Two Original Star Trek Cast Members Remain After Koenig's Death

Walter Koenig, the actor who played the Enterprise's navigator, died at his North Hollywood home on Monday at age 90, his representative confirmed. With his death, two original cast members from the 1960s series remain alive: William Shatner, 95, who played Captain James T. Kirk, and George Takei, 89, who played Hikaru Sulu.

Talent agent Zachery McGinnis said Koenig died at his home. Takei, who was close with Koenig for decades, called him a "thoughtful man, and a loyal friend" in an Instagram post on Monday. "Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades," Takei wrote. Koenig served as best man at Takei's 2008 wedding, and Takei noted that Koenig's Sept. 14, 1936 birthday falls on the same date as his own wedding anniversary.

Koenig joined the show in its second season and appeared in 79 episodes across three seasons on NBC from 1966 to 1969. He returned to the role in seven films, starting with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979 and ending with "Star Trek Generations" in 1994. He also did voice work for "Star Trek" video games and appeared in a 2023 episode of "Star Trek: Picard."

The series, created by Gene Roddenberry, followed a multiracial crew traveling through space in the 23rd century. Koenig's character, Pavel Chekov, joined the fictional Enterprise crew during the show's second season.

Koenig's first television work came in the early 1960s, with roles on "General Hospital" and "I Spy." He later took a recurring part on "Babylon 5" in the 1990s. He kept acting late in life, winning best actor at this year's Independent Shorts Awards for the short film "Mr. Fleischmann."

McGinnis said Koenig regularly attended fan conventions and met with viewers of the show. "He understood what Star Trek meant to people and embraced the community that grew around it," McGinnis said.

Other original cast members have died in recent years: Leonard Nimoy in 2015, DeForest Kelley in 1999, James Doohan in 2005, and Nichelle Nichols in 2022.