With the tragic death of Anton Yelchin on June 19, at the age of just 27, a young life came to an end far too soon, as well as an extremely promising career.
Possibly the role he’ll be most remembered for is that of Starfleet prodigy, Ensign Pavel Chekov. This weekend’s Star Trek Beyond will be his third, and sadly final, time playing the character. But with the announcement this week that there will be a fourth film in the current Star Trek franchise, we can’t help wondering what the cinematic future of young Ensign Chekov might be.
Thankfully, one option that isn’t on the table is recasting the role. JJ Abrams told the Toronto Sun his thoughts on the sensitive subject:
“I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better………I have thought about how we’ll move on, we’re working on it, and it’s too early to talk about it.”
That’s certainly good to hear, as I think we all agree that Yelchin deserves the respect of not being treated as disposable. So, what options are left open for the future of the character?
One choice would be to simply write him out in a respectful way, such as having him assigned to another ship. In the original continuity, Chekov was eventually transferrred to the USS Reliant, where he rose to the rank of First Officer. Perhaps some unused footage of Yelchin could be used to construct those scenes.
Another, more somber option is to open the fourth film with a memorial service for the young Ensign, explaining that he was tragically killed in some sort of accident, or perhaps even combat, between films. While the material would be extremely sensitive, it would give his castmates an opportunity to film an honest, heartfelt sendoff, both for their friend and his alter ego. It could be very cathartic for those involved in making the films.
While these two possibilities seem the most likely, the aren’t necessarily the only options. What do you think would be the best way for the Star Trek franchise to say goodbye to both Pavel Checkov, and Anton Yelchin? Let us know your thoughts!
Source: Toronto Sun