NPR: Walter Koenig, Star Trek's Original Chekov, Is Remembered at 90

Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek and carried the role into seven feature films, has died at 90, NPR reports. He died of natural causes at his home in North Hollywood, with his daughter and niece by his side.

His death leaves William Shatner and George Takei as the last surviving members of the original series' main cast. Takei, who played helmsman Hikaru Sulu alongside Koenig for decades, posted a tribute to his longtime colleague on Facebook, Reuters reported.

Joining the Enterprise

Koenig joined Star Trek in its second season in 1967 as Chekov, a young Russian navigator on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. The character gave the series a crew member from the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, and he quickly became a fan favorite for his enthusiasm and his heavily accented lines.

The original series ran for three seasons on NBC and was canceled in 1969. Like the rest of the cast, Koenig saw the show grow far larger in syndication than it had been in its first run, as a new generation of viewers discovered it in reruns through the 1970s.

Seven Films as Chekov

When Star Trek moved to the big screen, Koenig moved with it. He played Chekov in seven films, beginning with Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979 and continuing through Star Trek Generations in 1994.

Two of those films stand out in his career, and both remain fan favorites decades later. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982, Chekov is at the center of one of the franchise's most unsettling scenes. In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986, his search for "nuclear wessels" in modern San Francisco became one of the most quoted comic moments in the series.

A Second Act on Babylon 5

In the 1990s, Koenig found a very different role on the science fiction series Babylon 5, playing Alfred Bester, a cold and calculating officer of the Psi Corps. The part let him show a menacing side that Chekov never had, and it became his best known role outside Star Trek.

He also wrote about his life in the business. His memoirs include Warped Factors and Beaming Up and Getting Off, both of which look back on his years in Hollywood and with Star Trek.

From Chicago to the Bridge

According to NPR, Koenig was born in Chicago and grew up in Manhattan. He studied psychology before turning to acting and trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, one of the country's best known acting schools.

That path took him from a psychology degree to a long career playing a navigator on a starship. Like many of his castmates, he remained part of the Star Trek community for decades after the original series ended, as the franchise grew into films, new television series and a worldwide fan culture.

What His Death Means for Star Trek

With Koenig's death, the original main cast is down to two. Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols died in earlier years, so each loss now carries a sense of an era closing.

His final screen appearance as Chekov came at the opening of Star Trek Generations in 1994, when he joined Shatner and James Doohan aboard a new Enterprise for its first voyage. It was a fitting farewell for a character who had grown up with the franchise, from a young ensign in 1967 to a veteran officer nearly three decades later.

For fans, Chekov remains a small but lasting piece of the show's original promise: a crew drawn from many nations, working side by side. Koenig brought that idea to life with warmth and good humor for more than half a century.

Hollywood Magazine extends its condolences to Walter Koenig's family and friends. Follow Hollywood Magazine for more celebrity and entertainment news as it develops.