Actor Walter Koenig has died aged 90. He was the first actor to play Pavel Chekov in Star Trek. A person speaking for Koenig said he died of old age. Koenig was born in Chicago in 1936.
He joined Star Trek in its second year, in 1967. The programme wanted to bring in more young viewers. Chekov was a young Russian man on a space ship. His character helped show an important idea in the programme: people from different backgrounds can work together.
Koenig also played Chekov in Star Trek films. Later, he played President Anton Chekov in the final year of Star Trek: Picard. He also wrote for television, including a story for the Star Trek cartoon series.
In Babylon 5, Koenig played Alfred Bester in 12 episodes. Bester could read other people's thoughts. He often caused problems for the main characters, but sometimes he helped them. Koenig liked this part very much. Bester had his own beliefs and problems, and his actions were important to the stories.
