R.I.P. Walter Koenig 1936-2026

 

For a short while, Walter Koenig was a teenybopper sensation.  In his early 30s he could easily pass for a character in his early 20s as Star Trek's enthusiastic young ensign Pavel Chekov, with his mid-1960s mop top and big smile.  He got lots of fan mail until the girls moved on to other heartthrobs, or perhaps high school. Chekov was known for that Russian accent and his confident assertions that everything significant had actually been invented in Russia, turning the frequent claim by Soviet officials in those Cold War years into a sweetly mocking joke (though, let's face it, it was repeated way too often.)

Later Koenig would say that his character was used mostly for exposition, but actually he is remembered for important moments in several episodes, along with romantic and comedic scenes (often they were the same.)  Then he got prominent dramatic moments in The Wrath of Khan, deftly comedic moments in The Voyage Home (he was nominated for Saturn awards for both performances), and was a mature, seasoned and highly competent officer in Generations.   In later years his feeling that his fame was not entirely warranted by what he got to play seemed part of his motivation to reprise Chekov in several independent Star Trek (or fan) films, where he could give more personal dimension to the character.

After attending Grinnell College (a sister school and fellow member of the Midwest Conference to my Knox College) and UCLA, he studied acting at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse. Though the name is mundane the training was not.  It was run by Sanford Meisner, easily one of the two or three most influential American acting teachers, who taught what came to be known as the Meisner Technique, a broader and deeper discipline than the famous Method.  Playhouse graduates include Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Lee Grant--and James Doohan.

Throughout his life Koenig acted on the stage, sometimes with fellow Trek actor Mark Lenard, often with his wife, actor Judy Levitt. He did classic and imaginative contemporary plays (including plays by his sideways namesake Anton Chekhov. His last Star Trek role was a voiceover in the third season of Picard, playing Pavel's great-grandson and Earth President Anton Chekov.  Advertised as also an homage to Anton Yelchin, the young actor who played Chekov in the latest feature film series and who died in an accident, Koenig may have also seen it as an ironic reference to the famous Russian playwright.) 

He also directed for the stage, and especially enjoyed directing farce. But theatre didn't pay many bills, and after Star Trek and another failed sci-fi show in Canada, acting roles in TV and film were scarce.  It was then that he turned to writing, starting with episodes for ongoing television shows.  He wrote an episode for the Star Trek animated series.  He later wrote several books, including novels, as well as stage plays, scripts and a comic book series.  In his 50s, just after a quadruple bypass heart operation, he said that he hoped to be known as a writer who also acted, and incidentally had appeared in Star Trek.  

He did however enjoy his continuing role on Babylon 5 in the mid-1990s.  His character was named Alfred Bester, a nod to cult science fiction writer who invented "jaunting," or the ability to transport oneself instantly by mindpower.  His character was psychic, and not one of the good guys.

Throughout the years he did a lot of Star Trek conventions, even scripting presentations to augment the usual Q & A.  He spent more time and more years interacting with fans and as a living representative of Star Trek ideals than he had as a Star Trek actor.  That became its own value to generations of fans, something perhaps unique in this culture.  For this alone he will be remembered. 

I first met Walter Koenig when I covered the Farewell, Scotty convention in Los Angeles in 2004 for the New York Times.  I asked him why he kept going to conventions.  He said candidly that they were a large part of his income, but he also felt cleansed and heartened by the fans he met.  "In a society with so much violence and stupidity," he said, "the conventions are an oasis where you can find some genuinely good people who believe in humanity and respect the rights of others."  

By the 2006 convention in Seattle he was a reader of this blog, and we spoke again there.  I vividly recall standing with him and his wife Judy at the toast for the 40th anniversary of Star Trek.  He was articulate and thoughtful, generous and open, with moments of solitary sadness.  

 In 2007 I did a long telephone interview with him, about his film InAlienable which he wrote and executive produced as well as acted in.  The premise was the provocative question: does an alien have inalienable rights? The film got lost in early Internet distribution but its ideas remain relevant--perhaps are even more relevant now.   He also spoke about his recent trip to refugee camps in Burma, to try to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis there.

 In his later years he seemed to come to terms with his identity as a Star Trek icon.  In perhaps his last public appearance, on a Star Trek cruise, he looked out at the huge adoring crowd and said, "I knew there was a reason to live this long.  This is it."  Once the youngest crewman on the Enterprise, he died at the age of 90.

There followed a number of AI assisted videos on YouTube with a similar theme, but one caught my eye as particularly well done.  It is the bridge of the Enterprise, bathed in the bright light of an intense and euphoric dream.  Chekov is in the turbolift with an angelic smile as he slowly enters the bridge.  Others turn to see him: Uhura, Spock and McCoy, Scotty. All smile that transcendent, conspiratorial, welcoming smile.  Then Chekov takes his station.