by Jonathan Klotz
| Published
For better or worse, the cast Star Trek: The Original Series They found their careers tied to science fiction for decades after the series ended. It ended up working well for Walter Koenig, the original Chekov, who found a resurgence in his career late in his career. Babylon 5 Like Albert Bester, the evil Psi Cop who became a staple of the five-season series. Chekov was meant to appeal to young fans, Bester was a villain from his first scene to his last, and throughout it all, Koenning took whatever material he was given and knocked it right out of the park.
Albert Bester was Babylon 5's greatest villain
First appearance of Walter Koenig Babylon 5 In “Mind War”, the show's sixth episode, she introduces the audience to the dark side of the Psi Corps from the beginning. Albert Bester, a representative of the mysterious Psi-Corps, lands on the space station to capture a rebel telepath. Bester doesn't get along with the station leaders, and lies to Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) the first time. More often than not, a Psi cop will obscure his true mission no matter who he might get hurt along the way. Koening's performance was praised by fans immediately after the episode aired, and to this day, the 12 episodes he appears in are among the show's best.
Having more in common with Khan than with Chekhov, Walter Koenig Babylon 5 Psi-Cop was driven by the desire to craft a world in which telepathy ruled over humans. He wasn't subtle about it either, and thankfully, none of the other characters held back when discussing their feelings for Bester, resulting in some of the best lines in the show. Only a perfect match between actor and character could lead to a line as corny as this one delivered with all seriousness: “Pinata, huh? So, you consider me something bright and cheerful, full of toys and candy for little kids? Thank you! It makes me feel a lot better about our relationship.” “
There is no redemption arc to be found anywhere
As the series went on, Walter Koenig became more comfortable playing the role Babylon 5 An outright villain, Bester slowly turned from annoying adversary to ally as the Shadow War intensified. Not only did this last long, but it completely collapsed during Season 5 and the Telepath War. Sheridan's (Bruce Buckleitner) work to try to house a telepathic colony aboard the space station begins with the best intentions, but he nearly destroys the budding alliance even before Bester gets his hands dirty.
The strict rules and strict discipline of the Psi Corps, embodied in the motto, “The Corps is the Mother, the Corps is the Father,” were wholeheartedly embraced by Bisker and his sense of superiority. Even after the fallout from the Telepath War led to the Legion's doom, it helped reinforce his beliefs, and in fact, originally, the Season 5 story wasn't going to be the end of Psi Cop. Walter Koenig was scheduled to appear again in a film Babylon 5 spin off, crusadebut the show was canceled before it could happen, which is unfortunate, given how far he had fallen by the end of the show, there was boundless story in his rise from the ashes.
As great as Walter Koenig's performance as Chekov is Star Trek: The Original Series It is, if anyone says that his true greatest Science fiction The role was Albert Bester in Babylon 5It would be hard to argue. We've had five seasons of menacing looks, devious mind control, and gloriously snide responses, including the delightfully dry: “Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi. But you're welcome to try.” Not once in any episode was there an attempt to give Bester a redemption arc or portray him as anything other than a cocky villain willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
