Walter Koenig, Star Trek's Pavel Chekov, dies at 90

Walter Koenig, who played exuberant Russian navigator Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek series and several franchise films, has died at age 90. His agent Zachery McGinnis said Koenig died of old age at home in North Hollywood on Sunday.

Koenig was surrounded by his daughter and granddaughter in his final moments, according to Libertatea. His death closes a chapter in American television history as one of the last veterans of the original cast.

“We badly need a young man aboard the Enterprise – we need youthful attitudes and perspectives.”

Chekov was not part of the show from the start. He was introduced in the second season, which debuted in 1967, at the height of Cold War tension between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Creator Gene Roddenberry wanted a youthful figure to attract the teenage audience that followed Davy Jones and The Monkees. Koenig was only five years younger than co-stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

Born in Chicago to Lithuanian immigrants, Koenig studied acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse alongside James Caan and Christopher Lloyd. Chekov was his first major TV role after small parts, including a role in General Hospital in 1963.

Koenig's distinctive Russian accent became a trademark of the franchise, though critics often described it as melodramatic and exaggerated. Libertatea reported he learned the accent from his father, whose first language was Russian.