he gets to be the Roger Korby that you see in The Original Series .”

With Season 4 already in the planning stages, Myers and Goldsman know that they’re getting closer and closer to the timeline of The Original Series, around the year 2265. Season 2 of Strange New Worlds was firmly in 2260, which suddenly feels much closer to the classic era than Discovery Season 2 did when it introduced Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and the Enterprise in the year 2258. So as SNW keeps going, even if fictional years don’t pass every single season, the showrunners are very aware that they’re inching closer and closer to that classic era.

Speaking to Collider , Goldsman said, “Left to our own devices, which really means if Paramount will, we’ll keep going into the TOS era.”

This notion that Strange New Worlds could overlap with TOS has a massive canon precedent. Chronologically, the very first regular episode of The Original Series (not counting the unaired pilot “The Cage”) is “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which takes place in 2265. But the funny thing is, all the other Season 1 TOS episodes mostly take place in 2266, meaning that not only do we not know what happened in the years leading up to Kirk taking command of the Enterprise , but we also know almost nothing about what happened during Kirks’ first year, other than that one episode.

Outside of providing great standalone episodes of Star Trek, this detail is perhaps the most interesting for longtime Trekkies. Because at some point, Strange New Worlds could turn into The Original Series Year 1.

Or, as Goldsman told Variety, “We will continue on for as long as Paramount lets us. We will drive right into The Original Series .”

Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds both stream on Paramount+.

Phasers on Stun!: How the Making — and Remaking — of Star Trek Changed the World

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chekov and sulu star trek

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Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy Fought To Get Nichelle Nichols & George Takei Paid

S ome Trekkies might be able to tell you that filming "Star Trek: The Original Series" wasn't always a pleasant experience for the cast . Indeed, stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were both notorious spotlight hogs and Shatner was known to reassign other actors' dialogue to himself, usually badgering directors until they agreed. Nimoy, meanwhile, knew that his character, Spock, was the most recognizable element of the show, and was happy to promote himself as the star of the series. The clash of egos reportedly got so bad that show creator Gene Roddenberry had to write an angry letter to the two lead actors (also DeForest Kelley) admonishing them for their bratty behavior. "You've pretty well divided up the market on selfishness and egocentricity," Roddenberry wrote.

Trekkies will hasten to point out that, while Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley were the only three cast members listed in the show's opening credits, "Star Trek" functions best when seen as an ensemble drama. The same members of the bridge crew would appear every week, and many felt it was heartening to see characters like Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Lieutenant Sulu (George Takei), and Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig) joining in on the adventures every week. Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley, one might expect, were paid more than their co-stars -- a fact that, over time, made Nimoy a little upset.

The website TrekMovie once reached out to Nimoy to discuss the pay disparities and how the actor eventually became a champion for his co-stars. After "Star Trek" ended its run in 1969, Nimoy became a lot more sympathetic to how Nichols, Takei, and Koenig weren't getting enough money, and he frequently stood up against the franchise's penny-pinching overseers, hoping to help them. Because of this, Nimoy soon found himself the moral center of the cast.

Read more: Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry Always Regretted Cutting One Character From The Show

Star Trek's Desilu Years

It's worth remembering that "Star Trek" didn't become hugely popular until after it had to be canceled and put into syndication. Only through reruns did it find its audience. The reruns became popular enough to earn a lot of royalties for the actors while also inspiring a series of "Star Trek" conventions, which have been held on the regular since the early 1970s. Eventually, in 1973, an animated "Star Trek" TV spinoff was put into production. By then, Nimoy was a lot more sensitive to the pay structure and fame dynamic when it came to the cast. He also knew that he had to fight to ensure Nichols, Koenig, and Takei were included in the ensemble. Back in what he called "the Desilu years," Nimoy said he pushed back a lot. In his own words:

"There was also the case where George and Nichelle [were] not hired to do their voices in the animated series. I refused to do Spock until they were hired. Mr. Roddenberry started calling me the conscience of 'Star Trek.'"

While Nichols and Takei ultimately reprised their roles for "Star Trek: The Animated Series," Koenig was sadly cut out of that deal and Chekov didn't appear on the show . Koenig, however, recalled in a 2014 interview with the Las Vegas Sun that Nimoy had his co-stars backs from the very start (particularly Nichols):

"When it came to the attention of the cast that there was a disparity in pay in that George and I were getting the same pay, but Nichelle was not getting as much, I took it to Leonard and he took it to the front office and they corrected that." 

