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For the alternate reality counterpart, please see Pavel Chekov (alternate reality).
For the mirror universe counterpart, please see Pavel Chekov (mirror).
"I'm not that green!"
– Pavel Chekov, 2267 ("Catspaw")

Pavel Andreievich Chekov (Russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) was a Human who served as a Starfleet officer during the latter half of the 23rd century. Although he mainly served as the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise and the USS Enterprise-A, he played a more variable role than the other senior staffmembers under Captain James T. Kirk. (Star Trek: The Original Series; Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Early life[]

Pavel Chekov, son of Andrei Chekov, was born in Russia on Earth in 2245. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?", "The Way to Eden")

Pavel was an only child. While under the influence of the Beta XII-A entity, he erroneously believed that he had had a brother named Piotr who was killed by the Klingons. (TOS: "Day of the Dove")

Career[]

Starfleet Academy[]

Around 2263, Chekov entered Starfleet Academy, from which he graduated with the rank of ensign. His Starfleet serial number was 656-5827D. (TOS: "Catspaw", "Who Mourns for Adonais?", "The Way to Eden"; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

During the early 2260s, Chekov was romantically involved with Irina Galliulin while they both attended the Academy together. The two had several disagreements before they parted ways: Chekov believed Galliulin to always be too free-spirited, Galliulin believed Chekov to have always been rigid. When Galliulin dropped out of the Academy, each accused the one of leaving the other. Chekov left, but came back to look for Galliulin, who was at the time staying in the city with friends. Galliulin eventually joined the counterculture movement of Dr. Sevrin and his search for the mythical planet Eden. (TOS: "The Way to Eden")

USS Enterprise[]

The five-year mission[]

Pavel Chekov, 2267

Chekov in 2267

Chekov's first assignment, at the age of 22, was on the USS Enterprise under command of Captain James T. Kirk. He joined the crew sometime prior to stardate 3018.2 (early 2267). (TOS: "Catspaw", "Who Mourns for Adonais?", "I, Mudd") He was serving there when sometime later, around stardate 3141.9, the Enterprise encountered SS Botany Bay, and he was seen by Khan Noonien Singh onboard the ship. (TOS: "Space Seed"; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Chekov would have likely been assigned to the Enterprise after the events of "Mudd's Women", as Chekov did not know of Harry Mudd when the crew encountered him a second time in "I, Mudd".
Although the character of Chekov had not yet joined the cast during the first season, he must have been assigned in some capacity, as an off-screen encounter with Khan must have occurred during his assault in "Space Seed"; Khan recognized him in Star Trek II, stating "I never forget a face..."
Film writer Jack B. Sowards acknowledged this apparent inconsistency was not part of his final draft, but rather a change instituted by Nicholas Meyer. Sowards's script originally had Chekov reviewing a library tape on Khan before his first encounter with him. The sequence was deleted, and the dialogue in subsequent scenes was slightly reworked, creating the alleged plot hole. (Starlog #67, February 1983, p. 23)
Pavel Chekov celebrating

Chekov celebrating the Enterprise's defeat of an Orion scout ship

Chekov served a standard junior officer rotation, eventually earning the post of navigator, although he was also proficient with the science officer station, often serving at the post in Commander Spock's absence. While acting the role of science adviser, Chekov made every attempt to be as thorough as possible. Chekov also became good friends with the slightly older helmsman Lieutenant Sulu who sat next to him on many missions. (TOS: "Catspaw", "Amok Time", "The Deadly Years", "Spock's Brain", "Day of the Dove")

While investigating a humanoid who could generate and control energy, who referred to himself as Apollo, in 2267, Chekov began to spout off information on similar creatures. After naming the electric eel and giant dry-worm, he was stopped by Dr. Leonard McCoy, who told him "not the whole encyclopedia, Chekov." McCoy later quipping on Chekov's dedicated thoroughness by stating: "Spock's contaminating this boy, Jim." (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?")

