Walter Koenig reveals he took a break from filmingStar Trek: The Original Seriesin season 3, but that"nobody really cared"since everyone in the production felt the show would be canceled. Koenig portrayed Ensign Pavel Chekov inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseasons 2and 3, and he reprised Chekov in sevenStar Trekmovies, includingStar Trek Generations.InStar Trek: Picardseason 3, Koenig voiced Chekov’s descendant, Anton Chekov, President of the United Federation of Planets.
Every month onThe 7th Rulepodcast, Walter Koenig joins hosts Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk to review episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Series. During their rundown of the classicStar Trekseason 2 episode, “The Trouble With Tribbles,“Walter explained why he left the show during season 3, which wasStar Trek: TOS' final season. Read Koenig’s quote and watchThe 7th Rulevideo below:
I left Star Trek in the third season.I left the show. Nobody thought it was going to be picked up anyway, so nobody really cared.I left for a month and I did a play outside of Chicago with Jackie Coogan, Charlie Chaplin’s old sidekick, and that was great fun. And I didn’t miss being on the show because, at that point, it was really, ‘Aye aye, sir.’ And I still wanted to perform in my chosen profession with some dignity. Dignity of participation.
Why Walter Koenig Left Star Trek: The Original Series In Season 3
Walter Koenig appeared as Ensign Pavel Chekov in 16 ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 3’s 24 episodes. As he explained duringThe 7th Rule’s review of “The Trouble With Tribbles,“Star Trek’s supporting cast like James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols and himself got to shine in that comedic romp. However, this wasn’t often the case, and there was even less focus on characters like Chekov, Scotty, and Lt. Uhura inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 3.When Koenig left midway through season 3 to do a play,Star Trek’s cancelation by NBC was expectedand came to pass.
Star Trek: The Original Seriesprimarily focused on the lead trio of Captain James T. Kirk (WIlliam Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr, Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley). Walter Koenig had moments to shine as Chekov, but as he would often lament,much of his role was reduced to saying,“Aye aye, keptain"in manyStar Trekepisodes. Koenig also felt the lack of attention to the supporting characters continued into theStar Trekmovies. Walter has long noted that he desired to do more inStar Trek,and have the"dignity of participation,“as he phrased it onThe 7th Rule.
Our Take On Walter Koenig Leaving Star Trek During Season 3
Chekov & Star Trek’s Supporting Cast Deserved More
Walter Koenig and his fellowStar Treksupporting actors deserved more screen time and character development than they received in the 1960s TV series and theStar Trekmovies. RewatchingStar Trek: The Original Seriescan be frustrating because of the lack of attention paid to Scotty, Sulu (George Takei), Uhura, and Chekov, andthis is an issue the actors have voiced for decades.It’s especially glaring compared to thecurrentStar TrekserieslikeStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,which develops its entire cast of characters.
Now there’s an explanation for the absence of Ensign Chekov midway through Star Trek: The Original Series season 3.
For Walter Koenig, Star Trekwas just a job he was thankful to have in the 1960s, although he looked for creative fulfillment elsewhere. At the time, no one expectedStar Trekto evolve into a pop culture phenomenon that has lasted for 60 years, and thatStar Trekwould become a defining part of the original cast’s lives. When rewatching classicStar Trek, now there’s an explanation for the absence of Ensign Chekov midway throughStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 3, thanks to Walter Koenig onThe 7th Rule.
