Pavel Chekov

[Middle Earther]

I'm working my way very slowly through TOS. I've finished the first season and am about finished the second. I've never taken the time to make myself go through every episode in order and am enjoying things I've forgotten about and have never noticed before.

I'm really enjoying the addition of Pavel Chekov in the second season and am wondering what other people's impressions are of him and his contribution to TOS.

I like his sense of humour and can see that often his Russia references are meant teasingly. He gives the impression, though, that he is very good at his job, anticipating orders and moving quickly to respond to dangerous situations.

Other than that goofy Beatles' wig they made him wear for some episodes, I find that I'm liking him better as a character than I did before.

Any more thoughts on Pavel - positive or negative?

 

[JB2005]

Well i think no discussion of Chekov can be complete without mentioning the impression he left us with in Space Seed...

 

[Grant]

He was less afraid than Bailey, less bigoted than Stiles, less impulsive than Desalle, less boring than Painter & DePaul, less gay than Hadley and less ugly than Farrell. Plus he was white man and therefore fit to be navigator, unlike Uhura.

But they could all say 'vessel' better than he could.

 

[Middle Earther]

I wish he was alongside Sulu more often, though. I think he only works once with Sulu in season two, IIRC.

 

[Pauln6]

I like Chekov but he was never command material. I always thought he was portrayed as an educated idiot.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Well i think no discussion of Chekov can be complete without mentioning the impression he left us with in Space Seed...

He was a fun character and i love the chemisty they all had together.

 

[Danny99]

He was less afraid than Bailey, less bigoted than Stiles, less impulsive than Desalle, less boring than Painter & DePaul, less gay than Hadley and less ugly than Farrell. Plus he was white man and therefore fit to be navigator, unlike Uhura.

Wow. I agreed til you hit Hadley, then you lost me!

 

[Mallory]

He was less afraid than Bailey, less bigoted than Stiles, less impulsive than Desalle, less boring than Painter & DePaul, less gay than Hadley and less ugly than Farrell. Plus he was white man and therefore fit to be navigator, unlike Uhura.

But they could all say 'vessel' better than he could.

The bolded part of your quote reads as just a little bit racist Grant. You might consider choosing your words a bit more carefully in the future.

 

[KobayashiMaru13]

^ I agree with Mallory.

Anyways, i loved Chekov. He was my second favorite (Spock being first of corse). I can't really pinpoint exactly what it is I like though-I guess maybe the attitude. And I agree with a previous statement: he should have worked with Sulu more.

 

[Basill]

He was less afraid than Bailey, less bigoted than Stiles, less impulsive than Desalle, less boring than Painter & DePaul, less gay than Hadley and less ugly than Farrell. Plus he was white man and therefore fit to be navigator, unlike Uhura.

But they could all say 'vessel' better than he could.

The bolded part of your quote reads as just a little bit racist Grant. You might consider choosing your words a bit more carefully in the future.

Not only that, but Uhura was seen at least once (that I can recall) hopping behind the navigator's position, in a crunch of a situation, and performing rather exceptionally.

 

[I am not Spock]

I liked the addition of his character in the second season. Chekov kind of was 'you' in a sense. The young guy who was a bit freaked out and excited by space travel. He always made me laugh, too.

 

[Grant]

Well, like almost my entire post---I was being facetous.

Uhura did take the nav postion twice I know of---
'Balence' and 'Court Martial.'

I felt the studio mentality at the time only allowed women to be 'switchboard operators' (Comm) 'girl fridays' (Yeoman)
nurses & 'specialists' (Historian/psycholgost etc)

Engineer Masters was the only exception I can think of.

Hadley---Billy Blackburn----looked pretty gay to me and when i discussed the "billy blackburn's treasures segment with a gay friend---the first words out of his mouthwas "He's so gay!" So I was jokeingly deferring to his expertise.

 

[Middle Earther]

I liked the addition of his character in the second season. Chekov kind of was 'you' in a sense. The young guy who was a bit freaked out and excited by space travel. He always made me laugh, too.

That's a good way to put it. Chekov was easier for a younger audience to identify with - which is probably why he was added to begin with.

He does come off as quite intelligent, too. Not as wackily gifted as the Chekov portrayed in Star Trek XI, but perhaps a bit more level headed.

 

[dougkeenan]

Gutsy too, calling out an Earp.

 

[Green Shirt]

Gutsy too, calling out an Earp.

Meester Aerp, take your hands off hare!!!!

 

[Doug Otte]

Hadley---Billy Blackburn----looked pretty gay to me and when i discussed the "billy blackburn's treasures segment with a gay friend---the first words out of his mouthwas "He's so gay!" So I was jokeingly deferring to his expertise.

OK, so you were actually referring to the actor, not the character.

Doug

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Not only that, but Uhura was seen at least once (that I can recall) hopping behind the navigator's position, in a crunch of a situation, and performing rather exceptionally.

I would've like to have seen Uhura at navigation permanently. It would've put her more in front of the camera, so to speak.

I felt the studio mentality at the time only allowed women to be 'switchboard operators' (Comm) 'girl fridays' (Yeoman)
nurses & 'specialists' (Historian/psycholgost etc)

Not the studio, which was run by a woman, Lucille Ball, who could play with the big boys. Not the network, they wanted stronger female and minority characters. They just didn't like that Number One was played by Roddenberry's mistress or Majel's performance in the role. It was Roddenberry who only allowed women to be "switchboard operators" and "girl fridays"; according to the Justman and Solow book, the Great Bird believed that female characters should only service the male characters. What Solow called "available sexuality."

60s television, at the time, was filled with strong, female characters in lead positions: Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter on Mission: Impossible; Barbara Stanwyck as the matriarch on Big Valley; and, a few years after Star Trek premired, Diahann Carroll as the titluar character in Julia, a black female character that was far more progressive than Uhura ever was.

 

[marylizz]

I loved Chekov. I thought he was fantastic, and funny, and I like his over the top accent and awkwardness. He was much more memorable than previous helmsmen.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

Hadley---Billy Blackburn----looked pretty gay to me and when i discussed the "billy blackburn's treasures segment with a gay friend---the first words out of his mouthwas "He's so gay!" So I was jokeingly deferring to his expertise.

OK, so you were actually referring to the actor, not the character.

Doug

Still doesn't justify the "less gay than Hadley" comment --- actor or character, intended jokingly or not --- in print, the comment was homophobic.

 

[Tallis Rhul]

I'm pretty sure he was joking and meant no offense :/

The ONLY thing I wasn't keen on about Chekov was that Russians don't say "wessel" and "Wulcans"... in fact they don't have a "w" in their language...