Chekov frightened by a dead body on Gamma Hydra IV

Chekov frightened by a dead body on Gamma Hydra IV

On a mission to deliver supplies to a Federation experimental colony on the planet Gamma Hydra IV, the six member landing party discovered that most of the colonist were either dead or close to death from rapid aging with Chekov becoming frightened upon finding the dead body of Alvin in one of the buildings. On return to the Enterprise, the entire landing party was infected with the rapid aging except for Chekov. Chekov complained to Sulu about how many times Dr. McCoy put him through a series of tests to discover why he wasn't aging, especially emphasizing that if he gave any more blood he wouldn't have any left. Spock soon discovered that the rapid aging was caused by radiation left on Gamma Hydra IV from a rogue comet. McCoy determined that the cure was adrenaline. Chekov had been so shocked upon finding the dead body that his adrenaline provided an immunity to the radiation's effects. (TOS: "The Deadly Years")

Tamoon

Tamoon, Chekov's drill "thrall" on Triskelion

In 2268, Chekov, Kirk, and Lieutenant Uhura were captured by alien beings who used them in gladiatorial combat, which the beings wagered on. Such captured beings were known as "thralls". One of the thralls, Tamoon was assigned to train Chekov in gladiatorial combat and developed romantic feelings towards him, leading to many unwelcome advances. (TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion")

Chekov as William Claiborne

Chekov as Billy Claiborne in 2268

Chekov was killed as a member of the landing party that made contact with the xenophobic Melkotians. The Melkotians considered Humans as a disease that must be destroyed, and placed the five member landing party in a frontier setting of the 19th century American West. The away team filled the role of the Clantons, one of the two major gangs involved at the OK Corral gunfight with Chekov playing gang member William Claiborne. Chekov was killed by one of the Earps over a girl named Sylvia, who was in love with Chekov/Claiborne, and not the Earp that wanted her. Spock realized that this simulation was not real, and thus the four other landing party members could not be hurt as long as they did not believe in the illusion. After successfully escaping the illusory setting, the landing party was transported back to the Enterprise, along with Chekov who was alive once again and the Melkotians were willing to begin talks to join the Federation. (TOS: "Spectre of the Gun")

Lordchekov

Chekov being tempted by androids Alice 118 and 322 on Mudd's planet

When the ship was hijacked by android Norman to an undiscovered planet, the Enterprise's crew discovered Harcourt Fenton Mudd who had crashed on the planet. The planet was populated by androids who wished to use the Enterprise to visit other planets, but strand the crew there. The androids tempted Chekov with a planet full of beautiful women to serve him. In the end, the crew banded together and escaped the planet, leaving Mudd with five hundred android replicas of his overbearing wife, Stella. (TOS: "I, Mudd")

Chekov drinking vodka

Chekov drinking vodka at the bar on Deep Space Station K-7

During shore leave on Deep Space station K-7, Chekov, along with Lieutenant Uhura, brought one tribble back to the Enterprise, which reproduced so fast that the ship became overrun with them in three days. Chekov participated in a bar fight with Klingons in the bar on the space station and was temporarily arrested by some redshirts. He had to then participate in an interrogation line on the Enterprise, in front of Kirk, until Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott admitted he started the fight. Scott found a humane way to dispose of all the tribbles on the Enterprise by beaming them over to the Klingon ship IKS Gr'oth just before it went into warp speed. (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles"; DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")

Chekov was at navigation when he noticed the Enterprise navigation controls were not working, and then tried to assist Lieutenant Hadley, manning the helm, with the helm's stuck controls. The Kelvan Hanar then suddenly transported himself onto the bridge and put Chekov and the rest of the bridge crew into temporary motionless stasis. Two other Kelvans, Tomar and Drea, had already seized control of engineering and environmental engineering in a similar fashion. Thus began the attempted hijacking of the Enterprise by the Kelvan Milky Way Expedition so they could return to the Andromeda Galaxy. After the Enterprise successfully exited the Milky Way galaxy through the galactic barrier, Kelvan leader Rojan neutralized and reduced Chekov into a dehydrated porous cuboctahedron solid the size of a Human fist, composed of Chekov's base minerals which represented the "distilled" essence of Chekov's being, because he was considered along with most of the rest of the crew non-essential personnel. Chekov was reconstituted after Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott, the only four of the crew who were not neutralized, regained control of the Enterprise. (TOS: "By Any Other Name")

