Pavel Chekov

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Pavel Andreyevich Chekov (Cyrillic: Павел Андреевич Чеков), a character from the fictional Star Trek universe, was the Navigator and Weapons Officer on the Starship Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk. His rank was ensign in Star Trek: The Original Series, but was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and commander in subsequent movies. Chekov was Russian, but was played by the Lithuanian-American actor Walter Koenig. (Note that Chekov has sometimes also been used to transliterate the last name of the playwright Anton Chekhov.)

Popular legend holds that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry added Chekov's character in the show's second season in response to being told about a Pravda article which noted that although the Soviet Union was a leader in space exploration, the international crew of the Enterprise lacked Soviets. Including someone from Russia, the long-time cold war adversary of the U.S., matched well with Roddenberry's vision of an ideal future in which the people of the Earth were united. In truth, the evidence suggests that no such article was ever actually published in Pravda. [1]

Koenig himself says the character was added in response to the popularity of The Monkees' Davy Jones, and the character's hairstyle and appearance is a direct reference to this.

A running joke involving Chekov's character was his tendency to credit everything to Mother Russia; for example, his claim that Scotch whisky was invented by "A little old lady in Leningrad." (This joke was later thrown back at Chekov in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in which a Klingon claims Shakespeare's Hamlet for his own people.)

One of Chekov's most memorable scenes and storylines comes in the second Star Trek film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, in which his character is put under the control of Khan Noonien Singh through the use of a worm that crawls in Chekov's ear.

One of the most famous Chekov quotes comes from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. While seeking out a nuclear aircraft carrier, he asks a cop where to find "nuclear wessels". Pronouncing the "vessel" as "wessel" has become a popular gag.

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It may be of interest to note that while many alien species mastered the English language well enough to reach native proficiency, Chekov was never able to lose his accent. This was a dramatic convention so that viewers would not forget that he was from Russia.

A counter point to this observation is the fact that aliens do not really speak English. The sounds they produce when speaking are translated by the universal translator and then repeated in Federation Standard English. Of course, this form of the language has no accent. But Chekov is not speaking Russian. He is personally speaking English, thus, the accent is maintained. (The only time Chekov has ever been heard speaking Russian on screen is in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek: Generations).

By 2367, during the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation, there is a Starfleet vessel named in honor of Pavel Chekov. The vessel was destroyed by the Borg during the Battle of Wolf 359. (This is contradicted, however, in Peter David's novel Vendetta, where Captain Morgan Korsmo is shown in command of an Excelsior class ship, named Chekov. The book also clearly takes place after Wolf 359. The script originally called for the ship to be named USS Chekhov after Anton Chekhov, but the art department thought it was a spelling error, and labeled the ship USS Chekov. The destroyed hulk of the starship - which is sometimes shown at conventions - clearly shows the name USS Chekov; note the different spelling of the name).

It also been noted that Chekov was often the victim of jokes at his expense or of grave misfortunes. He was injured and once even apparently killed in a Star Trek television episode. In the first movie, Chekov had suffered burns when feedback from the defensive shields sent electrical bolts through his console. In the second film Khan implanted Ceti eels in his head, and Chekov had a brush with death in the fourth Star Trek film after falling some distance from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Because of this, some fans have joked that the writers seem to have a vendetta against Chekov.

Chekov joined the cast in Catspaw, an episode of season 2 of TOS making his addition the last of what would become the original Enterprise Seven. In Star Trek II, Khan recognized him from the events of the first season story Space Seed. Fanon theories generally assume that Chekov was aboard the ship but serving in a different department prior to his familiar navigational position. An amusing story that Walter Koenig likes to tell at conventions is that Chekov was in front of Khan waiting to use the bathroom and Khan really had to go, or that Chekov had used up all the toilet paper and that Khan was angered over that. In 2005, Greg Cox explained in the novel To Rule in Hell that Chekov had led a charge against Khan's people after Khan had taken the ship, an action that ultimately failed. He further explained that Chekov had escorted Khan and his people down to the surface of Ceti Alpha V. While not canon, Cox's explanation of Khan's recognition of Chekov is certainly plausible.

In Chekov's final appearance, Star Trek: Generations, he is wearing the rank insignia of a Commander. However, a reporter addresses him as Captain Chekov. It is unclear which is correct; the reporter could have made a mistake, or Chekov could also have just accepted a promotion to Captain prior to the events of this scene.

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Things Chekov Credited to Mother Russia

The Russian Epic of Cinderella (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country).
Scotch - invented by a little old lady from Leningrad (The Trouble With Tribbles).
The Garden of Eden was located just outside Moscow.
The saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
Various star systems were originally charted by Russians.