Walter Koenig: Beam Me Up to the Stars
We had the pleasure of seeing an actor get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during our recent trip to Los Angeles.
Walter Koenig, AKA Chekov, from the original television and movie series “Star Trek,” was the last of the original cast members to get his star on the Walk of Fame.
We learned about the ceremony from our friends on the trip. Another person had tipped them to the ceremony. They asked if we’d be interested. DUH! That is when I realized I, too, can sometimes be a geek.
Hundreds of people gathered on Hollywood Boulevard to watch the induction. Actors and other celebrities and hob knobbers visited inside the reserved roped-off area. It was cool seeing celebrities from our youth – Jamie Farr, Klinger from “MASH” and Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura from “Star Trek.”
George Takei was a crowd favorite when he showed up. Sulu from the original series shared an embrace with Nichols. That was awesome to see.
Other Trekkies to show up included Tim Russ and Garrett Wang from “Star Trek Voyager.”
Kristen Vangsness from “Criminal Minds” was among the geeks watching the induction. She plays Garcia, the computer geek for the FBI’s BAU team. She was so sweet, as she agreed to pose for a photo with Lisa and me.
The guest of honor came across as very appreciative for his honor. He smiled and shook a lot of hands, and got quite a few hugs.
Word spread like a tsunami that Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock were going to be in attendance. Eventually, confirmation came that Kirk would not be there. We figured William Shatner had some waves to catch since he is back from hiding with the Priceline commercials.
The crowd became excited as Mr. Spock, himself, joined the group. Leonard Nimoy delivered an enthusiastic speech on Koenig and what he meant to the show. A young kid asked me “Who is Leonard Namoy?” I just looked at him (hopefully, he could sense the stupidity I believed of him for mispronouncing his name and not knowing who Spock was).
Only 30-35 people a year get their star on the Walk of Fame, so it is not common for tourists to see a ceremony. We were thrilled with our chance of a lifetime.
A few days after our visit, Britney Spears got her star on Hollywood Boulevard. It just amazes me that someone like Walter Koenig had to wait decades for his star, while someone with limited talent (and I use the word limited with a bit of sarcasm) gets a star in a short time. It amazes me.