Walter Koenig, the actor who played Ensign Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek franchise, has died aged 90.
Koenig’s family and representative confirmed that he died from natural causes on Sunday. A report from TMZ confirmed the news.
Walter Koenig’s career as Chekov
Born in Chicago in 1936, Koenig began acting in the early 1960s. He joined Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek during its second season as the Russian navigator Pavel Chekov, appearing in 36 of the original series’ 50 episodes between 1967 and 1969.
Koenig returned as Chekov for seven Star Trek feature films, including Star Trek: Generations. He also continued playing the character in video games such as Star Trek Online and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Beyond Star Trek, Koenig built a substantial science-fiction career. His other credits included Babylon 5, Futurama and Moontrap. His work across film, television and games helped make Chekov one of the franchise’s most recognisable supporting characters.
A lasting place in Star Trek history
Anton Yelchin inherited the role for the 2009 Star Trek reboot and its sequels, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond. Yelchin died in 2016.
Koenig was among the last surviving actors from the original Star Trek crew. Earlier losses included DeForest Kelley in 1999, James Doohan in 2005, Majel Barrett in 2008, Leonard Nimoy and Grace Lee Whitney in 2015, and Nichelle Nichols in 2022.
William Shatner, who played James T. Kirk, and George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu, remain the last surviving core members of Star Trek: The Original Series.
Star Trek continues across screens and games
The franchise marked its 60th anniversary in September. The original series premiered on 6 September 1966, ran for three seasons on NBC and expanded into live-action films, television series and animated spin-offs.
Two Star Trek series remain on the air, with the final seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy expected in 2027.
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