Star Trek Icons: The Russian Revolution of Pavel Chekov
Ensign Chekov Dazzles The Uninformed As An Expert In Russian History
The Garden of Eden was just outside Moscow. A very nice place. It must have made Adam and Eve very sad to leave. - Ensign Chekov from The Apple
Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) knows his Russian history so thoroughly, he gives an impromptu course on the complex subject to anyone within earshot. The ever youthful Enterprise officer sporting a signature page boy cut will tell you his Russian culture helped birth practically every important device or concept we regularly employ in our daily lives. Genial, yet ultimately convincing propaganda? Or is Captain Kirk’s navigator simply pranking an entire galaxy with his tongue firmly in cheek?
The Russians Always Did It First
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! is a 1966 American movie comedy. Released in movie theaters the same year as Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek bowed on television, the Golden Globe winner and multi Oscar nominated flick, told the tale of a grounded Russian submarine off a New England island. The character of Chekov wouldn’t be seen mixing it up with the Enterprise crew until the following year, but this couldn’t have been a more playful introduction to the character, however disconnected and coincidental. Indeed, the Russian were coming, and now the Russians were here on a weekly American TV series.
The documented reason Gene Roddenberry created Ensign Chekov was to appeal to both a younger viewer demographic, and the fact that Russia, in space race reality, eclipsed America in outer space exploration. Initially, Roddenberry envisioned his new character as a dapper Englishman, however, when some Russians complained about the cultural snub, Trek’s Great Bird of The Galaxy creator gave the character a Russian name and accent.
Did the Russians really force Roddenberry’s hand into creating Ensign Chekov?
Others dispute the Russian interference claim, the most authentically authoritative being Koenig himself, who says there was no such Russian complaint. Roddenberry merely wanted to honor Russia’s historic achievement as beating all other countries in space exploration.
The Quantum Quotable Chekov
His quotes are not only fun and memorable, but spoken in his thick Russian accent, they were perhaps even funnier. During the hunt for the assassin of the Federation friendly Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Chekov drops this beauty of a bomb on a suspect.
“Perhaps you have heard Russian epic of Cinderella? If shoe fits, wear it!“
Ultimately, the shoe does not fit the suspect at all, and Chekov comes off looking less and less like the Russian Sherlock Holmes.
One of my all time favorite Chekov quotes comes from the original series episode, The Deadly Years. In the search for an antidote to the accelerated aging plaguing crewmembers, Chekov is probed and sampled in every possible way.
“Give us some more blood, Chekov. The needle won’t hurt, Chekov. Take off your shirt, Chekov. Roll over, Chekov. Breathe deeply, Chekov. Blood sample, Chekov. Marrow sample, Chekov. Skin sample, Chekov…. IF…if I live long enough, I’m going to run out of samples!”
Star Trek’s now legendary adventures brought together a diverse group to explore the unknown like nothing seen on TV before. They united as a cohesive unit, celebrating a sharp merging of drama and comedy to create something truly new within the thrilling sandbox which Gene Roddenberry had ingeniously invented. Pavel Chekov’s unique blend of cultural representation coupled with actor Walter Koenig’s wonderful performance ensures this dependable, often amusing character’s place in Trek’s perennial pop culture realm.