Chekov, Freeman and security guard arresting Kirk and Spock

Chekov, Freeman and a security guard attempt to arrest Kirk and Spock

After the Starnes Exploration Party children were brought aboard the Enterprise from the planet Triacus, no one on board knew that the children were under the influence of Gorgan, who had given the children the ability of mind-control. This telekinesis had already caused the deaths of the children's parents and was the way in which Gorgan hoped to achieve galactic dominance by way of other children. The children used their mind-control on Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura to make them believe that the Enterprise was still orbiting Triacus, when in actuality Chekov and Sulu had set course for Marcus XII, the intended next target for Gorgan. This also caused Kirk, unaware of the change of course and the departure from the orbit of Triacus, to have two crewmen have their molecules beamed into and spread throughout space and to their deaths. Then Tommy Starnes manipulated, by telekinesis, Chekov, Security Chief Freeman, and another security guard to attempt to arrest and put in the brig both Kirk and Spock because of false "orders" of Starfleet command. Kirk and Spock fought off Chekov, Freeman, and the other security guard, who were temporarily put in the brig themselves. Chekov was freed from the mind-control once the children were freed from the influence of Gorgan. (TOS: "And the Children Shall Lead")

Main viewer rear projection

Chekov in front of the bridge's main viewscreen showing a chart of the Sigma Draconis system during the search for Spock's brain

Chekov and security guards staying warm

Chekov and two security officers keeping warm on Sigma Draconis VI

Chekov was rendered unconscious by the Eymorg Kara when she boarded the Enterprise and used her control bracelet in order to steal Spock's brain. After the crew regained consciousness and found Spock's body without his brain and they found Kara's ship left an ion trail to the Sigma Draconis system, Chekov placed a schematic of the system on the bridge's viewscreen. A debate ensued between Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura as to which of the three class M planets they should look for Spock's brain, with Kirk reminding them that Dr. McCoy said that Spock would have only three hours to live without his brain. None of the three planets seemed capable of supporting interstellar flight, but Kirk's best hunch of where to look came from Uhura, who found large, regular energy pulsations on the otherwise glaciated and pre-industrial Sigma Draconis VI. Chekov was part of a landing party that also consisted of Kirk, Scott, McCoy, and two crewmen who beamed down to the surface of Sigma Draconis VI. There the landing party suffered an ambush by the Morg, primitive humanoid men, until one of them was subdued by a phaser. The Morg that was hit hinted at "the Others" who gave "pain and delight", but seemingly the Morg had no mates and didn't know what a female was. Chekov then ran his tricorder and found evidence of an underground city. Kirk, McCoy, and Scott went underground and found that the Eymorg were the females of the Morg and discovered Spock's brain was being used to power the city, Chekov used his phaser to heat a rock to keep him and the two crewmen warm. McCoy was able to get Spock's brain back in his head, just in the nick of time, and they met back up with Chekov and the two crewmen leaving the Eymorg to have to start living with the Morg. (TOS: "Spock's Brain")

When Spock mind melded with Medusan Ambassador Kollos to guide the Enterprise into normal space after being stranded in an uncharted void of the galaxy by a then-dead Larry Marvick, Spock-Kollos took over, temporarily, the helm console from Sulu and was assisted in the task by Chekov at navigation. Unfortunately Spock-Kollos forgot to put back on the visor, which caused Spock to go temporarily insane while still on the bridge. During this temporary insanity, he pushed very hard backwards both Chekov and Sulu, who were trying to help him, with Chekov landing on top of the navigation console and then to on his back on the floor. Fortunately Chekov recovered quickly and Spock did so, as well, a short time after that. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")

