russian kid from star trek death

Anton Yelchin, new Star Trek's Chekov, dies in freak accident

The 27-year-old, who played Chekov in the Star Trek reboot films, dies after being pinned by his own car.

• Ed was a member of the CNET crew that won a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors for general excellence online. He's also edited pieces that've nabbed prizes from the Society of Professional Journalists and others.

Anton Yelchin, aka Star Trek's Pavel Chekov, arrives on the red carpet at the LA premiere of "Star Trek" in 2009. The actor died on Sunday.

Anton Yelchin, the actor known for playing Chekov in the recent series of Star Trek reboot films, died in a freak accident in Los Angeles early Sunday morning.

Left to right: Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine as Kirk, John Cho as Sulu.

Yelchin, 27, was killed when his

Friends found Yelchin after he failed to show up for a scheduled rehearsal, Houser said.

The Russian-born actor played Pavel Chekov in 2009's " Star Trek " and 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness," as well as in " Star Trek Beyond ," due out later this year.

Yelchin's Star Trek colleagues took to Twitter on Sunday to express their sorrow, including actors John Cho and Zachary Quinto, who play Sulu and Spock, respectively, "Star Trek Beyond" director Justin Lin and "Star Trek" and "Star Trek Into Darkness" director J.J. Abrams (by way of his production company, Bad Robot):

Update, 12:23 p.m. PT: Adds information from the LAPD; adds Cho's tweet. 12:42: Adds tweets from Lin and Quinto. 1:30: Adds Bad Robot tweet of J.J. Abrams' note.

AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

Star trek ’s anton yelchin killed in bizarre car accident.

The 27-year-old actor played Pavel Chekov in three films, including the forthcoming Star Trek Beyond.

Anton Yelchin, a versatile and respected 27-year-old actor whose professional figure-skater parents brought him to the United States from St. Petersburg, Russia as an infant, was found dead at his Studio City home early Sunday morning. According to Los Angeles police officer Jenny Hosier (as reported by the Associated Press ), the actor was found pinned between his car and a brick mailbox after the vehicle apparently rolled into him. Members of his band found him around 1 a.m., apparently having come to check on him after he failed to turn up for a scheduled practice Saturday evening.

While the actor had built a diverse resume, performing in commercial films and in arthouse releases like the brooding vampire film  Only Lovers Left Alive,  he was most widely known for playing Pavel Chekov in the rebooted  Star Trek  movie franchise. He had already completed filming his third appearance as the earnest young Russian Starfleet officer in  Star Trek Beyond ,  which will be released on July 22. (Walter Koenig originated the role of Chekov, playing the character in two seasons of the original  Star Trek  TV series as well as in six feature films, circa 1979-1991.)

Besides the upcoming Star Trek feature, Yelchin appeared in at least three other films set for release this year and next. In April, Yelchin earned admiring notices for his role in the tense thriller Green Room. He played a member of a struggling punk band that must escape a rock club run by a violent gang of white supremacists after witnessing a murder. Coincidentally, Patrick Stewart, another actor whose career got a big boost from Star Trek —he played Captain Jean-Luc Picard The Next Generation TV and film series over a 15-year period—was cast opposite Yelchin as the leader of the gang.

A number of  Star Trek  creators and cast members expressed their grief as the news of Yelchin’s passing was reported yesterday. J.J. Abrams, who directed Yelchin in 2009’s Star Trek and in its 2013 follow-up Star Trek into Darkness, released a photo of a handwritten note that read:

Anton — You were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented. And you weren’t here nearly long enough. Missing you…                                                                                                                                                          JJ

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'Star Trek' star Anton Yelchin dies at 27 in freak car collision

Star Trek star Anton Yelchin has died at 27 following a tragic and strange car accident early Sunday morning in Los Angeles.

His publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed the news in a statement: "Actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning. His family requests you respect their privacy at this time."

Yelchin was pinned by his own car as he left his home in Studio City for a rehearsal, said Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Jenny Houser.

"A fatal traffic collision occurred," Houser said. "It was the result of the victim's own car rolling backward down his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence.

"The victim was on his way to meet his friends for rehearsal. And when he didn’t show up, his friends went to his house, where they found him deceased by his car," Houser said. "It appeared (Yelchin) had momentarily exited his car, leaving it in the driveway."

Yelchin was trapped behind the car, "causing the trauma which led to his death."

5 essential Anton Yelchin roles

The Russian-born actor was best known for playing Chekov in the Star Trek reboot movies, including 2009's Star Trek and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness. Yelchin had completed his role in  Star Trek Beyond (in theaters July 22), which is in the final editing stages.

Celebrities mourn Anton Yelchin on Twitter

He had also wrapped Thoroughbred, which finished shooting in Boston two weeks ago. The psychological thriller, expected in 2017, stars Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy and is the theatrical directorial/screenwriting debut of playwright Cory Finley.

Several weeks ago, he had been announced to co-star with Brendan Gleeson in a limited-run TV series based on Stephen King's 2014 detective novel Mr. Mercedes .

Yelchin moved to the United States when he was 6 months old with his parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, who were stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet. He told USA TODAY in 2001 that he had no desire to follow in his parents' skating footsteps.

"I hate any physical activity. I like reading and chess. I was with my dad once and fell on the back of my head. My skating career ended there at age 7," Yelchin said.

He enrolled in acting classes and at age 9 made his film debut in A Man Is Mostly Water. Pairings followed with such formidable elder actors as Robert De Niro ( 15 Minutes ), Albert Finney ( Delivering Milo ) and Morgan Freeman ( Along Came a Spider ). At 12, Yelchin appeared alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins in a critically heralded performance in  Hearts in Atlantis.

Following his first appearance as Chekov in Star Trek , Yelchin starred as young Kyle Reese in 2009's Terminator Salvation.

After voicing Clumsy Smurf in  The Smurfs film, starring in the horror remake Fright Night  and the romantic drama  Like Crazy , Yelchin was declared a "fresh face" star by USA TODAY.

"I'm drawn to that which I have not done before, that which is challenging, that which allows me to create a different kind of character," he told USA TODAY in 2011.

John Cho, who plays Sulu in the rebooted Star Trek series, tweeted his respects Sunday.

"I loved Anton Yelchin so much. He was a true artist — curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I'm in ruins," Cho wrote. "Please send your love to Anton's family right now. They need it."

Zachary Quinto, who portrays Spock in Star Trek , called Yelchin "our dear friend, our comrade, our Anton," adding that the actor was "one of the most open and intellectually curious people I have ever had the pleasure to know."

"So enormously talented and generous of heart, wise beyond his years. And gone before his time," Quinto wrote. "All love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief."

• Entertainment
• <i>Star Trek</i> Actor Anton Yelchin Killed by Own Car

Star Trek Actor Anton Yelchin Killed by Own Car

(LOS ANGELES) — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new “Star Trek” films, was killed by his own car as it rolled backward down his driveway early Sunday, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Studio City, according to Los Angeles police Officer Jenny Hosier. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn’t show up, the group came to his home and found him dead.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as “ER,” ”The Practice,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001’s “Hearts in Atlantis.”

He transitioned into teenage roles in films such as the crime thriller “Alpha Dog” and the teen comedy “Charlie Bartlett.” He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation.”

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn’t very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

“I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing,” Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama “Like Crazy.” He starred opposite Felicity Jones.

“(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did,” Yelchin said. “But this is what I wanted.”

His biggest role to date has been in the rebooted “Star Trek” films as the heavily accented navigator Chekov, for which he was able to draw on his Russian roots. The third film in the series, “Star Trek Beyond,” comes out in July.

“What’s great about him is he can do anything. He’s a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate ones,” ”Like Crazy” director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. “There are a lot of people who can’t, who can only do one or the other. … That’s what blows my mind.”

Yelchin transitioned between the big sci-fi franchise and voicing a part for “The Smurfs.” He also appeared in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch’s vampire film “Only Lovers Left Alive” and Jeremy Saulnier’s horror thriller “Green Room,” a cult favorite that came out earlier this year.

The actor’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy.

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Anton Yelchin, ‘Star Trek’ Actor, Dead at 27

By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

UPDATE: The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee actor Anton Yelchin was driving at the time of his fatal accident was under recall, The Associated Press  reports.  The SUV’s gear shifters reportedly confused drivers and caused vehicles to roll unexpectedly. 

On Monday, Jeep auto-maker Fiat Chrysler said in a statement that the company is investigating and that it’s premature to speculate on the crash cause. The 2015 Grand Cherokees were included in Fiat Chrysler’s global recall of 1.1 million vehicles announced in April. A Los Angeles coroner’s official has stated that Yelchin’s death has been ruled an accident. 

Anton Yelchin, the actor who portrayed Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek series and star of films like  Like Crazy  and Green Room , died early Sunday morning in a fatal traffic collision, his publicist confirmed to The Associated Press . Yelchin was 27.

According to TMZ , Yelchin was involved in a freak accident outside his San Fernando Valley, California home. After missing a rehearsal earlier in the night, concerned friends found Yelchin pinned between his car and a brick mailbox that was attached to the security gate. The car was on and in neutral when the actor was found in his driveway. TMZ adds that police do not suspect foul play.