Despite his anger-inspiring ego, Nimoy proved himself to be a stand-up fellow. Or, as Koenig put it, he was "a very good man. Sound ethics and a good sense of morality."

If you're looking for the easiest way to keep up with all the major movie and TV news, why not sign up to our free newsletter ?

Read the original article on SlashFilm .

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3 star trek casts that sadly can’t have a full reunion like picard.

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How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

Star trek 4 is “forever tainted” but simon pegg would love to do it, seven of nine is the fastest captain of the uss enterprise since kirk in j.j. abrams’ star trek.

  • Star Trek: Picard season 3's TNG reunion wowed fans with a reunited crew saving the Federation and defeating the Borg.
  • Some Star Trek legacy casts may still come back together, but other casts sadly can't reunite.
  • Hope remains for Star Trek: DS9 and J.J. Abrams' movie comebacks, but the loss of key actors makes full reunions impossible.

Star Trek: Picard season 3's reunion of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's actors sadly can't happen with 3 Star Trek casts. After Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 2 focused on new characters teaming up with Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), as well as Star Trek: Voyager 's Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Star Trek: Picard season 3's showrunner, Terry Matalas, wanted to bring back the entire main cast of TNG . The result was Star Trek: Picard' s most acclaimed season, as the united crew of the USS Enterprise-D saved the United Federation of Planets and defeated the Borg once and for all.

Star Trek: Picard season 3's reassembled Star Trek: The Next Generation cast also delivered nostalgia while updating where each USS Enterprise-D member was in their lives decades after TNG ended. Naturally, Picard 's widely popular TNG reunion sparked fan interest in seeing other Star Trek legacy casts come back together. Some have the potential to: Star Trek: Voyager' s cast is still active and many have joined Kate Mulgrew's Admiral Kathryn Janeway in Netflix's animated Star Trek: Prodigy . Another crew fans want to see make a comeback is Star Trek: Enterprise . While some Star Trek legacy actors have moved on from Star Trek or from acting, there is still potential for them to return. Unfortunately, 3 Star Trek casts can't ever fully reassemble because of actors who have sadly passed away.

The Star Trek TV franchise has existed for 57 years and consists of 12 shows (and counting). Here's how to watch them all in timeline order.

3 Star Trek: The Original Series Cast

William shatner, george takei, and walter koenig have outlived their cast mates.

Star Trek: The Original Series ' cast first came together in 1966 and set the gold standard for what has become a nearly 60-year legacy of Star Trek television series and movies. Together, the original Star Trek cast played the iconic crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 for 3 seasons of TOS and 6 Star Trek movies. The last time the original crew shared the screen together was in 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Today, a full Star Trek: TOS reunion is impossible because most of the cast has passed away.

Star Trek's original cast is now the stuff of legend.

William Shatner is still going strong at 93 years old , and George Takei and Walter Koenig are thankfully still with us. However, DeForest Kelley passed away in 1999, followed by James Doohan in 2005. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry joined her late husband, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry , in 2008. We lost Leonard Nimoy in 2015, and Nichelle Nichols also passed away in 2022. Star Trek' s original cast is now the stuff of legend.

Although William Shatner hasn't portrayed Captain James T. Kirk since 1994's Star Trek Generations, the character lives on in a younger version played by Paul Wesley in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . In fact, Star Trek: The Original Series ' characters found a new lease on life in J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek movies. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is gradually reintroducing the TOS cast, with only Dr. Leonard McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, and Pavel Chekov yet to be seen in Paramount+'s prequel.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Not available

2 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Cast

Rene auberjonois and aron eisenberg have passed away.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's cast assembled in 1993 as the first spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Main characters like Michael Dorn's Lt. Commander Worf joined DS9 while others, like Terry Farrell's Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax, left the series. Still, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is heralded for having the most expansive and exotic cast of any Star Trek series , with numerous ancillary characters so well-written and so popular, that they were able to carry their own episodes.

Nicole de Boer joined Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7 as Lt. Ezri Dax to replace Terry Farrell's Jadzia Dax, who was killed off when she left the show.

