# RIP Walter Koenig (from Star Trek) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [October 26, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173 "2026-10-26T17:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/21 "2026-10-26T21:11:12Z")
He probably said “da bearss”, since he was from Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/22 "2026-10-26T21:11:33Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Did he actually have an accent? He was born in Chicago (to Russian Jewish immigrants), and raised in Chicago and New York. I never heard him with a Russian accent in anything other than _Star Trek_. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/23 "2026-10-26T21:12:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Walter had a bigger role as Bester on Babylon 5. It gave him a chance to really act and create a character. Bester was very intimidating. It’s his best role by far and what I’ll remember him for. A true evil. Bester believes telepaths are superior, just as a matter of fact. Mundanes are lesser evolved humans, doomed to die off. Scary. I was always frustrated that his demise was only covered in a post-shot book. It felt like the show had led Garribaldi to the point of enacting his revenge on Bester, but it never happened in the show. Takei vs. Shatner As it should be. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/24 "2026-10-26T21:12:29Z")
> **[Walter Koenig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Koenig)** > > Walter Marvin Koenig (/ˈkeɪnɪɡ/; September 14, 1936 – October 25, 2026) was an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek (1967–1969). He went on to reprise this role in all six original-cast Star Trek films, and Star Trek: Generations (1994). He also acted in several other series and films including Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971), The Questor Tapes (1974), and Babylon ... > In addition to acting, he wrote several films (_I Wish I May_, _You’re Never Alone When You’re a Schizophrenic_), one-act plays, and a handful of episodes for TV shows: _[Star Trek: The Animated Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Animated_Series "Star Trek: The Animated Series")_, _[Land of the Lost](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Lost_(1974_TV_series) "Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)")_, _[Family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(1976_TV_series) "Family (1976 TV series)")_ and _[The Powers of Matthew Star](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powers_of_Matthew_Star "The Powers of Matthew Star")_.[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Koenig#cite_note-THRobit-10)[[30]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Koenig#cite_note-30) > > He wrote several books, including _Warped Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe_ (an autobiography), _Chekov’s Enterprise_ (a journal kept during the filming of _[Star Trek: The Motion Picture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Motion_Picture "Star Trek: The Motion Picture")_) and _Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot_ (a science fiction novel), which was re-released in 2006. He created his own comic book series called _Raver_, which was published by [Malibu Comics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu_Comics "Malibu Comics") in the early 1990s, and appeared as a “special guest star” in an issue of the comic book _Eternity Smith_, which features him prominently on its cover.[[31]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Koenig#cite_note-31) > > In 2013, Koenig released the graphic novel _Walter Koenig’s Things To Come_ with artist J.C. Baez, published by Bluewater Comics, which compiled the four issues of the miniseries of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/25 "2026-10-26T21:14:43Z")
[quote=“Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi, post:20, topic:1034173, full:true”] > [@N9IWP](#): > > I had a short conversation with him at a convention [/quote] > > Did he actually have an accent? I don’t recall any accent – certainly not his Chekov one. Brian ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/26 "2026-10-26T21:17:22Z")
In interviews, he usually had a standard midwestern accent. He was born in Chicago, grew up in New York, and went to college in Iowa and California. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/27 "2026-10-26T21:50:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > He was a great villain as Alfred Bester in _Babylon 5_, and did some screenwriting, as well. When Koenig was cast as Bester I thought it was a bit of stunt casting and didn’t expect much out of it. Bester was a much better character than Chekov ever was and Koenig did a great job with it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/28 "2026-10-26T21:53:04Z")
I thought he was literally a kid during **TOS** ; he was thirty(?). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/29 "2026-10-26T22:09:01Z")
He was the same age as George Takei but playing younger. It was surprising. Then new Chekov was actually very young. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/30 "2026-10-26T22:09:06Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > When Koenig was cast as Bester I thought it was a bit of stunt casting and didn’t expect much out of it. Bester was a much better character than Chekov ever was and Koenig did a great job with it He’s only in 12 episodes but is highly memorable. It’s the peak of his career. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/31 "2026-10-26T23:10:57Z")