Chekov attacks Spock

Chekov goes insane and attacks Spock while in Tholian space

Chekov was part of an away team that beamed aboard the starship USS Defiant, which was adrift in space. They discovered that the ship was dissolving due to the effects of the interphase of that part of space. They also discovered that there had been mass insanity aboard the USS Defiant with its whole crew dead. Kirk unfortunately had to remain behind because the transporter could only beam aboard three of the four away team members. After beaming back to the Enterprise, Chekov attacked Spock on the bridge in a fit of madness. The illness then spread throughout the ship. The interphase was causing mental breakdowns in the crew of the Enterprise. Chekov was cured of his madness the same way the rest of the crew who suffered mental breakdowns did, from Dr. McCoy discovering and then dispensing a diluted theragen derivative. Spock told Chekov that it was great to see Chekov back to his normal self. The crew rescued Kirk and escaped the Tholians. (TOS: "The Tholian Web")

Near the end of 2268, Chekov was very nervous when Kirk, Spock, and Scott were forced to activate the three-part self-destruct sequence in order to force Commissioner Bele to relinquish control of the Enterprise to Kirk. Shortly after in the recreation room, Chekov attended the speech by Lokai regarding how his people had been enslaved and then subjugated by Bele's people on their home planet of Cheron for many centuries. Chekov expressed surprise about this by saying to Lokai, "There was persecution on Earth once. I remember reading about it in history class." Sulu then reminded Chekov that that took place several centuries earlier on Earth and was considered primitive thinking in the 23rd century. Chekov, manning the bridge's main science station for Spock, was later the one to discover that Bele sabotaged the self-destruct program so he and Lokai ended up having their final battle on the already mutually annihilated, by civil war, Cheron. (TOS: "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield")

Early in 2269, Chekov's sight was affected when the "lights of Zetar" beings attacked the Enterprise as the ship was trying to reach Memory Alpha. Apparently as navigator, Chekov's sight was considered by the Zetarians to be the most important part of Chekov's brain to render useless in the young man during the attack. Chekov later expressed that he couldn't force himself to look at the navigation controls during the attack. (TOS: "The Lights of Zetar")

Pavel Chekov and Irina Galliulin kiss

Chekov kissing Irina Galliulin

A bit later in 2269, Chekov once again encountered his lost love, Irina Galliulin. Although they were initially happy to see one another, Chekov adamantly disapproved of her new lifestyle and attempted to cast her off. She visited Chekov, who was working in auxiliary control assigned to help Spock locate the planet Eden, to apologize for upsetting Chekov. Her ulterior motive, however, was to subtly use him to gain his knowledge of the systems of the ship, which were later used by Dr. Sevrin and his followers to hijack the Enterprise. The two left each other once again, this time while saying "good-bye" to one another, as well as each with a better understanding of the other. (TOS: "The Way to Eden")

Sulu and Chekov

Chekov and Sulu refusing to comply with the captain's orders as Kirk's body was inhabited by Dr. Janice Lester in 2269

A short time after that unaware that Kirk's body was being inhabited by Dr. Janice Lester after a life-entity transfer, Chekov and Sulu started protesting when the captain extended the mutiny charges against Spock and the doctor to Scott and McCoy and ordered the death penalty for all four of them. Chekov persisted and tried to remind the captain that the death penalty was forbidden except for violation of General Order 4, which had not been violated. But the captain refused to listen. A short time later on the bridge, Chekov and Sulu took their hands off their consoles in defiance of the captain's orders to go to the planet Benecia for the internment of the prisoners. This action by Chekov and Sulu fortunately started the process of returning Kirk back to his own body. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder")

Later in 2269, Chekov was no longer the navigator on board the Enterprise, having been replaced as navigator by Arex. (Star Trek: The Animated Series)

According to his Animated Series bio at StarTrek.com, Chekov was transferred to another ship and was replaced by Arex, his former instructor at the Academy. [1]

2270s[]

Pavel Chekov, 2270s

Lieutenant Chekov in the 2270s

By the early 2270s, Chekov had been promoted to lieutenant and served as the security chief and tactical officer of the refit Enterprise under the command of Captain Will Decker.