“Oh, Anton. Such a dedicated, generous and hyper-smart young man. So grateful for the time we shared, destroyed he left so soon,” Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier tweeted  of the actor.

Born in Russia to professional figure skater parents, the Yelchin family emigrated to the United States when Anton was six months old. After making his acting debut at the age of nine, Yelchin appeared in films and television shows like ER , Curb Your Enthusiasm , House of D and Along Came a Spider while still in his early teens.

Yelchin’s breakout role came as the kidnapped younger brother in the 2006 film Alpha Dog , based on the true story of Jesse James Hollywood. Soon after, Yelchin nabbed prominent roles in films like Charlie Bartlett (in the title role), Like Crazy , the remake of Fright Night and Terminator: Salvation , playing the Kyle Reese role.

Yelchin was perhaps best known for portraying Pavel Chekov in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek in 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013. Yelchin reprised the role for the upcoming Star Trek Beyond , due out July 22nd.

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Recently, Yelchin starred in the critically acclaimed Green Room , the zombie comedy Burying the Ex and the Shakespeare adaptation Cymbeline . Yelchin was also a member of the band HammerHeads.

“Anton Yelchin was one of my best friends. Can’t say anything that conveys what this feels like,” actress Kat Dennings tweeted . Anna Kendrick wrote , “This is unreal. Anton Yelchin is such a talent. Such a huge loss.”

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Anton Yelchin

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Yelchin was unsure exactly why he was cast in that particular role, though he figured it had to do with his young age and the fact that he was "familiar with Russian people. Very, very familiar." His parents are Russian. [2] During his audition, Yelchin had to try out his Russian accent, which included saying Chekov's famous line from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , "nuclear wessel". Yelchin was unfamiliar with Star Trek prior to his being cast as Chekov but planned on viewing the various DVD box sets to learn more about the franchise. [3] (X)

Like the rest of the cast, Yelchin had signed on to do two additional Star Trek films when he took the role of Chekov. [4] The first of those films, Star Trek Into Darkness , was released in May 2013 and the second, Star Trek Beyond , was released in July 2016.

In 2009, he was part of the Star Trek ensemble which received a Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award nomination in the category Best Ensemble and won a Boston Society of Film Critics Award in the category Best Ensemble Cast. He shared these awards with Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana , Karl Urban , Leonard Nimoy , Simon Pegg , John Cho , Ben Cross , Eric Bana , Clifton Collins, Jr. , Bruce Greenwood , Jennifer Morrison , Chris Hemsworth , Winona Ryder , Faran Tahir , and Tyler Perry . In 2010, Yelchin was part of the ensemble which received a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination in the category Best Acting Ensemble for Star Trek .

The 2013 virtual collectible card battle game Star Trek: Rivals used his pictures for card #79 "Ensign P. Chekhov" and card #95 "Acting Engineer P. Chekhov."

On 19 June 2016 , Yelchin was killed outside of his home in Studio City, Los Angeles when his car rolled down his driveway, pinning him against a security fence and brick mailbox pillar. [5] [6] [7] His death was ruled an accident as the result of "blunt traumatic asphyxia." [8] His 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee was subject to a recall.

• 1 Personal life
• 2.1 2000-2003
• 2.2 2004-2007
• 2.3 2008-2013
• 2.4 2014-2016
• 4 External links

Personal life [ ]

Yelchin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in Russia, then the second largest city of the Soviet Union. His parents were Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, both of whom were figure skaters known throughout the country. In September 1989, when Anton was only six months old, he and his parents emigrated to the United States. Because of their Jewish background, they received refugee status, owing to the long-term anti-Semitic policies of the Soviet State. (It is worth noting that Walter Koenig, who created the role of Chekov, was also of Soviet Jewish parentage, although he himself was not born in the USSR, and they were from Lithuania rather than Russia proper.)

Yelchin attended the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies in Tarzana, California, and had begun acting by the age of nine. He enrolled at the University of Southern California in 2007 to study film. In addition to acting, Yelchin enjoyed playing the guitar. At the time of his death, he lived in Studio City, Los Angeles, California. [9]

2000-2003 [ ]

His first television appearance came at the age of 11 in an episode of ER . His first films were the drama A Time for Dancing and the independent film A Man Is Mostly Water , both made in 2000, with the latter co-starring Star Trek: Enterprise guest star Christopher Rydell . Yelchin and Scarlett Pomers both made featured appearances in the 2000 television movie Geppetto , which starred Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's René Auberjonois and Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Brent Spiner .

Yelchin played the title role in the comedy film Delivering Milo , about the spirit of a boy who must be convinced that life is worth being born for. Star Trek: Insurrection actor Michael Welch was among Yelchin's co-stars in this film, as was John Cho , whom Yelchin again worked with on Star Trek . In addition, Yelchin had a featured role in the film 15 Minutes , starring Avery Brooks , Kim Cattrall , and Kelsey Grammer . He also had a supporting role in the Paramount Pictures thriller Along Came a Spider . All of these films were released in 2001.

Yelchin won a Young Spirit Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Leading Young Actor for his work in the 2001 Stephen King -based drama Hearts in Atlantis . He received a second Young Artist Award nomination for his performance on the television mini-series Taken (with Matt Frewer , Gwynyth Walsh , Rob LaBelle , and Brian Markinson ).

In 2002, Yelchin had a two-episode recurring role on the legal drama The Practice , with Paul Dooley and Alan Dale playing judges. Yelchin was also seen on Judging Amy with Chris Sarandon . In 2003, he appeared in an episode of Without a Trace with Christopher McDonald . Enrique Murciano was a regular on this series.

2004-2007 [ ]

Yelchin with Walter Koenig, the original Pavel Chekov, on the set of Star Trek

From 2004 through 2006, Yelchin starred in the Showtime series Huff , playing the son of the title character. In addition, Yelchin earned a third Young Spirit Award nomination for his starring role in the 2004 television movie Jack . This latter project also featured the aforementioned Brent Spiner, as well as Erich Anderson . Yelchin's other television credits included guest spots on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004, with Patrick Kerr ), NYPD Blue (2004, with Gordon Clapp ), and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006), which was developed by Rene Balcer .

Yelchin also continued making a name for himself in films, receiving notices for his starring roles in 2004's House of D (co-starring Willie Garson and Robin Williams ) and 2006's Alpha Dog . He also starred in the drama Fierce People , which played at film festivals in 2005 and was released in theaters in September 2007. He then starred in the film Charlie Bartlett (2007), in which he played the title role, a wealthy teenager who appoints himself psychiatrist of his high school.

2008-2013 [ ]

Star Trek was not the only iconic franchise that Yelchin became a part of in 2009. Released just two weeks after Star Trek was the fourth Terminator film, Terminator Salvation , in which Yelchin played a teenage Kyle Reese (the role originated by Michael Biehn in 1984's The Terminator ).

In 2011, Yelchin starred in the acclaimed 2011 romantic drama Like Crazy , which also featured Amanda Carlin and for which he won the Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival and the Breakthrough Performer Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival. That same year, he starred in the remake of the 1985 cult horror film Fright Night as Charley Brewster, a teenager who believes his neighbor is a vampire. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest actor Chris Sarandon , who starred in the original Fright Night , made a cameo in the remake; Michael De Luca , writer of the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Threshold ", was one of the film's producers.

Yelchin was the voice of Clumsy Smurf in the 2011 film version of The Smurfs and its 2013 sequel The Smurfs 2 . The first Smurfs film also featured the voices of John Kassir and Frank Welker . Also in 2013, Yelchin was seen in Jim Jarmusch 's acclaimed vampire drama Only Lovers Left Alive and in the leading role of the thriller Odd Thomas .

2014-2016 [ ]

Yelchin acted alongside Frank Langella in the romantic comedy 5 to 7 (2014) and the neo-noir dramedy The Driftless Area (2015) and worked with his Star Trek co-star Winona Ryder in the biographical drama Experimenter (2015), the latter of which had Kellan Lutz portraying William Shatner . Yelchin also appeared in Rudderless (2014) with Jennifer Savidge , Burying the Ex (2014) with Dick Miller , and Broken Horses (2015) with Eric Sharp and Steve Luna .

Most recently, he starred opposite Star Trek: The Next Generation star Patrick Stewart in Jeremy Saulnier's critically-acclaimed horror-thriller Green Room (2016). In that film, Yelchin portrays a bassist whose band is hunted down by a gang of skinheads led by Stewart's character.

In addition to Star Trek Beyond , Yelchin had a number of other projects awaiting release at the time of his death, including the sci-fi drama Rememory and the family drama We Don't Belong Here . It was also announced just days prior to his death that he, Kelsey Grammer , and Ron Perlman were the voices of the main characters in Guillermo del Toro 's animated Netflix series Trollhunters , set to premiere in December 2016. [10]

Directors J.J. Abrams and Justin Lin , as well as fellow cast members Zachary Quinto , Zoë Saldana , John Cho , and Sofia Boutella , paid tribute to Yelchin on social media, while Karl Urban expressed horror at what had happened. [11] Abrams sent Entertainment Weekly a note signed by the " Star Trek Family", describing Yelchin as "our little brother. But only by years; he was as wise and clever and intellectually curious as anyone we ever knew." [12] Veterans of other Star Trek shows and films also paid tribute. [13] His character will reportedly not be recast. [14] His parents filed a wrongful death and product liability lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler in relation to Yelchin's death: a confidential settlement was eventually reached two years later. [15]

On 26 February 2017 , he was among the actors honored at the 2017 Academy Awards in their "In Memoriam" segment. [16]

Yelchin privately battled cystic fibrosis, regularly undergoing treatment at the University of Southern California's Keck Hospital. A foundation to help actors with disabilities like him was set up in 2017, and a year later, following a US$1 million donation, the adult cystic fibrosis center at Keck Hospital was renamed the Anton Yelchin Cystic Fibrosis Clinic. [17]

A documentary about his life, Love, Antosha , was released at the Sundance Film Festival on 28 January 2019 , with a later limited theatrical release in on 2 August 2019 . [18]

In 2020, Yelchin was again honored by the production staff of DIS Season 3 , by reference of the USS Yelchin , which was named for him.

