Walter Koenig Walter Marvin Koenig is the actor and writer best known for playing Pavel Chekov on and in the first seven " Star Trek " movies . He was the only original cast member not to lend his voice to due to budgetary reasons , though he still contributed to the series by writing the episode . His image also appeared in , in a photograph that was among Spock ' s possessions bequeathed to . Personal life . Walter Koenig ( pronounced " KAY - nig " ) was born in Chicago , Illinois , the son of Sarah and Isadore Koenig . His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Republic of Lithuania ( independent at the time of his birth ) . Walter first started acting while attending Fieldston High School in Riverdale , New York , where he played the lead roles in stage productions of " Peer Gynt " and George Bernard Shaw ' s " The Devil ' s Disciple " . After graduating from Fieldston , Koenig attended Grinnell College in Iowa with a pre - med major . He later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles , where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology . After receiving his BA , however , a professor encouraged him to pursue an acting career . Koenig then enrolled in New York ' s Neighborhood Playhouse , where he received a scholarship from the school ' s regents . His classmates at the Neighborhood Playhouse included Christopher Lloyd , who later worked with Koenig on . Koenig married actress Judy Levitt on 11 July 1965 . They have two children together , Andrew and Danielle . Andrew Koenig appeared in the " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " episode as Tumak , while Judy Levitt has appeared in bit parts in several " Star Trek " films . Danielle is one of the writers for the Nickelodeon cartoon " Invader Zim " , which contains a few " Star Trek " references in honor of her father . On 14 February 2010 , Andrew Koenig went missing while visiting friends in Vancouver , British Columbia . He was scheduled to return to the United States on 16 February , but he did not board his flight . On the 16th , Walter stated that he and his wife received a note from Andrew in which he " sounded despondent . " Walter and his wife flew to Vancouver on 23 February to participate in the search for their son . On 25 February , Andrew ' s body was found by friends in a densely - wooded area of Vancouver ' s Stanley Park . Walter announced in a subsequent press release that his son had taken his own life . Early career . Koenig appeared in two films in the early 1960s , " The Norman Vincent Peale Story " and " Strange Lovers " . In 1963 , he made an appearance in the premiere episode of the long - running daytime soap opera " General Hospital " . The following year , he guest - starred on the short - lived drama series " The Lieutenant " . This series starred Gary Lockwood and was created and produced by Gene Roddenberry , the creator of " Star Trek " . On the show , Koenig was directed by Vincent McEveety , who later directed Koenig in several episodes of " Star Trek " . Koenig ' s fellow guest stars included Paul Comi and Paul Lambert . Other television shows on which Koenig appeared throughout the 1960s include " Combat ! " ( acting with cinematographer John A . Alonzo ) , " The Untouchables " ( with Paul Sorensen ) , " The Great Adventure " ( with Arthur Batanides and Gene Lyons ) , " The Alfred Hitchcock Hour " ( directed by Joseph Pevney ) , and " Ben Casey " ( directed by John Meredyth Lucas ) . In addition , Koenig was directed by Michael O ' Herlihy in two episodes of " Mr . Novak " and an episode of " Mannix " ( working with Louise Sorel ) . An episode of " Gidget " in which Koenig appeared ( with Brooke Bundy ) was scripted by Stephen Kandel . " Star Trek " . Koenig was cast as Pavel Chekov for the second season on " Star Trek : The Original Series " in . The producers specifically brought in the youthful Koenig to draw younger viewers to the show . The original plan was to create a young , British character in the vein of and the current success of their " American counterparts " , . Later , Gene Roddenberry decided the character should be Russian , in response to an alleged article in the leading Soviet newspaper , . ( " " , " " ) Koenig was recommended for the role by director Joseph Pevney , who noted that he " " had the worst fake Russian accent I ever heard " " . The actor , 30 at the time , played the 22 - year - old Ensign . To augment the ploy , they made him look like from the The Monkees . Reportedly , the ploy worked . Koenig originally had to wear a Davy Jones - style wig until his own hair grew out . ( " " , " " ) During later in the season , Koenig often had to fill in for George Takei , who was delayed filming " The Green Berets " . When Takei finally returned to the show later that season , he was required to share his dressing room and even episode scripts with Koenig , a situation Takei did not like . ( " William Shatner ' s Star Trek Memories " ) This circumstance was later referenced in the " Futurama " episode " Where No Fan Has Gone Before , " in which Koenig and Takei were forced to share a copy of Melllvar ' s fan - written script . Koenig and Takei have since become close friends . Koenig appeared in thirty - six episodes of " Star Trek " between 1967 and 1969 , beginning with ( although his first aired episode was ) . His first filming day on the series was Tuesday , . Archive footage from his work in the second season episode was used in the " Deep Space Nine " episode . He reprised his role as Chekov in and continued playing the character in the next six feature films . He was nominated for Saturn Awards by the Academy of Science Fiction , Fantasy & Horror Films for his work on two of these films , and . Several uniforms and costumes worn by Koenig during his time working on the " Star Trek " films were sold off on the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction on eBay , including a red undershirt . His last canon appearance as Chekov was in the film , but he did play the character in several non - canon productions . He appeared as Chekov in the short film created for the theme park attraction " Star Trek Adventure " , and he also voiced the character in the video games " " , " " , " Star Trek Generations " ( based on the film ) , " " , and " " . In 1996 , Koenig visited the " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " set during the filming of " Trials and Tribble - ations " and taught Colm Meaney how to use the original " Star Trek " communicator . ( " The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine Trials And Tribble - ations " ) In 2006 , he played Chekov ( as a lieutenant ) in the fan production " Star Trek : New Voyages " , which was conceived and produced by James Cawley . Koenig guest - starred in the episode " To Serve All My Days , " alongside Cawley , Mary Linda Rapelye , John Carrigan , Jeffery Quinn , and Larry Nemecek . The episode was written by D . C . Fontana , Ethan H . Calk , and Jack Treviño . Koenig again played Chekov , this time with the rank of captain , in the independent movie " Star Trek : Of Gods and Men " , in which he starred opposite fellow TOS co - star Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and " Star Trek Generations " actor Alan Ruck as Captain John Harriman . The movie was directed by s Tim Russ , who also appeared in his role as Tuvok . The movie featured many other " Star Trek " veterans in the cast , including Gary Graham , J . G . Hertzler , Cirroc Lofton , Chase Masterson , Arlene Martel , Lawrence Montaigne , Ethan Phillips , Garrett Wang , and Grace Lee Whitney . Koenig has written two books describing his experiences working on " Star Trek " : " Chekov ' s Enterprise : A Personal Journal of the Making of Star Trek - The Motion Picture " , published in , and " Warped Factors " , published in . He has also participated in a number of " Star Trek " - related specials and documentaries , including " William Shatner ' s Star Trek Memories " , " Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special " , " Trekkies " , and " How William Shatner Changed the World " . Other works . 1970s . After " Star Trek " was canceled in 1969 , Koenig made guest appearances on such television series as " Medical Center " ( acting with Rudy Solari ) , " The Virginian " ( with Brock Peters ) , and " Ironside " ( with Theodore Bikel ) . He also had a supporting role in the Emmy Award - nominated TV movie " Goodbye , Raggedy Ann " , working alongside John Colicos . In 1973 , Koenig appeared in the film " Nightmare Honeymoon " , which also featured John Beck , David Huddleston , Roy Jenson , and Jay Robinson . That same year , he played the alien Oro in two episodes of Harlan Ellison ' s science fiction series " The Starlost " , including one episode directed by Joseph L . Scanlan . In 1973 , he wrote an episode of , entitled ( ) . Koenig later wrote an episode of the fantasy series " Land of the Lost " entitled " The Stranger , " which aired in 1974 . Also in 1974 , Koenig appeared in the unsold TV pilot movie " The Questor Tapes " , written by Gene Roddenberry and Gene L . Coon . The pilot was directed by Richard Colla and starred Robert Foxworth in the title role . Koenig ' s TOS co - star , Majel Barrett , also had a role in the movie . In 1976 , Koenig reunited with TOS co - star William Shatner in the " Columbo " movie " Fade in to Murder , " which also featured Bert Remsen . Koenig subsequently wrote an episode of the drama series " Family " , which ended up guest - starring Bert Remsen as well as Kim Cattrall . 1980s . In 1982 , Koenig appeared on the short - lived adventure series " Bring ' Em Back Alive " , on which Clyde Kusatsu was a regular cast member . The following year , Koenig played the role of Pompey in a TV movie adaptation of William Shakepeare ' s " Antony and Cleopatra " . His TOS co - star Nichelle Nichols played Charmian in this production , while James Avery and Earl Boen also had supporting roles . Koenig starred in the 1989 independent science fiction / action film " Moontrap " , in which he played Col . Jason Grant , an astronaut who takes on sentient machines from the moon that have been programmed to conquer Earth . Koenig ' s wife and fellow " Star Trek " alum , Judy Levitt , had a small role in this film . Koenig appeared in another science fiction film in 1989 called " Deadly Weapon " , which also featured DS9 guest star Gary Frank . 