Walter Koenig, who became a sci-fi icon by playing Chekov—the Russian navigation officer aboard the USS Enterprise —in the original Star Trek series as well as its feature films, has died. He was 90 years old.

Koenig’s passing was confirmed by Variety and other outlets, with the trade noting the character of Chekov, who debuted in season two, “was introduced to the series to appeal to teenage viewers—his hairstyle recalled that of the Monkees’ Davy Jones.” As time went on, the character became a more serious member of the Enterprise crew, playing a key role in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

In Star Trek: Picard , the actor gave voice to “President Anton Chekov” for the 2023 series finale. The character was meant to be the son of Pavel Chekov, Koenig’s original character, while also paying tribute to the late Anton Yelchin, who played a younger version of the character in the Star Trek reboot movies.

Koenig also voiced Chekov across multiple Trek video games.…