In 2023, in the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 episode, " The Last Generation ", a character named Anton Chekov and voiced by Walter Koenig was introduced in that episode. He was named after Yelchin. ( citation needed • edit )

External links [ ]

• Anton Yelchin at Wikipedia
• Anton Yelchin Foundation
• Anton Yelchin at the Internet Movie Database
• Audio interview from the set of Star Trek Beyond
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

Anton Yelchin's tragic accident as he was crushed to death by his own car

Rocketed into the world of fame in the 2000s, Anton Yelchin became famous for his acting in the Star Trek reboot franchise films - and this week marks the fourth anniversary of his tragic death

• 21:00, 19 Jun 2020
• Updated 21:29, 19 Jun 2020

It's been four years since Star Trek's Anton Yelchin was killed in a tragic accident.

Rocketed into the world of fame in the 2000s, the TV star became famous for his acting in the Star Trek reboot franchise films.

Anton took on Walter Koenig's original role as Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek reboot films.

The actor died aged 27 when he was crushed to death by his own car outside his home in Los Angeles on June 20, 2016.

His car killed him when it rolled backwards down a steep drive.

Star Trek's Anton died when he became trapped against a brick postbox pillar and a security fence.

Before the terrible accident, he had plans to meet his friends.

He was found dead by his pals after he failed to turn up for a rehearsal, according to Los Angeles police.

The third Star Trek rebooted film he starred in was released one month after his tragic death.

Its third instalment in the summer of 2016 followed the first two films in 2009 and 2013.

During his brief yet successful acting career, the TV star landed his first screen role in US drama ER in 2000.

His breakout role followed in 2006 in Alpha Dog before he landed the part on the rebooted Star Trek franchise.

Anton was born to celebrated Russian figure skaters Victor and Irina Yelchin.

Tributes flooded social media at the time of his death including directors and actors who had worked closely with him.

At the time, Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin said: "Still in shock. Rest in peace, Anton. Your passion and enthusiasm will live on with everyone that had the pleasure of knowing you."

His co-star Zachary Quinto, who played Spock in the films, penned some kind words.

He wrote: "Our dear friend. Our comrade. Our Anton.

"One of the most open and intellectually curious people I have ever had the pleasure to know. So enormously talented and generous of heart. Wise beyond his years. And gone before his time. All love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief."

In recent weeks, Anton's co-star Simon Pegg revealed losing the actor meant it's unlikely they will do a fourth film.

Simon lamented his death was a "real blow" to the Star Trek cast and dampened their enthusiasm for another movie.

He told Collider : "One thing I did mention when I spoke about it recently is that for us, losing Anton Yelchin the way we did was a real blow.

"And I think it slightly took the wind out of our sails in terms of our enthusiasm to do another one, just because we’re now missing one of our family. He would be conspicuous by his absence."

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RIP Anton —

Star trek actor anton yelchin, 27, killed in freak accident, russian-american who played pavel chekov found crushed to death by his own car..

Tom Mendelsohn - Jun 20, 2016 12:58 pm UTC

Anton Yelchin, the Russian-American actor most famous for his portrayal of Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek movies, has been killed in an accident with his own car.

According to reports, the 27-year-old was found dead on Sunday morning, seemingly crushed between his Jeep Cherokee and a security fence at the bottom of his Los Angeles home's steep driveway.

Yelchin was born in St Petersburg to professional figure skaters who moved to the US soon after his birth. He played Chekov in 2009's Star Trek and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness  and is due to appear in the third Star Trek  movie,  Star Trek Beyond ,  next month.

The actor was reportedly found by friends concerned by the fact that he hadn't shown up to a late-night rehearsal. LA police say he had just gotten out of the car when it rolled back and pinned him to his gate.

Tributes have poured in from Hollywood colleagues, including JJ Abrams, the director of the first two rebooted Star Trek films. He tweeted : "You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented. Anton, you weren't here nearly long enough. Missing you..."

pic.twitter.com/q8VBJBVPK3 — Bad Robot (@bad_robot) June 19, 2016

Justin Lin, who directed the third iteration of Star Trek, also wrote of his shock at the sudden death.

Still in shock. Rest in peace, Anton. Your passion and enthusiasm will live on with everyone that had the pleasure of knowing you. — Justin Lin (@trailingjohnson) June 19, 2016

His castmate Zachary Quinto said on Instagram : "our dear friend. our comrade. our anton. one of the most open and intellectually curious people i have ever had the pleasure to know. so enormously talented and generous of heart. wise beyond his years. and gone before his time. all love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief."

Yelchin reportedly owned a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit California Edition, and while there is currently no suggestion that this model is defective, some media reports have pointed out that other models of Jeep, which are manufactured by the Italian company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, have had to be recalled because they did not sound warnings to drivers when they got out that their vehicles had been left in neutral rather than park.

In April this year, Fiat Chrysler issued a voluntary recall to Grand Cherokees built between July 16, 2012, and December 22, 2015. The company is yet to comment on Yelchin's accident.

A report from the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said: "The affected vehicles... may not adequately warn the driver when the driver’s door is opened and the vehicle is not in PARK, allowing them to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is still in gear."

Yelchin began his career at the age of nine in the independent film  A Man Is Mostly Water . He has also appeared in many other films, including Like Crazy , Alpha Dog , Fright Night , and Along Came a Spider.

Listing image by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

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Channel ars technica.

Anton Yelchin (1989-2016)

Camera and electrical department.

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 5,000 62

• 9 wins & 19 nominations

• Bobby Garfield

• Additional Voice Talent
• Jim Lake Jr. (voice)
• 52 episodes

• Milton Schultz

• Maxwell Green

• Dudley (voice)

• Jake Kleeman

• Father James

• Jacob Heckum

• Dr. Jack Stewart

• super 8 camera operator
• performer: "Wayfaring Stranger"

• performer: "Home", "Real Friends", "Stay With You", "Wheels on the Bus", "Beautiful Mess"

• performer: "Those Were the Days (Theme from All in the Family)", "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out", "Yankee Doodle"

Personal details

• 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
• March 11 , 1989
• Leningrad, Russian SFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]
• June 19 , 2016
• Studio City, California, USA (blunt traumatic asphyxia)
• No Children
• Parents Irina Korina
• Eugene Yelchin (Aunt or Uncle)
• Other works TV commercial "Star Trek" for XboxOne with Zachary Quinto and Anton Yelchin in character as Spock and Chekov from Star Trek (2009) .
• 10 Articles
• 1 Pictorial
• 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

• Trivia The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee that rolled into him was part of a 2016 recall for that exact same issue. Incredibly, the recall notice was mailed to Yelchin seven days after his untimely death.
• Quotes Russia is very complicated. It is one of the most complicated histories. I could go on about this forever. It produces Dostoyevsky and Rachmaninoff and then it produces Stalins and Lenins. It is such a strange combination. I don't know why that rant about Russia was necessary.
• Trademarks Distinctive hoarse voice
• When did Anton Yelchin die?
• How did Anton Yelchin die?
• How old was Anton Yelchin when he died?

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Watch CBS News

Anton Yelchin was killed by his own vehicle, police say

June 20, 2016 / 6:13 AM EDT / CBS/AP

LOS ANGELES -- Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles, Officer Jenny Hosier said. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

A Los Angeles police spokesperson told CBS News foul play was not suspected.

Lt. Larry Dietz told CBS News the Los Angeles County coroner's office "concluded that Yelchin's death was an accident" caused by "blunt traumatic asphyxia."

It appeared Yelchin had not properly put his car in park, Dietz said, adding it was "just one of those freak accidents."

Los Angeles police told CBS News the vehicle involved was a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave reported last month that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was investigating more than 850,000 vehicles. Most were 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees equipped with "e-shift" transmissions. Those transmissions lack the typical grooves and sensation of moving the car into park, drive or reverse.

Government investigators found the transmissions are "not intuitive" and provide "poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection."

The investigation found reports of 121 crashes and 30 injures linked to the shifter and possible confusion over whether the vehicles had actually been put into park.

In April, Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Chrysler 300s and Dodge Chargers equipped with Monostable shifter or E-shift transmissions.

Fiat Chrysler spokesperson Eric Mayne told CBS News recall "notices were mailed to affected customers. Included in those notices were tip sheets describing proper operation of the shifter. This supplemental information echoes the instructions in the owner's manual."

