Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, has died aged 90. Among his appearances outside that series was a small role in Columbo, the crime drama starring Peter Falk. Koenig played a police officer called Morella in the episode Fade In to Murder.
The episode also featured fellow Star Trek actor William Shatner as Ward Fowler, a famous television actor. A former lover threatened to reveal a secret from Fowler's past. He killed her in a food shop and made the attack look like a robbery. Morella's scene involved describing what had happened there.
Koenig and Falk filmed their scene at two in the morning. However, Falk thought the officer's dialogue was too similar to Columbo's own account of the crime. He wanted changes, but there was no time for a proper rewrite.
Instead, Falk explained what he wanted, and Koenig improvised: he created his dialogue while performing the scene. He completed it in a single take, without needing another attempt. Beyond his television work, Koenig was popular at Star Trek fan events, where he greeted fans with warmth and enthusiasm.
