Chekov Will Not Be Recast in Star Trek 4

In an interview posted on the Toronto Sun site, Star Trek executive producer JJ Abrams verified that the character of Chekov would not be recast for Star Trek 4 after the death of Anton Yelchin. Abrams said, "I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better. I have thought about [how write the character off], we’re working on it, and it’s too early to talk about it." My guess is a quick line indicating that Chekov received a promotion and was transferred to another ship in Starfleet.