Investigators have not established any connection between the transmission in Yelchin's Jeep and the incident that took his life.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn't show up, the group came to his home and found him dead early Sunday.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know and who had great artistic ambition. "Star Trek Beyond," the third film in the rebooted series, comes out in July.

Director J.J. Abrams, who cast Yelchin in the franchise, wrote in a statement that he was "brilliant ... kind ... funny as hell, and supremely talented."

His death was felt throughout the industry.

"What a rare and beautiful soul with his unstoppable passion for life," Jodie Foster said. "He was equal parts serious thinker and the most fun little brother you could ever dream of."

Yelchin co-starred in Foster's 2011 film "The Beaver."

"He was a ferocious movie buff who put us all to shame," said Gabe Klinger, who directed Yelchin in the upcoming film "Porto," likely to be released this fall. "He was watching four or five movies every night."

Klinger said Yelchin had a particular affinity for silent films.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as "ER," ''The Practice," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001's "Hearts in Atlantis."

He transitioned into teen roles in films such as the crime thriller "Alpha Dog" and the comedy "Charlie Bartlett." He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009's "Terminator Salvation."

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn't very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

"I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing," Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama "Like Crazy." He starred opposite Felicity Jones.

"(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did," Yelchin said. "But this is what I wanted."

The discipline that Yelchin learned from his athlete parents translated into his work as an actor, which he treated with seriousness and professionalism, said Klinger, the director.

He drew on his Russian roots for his role as the heavily accented navigator Chekov in the "Star Trek" films, his most high-profile to date.

"What's great about him is he can do anything. He's a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate ones," ''Like Crazy" director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. "There are a lot of people who can't, who can only do one or the other. ... That's what blows my mind."

Yelchin seemed to fit in anywhere in Hollywood. He could do big sci-fi franchises and vocal work in "The Smurfs," while also appearing in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch's vampire film "Only Lovers Left Alive" and Jeremy Saulnier's horror thriller "Green Room," a cult favorite that came out earlier this year.

Klinger recalled a conversation with Jarmusch about Yelchin before Klinger cast him in "Porto."

"Jim was like, 'Watch out. Anton read Dostoyevsky when he was like 11 years old!'" Klinger said.

The director said that for Yelchin, every film was an opportunity to learn and study more. He admired Nicolas Cage's laser-focus on the Paul Schrader film "Dying of the Light" and also got to work with one of his acting heroes, Willem Dafoe, on the film "Odd Thomas."

"He used to refer to Willem as an artist, not an actor," Klinger said. "That's the kind of actor he aspired to be, where people didn't regard him as an actor, they regarded him as an artist."

Yelchin's publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy.

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Jeep that killed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin was one of thousands of faulty vehicles recalled

Friends found the 27-year-old pinned between his 2.5 tonne jeep and the gates to his LA home on Sunday as it is revealed his vehicle was model of Jeep Grand Cherokee have been recalled twice for gearbox problems

• Yasmin Jeffery
• Howell Davies
• Danny Collins
• Published : 19:23, 19 Jun 2016
• Updated : 20:25, 20 Jun 2016

THE vehicle involved in a freak accident that killed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin was being recalled over safety concerns, it has emerged.

Russian-born Yelchin was found dead by friends pinned between a concrete pillar outside his LA home and his Jeep Grand Cherokee yesterday.

Some models of the Cherokee were recalled over concerns about the vehicles' gear stick

It is believed the 2.5 ton car rolled back down the drive of the 27-year-old’s home and crushed him after he had got out the vehicle.

Thousands of the Jeeps were recalled by the manufacturer after concerns about their gear sticks in July 2012 and December last year.

Fiat Chrysler, who make Jeeps, said in a statement  that it's investigating and it's premature to speculate on the cause of the crash.

They offered sympathies to Yelchin's friends and family.

The problem meant drivers could be left unaware whether their car was in neutral or park when they left the vehicle.

Motorists had to rely on a warning light on the gear stick and a bell as their car door opened.

Jeep made moves to solve the problem by making the warnings clearer when a car was left in neutral.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, “The affected vehicles ... may not adequately warn the driver when driver’s door is opened and the vehicle is not in PARK, allowing them to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is still in gear.

“Drivers thinking that their vehicle’s transmission is in the PARK position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out of the vehicle while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged.”

Data from the report shows that the problem potentially caused 212 crashes, 308 property damage claims and 41 injuries.

The Sun has contacted Jeep for comment.

Authorities investigating the tragedy have not yet established why Yelchin was out of his car but it is believed the 4x4 rolled back down his driveway's steep incline, ramming him into the pillar.

Friends made the grim discovery when they visited his home in San Fernando Valley at 1am local time on Sunday after he failed to attend a planned rehearsal.

The car was found in neutral with its engine still running.

His publicist has issued a statement following the tragedy: "Anton Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning.

"His family requests you respect their privacy at this time‎."

There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.

LAPD spokeswoman Jenny Houser told the Hollywood Reporter : "It appears he momentarily exited his car and it rolled backward, causing trauma that led to his death."

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Yelchin rose to fame in 2006 film Alpha Dog before securing the role of Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation, and Chekov in 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness.

He was working on a number of projects before his death, including a TV show called Mr Mercedes.

The star had recently completed work on the next instalment, Star Trek Beyond, due to be released next month.

Star Trek's official website and Twitter account has paid tribute to the late actor: "StarTrek.com is deeply saddened to report that Anton Yelchin, Star Trek’s current Chekov, died today, June 19, at the age of 27.

"The actor was killed, in a freak accident, at home in Los Angeles by his own car.

"Yelchin played Chekov in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and will be seen next month in Star Trek Beyond."

The tribute continued: "Please join StarTrek.com in offering our condolences to Yelchin’s family, friends, colleagues and fans."

Yelchin was born in Russia although he emigrated to the US as a political refugee with his professional figure skater parents, Irina and Viktor Yelchin, as a baby.

Raised in Los Angeles, Yelchin attended the University of Southern California.

He started acting as a child, scoring his first professional role aged just nine in A Man Is Mostly Water.

Fellow celebrities have begun paying tribute to the actor on social media.

Star Trek co-star John Cho tweeted: "I loved Anton Yelchin so much.

"He was a true artist - curious, beautiful, courageous.

"He was a great pal and a great son. I'm in ruins."

He continued:  " Please send your love to Anton's family right now. They need it."

Actor and co-star Zachary Quinto shared a tribute to his friend on Twitter: "one of the most open and intellectually curious people…"

Comedian Matt Lucas wrote: "Dreadful news about Anton Yelchin.

"I thought he was an amazing actor."

Meanwhile, US actress Anna Kendick has described the Star Trek actor's death as "unreal" and a huge loss".

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.

• Los Angeles

Chris Pine Reflects On Anton Yelchin’s Secret Illness Filming Star Trek Beyond

Before J.J. Abrams helped to kickstart the Star Wars franchise with The Force Awakens , he had his eye on another intergalactic property. Abrams brought the Star Trek series back to theaters with his trilogy of movies, starring a talented cast and plenty of lens flares. The fate of the potential fourth movie remains unclear , although the Star Trek family suffered a loss with the death of actor Anton Yelchin .

Anton Yelchin played Pavel Chekov in all three Star Trek movies, although the threequel Beyond was released after his unexpected death at the age of 27. The Star Trek cast recently assembled to celebrate the first movie's 10-year anniversary, and Chris Pine spoke to working with Yelchin. It was revealed posthumously that Yelchin suffered from cystic fibrosis, and Pine remembered a scene where he's sure the young actor was silently suffering. As he put it:

While we were shooting [Star Trek Beyond], especially towards the end, I think we could all tell that something wasn’t right with Anton. I don’t think anyone knew that he was battling the illness that he was. We had about a week of doing a pretty intense stunt, like a really grueling, physically demanding stunt. I haven’t actually thought about it until now, but looking back on it, I remember how hard it was for him to get through it. And he never complained. He didn’t use [the disease] to get out of this fight scene, which he could easily have done, obviously.

It looks like Anton Yelchin was determined to shoot all of his scenes in Star Trek Beyond . So this included silently suffering through symptoms of cystic fibrosis while shooting a weeks worth of stunt footage. It's this type of dedication that made his tenure as Pavel Chekov such a fan favorite aspect of the trilogy.

Chris Pine 's comments to THR just continue to highlight the tragedy of Anton Yelchin's unexpected death. The Russian-American actor clearly had a strong work ethic, and was able to juggle his diagnosis and the long grueling hours of working on a film set. Besides not asking for assistance, Yelchin didn't even share his experience with co-stars like Pine.

Related: Zoe Saldana Recalls Anton Yelchin Being ‘Nervous’ To Do Star Trek Justice

Anton Yelchin's life is being explored through the new documentary Love, Antosha . The doc explores the actor's life and death, with both Chris Pine and J.J. Abrams among the cast who speak to their experiences with Yelchin. You can check the trailer for Love, Antosha below.

Anton Yelchin died on June 19th, 2016 at the age of 27. He was involved in a freak motor vehicle accident in his own driveway, before Star Trek Beyond made it way to theaters. It's particularly tragic that Yelchin didn't get to see the scene that Chris Pine described above, considering the hard work involved.

