Online Encyclopedia
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Chekov, a character from the fictional Star Trek universe, was the Navigator and Weapons Officer on the Starship Enterprise. His rank was Ensign in Star Trek: The Original Series, but was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and commander in subsequent movies. Chekov was from Russia, but was played by the American actor Walter Koenig.
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry added Chekov's character in the show's second season, in response to being told about a Pravda article, which noted that although the Soviet Union was a leader in space exploration, the international crew of the Enterprise lacked Soviets. Including someone from Russia, the long-time cold war adversary of the U.S., matched well with Roddenberry's vision of an ideal future in which the people of the Earth were united. In truth, the evidence suggests that no such article was ever actually published in Pravda. [1]
Koenig himself says the character was added in response to the popularity of The Monkees' Davy Jones.
Comment
It is of interest to note that while many alien species mastered the English language well enough to reach native proficiency, Chekov was never able to lose his accent. This was a dramatic convention so that viewers would not forget that he was from Russia.
Trivia
In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Khan Noonien Singh claimed to recognize Chekov from the events in the TOS episode "Space Seed". This episode comes from the show's first season, almost a year before Chekov was created for the show. Although an obvious script blooper, fans generally dismiss it by presuming that Chekov was serving elsewhere on the Enterprise before settling down in his familiar position as navigator (see fanon).