Star Trek’s Walter Koenig Stars In Mournful Sci-Fi Short, Flashback

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

Even though the internet and evolving technologies have made it easier than ever to make your very own short film, and to do so with genuinely impressive visual effects and production values, you still have to find a way for your creation to get noticed, to be heard above the din of all the other crap people are talking about and forwarding around online. One surefire way to increase your chances? Cast a member of the original Star Trek cast as your lead actor.

Writer/director Steve Petersen landed a serious geek get when it came time to fill the lead role in his sci-fi short, Flashback. For the story of a genius inventor who is haunted by the sacrifices his creation demanded, Petersen enlisted the talents of genre icon Walter Koenig. Check it out.

After being typecast as Chekov for much of his career, Walter Koenig got the chance for a late-life victory lap in the role of ruthless Psi-Cop Alfred Bester on Babylon 5, proving that he had more to offer than jokes about “nuclear wessels.” At the age of 76, it’s very cool to see him still turning up in projects like this. With only six minutes to work with, he packs some genuine emotion into his wistful performance in Flashback, and it reminds me of some of the more tragic elements of his Bester character from B5.