Koenig, who portrayed Ensign Pavel Chekov, died Sunday at the age of 90

William Shatner paid tribute to Walter Koenig, the actor best known for playing Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek series. Koenig died on Sunday at the age of 90.

Shatner, who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk on the show, remembered Koenig’s dedication to the Star Trek franchise and fans. “I am deeply saddened to learn of Walter Koenig’s passing. Although we did not know each other well away from the set, we shared the later seasons of the original Star Trek series and the six films that followed,” Shatner wrote in a social media post. “What I observed, and what so many fans have expressed over the years, was a man who genuinely loved the Star Trek community.”

Shatner said that when attending conventions, Koenig was “rarely content” interacting with fans from behind a signing table. “He preferred to be among the people who had kept Star Trek alive for so many decades,” he said.…