Chekov in pain

Chekov's hand burned during V'ger's attack

Chekov was manning the weapons console when the Enterprise entered a wormhole created by its imbalanced warp engines. Kirk ordered Chekov to fire phasers on an asteroid they were going to collide with in the wormhole, but Decker ordered that he fire photon torpedoes at it instead. Slowly, Chekov fired the weapons due to the wormhole effect but ultimately saved the ship. Later, Chekov's hand was severely burned by a feedback pulse when the ship was probed during its encounter with V'ger. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

USS Reliant[]

By the 2280s, Chekov was promoted to commander and assigned as first officer to USS Reliant under Captain Clark Terrell.

Chekov ceti eel pain

Chekov in pain as a Ceti eel leaves his ear

In 2285, the Reliant was on a mission to find a suitable planet to conduct trials with the Genesis Device. When they explored Ceti Alpha V, Chekov and Captain Terrell encountered Khan Noonien Singh and his Augments.

By putting Ceti eels inside their heads, Khan made them susceptible to his suggestions, his motive being to seek revenge on Admiral Kirk. Using Chekov and Terrell, Khan was able to seize the Reliant and subsequently steal the Genesis Device.

After Captain Terrell's death, and the departure of the Ceti eel from his head, he returned to the Enterprise after his rescue from Regula I, and recovered in time to help Admiral Kirk defeat Khan in the Battle of the Mutara Nebula. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

USS Enterprise, again[]

Following the death of Spock, he assumed the post of Enterprise's acting science officer. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

Chekov braces

Chekov braces himself when Kruge fires at the Enterprise

After it was discovered that Spock may still be alive on the newly formed Genesis Planet, Chekov and his shipmates Kirk, Scott, Sulu, and McCoy stole the Enterprise from Spacedock One (with Uhura's help) in an attempt to recover his regenerated body.

The Enterprise was disabled by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey in orbit around the Genesis Planet and was then self-destructed by Kirk (with help from Scott and Chekov) to prevent its capture. Kirk and his crew later seized command of the Klingon ship, which they named the HMS Bounty.

The crew then transported the regenerated body of Spock to Vulcan, where the body was reunited with his katra, which had been placed in McCoy. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

HMS Bounty[]

Following their exile on Vulcan, Chekov chose to return to Earth with his comrades aboard the HMS Bounty, where while en route, they discovered reason Earth was under "attack" by an orbiting Whale Probe.

Using the slingshot effect, the Bounty went back in time to 1986 to transport two Humpback whales to the 23rd century. While on Earth, Chekov and Uhura were part of "Team 2," assigned to locating and acquiring photons for recrystallizing the dilithium crystals aboard the Bounty.

Pavel Chekov injured

Chekov injured after falling from the USS Enterprise CVN-65 in 1986

Although the mission was a success in acquiring the necessary photons from the nuclear vessel, USS Enterprise, Chekov was captured by the ship's security. Accused of being a "Russkie," Chekov made a failed escape attempt from the aircraft carrier, only to become critically injured when he fell over fifty feet from the ship's hangar deck, running through an open hatch that led out to one of the ship's massive aircraft elevators.

Chekov cured

Chekov at Mercy Hospital

Chekov was taken into emergency surgery at Mercy Hospital where he was diagnosed with a tearing of the middle meningeal artery after a fundoscopic examination. He would successfully be healed, narrowly escaping the removal of an epidural hematoma by trepanation, and subsequently evacuated from the hospital by McCoy, Kirk, and Gillian Taylor.

