By Jonathan Klotz | Updated
For better or worse, the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series After the series ended, their careers were tied to science fiction for decades. In the end, things worked out well for Walter Koenig, the original Chekov, who enjoyed a resurgence at the end of his career Babylon 5 as Alfred Bester, the villainous psi-cop who became a staple of the five-season series. Chekov was meant to appeal to young fans, while Bester was a villain from the first scene to the last, and throughout, Koening took whatever material he was given and knocked it right out of the park.
Alfred Bester was Babylon 5’s biggest villain
Walter Koenig’s first appearance on Babylon 5 In “Mind War,” the sixth episode of the series, audiences were introduced to the dark side of the Psi Corps right from the start. Alfred Bester, a representative of the mysterious Psi Corps, lands on the space station to capture a rogue telepath. Bester doesn’t get along with the station’s commanders and lies to Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) in the first of many, many cases in which the Psi-Cop hides his true mission, no matter who might get hurt along the way. Koening’s performance was praised by fans immediately after the episode aired, and to date, the 12 episodes in which he appears are among the series’ best.
He has more in common with Khan than with Chekov, Walter Koenig Babylon 5 Psi-Cop was driven by a desire to create a world where telepaths ruled over the everyday. He wasn’t subtle about it either, and thankfully none of the other characters held back when discussing their feelings towards Bester, which led to some of the best lines of the series. Only the perfect match between actor and character could result in a line as cheesy as this being delivered in all seriousness: “A pinata, right? So you think of me as something bright and cheerful full of toys and sweets for little children? Thank you very much! It makes me feel much better about our relationship.”
There is no redemption arc to be found anywhere
As the series progressed, Walter Koenig became more and more comfortable playing Babylon 5 An absolute villain, Bester slowly transitioned from an irritating antagonist to an ally as the Shadow War grew more heated. Not only did it not last long, but it completely fell apart during the fifth season and the Telepath War. Sheridan’s (Bruce Boxleitner) attempt to host a telepathic colony aboard the space station was begun with the best of intentions, but nearly destroyed the nascent alliance before Bester even got his hands dirty.
The Psi Corps’ strict rules and strict discipline, exemplified by the motto “The Corps is mother, the Corps is father”, were fully embraced by Besker and his sense of superiority. Even after the fallout from the Telepath War led to the Corps’ decimation, he continued to support his beliefs, and in fact the fifth season storyline was not originally intended to be the end of the Psi-Cop. Walter Koenig was scheduled to appear again in the series Babylon 5 spin-off, crusadebut the show was canceled before it could happen, which is a shame because considering how far he fell by the end of the show, there was limitless story potential in his rise from the ashes.
Just as great as Walter Koenig’s performance as Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series When someone says that his truly greatest sci-fi role was Alfred Bester Babylon 5it would be hard to argue. We’ve had five seasons of menacing stares, devious mind control, and wonderfully snappy comebacks, including the wonderfully dry one: “Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi.” But you’re welcome to try.” Not once in an episode was there an attempt, Bester giving him a redemption arc or portraying him as something other than a selfish villain willing to do anything to achieve his goals.