Walter Koenig on Shat's Raw Nerve

[Nerys Myk]

I've never met him/seen him live, but I've always felt he came across the most down to earth of the "supporting cast".

I would like to meet him, he seems like "one of us". I remember seeing him interviewed in his office once - packed to the ceiling with comic books and Trek memorabilia

I'd love to find out more about his time on TOS. I mean someone (Coon?) was trying to make him a star, or thought he'd be a hit with the viewers. The show was Kirk/Spock/Bones/Chekov for a while there in Season 2. Then suddenly they seemed to give up on him and he drifted into the background.

I thought he got more to do because George was filming a movie. Once George came back he had less to do.

 

[Gojira]

I've never met him/seen him live, but I've always felt he came across the most down to earth of the "supporting cast".

I would like to meet him, he seems like "one of us". I remember seeing him interviewed in his office once - packed to the ceiling with comic books and Trek memorabilia

I'd love to find out more about his time on TOS. I mean someone (Coon?) was trying to make him a star, or thought he'd be a hit with the viewers. The show was Kirk/Spock/Bones/Chekov for a while there in Season 2. Then suddenly they seemed to give up on him and he drifted into the background.

he does seem like a fan more than one of the stars at times and I mean that in a good way. He comes across as very likable.

I know he was cast to attack younger female viewers because of his resemblance at the time to a young Davy Jones. But you're right it didn't work. I just watched a handful of season three episodes and on some of them Chekov isn't even in the episodes!

 

[Shatnertage]

I know he was cast to attack younger female viewers because of his resemblance at the time to a young Davy Jones. But you're right it didn't work. I just watched a handful of season three episodes and on some of them Chekov isn't even in the episodes!

Well, he did try to attack that Klingon woman in "Day of the Dove," but do you really think the producers wanted him to wage war against potential audience members?

 

[Yeoman Randi]

I didn't watch the preview, but hope to catch the show Monday night. I wonder if they discuss Walter's son Andrew who passed away last year? That will be heartbreaking for sure if they do.

 

[sbk1234]

Walter has always been the reasonable one among the supporting cast...

That hasn't been my experience. At times I've found him to be downright depressing and bitter at conventions.

I've met Walter a few times over the years. Both in formal fan settings, and less formal. He's always been nice, but I get the impression - in my unofficial, non-scientific opinion - that he may be bi-polar or something. I stress, I am NOT a psychological expert, nor am I in any position to make any kind of a diagnosis. I'm just saying this informally in a friendly conversation.
Of course, we all have our bad days, so who knows. I saw him once since his son passed away. I purposely didn't mention it at all, but he seemed to be in pretty good spirits.

 

[Gojira]

I know he was cast to attract younger female viewers because of his resemblance at the time to a young Davy Jones. But you're right it didn't work. I just watched a handful of season three episodes and on some of them Chekov isn't even in the episodes!

Well, he did try to attack that Klingon woman in "Day of the Dove," but do you really think the producers wanted him to wage war against potential audience members?

Man I can't type worth beans today! I meant attract.

 

[Captain Robert April]

"Reasonable" as in he never fell under the misconception that he was the real star of Star Trek and that Shatner was conducting a personal war against the rest of the cast in order to further his own personal glory. In fact, in that preview, he cites Shatner's previous comments that with the advent of the conventions, the other cast members were often being lauded for work that they really hadn't done.

 

[gomtuu20]

Walter did get some extra screen time when George was filming "The Green Berets" if I'm not mistaken. I think I might have read somewhere that it was supposed to be Sulu in Gamesters if Triskelien.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I'm starting to get the distinct impression that since Sulu is very much present when the second season actually resumed production, Chekov getting Sulu's screen time was determined during the writing and rehearsal process, when they weren't sure George would be back in time, and so started shuffling off Sulu's scenes on Chekov, just in case.

But since Sulu is right there in "Catspaw" (first episode filmed for the second season), it was clearly unnecessary, which only added to George's angst over the issue.

 

[Cyke101]

I certainly hope Shatner brings up Koenig's role as Takei's best man, only because I'm a sucker for weddings. Sure, there's the Shatner/Takei feud, but weddings are fun.

But the thread made me look up Koenig on Wikipedia, and it says that he and Majel Barrett were the only two TOS regulars without a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Is this true and if so, how can this be?!

 

[Starbreaker]

Man... the Biography channel is on the top tier package which I can't afford. I did get to see the Kevin Nealon, Scott Bakula, and Subway Vigilante episodes last month on a free preview though.

 

[T'Bonz]

I just did an article on this, and while gathering information, saw the entire Bakula interview (in 3 parts) on the Raw Nerve site. So I'm guessing that the other 2 interviews (Burton/Koenig) will show up at the site a while after the episodes air.

I'm watching the Bakula interview now, as I surf TrekBBS.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Pattern baldness started to hit Koenig as a young man - as it does with most men who experience it.

 

[A beaker full of death]

I had no idea Koenig was bald!?!

Really? His wigs have always been horrible.

Kudos to Shatner for interviewing Koenig and airing the dirty laundry between them. It's not like anyone else would interview Koenig.

 

[Anji]

Wow, there's a bit of news I've never heard before. Shatner ticked off Koenig too???
Then he's aggreviated, what, the entire cast??? That has to a record of some kind.

I have to catch this interview.

 

[A beaker full of death]

You know, the entire series is really quite remarkable.
http://www.biography.com/video.do?name=shatner&bcpid=2219196001&bclid=2647548001&bctid=2637662001

 

[Keith1701]

Just watched the preview, looks like a good conversation. Too bad Raw Nerve isn't an hour long!!

Based on the pic above, was wondering if Walter planned to confront Bill on his own hair loss? I had no idea Koenig was bald!?!

I had not idea about Walter being bald as well.

 

[davejames]

Wow, that was actually kind of intense! No matter how often Walter tried to downplay it, you could tell there were definitely still some hurt feelings under the surface.

And it was fascinating to watch Shatner through all this. While on the one hand I still don't think he realizes (or wants to acknowledge) just how big a prick he was back then, it was kind of touching to hear him say how sorry he was now.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I would like to meet him, he seems like "one of us". I remember seeing him interviewed in his office once - packed to the ceiling with comic books and Trek memorabilia

He is famously known as a collector of "Big Little Books", those chunky little hardcover tie-in books that had just as many comic-style illustrated pages as text pages.

I'd love to find out more about his time on TOS. I mean someone (Coon?) was trying to make him a star, or thought he'd be a hit with the viewers.

I highly recommend "Chekov's Enterprise", his hilarious and pithy diary of the making of TMP, and a great introduction to one actor's self-doubt and idiosyncracies. He also has a more recent autobiography, "Warped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe".

 

[C.E. Evans]

That was simply a great interview. The thing I'll take away from it the most, however, was Shatner apologizing for being so self-absorbed and not really being the leader of the cast he should have been with the various directors and producers. And Koenig was speaking from the perspective of a man who had long since come to terms with himself and was more objective about his career and way things turned out, IMO.