Walter Koenig Reprises His Role as Chekov

hords writes "Walter Koenig returns to the role of Lt. Pavel Chekov in an upcoming episode of Star Trek: New Voyages, a fan made series mentioned earlier on Slashdot. He will be re-imagining the role that made him famous. 'The folks from New Voyages approached and we started kicking around ideas for a Chekov story,' said Koenig. 'It occurred to me that what we were coming up with was what every actor dreams of: a second chance to get it right...it is almost beyond comprehension that this is happening so late in my life! Talk about belated reward!...I didn't believe I could ever again be this excited about performing a part...I guess it isn't so trite after all: perhaps, all good things do come to those who wait.' Amazingly enough they even got D.C. Fontana to write the episode!"

Comments

Always thought he was underappreciated...

[BTWR]

I always thought Walter Koenig was a fine actor. He was often underrated and often used simply for comic relief, which he is capable of much much more.

Don't get me wrong, he has nice comedic timing, but I can guess that if he has something to do with the script, it'll be more than 30 minutes of "Nuclear Wessels!"

Re:Always thought he was underappreciated...

[Arker]

Indeed. He did a great job on B5, in a much more serious role.

Re:Always thought he was underappreciated...

[Nogami_Saeko]

Oh, absolutely he did. Bester is one of my favorite characters of all-time.

Sure, he was a cold, calculating, (evil?) manipulator, but the episodes that involved his wife (captured and 'altered' by the shadows) really brought the depth into the character. It'd be interesting to talk to Mr. Koenig and find out what "made Bester tick" when he was acting the part.

There were both greatscripts and great acting in B5...

N.

Re:not dead yet?

[double-oh three]

Whaa? You crazy. Kirk may have died (twice, IIRC) but William Shatner is doing pretty well with Boston Legal.

Star Trek is where it belongs

[aussie_a]

Ron Moore of Battlestar Galactica said on his blog that with Star Trek: Enterprise cancelled and no plans on any future series or movies, that Star Trek had returned once more to its fans. I can understand now what he meant. Back when TOS was cancelled, fan run magazines popped up with fan fiction. Now, in the 21st century, the same thing is happening, only it's changed along with the technology we now have access to. And I can't think of any better hands for Star Trek to be in at the moment, then its fans.

Re:They missed out one role I really enjoyed..

[Nimrangul]

Yet is what he did something that can really be construed as evil?

He did what he did to have is thumb on the pulse of Babylon 5, something vital to the continuation of his people. That he happens to get his kicks by pulling the wings off a fly kinda shows he has a dark side, but Garibaldi was the information man at the station and the telepaths needed that information.

His view of mundane humans is understandable as well, it is the same view that many people have about the mentally retarded. Sure, they can go about living their lives, but you'd rather keep your people alive then them.

If you are faced with the choice of letting a million mentally retarded people live or a hundred smart people live, where only one party could survive, which would be best for the race? It's a philosophical counter to Spock's needs of the many argument.

Bester may have had an arrogance to him, but the end goal was a better world for his people. Dust was made to try and better humanity, it was designed to make people telepathic. The alliance with the Shadows was to make the race as a whole more powerful in the universe.

Nah, I just can't view him as a villian, he isn't a protaganist, but he's definately not an antagonist either. Surely he was misguided, but that is in part because of what Psi-Corps had done to him.