Actor Walter Koenig, best known as Pavel Chekov, the Russian navigator on the original "Star Trek" TV series, died on Oct. 25. He was 90.
Koenig's death leaves William Shatner, who played James Kirk, and George Takei, as Hikaru Sulu, as the last surviving members of the show's best-known original cast. Koenig appeared in 36 of the show’s 79 episodes and reprised the Chekov character in seven Star Trek movies and other related features.
The Chekov character was created to help attract younger viewers, like Davy Jones of The Monkees, according to Variety and tvinsider.com. Fans quickly noticed the resemblance.
What members of the Enterprise bridge crew are still alive?
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- DeForest Kelley, 1920–1999: Kelley was the cantankerous but compassionate Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.
- James Doohan, 1920–2005: Doohan was the miracle-working chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.
- Shatner, 1931–present: Shatner remains active today as the franchise's living legend, Capt. James T. Kirk.
- Leonard Nimoy, 1931–2015: Nimoy was renowned for his portrayal of the logical science officer Mr. Spock.
- Nichelle Nichols, 1932–2022: As Lt. Nyota Uhura, the Enterprise’s chief communications officer, Nichols helped break barriers for Black actors on television.
- Koenig, 1936–2026: Koenig joined the cast in the second season as Ensign Pavel Chekov.
- Takei, 1937–present: Takei remains a prominent public figure and dedicated advocate after playing the sharp and dependable helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu.
- Grace Lee Whitney, 1930–2015: Whitney played Yeoman Janice Rand.
Koeing appeared in other memorable TV shows
The death of Koenig, an actor and screenwriter who joined the Enterprise bridge crew
in the show's second season in 1967, was confirmed by his agent in Los Angeles.
Koenig was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1936, and grew up in New York City. Like his "Star Trek" cast members, he started his career with small roles in several TV shows, including "General Hospital," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," and "The Untouchables.”"His first role was an Army sentry in the World War II show "Combat!" in 1962.
In addition to “Star Trek,” he appeared in several other shows, including 12 episodes of the science-fiction TV show "Babylon 5."
Koenig also directed theater productions, taught acting classes, and was a published author. In July, he received a platinum award for best actor at the 2026 Independent Shorts Awards for his most recent role in the short film "Mr. Fleischmann."
Koenig and his wife Judy Levitt, who appeared with him in "Star Trek" and "Babylon 5," were married for 57 years. She died in December 2022. Their son Andrew died by suicide at the age of 41 in 2010.
Contributing: Liza Esquibias
Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; IMDb.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walter Koenig's death leaves the Star Trek bridge a little emptier
