The character of Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) has been part of the fabric of Star Trek since he ed the crew of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2. Apparently, Gene Roddenberry had changed Chekov's character from English to Russian in response to a complaint from a correspondent in the Soviet Union. This explanation, given by Star Trek writer Gene L. Coon in his book The Making of Star Trek, has since been disputed by actor Walter Koenig in the 1995 documentary, William Shatner's Star Trek Memories.
In the film, Walter Koenig rightly pointed out that, at the height of the Cold War, American TV would have been banned in the USSR, and suggested that Roddenberry made Chekov Russian to honor the Soviet Union's considerable successes during the Space Race. Initially, Chekov was added to the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series to fill in for George Takei, whose commitments to the movie The Green Berets limited his screen time as Star Trek's Mr. Sulu. Thanks to Koenig's incredibly likable performance in the role, Chekov went from being a seat filler for Sulu to becoming a much-loved Star Trek character who continues to influence the franchise in 2023.
Pavel Chekov’s Star Trek: TOS History
Chekov began his service on the USS Enterprise in the junior officer rotation, eventually serving as a navigator and - in the absence of Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy) - a dedicated and thorough science officer. Chekov was often an unlucky member of the Enterprise's away teams, having been forced into gladiatorial combat by "The Gamesters of Triskellion", before being killed by the Melkotians in "The Way of the Gun", though thankfully his death was revealed to be an illusion. It was also Chekov who, along with Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) brought a Tribble aboard the USS Enterprise, causing total chaos.
Other ill-fated away missions for Chekov included the exploration of the USS Defiant in "The Tholian Web", during which a dimensional interphase drove him temporarily mad. Chekov was similarly unlucky in love, as proved by a reunion with his lost love Irina Galliulin (Mary-Linda Rapelye). Irina was using Chekov to gain intimate knowledge of the Enterprise with which to assist a hijacking by Dr. Sevrin (Skip Homeir), who wished to locate the planet Eden, which tragically turned out to be poisonous to human life.
Despite this indiscretion, Chekov was a hugely loyal Starfleet officer, and he would staunchly defend his Enterprise crew mates. In Star Trek: The Original Series' final episode, "Turnabout Intruder", Chekov and Sulu stood up to Kirk to save the lives of Spock and the other senior Enterprise officers from execution. In doing so, Chekov and Sulu contributed to the undoing of the villainous Dr. Janice Lester (Sandra Lester) who was actually occupying Kirk's body. This was Chekov's last appearance in TV canon, as budgetary constraints meant that Koenig wasn't invited back for Star Trek: The Animated Series, leading to the creation of Chekov's Star Trek replacement, Lt. Arex.
Pavel Chekov’s Star Trek: TOS Movie History
Chekov was reinstated aboard the USS Enterprise for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and was one of the few actors who appeared in each of the seven Star Trek movies to feature the TOS cast. Once again proving his status as an all-rounder, Lieutenant Chekov served alongside Captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins) as the Enterprise's security chief and tactical officer during the V'Ger crisis. Chekov's actions during the V'Ger crisis presumably led to his promotion to Commander, and First Officer aboard the ill-fated USS Reliant in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
After discovering Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban) and his followers on the ravaged surface of Ceti Alpha V, Chekov and Captain Clark Terrell (Paul Winfield) were used as weapons against Kirk. While Chekov survived, the Reliant was destroyed, and Captain Terrell took his own life to save that of Kirk's. After this tragedy, Chekov returned to the Enterprise, ing Kirk's unsanctioned mission to steal the ship and save Spock from the Genesis Planet. In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Chekov's Russian heritage proved to be a life-threatening hindrance when the Enterprise crew traveled back to San Francisco during the final stages of the Cold War.
Back in the 23rd century, Chekov briefly posed as captain of the USS Enterprise-A in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier to distract Spock's evil brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) and used his scientific knowledge to find the forensic evidence that exonerated Kirk and McCoy of assassination in the final full-cast TOS movie. Finally, in Star Trek: Generations Chekov ed Captain Kirk and Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) aboard the tragic first flight of the USS Enterprise-B, during which Captain Kirk was seemingly killed: blown out of the starship and into the destructive energy ribbon that acted as the Nexus gateway.
Pavel Chekov’s J.J. Abrams Star Trek Movie History
In Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline, Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) is just as multi-talented as his Prime Universe counterpart. Described by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) as a "Russian whizz kid", the Kelvin Timeline's Chekov was also a navigator, but temporarily served as the USS Enterprise's chief of engineering after Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) resigned in protest at Section 31 overreach. Chekov rose to the challenge during Star Trek Into Darkness, but was never entirely comfortable in his red uniform. While Scotty investigated the coordinates that reveal Section 31's larger plan, Chekov kept the Enterprise's engines running during an extremely pressurized situation.
By the time of Star Trek Beyond, Chekov was reinstated as navigator of the Enterprise and was paired with Kirk when the crew were stranded on the planet Altamid. Once again, the Kelvin Timeline Chekov's engineering skills were called upon, when he and Scotty got the stricken USS Franklin back into working order. In doing so, they helped to save the crew of the Enterprise, defeat Krall (Idris Elba) and rescue the Yorktown from destruction. Tragically, actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a freak motor accident, and in respect of Yelchin's memorable portrayal of Chekov, the character will not be recast for future Kelvin Timeline movies.
Anton Chekov In Star Trek: Picard Season 3
Anton Chekov (Walter Koenig) is Star Trek: Picard's new Federation President, who delivered a grave address to the rest of the galaxy during the Borg's attack on Frontier Day. Anton is confirmed to be the son of Star Trek: The Original Series' Pavel Chekov, diverging from his father's Starfleet past and instead becoming a politician. It's possible that Walter Koenig may get to make an on-screen appearance as Anton Chekov in Star Trek: Legacy, should the show get commissioned. For now at least, his inclusion in Picard season 3 was an affectionate nod to the previous Star Trek generation.
During the 1990s, Star Trek: The Next Generation had attempted an episode that would have seen Chekov and Worf team up, but the script was eventually abandoned. The proposed storyline would have depicted Chekov as a bitter and traumatized former prisoner of war, who hijacked the USS Enterprise-D for a revenge mission. Thankfully, with the introduction of Anton Chekov as the 25th century's Federation President, Pavel Chekov's Star Trek future is now a lot brighter than it could have been had the proposed TNG episode become a reality.