Nobody quite does fan service like Star Trek, because very few shows have fans as dedicated as those of the iconic series. Star Trek: Picard has carried on this fine tradition with a seemingly neverending stream of cameos and Easter eggs from the vast Star Trek universe, and usually doing so in a way that leaves subreddits and Twitter threads abuzz with joy. This has helped it to be one of the more popular Star Trek reboots of recent times, even if some of the guest appearances were a bit forced.
One other act of paying homage that showrunner and huge Trekkie Terry Matalas has done consistently throughout the series is giving thanks to many of the actors who’ve played their part in making the Star Trek world as popular as it is today. This has sometimes been done via Easter eggs, but also through tasteful dedications to those who entered the franchise but are no longer with us.
The most recent example of this was a beautiful tribute in the epic Picard series finale to the actor Anton Yelchin, who died in a tragic accident back in 2016. He was only in his late 20s, which made his death all the more shocking. Despite only appearing in three Star Trek films, he was a fan favorite thanks to his enthusiasm and the way he made the role his own.
Who was Anton Yelchin in the Star Trek universe?
Photo by Barry King/Getty Images
Anton Yelchin played the character of Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline. This was a separate timeline to the ‘prime’ one that contained most of Star Trek content. The Kelvin timeline consists of three films: Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek: Beyond (2016). A fourth film, Star Trek 4, is set to be released in December 2023. The timeline change was a specific choice from the writers, who wanted to retell the original stories but with a twist (and also give us the chance to see Spock meeting himself).
In the original series, Chekov is a bit more serious than the way Yelchin portrayed him, but both characters were math geniuses who were a bundle of energy, often playing the foil to Spock. Yelchin’s unfortunate death took place while Beyond was in post-production, and it has been confirmed that the latest film won’t be recasting him.
Yelchin was praised for the verve he brought to the role, as well as the way he managed to turn what could have been an obnoxious know-it-all into a charming, much-loved character.
How did Star Trek: Picard pay tribute to Anton Yelchin?
While there was a dedication for Yelchin at the end of Beyond (as well as one for Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015), the young actor’s sudden and shocking death hasn’t been addressed by any other Star Trek content so far. Matalas, a big Trekkie himself, saw his opportunity, and in the latest episode, managed to sneak in a great tribute that fans of the show would be able to spot from a mile off.
At the beginning of the series finale, the President of the United Federation of Planets makes a distress call, warning ships away from Earth. The leader making that call was the prime timeline son of Paul Chekov, named Anton in the show as a wonderful tribute to the actor. In yet another Easter egg, the voice of Anton Chekov was done by Walter Koenig, the original Paul Chekov. All in all, an elegant way to say goodbye to a much-loved actor.