With Star Trek Beyond hitting theaters Friday, and confirmation there will be a fourth Star Trek reboot film coming earlier this week, J.J. Abrams answered a question lingering on the minds of many Trek fans: the filmmakers won’t be recasting the role of Pavel Chekov.
Anton Yelchin’s recent, tragic death at the age of 27 raised questions about the future of his character in the series going forward. The Leningrad-born actor played Chekov in all three Star Trek reboot films, including Star Trek Beyond.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Abrams, the film’s producer, confirmed the role of Chekov will not be recast in the next Star Trek movie. “I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better,” Abrams said in the interview.
When asked if the character would be killed off, Abrams replied, “I have thought about it, we’re working on it, and it’s too early to talk about it.” Could Chekov be transferred to another ship in Starfleet, instead? How will the Enterprise crew deal with his absence?
Hopefully, the film’s writers and producers handle Chekov’s unexpected departure from the Enterprise helm with a bit more delicacy and tact than they've dealt with Sulu’s sexuality.
