Walter Koenig, Star Trek's Pavel Chekov, Dies at 90

Walter Koenig, the actor who played Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series, has died. He was 90. Variety reported the death, which took place in Los Angeles, on 26 October.

His representatives said he died of old age at home in North Hollywood. His daughter and niece were with him.

Chekov was the young Russian officer at the navigator's station on the starship Enterprise. Koenig played him in the 1960s television series and in seven Star Trek feature films. For many viewers, he was the face of the character for decades, long after the original show had ended.

Koenig also worked well beyond the franchise. He played Alfred Bester in Babylon 5, the science-fiction series that ran in the 1990s, appearing in 12 episodes from 1994 to 1998. He also wrote for the animated Star Trek spin-off of the 1970s, penning the episode "The Infinite Vulcan."

Koenig stayed connected to the younger actors who took up Chekov's role. In 2016, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he had spent about two hours on a sound stage talking with Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the 2009 film reboot. The account offered a rare look at the handover between the two generations of the role.

Anyone who wants to mark his life can look back at those films and episodes, which remain available to watch across the franchise's many releases. His family has not announced funeral or memorial arrangements.