Role of Chekov Will Not Be Recast, Says Abrams

So good, in fact, that Paramount is already moving full speed ahead on a sequel.

He will be seen in the third film – Star Trek Beyond – when it is released on Friday, but with a fourth film recently confirmed, JJ told Postmedia Network that his role won’t be filled by a new actor in the future.

Whether Chekov as a character will be killed off or written out to explain Yelchin’s absence is undetermined though.

Producer J.J. Abrams said the filmmakers are still weighing their options, pointing out it’s still “too early” to announce a decision.

Speaking to the Toronto Sun, Abrams said: ‘I would say there’s no replacing him.

Anton Yelchin’s parents, Irina and Viktor, took out a full-page ad to offer thanks for the condolences and support they have received in the month following their son’s death. “I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better”. Abrams admitted they’ve considered the possibility of killing off the character. “We had no idea just how devastating events would become”. The Russian-born Yelchin died in an accident last month at age 27.

The most logical step would be to transfer Chekov to another Starfleet vessel, which would easily allow the character to transfer back to the Enterprise in the original series, as some fans place the rebooted franchise earlier on the Star Trek timeline.

“Star Trek showed just 1/100th of his range”, Cho says of his castmate.

Yelchin had already completed shooting on a few other films when he died.