While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is at the top of fans' lists for a comeback, a full cast reunion is now, sadly, impossible. In 2019, both Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog, and Rene Auberjonois, who played Constable Odo, passed away. We also lost Louise Fletcher, who portrayed the diabolical Kai Winn, in 2022. In addition, Avery Brooks, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' s Captain Benjamin Sisko , has retired from acting and distanced himself from Star Trek , although hope remains he could be coaxed back to play Captain Sisko again.

Fans still hold out hope that the remaining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast can come back.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's 2019 retrospective documentary, What We Left Behind , reassembled the show's writing team to conjecture what DS9 season 8 could be like. Their ideas brought back everyone, including Nog, Odo, and Captain Sisko. Unfortunately, such a reunion can't happen today . However, fans still hold out hope that the remaining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast can come back, be it in a live-action event or in animation.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

1 j.j. abrams’ star trek movie cast, rip anton yelchin.

J.J. Abrams achieved a miracle when he cast Star Trek (2009) . Conventional wisdom held that it would be impossible to find actors to embody and replace William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series . With ingenious casting choices, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Star Trek (2009)'s cast brought new life, youth, and vitality to the iconic crew of the Starship Enterprise . Abrams' Star Trek cast matured into their roles in the sequels, 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond.

Simon Pegg wants to return for Star Trek 4, but a USS Enterprise reunion wouldn't be the same after the tragic loss of Anton Yelchin.

Nearly a decade after Star Trek Beyond left theaters, audiences and the actors still hope Star Trek 4 can bring one more voyage of the USS Enterprise. Tragically, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek cast will never be complete again. In 2016, Anton Yelchin lost his life in a terrible accident. Star Trek Beyond was dedicated to Yelchin's memory , as well as to Leonard Nimoy, who passed away the previous year. Sofia Boutella's Jaylah is a natural replacement for Ensign Chekov, who won't be recast, but Star Trek 4 , if it happens, will always be missing one of its key crew members.

Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek

COMMENTS

  1. 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.

  2. Pavel Chekov

    Pavel Andreievich Chekov (Russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) was a Human who served as a Starfleet officer during the latter half of the 23rd century. Although he mainly served as the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise and the USS Enterprise-A, he played a more variable role than the other senior staffmembers under Captain James T. Kirk. (Star Trek: The Original Series; Star ...

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    Anton Chekov In Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Anton Chekov (Walter Koenig) is Star Trek: Picard 's new Federation President, who delivered a grave address to the rest of the galaxy during the Borg's attack on Frontier Day. Anton is confirmed to be the son of Star Trek: The Original Series ' Pavel Chekov, diverging from his father's Starfleet past ...

  6. Every Job Mr. Chekov Had In Star Trek

    Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) was an all-rounder throughout his Starfleet career, and fulfilled several job roles in both Star Trek: The Original Series and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies. While Chekov wasn't alone in his multitasking - hotshot pilot Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) started TOS in science - he was certainly the most prolific.Walter Koenig joined TOS in season 2 to cover for the ...

  7. The Best of Pavel Chekov

    Related: Chekov never missed the opportunity to boast about his Russian heritage. Whenever anyone on the crew remarked on a saying, invention, and/or event, he was quick to (erroneously) point out that it came from his homeland. Case in point, when Scotty tells Sulu of the Earth saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.

  8. EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Anton Yelchin, Chekov in 'Star Trek'

    August 19, 2024 | Interview: Doug Jones On His Surprise 'Star Trek: ... I enjoyed Chekov as well. Sulu and Uhura were fine, but lacked Chekov's spark. george matthias May 8, 2009 3:28 pm ...

  9. FIRST LOOK: IDW's Chekov And Sulu-centric Star Trek #20

    The latest and last tale centers on Sulu and Chekov, detailing how they met at Starfleet Academy and how their paths converged all the way to bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Once again overseen by Roberto Orci, Star Trek #20 was written by Mike Johnson, with Claudia Balboni providing the art and Tim Bradstreet the cover.

  10. Pavel Chekov's love interests on Star Trek: The Original Series

    Pavel Chekov Romance in Star Trek: The Original Series (N/A in The Animated Series) ... It is interesting to note that Demora Sulu was originally Demora Chekov in the Star Trek Generations script. While there is no clear story about why she was changed from Chekov's daughter to Sulu's (as the change from Chekov to Sulu occurred before ...