USS Enterprise-A[]

Upon returning to the 23rd century, Chekov and his shipmates faced court martial for their actions. However, they were eventually cleared of all charges and Chekov was reassigned as navigator on the USS Enterprise-A. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

Pavel Chekov, 2287

Chekov posing as captain of the Enterprise-A in 2287

In 2287, Chekov took temporary command of the Enterprise-A and posed as "Captain Chekov" as a ruse to negotiate with Sybok for the hostages that the renegade Vulcan took on Nimbus III. While Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and a security team landed on the planet covertly by shuttlecraft, Chekov successfully distracted Sybok long enough for the landing party to launch an attack on Paradise City. Sybok later captured the landing party and boarded the Enterprise. Making his way to the bridge, Sybok confronted Chekov and took away his "pain". Afterward, Chekov became one of the Vulcan's followers. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

Pavel Chekov, 2293-A

Chekov, shortly before the Enterprise-A's decommissioning

In 2293, Chekov undertook his final voyage on the Enterprise-A as part of the mission to escort the Klingon Chancellor to peace negotiations with the Federation. Chekov used his investigative science background to find forensic evidence linked to a Federation-Klingon conspiracy attempting to undermine the peace talks. After the Khitomer Conference, Chekov's last duty on the Enterprise-A was to man navigation and the helm for her decommissioning cruise. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Guest of honor[]

Chekov, Kirk, and Scott

Chekov with Kirk and Scott on the new USS Enterprise-B's bridge in 2293

In the latter part of 2293, Commander Chekov was a guest of honor aboard the new USS Enterprise-B, which was under the command of John Harriman. During the ship's maiden voyage, Captain Kirk went missing (presumably swept into space) during a hull breach caused by a part of the Nexus energy ribbon when it collided with the Enterprise-B. (Star Trek Generations)

Later life[]

At some point later in life, Chekov had a son, Anton, who served as the president of the United Federation of Planets in 2401, by which time Chekov had died. (PIC: "The Last Generation")

Russian heritage[]

Chekov was very proud of his heritage. He often noted – mostly erroneously – that most great inventions and events ever noted in history came from his homeland, which both amused and annoyed his crewmates.

In addition to these, Captain Kirk once stopped Lieutenant Sulu mid-sentence, while Sulu was referencing an incident in Siberia, and told Sulu, "If I wanted a Russian history lesson, I would have brought Mr. Chekov." (TOS: "That Which Survives", in which Chekov himself did not appear)

In the novel Prime Directive, Chekov claimed that karate was invented in Russia before being stolen by the Chinese.
In the video game Star Trek: Judgment Rites, Chekov claims that cognac was a Russian invention.
His erroneous claims might be a satire of the Soviet Union's propaganda and relative isolation from the western bloc during the Cold War, when TOS was being filmed.

Biographical timeline[]

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

Chekov was played by Walter Koenig, who joined the cast of Star Trek at the beginning of TOS Season 2, and filled in what were originally intended to be roles for Hikaru Sulu while George Takei spent much of this time involved in filming The Green Berets during Season 2. ("To Boldly Go...": Season 2, TOS Season 2 DVD special features)

According to Gene L. Coon in his The Making of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry wanted to add in a young Englishman to appeal to younger demographics. However, he received a written complaint from Russian sources, who complained that Star Trek – though trying to fashion a future where the world was united – was ignoring the USSR, which, at the time, was the leader in the space race. Roddenberry soon after altered his English youth into Chekov.

