Among the many memorable lines to emerge from the Star Trek universe is one borrowed from 20th-century poet Delmore Schwartz: “Time is the fire in which we burn.”

The words were delivered as a stark warning to Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations . This week, they have taken on a particularly poignant meaning for fans of the six-decade science-fiction franchise, following the deaths of two of its most recognisable stars.

Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original 1960s series, died on Sunday aged 90 . Four days later, the Star Trek universe lost Sir Patrick Stewart , the classically trained Shakespearean actor who first brought Picard to life in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 , before reprising the role decades later in the darker streaming series Star Trek: Picard .

For a devoted fanbase that has spent generations looking to the franchise for its vision of a brighter, more equitable future, the loss of two familiar faces in such quick succession has…