George Takei and More Star Trek Legends Pay Tribute to Walter Koenig After His Death at 90

Image via Paramount Published Oct 26, 2026, 7:07 PM EDT A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he's an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, '70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, '90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they're good, and maybe even more when they're bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed "Canuxploitation." An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account. Sign in to your Collider account Tributes are pouring in for Walter Koenig, who starred as Pavel Chekov on two seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series and seven Star Trek feature films. Koenig passed away at age 90, triggering remembrances from his friends and colleagues. George Takei, who is now one of two surviving members of The Original Series, shared a photo of the two in recent years, and remembered their six decades of friendship that saw Koenig serve as best man at Takei's 2008 wedding. He eulogized Koenig as "a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend." David Gerrold, who wrote a number of Star Trek episodes including the fan-favorite "The Trouble With Tribbles," remembered Koenig as "a good friend and a very talented actor." Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, who brought in Koenig to cameo as Federation President Anton Chekov, Pavel's son, on that show's season finale, called him "one of the sweetest, kindest humans I’ve ever worked with." VisionQuest's Todd Stashwick, who also starred on Picard and was Koenig's longtime neighbor, shared a remembrance of the actor who he memorialized as "a sweet, talented, big hearted man": Adam Nimoy, the son of Koenig's longtime Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy, saw a lot of Koenig on the convention circuit, and described him as "a pleasure to hang out with." Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko on Deep Space Nine, came to know Koenig over the years, and interviewed him for his podcast, The 7th Rule. He remembered Koenig as "a truly kind and lovable gentle man who dedicated his life to expressing his values through his work and words." Koenig wasn't just Chekov. He recurred on the groundbreaking 1990s science fiction series Babylon 5 as Alfred Bester; a complete reversal from the cheery, heroic Chekov, Bester was a menacing, sinister agent of the Psi Corps. One of his frequent fellow guest stars was Bill Mumy, a TV sci-fi legend in his own right from his appearances on The Twilight Zone and Lost in Space. He shared memories of working alongside Koenig, and wished him "love and respect to you on your new adventure." Claudia Christian, another Babylon 5 co-star, called him one of a kind: "bold, funny and deadly serious about his craft." May his memory be a blessing. Release Date 1966 - 1969-00-00 Network NBC Showrunner Gene Roddenberry Directors Marc Daniels, Joseph Pevney, Ralph Senensky, Vincent McEveety, Herb Wallerstein, Jud Taylor, Marvin J. Chomsky, David Alexander, Gerd Oswald, Herschel Daugherty, James Goldstone, Robert Butler, Anton Leader, Gene Nelson, Harvey Hart, Herbert Kenwith, James Komack, John Erman, John Newland, Joseph Sargent, Lawrence Dobkin, Leo Penn, Michael O'Herlihy, Murray Golden Writers D.C. Fontana, Jerome Bixby, Arthur Heinemann, David Gerrold, Jerry Sohl, Oliver Crawford, Robert Bloch, David P. Harmon, Don Ingalls, Paul Schneider, Shimon Wincelberg, Steven W. Carabatsos, Theodore Sturgeon, Jean Lisette Aroeste, Art Wallace, Adrian Spies, Barry Trivers, Don Mankiewicz, Edward J. Lakso, Fredric Brown, George Clayton Johnson, George F. Slavin, Gilbert Ralston, Harlan Ellison Franchise(s) Star Trek Creator(s) Gene Roddenberry