So I’m going to start this post by commenting on the curious circumstances of Anton Yelchin’s (Star Trek, Charlie Bartlett, Odd Thomas) tragic death yesterday.

The man died pinned between his vehicle and the brick mailbox post/security gate. It appears he went to put the vehicle in Park, only to miss the notch, getting out of the vehicle and going to the mailbox/gate area. The vehicle (a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee) rolled down the steep incline, pinning Yelchin, and ultimately killing him via blunt traumatic asphyxia.

Outside of drowning and being burned alive, I can’t imagine a death that could be much more suffering than that, anything where you’re in pain and gasping for breath.

I don’t put the circumstances of his death on the backburner to minimize them. This was a tragedy. A tragedy for his family and friends who feel his loss the most. A tragedy for his fans, who may not have known him personally, but had respect and admiration for the man’s work.

I am in that latter category. I am a fan of Anton Yelchin.

While he may best be known for his role as Pavel Andreievich Chekov (or just Chekov, for short) in the rebooted Star Trek franchise – the third film, Star Trek Beyond, of which will be released later this year – Yelchin had an impressive resume and worked alongside some of Hollywood’s best and brightest. In fact, dare I say, he was among the underrated elite.

I think I first ran across Yelchin when he played a too-smart-for-his-own-good high school student in 2009’s Charlie Bartlett. This was three years after Iron Man and, quite frankly, I was interested in seeing Robert Downey Jr. outside of the suit. If you haven’t watched it, I really can’t recommend it enough. This “kid” turned in a dynamite performance as a high schooler who has spent enough time in therapy that he starts holding therapy sessions for his classmates – and prescribing them medication. Like I said – he’s too smart for his own good. Plenty of laughs and plenty of heart that helps encompass that teenage zeitgeist of rebelling against authority.

With an IMDb list of credits that dates back to a 2000 appearance on ER, The Practice, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Criminal Minds, as well as big screen projects like Alpha Dog, Terminator Salvation, and The Smurfs, Yelchin was a versatile and capable talent.

I STRONGLY (how’s that for emphasis) recommend you seek out Odd Thomas.

Based on the novel by Dean Koontz, the movie is available on Netflix. It’s absolutely worth a watch. And Anton is spectacular in the movie. A relatively light-hearted guy who can foresee the arrival of evil, violent death.

As it sits, we don’t know all of the exact details about the death of Anton Yelchin. Unless he has surveillance set up at his home, we possibly never will. But I do know that the future of Hollywood is a little less bright with his passing.

Anton Yelchin, dead at the young age of 27. Rest in Peace.