Anton Yelchin's Pavel Chekov
When Star Trek 2009 was announced, much of its buzzed concerned casting for these iconic characters. Would fans embrace the choices or turn away from the Kelvin universe? What were Walter Koenig's feeling about it? Ultimately, Anton Yelchin was cast as the young navigator, although the actor himself was far from inexperienced. He'd made plenty of appearances up to that point in movies and television, most notably as Byrd Huffstodt in the TV dramedy Huff.
Yelchin brought his own youthful spirit to the Kelvin timeline's Chekov, playing him more like a Wesley Crusher type. Like Prime Chekov (Koenig), Yelchin's take on the character is also brilliant for his young age. He also tried to bring familiarity across while remaining faithful to his own acting style. Sadly, Yelchin died in 2016 when his SUV malfunctioned, causing a fatal accident. (Continued...)