1990s . Besides his work on " Star Trek " , Koenig is also well known for his role as villainous Psi Cop Alfred Bester on the acclaimed science fiction series , " Babylon 5 " . He appeared in twelve episodes of this show between 1994 and 1998 , during which time he worked with fellow " Star Trek " alumni Caitlin Brown , Brian Cousins , Diane DiLascio , Mike Genovese , Andreas Katsulas , Leigh J . McCloskey , Christopher Michael , Marjorie Monaghan , Bill Mumy , Julia Nickson , Tracy Scoggins , Patricia Tallman , and John Vickery . Koenig ' s wife , Judy Levitt , was also seen on the show , playing a fellow Psi Cop . Among those who directed Koenig on " Babylon 5 " were Tony Dow and Michael Vejar . Koenig had previously been offered a different guest role in the first season episode " And the Sky Full of Stars " , but his health at the time prevented him from accepting , and the role ultimately went to Christopher Neame . ( Had Koenig taken the role , it would have reunited him with his " Wrath of Khan " co - star Judson Scott ) . Koenig had a supporting role in the 1996 martial arts film " Sworn to Justice " , working alongside Brad Dourif . He then starred in the 1997 independent film " Drawing Down the Moon " , which also involved martial arts . In addition , Koenig participated in the video game " Maximum Surge " , in which he portrayed the villainous role of Drexel . He reprised this role in 2003 for a TV movie based on the game . Michael Champion , Christopher Doyle , John Eskobar , Leslie Hoffman , Michael Jace , and Spice Williams also appeared in the video game version , while Dick Miller and Vincent Schiavelli had roles in the TV movie . In 1998 , Koenig made a gag appearance on an episode of " Diagnosis Murder " which involved a possible alien abduction . The episode also featured his TOS co - stars Majel Barrett , George Takei , and Grace Lee Whitney , s Wil Wheaton , and aforementioned " Lost in Space " and " Babylon 5 " star ( and " Deep Space Nine " guest actor ) Bill Mumy . 2000s . Koenig made an appearance in the independent science fiction movie / pilot , " The Privateers " , in which he acted alongside Karl Urban . Koenig later made a guest appearance as a Russian submarine commander on the comedy series " Son of the Beach " , on which DS9 guest actress Lisa Banes was a regular . Koenig and his TOS castmates ( with the exception of James Doohan and DeForest Kelley ) voiced caricatures of themselves in the 2002 episode of " Futurama " entitled " Where No Fan Has Gone Before " . This episode parodied many aspects of " Star Trek " , and thus contained numerous " Star Trek " - related references , gags , and in - jokes . Some of the references related to Koenig included his delivery of " nuclear wessels " in " Star Trek IV " and his having to share scripts with George Takei on the set of TOS . In 2003 , Koenig played the role of " Mr . Lofcheck " in the short film " Roddenberry on Patrol " . This short film , directed by and co - starring " Voyager " regular Tim Russ , offers a comedic look at how Gene Roddenberry created " Star Trek " . It also featured " Star Trek " alumni Robert Beltran , Richard Herd , Nichelle Nichols , Robert O ' Reilly , Robert Picardo , and George Takei . Koenig recently wrote , starred in , and executive produced a science fiction film called " InAlienable " . Koenig premiered an unfinished trailer of the film at the 2007 " Star Trek " convention in Las Vegas . TNG actress Marina Sirtis also stars in the film ; among the other performers who appear are fellow " Star Trek " alumni Erick Avari , Gary Graham , Richard Herd , J . G . Hertzler , Judy Levitt , Lisa LoCicero , Courtney Peldon , Alan Ruck , Patricia Tallman , and Koenig ' s son , Andrew . When originally announced in 2003 , " InAlienable " – then known as " Illegal alien " – was set to star John de Lancie and s Robert Picardo . According to Koenig during his appearance in Las Vegas , Picardo had to drop out of the film because his was filling in for Koenig on a " Star Trek " cruise . John de Lancie also dropped out as he was unhappy with the changes being made to the film . Other recent acting credits from Koenig include a supporting role in the 2006 film " Mad Cowgirl " and an appearance in the 2007 TV movie " Bone Eater " . In 2006 , he published his first novel , " Buck Alice And the Actor - robot " , in which survivors of an alien invasion vie for the hand of the last fertile woman on Earth . 2010s . On 21 June 2011 it was announced that Koenig was among the honorees of the 2012 stars . Fellow " Trek " actor and " Generations " co - star Malcolm McDowell joined him and also received his star .