7 Things We Want To See From Star Trek 4

Chekov Remembered

Shortly before the release of Star Trek Beyond in 2016, tragedy struck when Anton Yelchin died in a car accident at his home. The actor was an essential part of the Enterprise ensemble as Russian Ensign Chekov and Beyond served as a testament to what he brought to the character and to the franchise. Quite rightly, it’s been confirmed that Chekov will not be recast for future movies and will be retired in honor of Yelchin.

Though this is absolutely the right move, it could be a good idea to honor the actor’s memory in Star Trek 4 itself. For instance, Beyond did a terrific job of working Leonard Nimoy’s death into the narrative and actually making it a key point of Spock’s character arc in the movie, as the passing of Spock Prime leads him to wonder if he should be carrying on onboard the Enterprise at all. Of course, he ultimately decides to continue and live the life that Spock Prime did in the original timeline.

It’s difficult to say whether the loss of Yelchin should be addressed on screen in exactly the same way, as it may be too distressing for the cast to deal with their friend’s sudden death through a fictional lens. If a tasteful, appropriate way of giving Chekov a proper send-off can be conceived, however, then this would be the best way to say goodbye to a much-missed and talented actor as well as a fan favourite character.