Three years ago, actor Anton Yelchin was killed in an unfortunate accident, at the young age of 27. In the wake of his devastating departure, fans and actors alike have mourned the passing of this talented actor who had so much life ahead of him, professionally and personally.
Now, on the third anniversary of his death, the Star Trek franchise has chosen to pay tribute to Anton Yelchin’s passing, with the following post on their social media feed:
Today is the actual day in 2016 that notes the passing of Anton Yelchin, who at the time had completed work on the third Trek film, Star Trek Beyond, as well as part of his work for the first season of the Dreamworks series, Trollhunters. Though several films would be released throughout 2017, with the independent film We Don’t Belong Here marking his final film role released.
This particular anniversary is painful to acknowledge, as recent months have seen Anton Yelchin’s memory resurface through a documentary honoring his life and times, Love, Antosha. Along with that film’s debut came remembrances from co-stars such as Chris Pine, John Cho, and Kristin Stewart, as well as the revelation that Anton Yelchin was actually hiding his suffering from Cystic Fibrosis for almost a decade before his untimely death.
The official Star Trek Twitter wasn’t the only tribute seen this morning, as fan site Trek Core also had their own tribute to Yelchin, courtesy of a recolored photo from his appearance in the reboot trilogy, where he played the role of Ensign Pavel Chekov:
Best known for the role of Checkov in Star Trek’s latest run of films, Anton Yelchin was admittedly nervous to try and live up to the precedent set by Walter Koenig in his initial run as the character. And any young actor jumping into a role as iconic as this one would have to be crazy not to feel that pressure.
However, as seen in the fandom that Anton Yelchin had acquired over his time in that role, as well as in numerous other projects like Fright Night, Green Room, and Thoroughbreds, his performances were strong to the point where that fear was unfounded. Perhaps the greatest impact that Yelchin has made on the Star Trek franchise is the fact that even with the fourth film in limbo, his Enterprise crewmates still think of him when discussing the process of getting another film into the air.
While Anton Yelchin is no longer with us, his career has left his fans with an indelible body of work that shows just how talented he was, both on and off the screen. Though we still mourn him, we also remember him as the bright presence he always brought to his work. And that is the most fitting tribute of all.
The documentary on Yelchin’s live, Love, Antosha is scheduled for an August 2nd release date.