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The fate of the Star Trek franchise is still a mystery . But if a fourth movie is finally green lit, it would mark the first installment without Anton Yelchin's character.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Star Trek . Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Anton Yelchin, Chekov in ‘Star Trek’

| May 8, 2009 | By: Anthony Pascale 53 comments so far

Even though he just turned twenty, Anton Yelchin has already built over two dozen acting credits in less than a decade, including two big movies this month, Terminator Salvation and a certain Star Trek movie. In our exclusive interview we talk about how this Russian-born actor shaped the role (and accent) for the new Chekov and much more. We also have a new image of Yelchin as Chekov. [interview contains SPOILERS]

TrekMovie interview with Anton Yelchin

TrekMovie.com: I hate to do this but I am going to start off with the accent.

Yelchin: Well the accent is what makes it.

TrekMovie: In my review, it is one of the areas I had some difficulty with. I am one of those who would be OK with things being different. How much of a discussion with J.J. was there on the level of genuine ‘Russian-ness’ to put into it?

Yelchin: I wanted it to be close to the Chekov accent, I guess that is where our opinions differ. I have no problem doing a real Russian accent, but that wouldn’t be Chekov to me. The interesting thing about it is that his accent is a cold-war stereotype of a Russian person. And when I watched the series and the films, that is what I found interesting about it. And I adjusted it, it is not entirely the same, but Walter [Koenig] came on set and was like “that sounds like me.” And that is what was fun for me. As a person familiar with a Russian accent, and someone with Russian roots who can speak Russian and knows what Russian people sound like, it was fun to purposefully mess around with the Russian accent — to purposefully change what I thought a Russian accent was to suit that stereotype they had in the sixties.

TrekMovie: What does your family think of your version of Chekov’s Russian accent?

Yelchin: They think it’s great. We’re Russian, but not very Russian at the same time. There is no nationalism, there is no pride. It is a very difficult country to come from. I think they find it just as amusing as I did.

TrekMovie: I noticed that for the world tour you only did one stop, Moscow.

Yelchin: [laughs] Yeah, that was a no-brainer.

TrekMovie: What was the reaction from the Russian press to your portrayal?

Yelchin: They love it. There are certain things in the movie that are very Russian that is difficult for an American audience to pick up on. Like when [Kirk and Sulu] free fall and I capture them and I say something in Russian… [says Russian phrase]…it means “Oh man!” basically, which is something I ad-libbed. Which goes back to what I was saying. Chekov never speaks Russian in the series, and that was Russian slang. And that that is something I decided to add just for the hell of it because JJ [Abrams] said ‘throw in some Russian, let’s do it for fun.’ It was just a moment that needed some kind of reaction, and they loved it out there. It is one of those things that Russian people get . I think Russian people are very happy with Chekov because he is one of the few Russian characters in American pop culture history that is not the Red Dawn kind of Russians.

TrekMovie: Right, there is nothing villainous about him. In fact, there is something new about this Chekov that I liked, which is that he is this kind of genius. He is seventeen, but already out of the Academy, so he must have gone in when he was pretty young. And Chekov figures out how to save them from the free fall and how to get onto the Narada. So this Chekov knows his physics and science, did you do any research to help you understand that angle?

Yelchin: No, most of my research involved reading the Star Trek Encyclopedia and watching the series and doing Trek research.

TrekMovie: You did a lot of that, Chris [Pine] said that after watching the first half of the first season he stopped.

Yelchin: I kept going. I loved it. I even watched the episodes that Chekov wasn’t in. The ones that he was in I found interesting, like when they go to a bar in “The Troubles With Tribbles” and they have a drink, I liked that. And that one with Apollo and the hand [“Who Mourns for Adonais”], I thought that was hilarious. I really got into the show.

TrekMovie: Which one was your favorite?

Yelchin: Probably the one with Apollo. I think is such an intelligent episode. It is an episode where the basic point is that humanity — looking at it in terms of the 60s when men are their own gods and look at where they brought their universe to. It was such a fascinating, touching, weird thing to have an episode where men come to a planet where a god wants to be a god again. I also love the episode where Spock is PMSing and where Kirk has to fight Spock [“Amok Time”].

TrekMovie: Now in this film you never get off the ship…

Yelchin: I barely get off the bridge!

TrekMovie: So what would you like to see for Chekov’s arc going forward?

Yelchin: I don’t know, I haven’t given it much thought and I agree with Chris [Pine] that it is kind of presumptuous to sit around and think about sequels before this comes out. It would be great to play this character again and I just got started with it. I got to do what I got to do, but it would be fun to see where I could take it.

TrekMovie: You are in two big May movies. How would you describe the differences between working on Terminator Salvation and Star Trek , and the differences between McG and J.J.?

Yelchin: Well first of all the visions between the two movies is so different. The universe of Star Trek is a very positive, optimistic universe. And in Terminator it is just the most f–ked up universe, to put it bluntly. So it was two totally different characters and two totally different looks. The closest this Trek movie comes to Terminator is Nero’s ship, but even that is not as disgusting as the filth-ridden universe of Terminator . The sets, costumes, and the philosophy behind it is totally different. The philosophy of Terminator is: what makes us human in the face of us losing all humanity and being destroyed — how can we preserve our humanity? With the characters, Chekov is like the Star Trek universe, joyous, fun. Kyle Reese is anxiety-ridden, paranoid, angry, unhappy, the list goes on — vulnerable, not to say Chekov isn’t vulnerable, but just in a different way. And that is just the difference between the films.

The sets were different, but I had a great time working on both. There is a great cast and crew here with Trek. J.J. is a wonderful filmmaker to work with. I really think he makes these kinds of films so well. I am so happy with this movie. And it is a cast of similar kind of young men and women. It’s funny though, on Terminator for the first time, I wasn’t the youngest member of the cast. There was girl that was seven, and I was like “yes, finally!” McG and J.J. are very different people. J.J. is very funny and very intelligent and witty, but not does not nearly put as much of himself out there as a human being. When he walks into a room, you may not know it. But when McG walks into a room, you hear McG right away. That was really different, but they are both really collaborative. If you offer an idea to J.J., that idea will get on film, and the same with McG. They are both really enthusiastic about what they are doing. They both love the franchises they are working with and want to honor them and do the best possible job with them.

TrekMovie: You mentioned bringing ideas. Can you talk about some examples of things that you brought that ended up on film?

Yelchin: Well that one Russian line and idea. And [in the scene running towards the transporter room] the freedom to run how I wanted to or to yell what I want to yell as I am pushing people out of the way. A lot of their jump sequence was ad-libbed. J.J. was like ‘just throw stuff out’. He just fully embraces your understanding of the character and works with you to achieve his vision, but factors in your vision as well.

TrekMovie: You spent a lot of time at your console on the bridge and the console in the transporter room. Did any of the set designers ever tell you ‘this button does this, and that button does that’? So when Pike issues an order, you know what button to push?

Yelchin: Me and John Cho kind of sat down the first day and talked to J.J. said that because this is going to become the way for us to do things, we need to figure out what is what. We really kind of stuck to doing the same things over and over again. We also got these neat little space pens, like when I come up with the solution. No one sat us down so it was up to us and John and I really coordinated what we were doing to make sure it looks legitimate.

Up Next – Romulans (Bana and Collins) This week’s series of Star Trek interviews will conclude a couple of Romulans, Eric Bana, and Clifton Collins, Jr. Look for that by Saturday.

Other final pre-movie exclusive interviews at TrekMovie:

• Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
• Leonard Nimoy
• Zachary Quinto
• Zoe Saldana
• Bruce Greenwood

Also check out:

• Premiere red carpet interviews (including Simon Pegg )
• Los Angeles Press Conference (including Chris Pine)

Keptin Kurk! Class!

It’s a geek thing, and not that important in the overall scope of the movie.. but I was so glad they actually used those glass walls for once, and that they weren’t just meaningless set pieces.

Those walls seem to be like general purpose blackboards to scribble ideas on and get all sorts of information from. I might sort of believe in them as useful interfaces now.

We’re approaching wulcan, complete genius, one of the highlights of the film. Chekov and McCoy now battling for my favouritism, even though I was alway a Picard or Data person.

“Nuclear wessel” must be included in the next movie.

The accent way maybe a little bit overdone but overall I really liked his Chekov!

I LOVED Chekov in this movie!!! What a nice surprise!! The single biggest laugh during the entire movie (at least in my theatre) was for those two words in russian that mean oh man! I dont know what he said, but it sounded hilarious and had the theatre cracking up!!

Although I loved all the characters, I wish they all followed Anton and Karl’s lead and watched TOS for pointers. These guys seemed to actually want to BE those characters, while the others wanted to take the characters off on their own. Both methods are fine, but I think Chekov and McCoy are by far the closest to the originals in this movie.

wictor, wictor…

absolutely brilliant stuff from Anton, funny but doesn’t fall into parody or take the mick. I thought he might end up as Wesley mark II (sorry Wil!) but he doesn’t. Now that we’ve got the band back together hopefully in the next film we’ll get more into the characters. As the saying goes:

Every character get’s their page…

Chekov was great – wide-eyed and full of wonder and enthusiasm.

I enjoyed Chekov as well. Sulu and Uhura were fine, but lacked Chekov’s spark.