When our daughter was 14, she and I watched every episode of TOS. When I asked who her favorite character was, she said, “Chekov.” When I asked why, she said, “Because he looks like one of The Beatles.” (She was a huge Beatles fan. Still is, at 27.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/32 "2026-10-26T23:16:01Z")
I held the door for him at Loscon III. He said thank you with eye contact. Fond memory. RIP ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/33 "2026-10-26T23:18:51Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Then new Chekov was actually very young. It’s said in _ **The Making of Star Trek** _ that all Ensigns seem to be 22, and Roddenberry wanted a character that would appeal to the teenage audience like Davey Jones on _ **The Monkees** _. In one interview, Koenig said he modeled his Russian accent after that of his uncle, who couldn’t pronounce the English “V.” Desilu executive Herb Solow said it was the worst Russian accent he’d ever heard. I have to agree with Solow. Not once in almost 60 years have I met a male Russian with an accent like Chekov’s. They usually sound like Steve Martin’s Georg Festrunk when they try to speak English. I’ve also never seen “Chekhov” written with a simple “K.” (I’ve additionally had Scots tell me that Doohan’s Scottish accent was not at all authentic, even though he said he modeled it after that of an Army bunkmate from Aberdeen.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/34 "2026-10-26T23:19:21Z")
For those not familiar with this, a Harlan Ellison story was inspired from overhearing something Walter Koenig said in a party. > **[Jeffty Is Five](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffty_Is_Five)** > > "Jeffty Is Five" is a fantasy short story by American author Harlan Ellison. It was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1977, then was included in DAW's The 1978 Annual World's Best SF in 1978 and Ellison's short story collection Shatterday two years later. According to Ellison, it was partially inspired by a fragment of conversation that he misheard at a party at the home of actor Walter Koenig: "How is Jeff?" "Jeff is fine. He's always fine," which he perceived as "... ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/35 "2026-10-26T23:38:34Z")
Here is an updated list of all the Babylon 5 actors to die. A stunningly high number. Dr. Franklin - Richard Biggs G’kar - Andreas Katsulas Zack - Jeff Conaway Sinclair - Michael O’hare Garibaldi - Jerry Doyle Vir - Stephen Furst Delenn - Mira Furlan Bester - Walter Koenig ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/36 "2026-10-26T23:41:46Z")
Also Zathras - Tim Choate ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/37 "2026-10-26T23:46:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > He’s only in 12 episodes but is highly memorable. It’s the peak of his career. In those 12 episodes he was given more genuine character development than he got in 2 seasons and 7 movies as Chekov. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/38 "2026-10-26T23:55:35Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > In interviews, he usually had a standard midwestern accent. With hints of NYC, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/39 "2026-10-27T02:19:09Z")
He also wrote an episode of **Land of the Lost** > **[The Stranger (Land of the Lost)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(Land_of_the_Lost))** > > "The Stranger" is the sixth episode of the first season of the 1974 American television series Land of the Lost. Written by Walter Koenig and directed by Bob Lally, it first aired in the United States on October 12, 1974 on NBC. The episode guest stars Walker Edmiston. While searching for edible food, the Marshalls discover a cave in which they find a mounted, glowing lozenge which seems to jerk them as they near it. The family is interrupted by the arrival of six Sleestak, and Rick threatens t... Enik was supposed to be Eneg (Gene backwards), but got changed somewhere in development. Brian ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173/40 "2026-10-27T02:27:59Z")
In David Gerrold’s wonderful retelling of how he wrote _The Trouble With Tribbles_ (1976) as his first screenplay, he recalls hanging around the set of **Star Trek** before finishing writing TTWT, trying to get a feel for the show’s vibe (and just geeking out, being so excited to be there). He saw Walter Koenig off to the side, looking at his meager number of lines for whatever episode they were filming that day. He went over to him, introducing himself as the writer of the screenplay of a future episode. Gerrold commiserated with him as they discussed how few lines the minor characters get each episode, and how that might affect their earnings. At that moment, he decided that Chekov/Koenig would have a significant role in TTWT, with lots of lines. Plus, since he was supposed to be Russian, Gerrold would make him _very_ Russian. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-koenig-from-star-trek/1034173.md?page=3)