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Summary
- Walter Koenig initially feared he was too old to play Chekov in Star Trek after TOS, but he ended up in seven Star Trek films.
- Despite being older than 22, Koenig convincingly portrayed Chekov and is not alone – other Trek actors also played characters younger than them.
- Star Trek has a history of casting actors older than the characters they play, showcasing a strong track record in the franchise’s history.
After the end of Star Trek: The Original Series, some producers felt Walter Koenig was too old to continue playing Pavel Chekov. Ensign Chekov joined the crew of the USS Enterprise as the ship’s navigator at the star of TOS season 2. According to Gene L. Coon in The Making of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry wanted to add a younger crew member to the show to appeal more to younger audiences, and Chekov fit the bill. Chekov was meant to be 22 when he first came aboard the Enterprise, but actor Walter Koenig was already 30 when he was cast.
Throughout Star Trek: The Original Series and the following films, Chekov held several different jobs on the USS Enterprise and other starships. Although he began as the ship’s navigator, he also filled in at the science station on the bridge when Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was otherwise occupied. Chekov also briefly served as a security and tactical officer in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, before being promoted to First Officer of the USS Reliant for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. After the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Chekov returned to the position of navigator on the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-A.
Walter Koenig’s 10 Best Star Trek Chekov Moments
Here are the best moments of Walter Koenig as Star Trek: The Original Series’ iconic Russian Starfleet Officer, Pavel Chekov.
Walter Koenig Feared Star Trek Thought He Was Too Old To Play Chekov
As Koenig went on to appear in 7 Star Trek films, it turns out he had no reason to worry.
Now 87 years old, Walter Koenig was one of the guests on Star Trek: The Cruise VII, and IGN had the chance to interview the beloved actor. When it came to returning for Star Trek: Phase II, Koenig was told he was too old to play Chekov. Read his quote below:
We were coming back about six or seven years after we had been canceled. I was already 11 years older than the character was supposed to be. And the sense was that I couldn’t pull it off. That’s what they said. So I was not approached because I’d have to have been 17 or 18 years younger than I actually was. The truth is it was disappointing. It was very disappointing. On the other hand, I’ve always lived with the sense that if it can go wrong, it will. There’s always been that very skeptical, cynical sense that I’ve lived with, so that when things go right, I’m always surprised. It’s always fresh.
After it was canceled, Star Trek: The Original Series found renewed success in syndication, which got producers talking about reviving the series. While there were talks about another Star Trek series, Walter Koenig was not approached to be a part of one of them because producers felt he had aged out of the character of Chekov. However, what would have been known as Star Trek: Phase II never made it to screens, and Star Trek turned to films instead. Koenig would go on to appear as Chekov in all six of the TOS films, as well as Star Trek Generations, proving that he was never, in fact, too old for the role.
Other Star Trek Actors Are Older Than Their Characters
Walter Koenig was certainly not the only Star Trek actor to play a younger character.
Despite being 30 at the time he was cast, Walter Koenig looked younger than he was and made a convincing 22-year-old. And he’s not the only Trek actor who was older than the character they played. DeForest Kelley was about six years older than Dr. Leonard McCoy, for example. As far as the characters’ ages in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis were both a few years older than Will Riker and Deanna Troi. Michael Dorn was also older than Worf, though the Klingon makeup made his age difficult to place.
While the birthdays of many
Star Trek
characters have been documented within canon, some have not and their exact ages remain a mystery.
Aliens with varying lifespans and improvements in medical care in the 23rd century and beyond make it difficult to determine the age of characters just by looking at them. But some modern Star Trek actors follow the trend of being a bit older than the characters they play. For example, Paul Wesley, who is 41, plays Lt. James Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when Kirk is meant to be 27. Regardless of the age of the actors or the characters they play, Star Trek has a strong track record when it comes to casting that goes all the way back to the excellent cast of Star Trek: The Original Series.
Source: IGN.com
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