Through his earnest and sometimes humorous portrayal, Walter Koenig made the role of Ensign Pavel Chekov, navigator of Star Trek’s U.S.S. Enterprise, famous. Portraying the Russian character for the original series’ final two seasons, he went on to re-create the role in the first seven Star Trek motion pictures, his largest role being in the franchise’s arguably most popular entry, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, in 1982. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Mr. Koenig credits the Russian accent he uses for the character of Chekov to his father – a transition from hearing “Pass the w’egetables” at the dinner table to lines such as “This is w’odka” in front of the cameras.
After his iconic role on Star Trek, he had the recurring guest-starring role of Psi Corps leader Alfred Bester on the Babylon 5 television series, where the production company applied for an Emmy nomination on Koenig’s behalf.
His total television, film and stage career spans well over 50 years and includes directing behind the stage as well as teaching his various craft privately and at UCLA, amongst several other schools. He has written screenplays for many television series, including for the animated Star Trek series in the early 1970s, and has worked for the human rights group U.S. Campaign for Burma.
We are thrilled to welcome Walter to his second appearance at Trekonderoga! Take advantage of this opportunity to see him at our more intimate event, not to mention on board the Enterprise herself!