Anton Yelchin’s ‘Star Trek’ Role Will Not Be Recast, Says J.J. Abrams

Following actor Anton Yelchin’s tragic death last month, the Star Trek actor will forever remain Pavel Chekov in this current iteration of the franchise. J.J. Abrams, who directed the first two Star Trek films in the series reboot and produced this Friday’s Star Trek Beyond, has confirmed to The Toronto Sun that Yelchin’s character will not be replaced in future films.

"I would say there’s no replacing him," says Abrams. "There's no recasting. I can't possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better."