The recent tragic death of Anton Yelchin means that 'Star Trek Beyond' is the last time we'll see him play Pavel Chekov. This reminded us that Chekov is actually the coolest and most interesting member of the Enterprise crew. Here are five reasons why.

1. He was originally created for his youth appeal

For the second series of the original Star Trek in 1967, creator Gene Roddenberry was concerned that Kirk and Spock might seem rather middle-aged to youthful swinging sixties audiences. So Chekov was cast to lure in teenagers with his groovy Beatles/Monkees moptop. In fact, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original series, was just a few years younger than William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. And at the age of 30, his hair was already starting to recede, so he had to wear a wig. Kids still loved him, and it was the high volume of his fan mail that persuaded Roddenberry to make Chekov a regular Enterprise crew member.

2. The character broke new ground

Strange as it might seem in today's more cosmopolitan world, the idea of casting a Russian character in a heroic role in an American TV series was somewhat revolutionary during the Cold War. Roddenberry made up a fanciful tale about being inspired by a story in the Russian state newspaper Pravda, which allegedly complained that there were no Russian characters in Star Trek. Walter Koenig was criticised for his 'inauthentic' accent, but he'd been instructed to ham it up for comic effect. Both Koenig and Anton Yelchin were born to Russian Jewish parents. Yelchin's family relocated to the USA when he was six months old. Koenig was born in Chicago.

3. He has some brilliant boasts

The hot-headed, proudly patriotic youth has variously claimed that Cinderella is a Russian story, the Garden of Eden is located just outside Moscow, and Scotch whisky was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad.

4. He rises rapidly through the ranks in both timelines

In the original series, Chekov started out as a humble ensign. By the time of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, he'd been promoted to Lieutenant. The 2009 Star Trek reboot movie also depicted teenage Chekov as being immensely capable. In 'Star Trek: Into Darkness', the young prodigy is promoted to Chief Engineer after the resignation of Scotty. How far can he rise? Well, in some of William Shatner's novels he even becomes Starfleet's Commander in Chief.

5. He's at the centre of the biggest plot gaffe in the whole of Star Trek

In movie sequel 'Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan' - you know: the one where Chekov is implanted with a mind-controlling eel - dastardly Khan recognises Chekov, who has now been promoted to executive officer aboard the USS Reliant. But how could this be? Khan's only previous appearance in Star Trek was in the season one episode 'Space Seed', before Chekov was introduced. Hey - dedicated Trekkers care about this stuff!

Anton Yelchin makes his last appearance as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek Beyond, which opens at Cineworld on 22 July.