Just because Chekov wasn’t on the bridge and we didn’t see him doesn’t mean that he wasn’t still part of the crew somewhere else on the ship. When we finally did see Chekov in Season 2, he at no point claimed to have just joined the crew.
This is how I make sense of it too. Kirk wasn't going to put some fresh face on the bridge without serving with him for some time first.
“Who am I, Janeway? Lol!”
— James Tiberius Kirk
It's time travel
The answer is always time travel (or the Borg/Q/a combination of the three)
In case anyone is wondering, the actor says he didn’t say anything as that would reduce his screen time.
Not sure how true this is, but it’s believable.
Pretty sure Anton Yelchin and Benedict Cumberbatch were both in Star Trek: Into Darkness
Just because Chekov wasn’t on the bridge and we didn’t see him doesn’t mean that he wasn’t still part of the crew somewhere else on the ship. When we finally did see Chekov in Season 2, he at no point claimed to have just joined the crew.
This is how I make sense of it too. Kirk wasn't going to put some fresh face on the bridge without serving with him for some time first.
“Who am I, Janeway? Lol!”
— James Tiberius Kirk