On the video release of William Shatner's Star Trek Memories, Walter Koenig himself said that the Russians didn't say anything about there being no Russians on the Enterprise and the Pravda article that Roddenberry and Coon referred to likely didn't exist because at the height of the Cold War, no American programming was airing in Russia. (Allan Asherman's The Star Trek Compendium says that the Pravda journalist "[had] seen a Star Trek episode televised in Germany", but Star Trek didn't air in Germany until 1972.) According to Koenig, the character was created to add Davy Jones-like appeal to the show and the Russian heritage was added by Roddenberry because he wanted to honor the fact that the Russians were the first people in space. In his first couple of episodes, Koenig indeed wore a Monkees-style wig to look more like Davy Jones. ("To Boldly Go...": Season 2, TOS Season 2 DVD special features) Ironically, during the time of TOS in the late 1960s, Soviet teens sporting this look, derisively called "hairies" and viewed as dangerously rebellious by their elders, were often arrested and had their hair cut off by the police. [2]

Chekov was the only main character from Star Trek not to appear in Star Trek: The Animated Series, due to budgetary constraints. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, p. 422) He was briefly written into the series, appearing as an ensign in the first draft script of "Yesteryear", though his role in that story was rewritten for a newly created character, Ensign Bates. Despite Chekov's exclusion, StarTrek.com has a TAS Chekov biography page explaining what he was up to away from the Enterprise in the years of The Animated Series. [3] Koenig, however, was not entirely absent from the series; he did provide the script for "The Infinite Vulcan".

Chekov was referenced in the first draft script of the Star Trek: The Next Generation sixth season episode "Relics". Moments after Scott was rematerialized on the USS Jenolan in the 24th century, he started to suggest to Geordi La Forge that perhaps he (i.e. Scott) and Chekov could do something related to salvaging the Jenolan. However, Scott trailed off, not finishing his sentence, upon first seeing Worf. The reference to Chekov was completely dropped by the final draft of the script. [4]

A 24th century version of Pavel Chekov was briefly planned to feature in an episode that was conceived but not filmed for the seventh season of TNG. Writer Naren Shankar recalled how Chekov was portrayed in the story; "He returns as a prisoner-of-war from a planet where he was imprisoned for many years and finally released. Now he has come back as an ambassador to help the Federation open up diplomatic relations, like Vietnam, essentially." Chekov would have also, in the same story, formed a friendship with Worf, who had likewise been brought up in Russia. Shankar concluded, "Throughout the course of the negotiations with these people, it appears as though Chekov is sabotaging them. It turns out he is plotting to use the Enterprise to lay waste to their capital for revenge and to screw things up for the Federation because he feels they abandoned him and let these people torture him." (Sci Fi Universe, September 1994 issue [page number?edit])

In the first draft script of Star Trek Generations, Chekov had a total of three lines. He was aboard the Enterprise-B when it encountered El-Aurian vessels caught in the Nexus, though he didn't have any dialogue on the Enterprise's bridge. After being recruited as a nurse by Dr. McCoy and accompanying him to the Enterprise-B's sickbay with the intention of treating the El-Aurian survivors, Chekov reported to McCoy, while scanning the El-Aurians with a tricorder, that he had found "only minor injuries so far...." One of the people Chekov scanned was Dr. Tolian Soran, who roughly grabbed him. Chekov tried to assure Soran, who was desperate to return to the Nexus, that he was safe on the Enterprise. However, Chekov began to be attacked by Soran, so McCoy rendered Soran unconscious with a hypospray before he could seriously wound Chekov. Puzzled, Chekov asked McCoy what Soran had been talking about, though McCoy didn't know. Chekov returned to the bridge of the Enterprise-B and remained there until the setting of the script changed.

In Star Trek Generations, Chekov is briefly referred to as "Captain Chekov" by one of the reporters on the Enterprise-B. Chekov was referred to in the final draft script (but not in the first draft) as "Commander". He is also shown wearing a commander's pin on screen.