  11. Why wasn't Chekov among the Star Trek: The Animated Series crew?

    In-universe, according to StarTrek.com:. Ensign Pavel Chekov transferred to a new assignment during the final year of the U.S.S. Enterprise's historic five-year mission (2269-70), replaced by his own navigation instructor at Starfleet Academy, Lt. Arex.By stardate 7410.2 (2271), Chekov had received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant, and had rejoined the Enterprise's crew, then under the ...

  12. 'That Which Survives' Thrives at 55

    Every fan of Star Trek: The Original Series has compiled a list of their favorite third-season episodes, and "That Which Survives" is on ours. We think it needs to be there because it has a lot going for it — a "beat the clock" story that finds the Enterprise racing uncontrolled across the cosmos, a landing party stranded on a strange world ...

  13. Sulu vs Chekov???

    Oct 2, 2007. #1. As part of my tribute to Star Trek's 41 Annivarsary, I have been watching Season 2 on DVD of TOS. The text commentary by MICHAEL OKUDA & DENISE OKUDA states that during Season 2 of TOS that Walter Kornig (Mr Chekov) had more screen time than Helsman Sulu played by George Takei. Was this always the case through out the entire ...

  14. "Star Trek" Amok Time (TV Episode 1967)

    The second season rarely featured Lt. Sulu (George Takei) and Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig) in the same episode.Koenig was cast as Chekov to fill in for Sulu in the first few episodes of the second season, while Takei was still involved in the filming of The Green Berets (1968).The two characters usually alternated between episodes.

  15. Sulu Explains the Defining Attributes of Star Trek's Original Crew

    Star Trek's Strength is Diversity. Sulu's summary of his friends and allies is a perfect representation of not only the crew of the original Enterprise, but also of the theme of Star Trek in general. At the time of its debut in 1966, the cast was groundbreaking. It gave starring credits to an African American woman and a Japanese American man ...

  16. 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 ...

  17. Anton Yelchin, Star Trek's Chekov, killed by his own car

    Fellow Star Trek actor John Cho, who plays Sulu, tweeted, external: "I loved Anton Yelchin so much.He was a true artist - curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I'm in ...

  18. What is Chekov saying in the Star Trek 2009 reboot?

    Dodgy_Dude October 21, 2021, 5:13am 1. The scene where Kirk and Sulu are in free fall together after trying to destroy Nero's drill at Vulcan. Chekov is trying to transport them back onto the Enterprise before they splat into the ground. When Chekov succeeds, he says something in Russian. It sounds like "your-my-your!".

  19. Sulu and Chekov Animated Star Trek Spinoff?

    In a recent episode of our live show, The Main Viewer, we discussed the online notion of a Sulu and Chekov animate spinoff. Sulu and Chekov were played by Ge...

  20. 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 emigrated 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 ...

  21. What did Chekhov say?

    M'Sharak. Definitely Herbert. Maybe. When he beamed Kirk and Sulu while they were falling. I've tried searching but I haven't gotten any satisfactory results. Chekov's exclamation of "Ё моё!" was ad-libbed by Yelchin. It doesn't have an exact English translation, but I've read that it's an extremely versatile (if not necessarily polite ...

  22. 5 Times Sulu Proved He Was The G.O.A.T. (& 5 Times He Was A Complete T

    For example, the much-maligned Star Trek V: The Final Frontier contained a scene that sacrificed Sulu's (and Chekov's) reputations for some misplaced humor. RELATED: Every Star Trek Movie, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes Score. Vacationing in Yosemite with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, Sulu and Chekov got lost in that wild frontier.

  23. Star Trek's Most Popular Show Is About To Rebuild TOS Canon

    Scotty's appearance at the end of Season 2 in the cliffhanger "Hegemony" was a well-kept secret in the Star Trek camp, which makes fans and pundits wonder if new versions of Hikaru Sulu and ...

  24. Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy Fought To Get Nichelle Nichols & George Takei

    After "Star Trek" ended its run in 1969, Nimoy became a lot more sympathetic to how Nichols, Takei, and Koenig weren't getting enough money, and he frequently stood up against the franchise's ...

  25. 3 Star Trek Casts That Sadly Can't Have A Full Reunion Like Picard

    In fact, Star Trek: The Original Series' characters found a new lease on life in J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek movies. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is gradually reintroducing the TOS cast, with only Dr. Leonard McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, and Pavel Chekov yet to be seen in Paramount+'s prequel.