I really liked this Chekov, very much in the spirit of the old, Anton made him fun, intelligent and that ad-libing was brilliant. It’s interesting how first of all people began by laughing at his accent and then by the end of the film it was accepted as his intelligence and spirit shone through, you can really see how Star Trek is so important, more today in our multicultural lifestyles than ever before.

he did a great job. He sounded a lot like Walter from the Tos. he has a bright future ahead of him in acting.

I mentioned it in a previous thread, but Anton’s little contribution, which he translates as “Oh, Man.” actually translates more as “Holy F*ck” (Yo Mayo!). Either a joke on JJ, or on us, but I can discuss the etymology ad nauseam.

I thought Anton’s contribution to the film was terrific. He was underused, but far from extraneous.

Also, Walter Koenig speaks native Russian. He had a line in STIII: TSFS: “Ya ne sumashedshii! Nu vot!” (I’m not crazy..take a look!) when he discovered someone had entered Spock’s quarters, and showed Scott on his screen.

Trek lives. Big time.

As great as this Movie was and is ju8st think how much better the next one will be. With everyone in there place and with all of the elements together the next movie will be one even more wild ride. I hoe they do something with the doomsday machine. But thats just wishfull thinking.

Okj. Bad Typing Sorry!. To the Agoniser booth for me!!!!.

Have to agree with everyone, Anton Yelchin did a fabulous job in the film, he made Chekov stand out in a way the character hasn’t done for me before, and would love to see Chekov solve a few more problems if a sequel does happen.

You know I should’ve taken off of work after all.. a bit of a challenge with Trek on the brain! At least I had some Trekkie friends I could chat with. Even if they hadn’t seen the movie yet..

One of the things I just couldn’t get out of my head was this new Chekov. At first, I admit having mixed feelings.. I have a vague memory of slapping my face a couple times.. but when my boyfriend suddenly burst out laughing while uttering “nuclear wessels” (I forget the scene) I was beginning to enjoy him.

Guess I did love Yelchin in this role after all. Slightly over the top, yet very, very fun. Awesome job!

Spot on !! Keptain!

I just seen the movie in the Netherlands, and I must admit that I love it. It rocks. Thanks tot JJ and the team. All the actors are great and it all comes together very well. Can’t wait to see it again. Cheers!

I think Anton did a great job with Chekov. Really made him real and it felt good to hear all those W’s again :) I knew he’d be good when I watched House of D and Charlie Bartlett. He’s a good kid and I can’t wait for Terminator in a few weeks. Seeing Trek again on Sunday!

His accent was great even if it did sound like Borat.

I cringed the first time I heard the accent too, but I have to say by the end of the movie it didn’t really bother me.

Yelchin is just so damn endearing that somehow the cute accent kind of fits him.

Just seen the Movie for the 2nd time. Wow. What a Movie. my record for any Trek Movie is at 9 and thats for Trek 2. Could be that record will be broken.

Good on you, Anton.

I wanted to prejudge/dislike and just be a Hater.

Although I think a new (next) adventure would be crafted better- and I felt that there were moments when a bit of exposition(small) would have gone a long way.

Comic book prequel does make the movie make more sense- whether one is an old or a new fan.

Nero’s [on screen] motivation to do what he did, IMHO was simply not strong enough.

I grudgingly liked it at first- then liked it a second time.

Good Job on Chekov (writing and acting) Good to see him competent again- Treks V and VI had taken that away from our beloved Comrade.

“Yelchin: Me and John Cho kind of sat down … ”

Oh my. I see the Ruskies have slipped in their English language training since the end of the Cold War.

Sincerely, C.S. Lewis

I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of Chekov in this film. Loved the voice verification sequence!

I thought his performance and acting were both refreshing and extremely entertaining. Simon Pegg definitely shares the comic relief with Anton, as the audience and myself found all of Chekov’s scenes were hilarious yet showing his youth and genius.

Just saw the movie. I, too, was uncomfortable with Chekov’s accent at first, but by the end of the movie it fits perfectly. This must have been what it felt like back in the sixties to hear Walter do it for the first time… BTW, the movie is EXCELLENT, especially the last scene when Pine says “Bones” for the last time in the movie, GAWD that delivery was BRILLIANT, pure Shatner-esque.

that scene was flippin funny. whole theatre got a laugh out of it.

When is Paramont going to to greenlight a sequel ?

I love Chekov I hope he gets more line in a Squeal! here is to hoping we see more of the Enterprise Crew sooner rather then later!

@30: Jeff, there was an article in Variety a few weeks ago stating that Paramount already has greenlit the twelfth movie for a summer 2011 release.

Oh and p.s., Anton’s Chekov was one of my favorite parts of the movie.

One thing that came to mind during the voice-verification gag (which I thought was cute, btw), was the stuff that was being discussed back when the movie was being made in the midst of the writer’s strike … the notion that the writers and the director weren’t allowed to mess much with the script, but that the actors could ad-lib because that didn’t step on anyone’s contractual toes (pardon me if I’m misremembering the details).

And then remembering that Abrams had apparently given the crew license to choose their own level of homage to the old performances … and that it was said that Yelchin made a conscious choice to do the V/W swap.

… And then concluding that if it’s true that Yelchin made his own choice, and that it wasn’t scripted assuming that he’d make one choice or another, that the verification gag must either have been an ad-lib on set or something that they added/finished later in the process (post writer’s strike).

(Or maybe that it was scripted that way, but had Yelchin decided to go another way with an accent they just would have dropped the gag).

There’s a question lurking in this mess of a post and I’ve lost track of it, but if anyone knows the answer that’d be cool :)

Also: Enjoyed all the performances, including Yelchin’s (even if it felt like virtually everyone had only three minutes on screen each!). Will probably catch him in Terminator next week.

Yelchin = Sexy, can’t wait to see this guy grow up ;)

I posted as much yesterday but its worth repeating- Anton is terrific in the role of Chekov, really properly good. He’s clearly a very talented young actor.

After seeing the movie, Yelcin’s performance was probably the only disagreement I had with Anthony P.’s review. I liked him (and got a sense that the audience liked him as well).

i marveled at his performance, and found the “accent” (although the way an actor uses his voice can be much more than an accent, as was the case here) to solidify the film in a good way. this was new, this was strong, and this was a clearly defined character as opposed to a haircut and some lenigrad jokes, as the original chekov tended to be.

also, chekov’s part seemed very well written, as if they were having fun with the possibilities, creating the “best crew in the fleet.”

Yelcin was one of the highlights of the film and it is evident that he took the time to actually watch the original series. His performance was both fun, comical, and enduring.

A great touch was the ship wide briefing he presented through those translucent displays -a nice update to Kirk simply speaking into the intercom!

Yelcin appears to be way more intelligent that the average thespian.

He´s great. Although he´s not quite right that Checkov never spoke Russian before….he did in one of the movies…..sounded like “mi kalerma” or something like that

On Yelchin’s accent. I heard him say “ze” instead of “the” like I’ve heard a lot of Russians do. And the inversion of V’s and W’s like Koenig. (And, by the way, I have heard other Russians invert V’s and W’s. Just check out the Washington Capitals hockey team web site for some interviews and you’ll see what I mean.)

Yelchin…. If you’re reading this (don’t listen to those Hollywood people that tell you never to read press on you – you’ll like this one)

You were the best thing in the movie! Your characterization of Chekov was great. There was depth in the brief lines you had. Just as I always thought Keonig was underrated, I thought buzz on you has been WAY underrated. Have to admit I didn’t see or feel this deep characterization I’ve heard the movie has from the rest of the crew. Don’t get me started on that. However, I really felt if from you. And in the very brief moments you had on screen. I enjoyed you. Good job.

Let’s have a Chekov moive next time around.

Didn’t do it for me. He was miscast for the role.

“Yo mayo!” Does mean something closer to ‘holy shit!’ or the like, but still quite appropriate.

Genius, I love Anton. He was hands down my favorite.

Anton was wonderful. I enjoyed the movie as a whole, but his portrayal of Chekov had me smiling the entire time. Being so adorable helps, but hey.. it was a good performance. The accent fit perfectly. I know it’s been out for over a month now, but I feel like seeing it again. I can’t wait until the DVD release before Christmas!

I absolutely loved Anton Yelchin’s Chekov! My brother and I are die-hard trekkies, and I’ve seen the movie a couple of times now. I wasn’t expecting much from the movie, as far as it being accurate and true to the series, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love how Yelnich watched the whole series (glad you enjoyed it!)

I’m only fifteen, and I have a huge crush on Chekov!!!

sorry! i spelled it yelnich the second time. please forgive me!

I LOVE ANTON YELCHIN HE IS GREAT

I like ti sjf jltoooo much

I like the picture 3

Anton Yelchin, Star Trek 's Chekov, Dies in a Car Accident at Age 27

The actor was killed in a car accident.

Anton Yelchin , who played Chekov in the new Star Trek  movies, was killed in a car accident at his home in Los Angeles early Sunday. He was 27.

The actor was standing behind his car that was parked in his driveway and the vehicle rolled backwards, pinning him against a brick mailbox and a security fence, a police spokesperson told E! News. He had been on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal and when he didn't show up, they went to his house and found his body.

The actor, an only child, is survived by his parents.

"His family requests you respect their privacy at this time," Yelchin's rep said in a statement to E! News.

The actor was born in 1989 in the former Soviet Union in what is now Russia. He and his parents, professional figure skaters, emigrated to the United States when he was a baby.

He made his onscreen acting debut in 2000 in an episode of  ER . He went on to star in films such as Hearts in Atlantis,  Alpha Dog  and Charlie Bartlett and shows such as The Practice , Curb Your Enthusiasm and Huff before being cast as engineer Pavel Chekov, known as just Chekov, in the 2009  Star Trek reboot.

 That year, he also played Kyle Reese in the movie  Terminator Salvation .

He reprised his  Star Trek  role in the 2013 sequel  Star Trek Into Darkness and also plays the part in an upcoming third film,  Star Trek Beyond , which is set for release on July 22.

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Actor Anton Yelchin was crushed to death by his SUV. His parents just settled with Fiat Chrysler.

The parents of Anton Yelchin, the “Star Trek” actor who died in 2016 when his SUV rolled down his driveway and trapped him against a security gate, have reached a settlement with the makers of Jeep Grand Cherokee.

A confidential settlement between Victor and Irina Yelchin and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which manufactures the Jeep Grand Cherokee that crushed Yelchin, was filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. The details of the settlement were not disclosed.

“Anton Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death,” the lawsuit states.

Yelchin’s family attorney, Gary Dordick, and Yelchin’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, could not be immediately reached for comment. Fiat Chrysler told the Associated Press in a statement that it is “pleased that we’ve reached an amicable resolution in this matter” and that the car company continues to “extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss.”

The settlement money will got to the  Anton Yelchin Foundation  and to the filming of a documentary on Yelchin’s life, Allen said in a statement to People .

“The mission of the Foundation is to empower and support young people engaged in creative arts who face career challenges due to debilitating disease or disability,” she said.

‘Star Trek’s’ Anton Yelchin and the scary reality of the Jeep that rolls away and kills you

Yelchin, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, was best known for playing Chekov in the reboot of the “Star Trek” movies as well as his roles in “Alpha Dog” and “Terminator Salvation.” He was 27 when he died.

“Star Trek” fans were hit with a sense of loss upon realizing that they wouldn’t again see Chekov on screen. Yelchin’s former “Star Trek” castmate, John Cho, told The Washington Post  after Yelchin’s death that he could not “begin to express how badly my heart has been broken by his passing.”

“He was a young man who was just starting to become what he was going to become,” said Cho, who played helmsman Sulu right next to Chekov on the starship Enterprise’s bridge.

Yelchin had been driving a car that came under scrutiny for its gear system. In 2016,  TMZ reported , citing the Los Angeles Police Department, that when Yelchin’s friends discovered his body, they found the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee idling in neutral.

In 2016, the  automotive blog Jalopnik  reported that the Jeep was among one of 1.1 million vehicles that had been recalled about two months before Yelchin’s death because of a confusing gear shifter that could cause the car to roll away unexpectedly. According to former Washington Post reporter Jeff Guo :

[In 2015], NHTSA began investigating the unconventional gearstick design on these cars, which was causing crashes because drivers were mistakenly shifting to neutral when they thought they were shifting to park. With a regular gearstick, drivers choose a transmission option (park, reverse, neutral, drive, etc.) by moving the stick into the corresponding notch or detent. Drivers can feel the stick settle into position. But a new, different, design was used in the cars affected by the recall, which include certain recent models of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Rollaway vehicles kill about 93 people a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .

Yelchin’s parents in 2016 announced in an emotional news conference that they were suing Fiat Chrysler for wrongful death and product liability, during which they said Anton was their only son and “a remarkable human being.” The automaker in response claimed that Yelchin’s “misuse” of the car led to his death, according to People .

“In spite of our unbelievable grief, we decided to come here to prevent other families from the same tragedy,” Victor Yelchin said during the 2016 news conference.

Read more: 

CNN chief calls Fox News ‘propaganda machine,’ and Hannity responds

Former Fox News anchor sues Bill O’Reilly, alleging defamation

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Whales Have an Alphabet

Until the 1960s, it was uncertain whether whales made any sounds at all..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

Today, ever since the discovery that whales produce songs, scientists have been trying to find a way to decipher their lyrics. After 60 years, they may have finally done it. My colleague, Carl Zimmer, explains.

It’s Friday, May 24.

I have to say, after many years of working with you on everything from the pandemic to —

— CRISPR DNA technology, that it turns out your interests are even more varied than I had thought, and they include whales.

They do indeed.

And why? What is it about the whale that captures your imagination?

I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who is not fascinated by whales. I mean, these are mammals like us, and they’re swimming around in the water. They have brains that are much bigger than ours. They can live maybe 200 years. These are incredible animals, and animals that we still don’t really understand.

Right. Well, it is this majestic creature that brings us together today, Carl, because you have been reporting on a big breakthrough in our understanding of how it is that whales communicate. But I think in order for that breakthrough to make sense, I think we’re going to have to start with what we have known up until now about how whales interact. So tell us about that.

Well, people knew that whales and dolphins traveled together in groups, but up until the 1960s, we didn’t really know that whales actually made any sounds at all. It was actually sort of an accident that we came across it. The American military was developing sophisticated microphones to put underwater. They wanted to listen for Russian submarines.

As one does. But there was an engineer in Bermuda, and he started hearing some weird stuff.

[WHALE SOUNDS]

And he wondered maybe if he was actually listening to whales.

What made him wonder if it was whales, of all things?

Well, this sound did not sound like something geological.

It didn’t sound like some underwater landslide or something like that. This sounded like a living animal making some kind of call. It has these incredible deep tones that rise up into these strange, almost falsetto type notes.

It was incredibly loud. And so it would have to be some really big animal. And so with humpback whales swimming around Bermuda, this engineer thought, well, maybe these are humpback whales.

And so he gets in touch with a husband and wife team of whale biologists, Roger and Katy Payne, and plays these recordings to them. And they’re pretty convinced that they’re hearing whales, too. And then they go on to go out and confirm that by putting microphones in the water, chasing after groups of whales and confirming, yes, indeed, that these sounds are coming from these humpback whales.

So once these scientists confirm in their minds that these are the sounds of a whale, what happens with this discovery?

Well, Roger and Katy Payne and their colleagues are astonished that this species of whale is swimming around singing all the time for hours on end. And it’s so inspirational to them that they actually help to produce a record that they release “The Song of the Humpback Whale” in 1970.

And so this is being sold in record stores, you know, along with Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones. And it is a huge hit.

Yeah, it sells like two million copies.

Well, at the time, it was a huge cultural event. This record, this became almost like an anthem of the environmental movement. And it led, for whales in particular, to a lot of protections for them because now people could appreciate that whales were a lot more marvelous and mysterious than they maybe had appreciated before.

And so you have legislation, like the Marine Mammal Act. The United States just agrees just to stop killing whales. It stops its whaling industry. And so you could argue that the discovery of these whale songs in Bermuda led to at least some species of whales escaping extinction.

Well, beyond the cultural impact of this discovery, which is quite meaningful, I wonder whether scientists and marine biologists are figuring out what these whale songs are actually communicating.

So the Paynes create a whole branch of science, the study of whale songs. It turns out that pretty much every species of whale that we know of sings in some way or another. And it turns out that within a species, different groups of whales in different parts of the world may sing with a different dialect. But the big question of what these whales are singing, what do these songs mean, that remains elusive into the 21st century. And things don’t really change until scientists decide to take a new look at the problem in a new way.

And what is that new way?

So in 2020, a group of whale biologists, including Roger Payne, come together with computer scientists from MIT. Instead of humpback whales, which were the whales where whale songs are first discovered, these scientists decide to study sperm whales in the Caribbean. And humpback whales and sperm whales have very, very different songs. So if you’re used to humpback whales with their crazy high and low singing voices —

Right, those best-selling sounds.

— those are rockin’ tunes of the humpback whales, that’s not what sperm whales do. Sperm whales have a totally different way of communicating with each other. And I actually have some recordings that were provided by the scientists who have been doing this research. And so we can take a listen to some of them.

Wow, It’s like a rhythmic clicking.

These are a group of sperm whales swimming together, communicating.

So whale biologists knew already that there was some structure to this sound. Those clicks that you hear, they come in little pulses. And each of those pulses is known as a coda. And whale biologists had given names to these different codas. So, for example, they call one coda, one plus one plus three —

— which is basically click, click, click, click, click, or four plus three, where you have four clicks in a row and a pause and then three clicks in a row.

Right. And the question would seem to be, is this decipherable communication, or is this just whale gibberish?

Well, this is where the computer scientists were able to come in and to help out. The whale biologists who were listening to the codas from the sperm whales in the Caribbean, they had identified about 21 types. And then that would seem to be about it.

But then, an MIT computer science graduate student named Prajusha Sharma was given the job of listening to them again.

And what does she hear?

In a way, it’s not so much what she heard, but what she saw.

Because when scientists record whale songs, you can look at it kind of like if you’re looking at an audio of a recording of your podcast, you will see the little squiggles of your voice.

And so whale biologists would just look at that ticker of whale songs going across the screen and try to compare them. And Sharma said, I don’t like this. I just — this is not how I look at data. And so what she decided to do is she decided to kind of just visualize the data differently. And essentially, she just kind of flipped these images on their side and saw something totally new.

And what she saw was that sperm whales were singing a whole bunch of things that nobody had actually been hearing.

One thing that she discovered was that you could have a whale that was producing a coda over and over and over again, but it was actually playing with it. It was actually stretching out the coda,

[CLICKING] So to get a little bit longer and a little bit longer, a little bit longer.

And then get shorter and shorter and shorter again. They could play with their codas in a way that nobody knew before. And she also started to see that a whale might throw in an extra click at the end of a coda. So it would be repeating a coda over and over again and then boom, add an extra one right at the end. What they would call an ornamentation. So now, you have yet another signal that these whales are using.

And if we just look at what the sperm whales are capable of producing in terms of different codas, we go from just 21 types that they had found in the Caribbean before to 156. So what the scientists are saying is that what we might be looking at is what they call a sperm whale phonetic alphabet.

Yeah, that’s a pretty big deal because the only species that we know of for sure that has a phonetic alphabet —

— is us, exactly. So the reason that we can use language is because we can make a huge range of sounds by just doing little things with our mouths. A little change in our lips can change a bah to a dah. And so we are able to produce a set of phonetic sounds. And we put those sounds together to make words.

So now, we have sperm whales, which have at least 150 of these different versions of sounds that they make just by making little adjustments to the existing way that they make sounds. And so you can make a chart of their phonetic alphabet, just like you make a chart of the human phonetic alphabet.

So then, that raises the question, do they combine their phonetic alphabet into words? Do they combine their words into sentences? In other words, do sperm whales have a language of their own?

Right. Are they talking to each other, really talking to each other?

If we could really show that whales had language on par with humans, that would be like finding intelligent life on another planet.

We’ll be right back.

So, Carl, how should we think about this phonetic alphabet and whether sperm whales are actually using it to talk to each other?

The scientists on this project are really careful to say that these results do not definitively prove what these sperm whale sounds are. There are a handful of possibilities here in terms of what this study could mean. And one of them is that the whales really are using full-blown language.

What they might be talking about, we don’t know. I mean, perhaps they like to talk about their travels over hundreds and thousands of miles. Maybe they’re talking about, you know, the giant squid that they caught last night. Maybe they’re gossiping about each other.

And you have to remember, sperm whales are incredibly social animals. They have relationships that last for decades. And they live in groups that are in clans of thousands of whales. I mean, imagine the opportunities for gossip.

These are all at least imaginable now. But it’s also possible that they are communicating with each other, but in a way that isn’t language as we know it. You know, maybe these sounds that they’re producing don’t add up to sentences. There’s no verb there. There’s no noun. There’s no structure to it in terms of how we think of language.

But maybe they’re still conveying information to each other. Maybe they’re somehow giving out who they are and what group they belong to. But it’s not in the form of language that we think of.

Right. Maybe it’s more kind of caveman like as in whale to whale, look, there, food.

It’s possible. But, you know, other species have evolved in other directions. And so you have to put yourself in the place of a sperm whale. You know, so think about this. They are communicating in the water. And actually, like sending sounds through water is a completely different experience than through the air like we do.

So a sperm whale might be communicating to the whale right next to it a few yards away, but it might be communicating with whales miles away, hundreds of miles away. They’re in the dark a lot of the time, so they don’t even see the whales right next to them. So it’s just this constant sound that they’re making because they’re in this dark water.

So we might want to imagine that such a species would talk the way we do, but there are just so many reasons to expect that whatever they’re communicating might be just profoundly different, so different that it’s actually hard for us to imagine. And so we need to really, you know, let ourselves be open to lots of possibilities.

And one possibility that some scientists have raised is that maybe language is just the wrong model to think about. Maybe we need to think about music. You know, maybe this strange typewriter, clickety clack is actually not like a Morse code message, but is actually a real song. It’s a kind of music that doesn’t necessarily convey information the way conversation does, but it brings the whales together.

In humans, like, when we humans sing together in choruses, it can be a very emotional experience. It’s a socially bonding experience, but it’s not really like the specific words that we’re singing that bring us together when we’re singing. It’s sharing the music together.

But at a certain point, we stop singing in the chorus, and we start asking each other questions like, hey, what are you doing for dinner? How are you going to get home? There’s a lot of traffic on the BQE. So we are really drawn to the possibility that whales are communicating in that same kind of a mode.

We’re exchanging information. We’re seeking out each other’s well-being and emotional state. And we’re building something together.

And I think that happens because, I mean, language is so fundamental to us as human beings. I mean, it’s like every moment of our waking life depends on language. We are talking to ourselves if we’re not talking to other people.

In our sleep, we dream, and there are words in our dreams. And we’re just stewing in language. And so it’s really, really hard for us to understand how other species might have a really complex communication system with hundreds of different little units of sound that they can use and they can deploy. And to think anything other than, well, they must be talking about traffic on the BQE. Like —

— we’re very human-centric. And we have to resist that.

So what we end up having here is a genuine breakthrough in our understanding of how whales interact. And that seems worth celebrating in and of itself. But it really kind of doubles as a lesson in humility for us humans when it comes to appreciating the idea that there are lots of non-human ways in which language can exist.

That’s right. Humility is always a good idea when we’re thinking about other animals.

So what now happens in this realm of research? And how is it that these scientists, these marine biologists and these computer scientists are going to try to figure out what exactly this alphabet amounts to and how it’s being used?

So what’s going to happen now is a real sea change in gathering data from whales.

So to speak.

So these scientists are now deploying a new generation of undersea microphones. They’re using drones to follow these whales. And what they want to do is they want to be recording sounds from the ocean where these whales live 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And so the hope is that instead of getting, say, a few 100 codas each year on recording, these scientists want to get several hundred million every year, maybe billions of codas every year.

And once you get that much data from whales, then you can start to do some really amazing stuff with artificial intelligence. So these scientists hope that they can use the same kind of artificial intelligence that is behind things like ChatGPT or these artificial intelligence systems that are able to take recordings of people talking and transcribing them into text. They want to use that on the whale communication.

They want to just grind through vast amounts of data, and maybe they will discover more phonetic letters in this alphabet. Who knows? Maybe they will actually find bigger structures, structures that could correspond to language.

If you go really far down this route of possibilities, the hope is that you would understand what sperm whales are saying to each other so well that you could actually create artificial sperm whale communication, and you could play it underwater. You could talk to the sperm whales. And they would talk back. They would react somehow in a way that you had predicted. If that happens, then maybe, indeed, sperm whales have something like language as we understand it.

And the only way we’re going to figure that out is if we figure out not just how they talk to themselves, but how we can perhaps talk to them, which, given everything we’ve been talking about here, Carl, is a little bit ironic because it’s pretty human-centric.

That’s right. This experiment could fail. It’s possible that sperm whales don’t do anything like language as we know it. Maybe they’re doing something that we can’t even imagine yet. But if sperm whales really are using codas in something like language, we are going to have to enter the conversation to really understand it.

Well, Carl, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Thank you. Sorry. Can I say that again? My voice got really high all of a sudden.

A little bit like a whale’s. Ooh.

Yeah, exactly. Woot. Woot.

Thank yoooo. No. Thank you.

Here’s what else you need to know today.

We allege that Live Nation has illegally monopolized markets across the live concert industry in the United States for far too long. It is time to break it up.

On Thursday, the Justice Department sued the concert giant Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster, for violating federal antitrust laws and sought to break up the $23 billion conglomerate. During a news conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Live Nation’s monopolistic tactics had hurt the entire industry of live events.

The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices.

In a statement, Live Nation called the lawsuit baseless and vowed to fight it in court.

A reminder — tomorrow, we’ll be sharing the latest episode of our colleagues’ new show, “The Interview.” This week on “The Interview,” Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix, about his plans to make the world’s largest streaming service even bigger.

I don’t agree with the premise that quantity and quality are somehow in conflict with each other. I think our content and our movie programming has been great, but it’s just not all for you.

Today’s episode was produced by Alex Stern, Stella Tan, Sydney Harper, and Nina Feldman. It was edited by MJ Davis, contains original music by Pat McCusker, Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, and Sophia Lanman, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

Special thanks to Project SETI for sharing their whale recordings.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you on Tuesday after the holiday.

• May 31, 2024   •   31:29 Guilty
• May 30, 2024   •   25:21 The Government Takes On Ticketmaster
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• May 24, 2024   •   25:18 Whales Have an Alphabet
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Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Carl Zimmer

Produced by Alex Stern ,  Stella Tan ,  Sydney Harper and Nina Feldman

Edited by MJ Davis Lin

Original music by Elisheba Ittoop ,  Dan Powell ,  Marion Lozano ,  Sophia Lanman and Pat McCusker

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

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Ever since the discovery of whale songs almost 60 years ago, scientists have been trying to decipher the lyrics.

But sperm whales don’t produce the eerie melodies sung by humpback whales, sounds that became a sensation in the 1960s. Instead, sperm whales rattle off clicks that sound like a cross between Morse code and a creaking door. Carl Zimmer, a science reporter, explains why it’s possible that the whales are communicating in a complex language.

On today’s episode

Carl Zimmer , a science reporter for The New York Times who also writes the Origins column .

Background reading

Scientists find an “alphabet” in whale songs.

These whales still use their vocal cords. But how?

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Carl Zimmer covers news about science for The Times and writes the Origins column . More about Carl Zimmer

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