Walter Koenig Had A Hilarious Explanation For Star Trek’s Infamous Khan Plot Hole

Published Nov 5, 2026, 7:39 PM EST

John Orquiola is a TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan has one of the franchise's most infamous plot holes, but Walter Koenig hilariously explained it away.

Walter Koenig passed away at 90 on October 25, 2026. Koenig's finest dramatic performance in Star Trek was in director Nicholas Meyer's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982, when the supervillain Khan (Ricardo Montalban) tortured and took control of Commander Pavel Chekov's mind. There was just one problem the Star Trek fans have pointed out for 44 years: Khan claimed he never forgot Chekov's face, but he never met the Russian Starfleet Officer in Star Trek: The Original Series.

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The Nacelle Company released their full 90-minute interview with Walter Koenig that they conducted for The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek. Regarding Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan's plot hole, Koenig shared his tongue-in-cheek explanation that Ensign Chekov was in Star Trek: The Original Series' "Space Seed" and encountered Khan off-screen. Read Walter's quote below:

Walter Koenig: “So I made up a story. I made up a story how Chekov was in the bathroom, and he was so sick with malapropski's malady that he couldn’t get off the john. And Khan was on the other side banging pitifully on the door because he needed to relieve his bladder. Finally, when I came out, he looked at me and said, ‘Your face I will never forget.’”

Watch Walter Koenig's full interview for The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek:

Khan's Star Trek: The Original Series episode happened in season 1, while Ensign Chekov didn't join the show until season 2. Khan was stranded on Ceti Alpha V for nearly 20 years, suffering through the destruction of the neighboring Ceti Alpha VI, which reduced his world to a barren wasteland and killed Khan's wife, Lt. Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue).

The full story of what happened on Ceti Alpha V was revealed in the 2025 podcast, Star Trek: Khan.

Director Nicholas Meyer's explanation for why Khan recognized Chekov is simpler than Koenig's: the director didn't know. When he accepted the job as Star Trek II's director, Meyer wasn't a Star Trek fan, to begin with. Nicholas gave himself a crash course on Star Trek as he wrote the script for The Wrath of Khan (which he originally titled Star Trek II: The Undiscovered Country), and the Chekov/Khan detail slipped past him.

Koenig said he raised the plot hole about Chekov and Khan during Star Trek II's production, but they went ahead and filmed the moment where Khan said he recognized Chekov regardless. It may not be canonically accurate, but the moment has undeniable dramatic power, as Khan used Chekov as a surrogate for his master plan of vengeance against Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

Walter Koenig was a talented writer and nimble, witty storyteller who penned an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, so he has naturally concocted his 'Khan did meet Chekov' story that he has told often over the years, changing details occasionally, like "Chekov was trapped in the boiler room" when Khan took over the Starship Enterprise in "Space Seed." Koenig also reviewed Star Trek II on his podcast, The 7th Rule.

Rewatching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is extra fun when one weaves in Walter Koenig's explanation for how Khan recognized Mr. Chekov on Ceti Alpha V as head canon.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is streaming on Paramount+