This week, we lost two iconic Star Trek actors. From TOS, Walter Koenig, and from TNG, Sir Patrick Stewart. Koenig played Chekov, the Russian helmsman on the original Enterprise, and Stewart was Captain Jean-Luc Picard who sat in the command chair on the bridge during The Next Generation series. Both were part of a legacy that endures today, and both are being remembered by colleagues and fans everywhere.
I was an original Trekkie (and don’t jump on me with the Trekkie v. Trekker stuff. When I became a fan, we were Trekkies and such we will always be.) I watched TOS from the first episode until it ended three years later. I was one of the fans who wrote protest letters when the show was cancelled after its second season. So, I guess that means I helped save the show! I had been a science fiction fan for many years before TOS came on the air, and if you were a fan back there in the dark ages, you know how little sci-fi existed on TV, and what was there was hardly serious. Twilight Zone ended its initial run two years before TOS started, and was only partly sci-fi, with horror and psychological suspense more its heart. Lost in Space premiered a year before TOS, and was originally more true sci-fi, but when it hit its second and third seasons, it turned more campy and light. Not that there was anything wrong with either of those, but for those of us who had been reading sci-fi for years, there was a lack of something to really get into on TV.
And then, Star Trek appeared. A show that took its science fiction roots seriously. Sure, there were lighter, more fun episodes, but there was also a foundation in real sci-fi and, of course, Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a future where everyone had equal status and aliens and humans and everything in between was given the same treatment. Was it perfect? No, of course not. It was conceived and produced by humans for humans, and since no one is perfect, there were flaws. The show also had to work with the network and that added its own angles to the mix. Censorship was stricter, and there was a strong push to appeal to broader audiences than just we few sci-fi nerds. But at its core, Star Trek was the future, or at least the future many of us wanted to see. I think it had that effect on more than just the nerds, also. The fact that the franchise has endured so long, and still maintains the level of popularity it has says a lot. Even if someone was not a fan, there is a good chance that if you mention Star Trek, they know what you are talking about. That’s something you don’t see often.
Walter Koenig and Patrick Stewart were both large parts of that enduring legacy. Yes, originally, Chekov was a last-minute side character, meant to make sure everyone knew this future world included everyone. Remember, at that time, Russia was still considered a formidable enemy and so Chekov’s stereotypical, exaggerated Russian accent was there to say “Hey, even the Russians are part of this new age!” And his youth and Beatle-esque haircut were there to pull in the younger set. But Chekov grew into his place on the Enterprise. He became a vital part of the bridge crew and the ensemble in whole. Stewart’s Captain Picard was the captain many of us really wished Kirk could have been. Sure, part of the Kirk role was to be the swashbuckling hero, saving the ship with his brawn as much as his brain, but too often, the action part overwhelmed any subtlety in the character. Picard balanced the role of captain in a better way, for me at least. Yes, he could and did take on the role of hero when needed, but he was far better at being the brains behind the power of Starfleet. He could be soft. He could be fierce. He could be diplomatic. He could be aggressive. Under it all, he was intelligent, loyal, and protective of his ship and crew. We adored him.
So, we raise a glass of “wodka” or a cuppa Earl Grey, hot in honor of two Star Trek legends. Godspeed, Walter and Patrick. You will be missed.
