Most of Koenig's fan mail indeed came from children, and the high volume of letters contributed to him soon receiving a contract as a regular cast member; this surprised Koenig, who had been told that Chekov would be a recurring role. When the early Season 2 episodes of "Star Trek" were shot, George Takei was delayed while completing the movie "The Green Berets", so Chekov was joined at the "Enterprise" helm by a different character. When Takei returned, the two had to share a dressing room and a single episode script. This reportedly angered Takei to the point where he nearly left the show (although Koenig observed in a 2016 interview that, whilst sharing a dressing room with Takei and James Doohan, they recognised their status as supporting players, and "didn't think twice about it"), but the two actors have since become good friends, to the point that Koenig was the best man at Takei's wedding in 2008.