Two Original 'Star Trek' Cast Members Die Within Five Days, Leaving Two Survivors

Two actors central to the 'Star Trek' franchise died within five days of each other this week, a loss arriving as the series ends a decade-long streaming run and its corporate owner, Paramount, moves into a new corporate structure. Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original 1960s series, died Sunday at age 90. Patrick Stewart, who began playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 1987 on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and later led 'Star Trek: Picard,' died Thursday.

The deaths leave two surviving members of the original series cast: William Shatner, 95, who played Captain James T. Kirk, and George Takei, 89, who played helmsman Hikaru Sulu. Shatner starred as Kirk from 1966 to 1969 and in six subsequent films. Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, died in 2015. Shatner called the week 'heartbreaking.' Takei said Monday that his 'heart was heavy.'

Koenig joined the series in its second season. Creator Gene Roddenberry cast him partly to build a cast that included a Russian character during Cold War tensions, a Japanese helmsman, and a Bantu communications officer. Koenig's role as navigator placed him beside Takei on the bridge of the Enterprise. Takei called him 'a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend,' adding, 'Rest well, my dear friend. Keep navigating a steady course.' Anton Yelchin, who played a younger Chekov in the film series that began in 2009, died in 2016 at age 27 when his car pinned him against a gate at his Los Angeles home.

Stewart originated the role of Picard and returned for 'Star Trek: Picard,' which ran from 2020 to 2023. Akiva Goldsman, co-creator of that series, said of Stewart: 'His Captain Jean-Luc Picard permanently expanded the universe of Star Trek without measure.' Shatner and Takei both remain active. Shatner recently took a position as front man for a heavy-metal band; Takei posts content on social media under the label 'Oh, Myyyy.'

The series has left marks outside television. The first space shuttle was named Enterprise after the show's fictional ship, following a letter-writing campaign that prompted President Gerald Ford to approve the change; the cast attended the vessel's introduction. The handheld communicators depicted on the show informed early flip phone designs. The line 'Beam me up, Scotty' entered common use although it never aired verbatim in an episode.

Fan forums that typically debate the franchise's internal rules turned to mourning this week. One post on X read: 'Bubble wrap George Takei and William Shatner ASAP.' Koenig's death was the second for the role. Yelchin, who played Chekov in the Kelvin timeline films, died in 2016. Shatner, then 77, spoke in 2008 about the series outlasting its cast: 'None of us will be around forever,' he said, 'but Star Trek will.'

The original series ran from 1966 to 1969. 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,' released in 1991, was the final film to feature the full original cast.