J.J. Abrams says Star Trek 4 won’t replace Anton Yelchin as Chekov

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Now that we know that STAR TREK 4 is officially a go, it's a little upsetting that it will have to do so without Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Although the young ensign was never really the focus of the previous two films, Yelchin brought great enthusiasm to the role and was a wonderful part of the rebooted Enterprise crew. The upcoming STAR TREK BEYOND will be Yelchin's last appearance as Chekov and perhaps, the last appearance of Chekov himself. J.J. Abrams spoke with The Toronto Sun about whether Chekov will be recast in the next sequel.

We knew going into this movie it would be a bit of a heartbreak just because of Leonard [but] we had no idea just how devastating events would become. I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better.

When asked whether the character would be killed off, Abrams said that he has "thought about it, we’re working on it, and it’s too early to talk about it.” Chekov is a big part of the original Enterprise crew, but I hope they don't kill him off. He could receive a promotion and reassignment to another ship or any number of things, but it'd be nice to know that Yelchin's Chekov is still out there somewhere, pulling off transporter miracles and keeping an eye out for nuclear wessels. STAR TREK BEYOND will hit theaters this Friday and you can check out our own JimmyO's review of the film right here!

What would you like to see happen with Chekov in STAR TREK 4?