#1373 – I Can Do Zat

“I can do zat, I can do zat!”

Alycia and I say that quote to each other often. Of all the great moment’s from 2009’s Star Trek, that line spoken by Chekhov is one of our favorites. Unfortunately, now when we say that line, we’ll do so with a tinge of sadness.

Anton Yelchin was killed this past weekend in a freak accident. I hadn’t seen Yelchin in any movies other than Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, but he was perfect as Chekhov. Yelchin nailed the accent, which he was told to use even though it was more Polish than Russian. Beyond the accent, though, Yelchin really captured Chekhov’s youthful charm and appetite for adventure.

Yelchin also captured a piece of my heart and affection because he was part of something that means so much to me. Star Trek has been a constant in my life for over 20 years. As I’ve written about before, I didn’t have a lot of friends in junior high. I got made fun of constantly at school, but I knew that I could depend on Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. They were waiting for me at 7:00pm every night on channel 13.

So even though I never met Yelchin, even though I haven’t seen him in any other role, his death hit me more than other celebrity deaths. I’ve written about other celebrity deaths before and they all have one thing in common: presence.

Stuart Scott was present in my home as I watched Sportscenter every night in college.

MCA was constantly present in my ears in high school, as I listened to License to Ill every day.

Anton Yelchin was present in my life because he was a part of one of my favorite nerdclinations.

Death is always difficult, tragic deaths even more so. When we’re reminded of our own mortality, we should be inspired to lean deeper into God and live life with the same passion and fervor that Yelchin brought to Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov.