Sadly, he may be most remembered for his screams.

Over the course of the Star Trek films, some of his most notable screen time was taken up with him wailing in character.

I'm speaking, of course, of Walter Koenig. In his role as former Enterprise crewman Pavel Chekov, Koenig spent much of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan howling and writhing under the influence of the Ceti eel. In Star Trek: IV: The Voyage Home, he howled as he took a steep header off the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Although perhaps less-noticed than the bigger names in the cast, Koenig's contributions to Star Trek transcend such ignominious and stentorious moments.

For instance, earlier in The Voyage Home, Koenig also had the priceless comedic moment of wandering through 20th century passersby asking them in his character's thick Russian accent, Where are the nuclear wessels?

While the spotlights largely focused on William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, like his second-tier compatriots, Koenig nonetheless soldiered on through the succession of Trek flicks -- providing important contributions.

Koenig -- like George Takei or Nichelle Nichols -- would be more noticed for their absence than their presence. They offered a subtle but often reassuring presence that the crew was all together. Although these members of the cast didn't take much screen time, if they were not present at all, fans would be more jarred by their absence, wondering, even subconsciously, Where's Chekov? or Where's Sulu?

And, of course, Koenig went on to offer one of the true bright spots of the series Babylon 5 as the ruthless psy-cop Bester. If anyone thought Koenig was incapable of good acting aside from a few quick yelps or yuks, this role put them straight.

So it came as a surprise to learn Koenig is the last of the original Trek cast to be without a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

We fans came through for the ailing Jimmy Doohan last year, so as to make sure the man who played Scotty all those years received his star quickly -- before Doohan passes away.

We now have an opportunity also to do right by Koenig and ensure the 68-year-old receives his own star -- a fitting tribute to someone who faithfully and well served science-fiction fandom for decades.

A group of fans have put together a fund-raising effort to generate the money needed to ensure Koenig receives a star alongside those of his Trek co-stars. A Hollywood Walk of Fame star costs $15,000.

With all the original cast being honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame, except one, it is time for fans to unite and come together to insure that the final remaining original cast member, Walter Koenig, receives his much-deserved star, the group wrote in an open-letter launching Koenig's star drive. The original Star Trek cast have become legends and inspired millions to reach for the stars ... literally. Astronauts, physicists, doctors, engineers, teachers and people from all walks of life have credited the original 'Star Trek' with inspiring their dreams.

Walter Koenig in his role as Pavel Chekov showed the international scope of the original crew and navigated the USS Enterprise through some of its most perilous missions.

The group, which includes Dan Madsen -- founder of the Official Star Trek Fan Club -- added his humor, loyalty and bravery endeared him to millions of fans.

The fan group set up a Web site, www.waltersstar.com. At the site, interested fans can track progress made toward the $15,000 goal, as well as donate to the effort through a variety of ways including some merchandising which includes an invitation to the star ceremony itself when the happy day arrives.

It's almost certain original Trek will never fly again -- either in a television series or film. That makes it both imperative and fitting that we fans undertake this last mission on behalf of the original crew to show at least one crew member the thanks and respect he deserves.

A former entertainment journalist, Scott Nance is a member of the USS Chesapeake, an independent science-fiction and Star Trek club in the Washington, DC, area. He is a columnist for Airlock Alpha, and can be reached at scottnance@airlockalpha.com.