By the time Star Trek Generations came about, Walter Koenig felt it was finally time to say goodbye to the character of Chekov, having believed Star Trek VI would be Chekov's last appearance. As it turned out, the amount of content which was ultimately given to Chekov to say and do in Generations also pleased Koenig. "I found this attractive and appealing because there is a couple of personal moments that Chekov has in this story that were absent in what was supposedly our last appearance," he stated, "and although the story certainly isn't about Chekov, nor is any one page about Chekov, still I feel that I have been given the opportunity to invest some character into the dialogue and to leave an impression of Chekov's personality on the screen." ("Uniting Two Legends", Star Trek Generations (Special Edition) DVD/Blu-ray)

One of Chekov's costumes was added to the ScienceFictionArchives.com collection and was showcased at Paris science museum during 2010-2011 exhibition "Science (and) Fiction: Imagination Meets Reality". [5]

Walter Koenig's portrayal of Chekov, especially in TOS Season 3, heavily influenced Anton Yelchin's depiction of the alternate reality version of the character. "There's a lot more Chekov in season three, so I wanted to focus on [that] season [....] I'm indebted to [Walter Koenig] for setting me up in this great way," Yelchin remarked. "He crafted such a fun character, so I try and embrace that energy every time, and be respectful of that." (Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016, p. 84)

Heather Kadin remarked, "I don't think I realized as a kid when I was watching what it meant that Chekov was on the bridge in the middle of the Cold War. That's amazing that Gene Roddenberry thought to do that and actually was able to do that." ("A Woman's Journey", DIS Season 1 DVD & Blu-ray special features)

Apocrypha[]

According to Star Trek II: Biographies, Chekov was born on 6 March 2245 in Moscow to parents Aleksei Mikhailovich Chekov and Catherine Rykova. While his biography in the video game Star Trek: Starship Creator, written by Mike Okuda, stated that his parents were named Andrei Dimitrievich Chekov and Larisa Irinova Chekov. He also had a daughter named Kim.

In the Eleventh UK Annual Story, Chekov says that he took the same radio courses as Uhura, presumably at Starfleet Academy.

In the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy game, Chekov claims that prior to joining the Enterprise , he was stationed on the planet Benderi IV, where he had a commanding officer who believed getting angry was unprofessional and bottled up her rage until it exploded. He also authored several simulator missions used at the Academy.

In the novel To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh, Chekov led the security team that delivered Khan and his followers to Ceti Alpha V's surface. Khan remembers Chekov as having led a courageous but failed attempt to retake the engine room during Khan's brief takeover of the Enterprise. This coincides with both Khan's recognition of Chekov, as well as Chekov's comment in the novel Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan that he had seen the world Khan had been left on.

According to The Sundered, the first book in the Star Trek: The Lost Era series, Chekov served as executive officer of the USS Excelsior from 2293 through at least part of 2298. Chekov is mentioned in TNG-era novels from Pocket Books, such as Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens's Federation. That novel mentioned him becoming an admiral after commanding both the USS Potemkin and USS Cydonia. The Reeves-Stevenses collaborated with William Shatner on The Return, which had Chekov becoming a fleet admiral. In Exodus, a novel in the Star Trek: Vulcan's Soul series by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, one plot thread had Chekov still be alive by the time of the Dominion War, along with Admiral Uhura.

The Face of the Unknown briefly depicts Chekov's longing for a new direction in his life following the events of "The Way to Eden", and ends with him deciding to transfer for additional security training, to be replaced on the Enterprise by Arex Na Eth. The beginning of the novel The Latter Fire depicts his leaving the Enterprise for training at Starfleet Academy's Reed Annex in London (presumably a tip of the hat to Malcolm Reed), and his subsequent replacement by a newly transferred Arex.

Chekov returns in the Agents of Yesterday expansion for Star Trek Online, again voiced by Walter Koenig. After the events of The Undiscovered Country, he eventually became a captain, and even later in his life he became a temporal agent, sometimes working alongside Daniels. Chekov – aided by the player character – removes a Na'kuhl bomb from the Enterprise and places it aboard the Orion scout ship that attacked during the trip to the Babel Conference (TOS: "Journey to Babel"). He later leads Starfleet and allied forces against the Temporal Liberation Front in the Battle of Procyon V, joining with the player and unwitting temporal agent Montgomery Scott to use the Tox Uthat against the Sphere-Builders.

In Star Trek Cats, Chekov is depicted as a Russian Blue cat.

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