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Star Trek: Leonard McCoy , Frontier Doctor IDW mini-series

#1 Apr 2010 Weeds While overseeing a refit of the Enterprise, Admiral James T. Kirk receives a handwritten letter that can only have come from one person. Dr. Leonard McCoy has joined Frontier Medics, a Federation program that provides medical care wherever its needed. With a stowaway aboard, McCoy and his partner, Dr. Jon Mikael Duncan, fly their antique shuttle, named Joanna , from an Andorian outpost to Ophiucus III, a human agricultural colony struggling with an outbreak of infectious disease. As the disease mutates and spreads, McCoy has to rely on his medical instincts and Theela, a bratty and well-armed Andorian girl, to find a cure. Much to his chagrin, McCoy learns that he and Duncan will be babysitting Theela for some time to come. 2 regular covers shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#1 Apr 2010 Weeds Solicitation: Space, the final frontier... and on that frontier and beyond, humans and aliens alike need medical care. Enter Leonard McCoy, Doctor of Space Medicine, late of the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE... his first assignment: save the human colonists from a mysterious plague on a distant world whose only native lifeform is a vast and suddenly hostile jungle. Shipped with a special variant Byrne gag cover! 2 regular covers shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#1 Apr 2010 Weeds Retailer incentive cover. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#1 Apr 2010 Weeds Variant issue given to retailers at the Diamond Retailer Summit, held April 14-15, 2010, in conjunction with the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo. Gold foli lettering and logos on front and back. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#2 May 2010 Error In another letter to Jim Kirk, McCoy tells the tale of his latest adventure. Theela has settled in comfortably with McCoy and Duncan, eagerly listening to the veteran doctor's stories and finding a little romance with the younger doctor. Arriving on Gamma Tarses VII at the request of Montgomery Scott, McCoy encounters the Tarseans, whose rigid cultural protocols make investigating deaths from a mysterious ailment, very difficult. Forced to take a break from his research for a holy day, McCoy stumbles on a secret, then he and his team deduce the stunning cause of the deaths from Scotty's remarks about the Tarsean transporters. 2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#2 May 2010 Error Solicitation: Doctor McCoy hates mysterious ailments. He also hates the transporter. Now he finds himself on a world beset with one, where the only means of getting around is the other. John Byrne's tale set in the period before Star Trek: The Motion Picture continues here with two covers from Byrne. 2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#2 May 2010 Error Retailer incentive cover. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#3 Jun 2010 Medics McCoy and his team are asked to visit and report on a planet under routine Starfleet observation. On arrival, their ship is fired upon and damaged. Only Duncan's sure-handed piloting gets them down alive. On the ground, they find themselves in a war zone. Theela and McCoy are separated from Duncan, then captured by soldiers. McCoy's interrogation is interrupted by Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln. It seems that Seven's employers are partly responsible for the surprising situation on the planet. Klingons are responsible for the rest. 2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#3 Jun 2010 Medics Solicitation: A planet at war--but all is not as it seems. Especially not when Dr. McCoy finds himself face to face with someone who seems to be from the wrong century! This issue picks up threads from both the Assignment: Earth and Crew minis. Features two covers by Byrne, including a single-panel gag cover. 2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#3 Jun 2010 Medics Retailer incentive cover. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#4 Jul 2010 Hosts Aboard the Yorktown, McCoy says goodbye to his friends, Theela and Duncan, who are joining a new research team. Then he says goodbye to new friends, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln. Afterwards, Dr. Christine Chapel asks him for help diagnosing an ailment that has caused the death of several crewmembers recently returned from Sigma Thernia 38. McCoy's knowledge of DNA and evolution lead him to a startling discovery. Scalpel McCoy visits an old friend living on Palvarlion IV, Alex Hathway and his daughter Sophie. McCoy learns that Alex is dying of Theising-Barre Syndrome and has been altering time like a surgeon with a scalpel. Alex wants McCoy to continue his work and the doctor must make a decision. 2 regular covers shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#4 Jul 2010 Hosts/Scalpel Solicitation: Our visit with the Doctor comes to an end with two titanic tales -- first, Dr. McCoy must find a way to deal with a virus that just may be smarter than he is... and then a visit to an old friend finds Bones wrestling with a dilemma that cuts across the very heart of his Hippocratic Oath. 2 regular covers shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

#4 Jul 2010 Hosts/Scalpel Retailer incentive cover. Writer: John Byrne Artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski Cover artists: John Byrne, Lovern Kindzierski

Leonard McCoy

Character » Leonard McCoy appears in 742 issues .

Dr. McCoy was the Chief Medical Officer on both the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A.

Summary short summary describing this character..

Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection

Leonard McCoy last edited by KillerZ on 08/11/23 09:27AM View full history

Star Trek Canon Special Note Not everything listed in the origin is Canon. That is because only television shows and movies are considered canon. This being a comic website there are many things here that are not canon. So unless it is contradicted in film, it should be listed as part of the character biography.

McCoy was born on born in 2227 in Atlanta , Georgia . His father was a clergymen who taught him the bible and to respect life. As he got older McCoy went to the University of Mississippi, where he met his wife. However, it was not to be and they had a divorce, leaving him with nothing except his “Bones” This would later become his nick name. This could also be a reference to sawbones , which is an old epithet (substitute for the name or title) for physicians.

McCoy became the Chief Medical officer on board the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk in 2266. He was known for his arguing the logic of his fellow officer and the science officer Spock . Often these arguments would end with McCoy making references to Spock’s blood color and other physiological differences between himself and the Vulcan. He served on board ship for many years until he retired.

McCoy had been retired for two years, but is ordered to return to his post, which causes him to consider himself "drafted." He serves with distinction on the ships and ends up staying on as Chief Medical Officer. He later served on board during Spock's death and was the last to see him before he entered the chamber filled with radiation.

As it turned out Spock had transferred his katra (which is his knowledge and experience) to McCoy before dying previously. Annoyed and fluted that Spock had chosen him to carry on, McCoy has to go back to the Genesis planet to restore Spock's katra to his reanimated body. A few years later he and Kirk escape from a Klingon prison world. The two and the rest of the Enterprise crew manage to stop a plot to sabotage the peace treaty between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire .

"You treat her like a lady... and she'll always bring you home." --Leonard McCoy

McCoy stay in Starfleet for years afterwards and on On stardate 41153.7, the 137-year old Admiral Leonard McCoy inspected the USS Enterprise D during its first mission He commented on the great significance of the ship's name to Lieutenant Commander Data , telling Data.

McCoy was created by Gene Roddenberry to the Television show Star Trek. He was not the first Cheif Medical officer on the ship or even the first on the show. The show had two pilot episodes and the actor DeForest Kelly who played McCoy did not join the cast until the series started. The Chief Medical Officer in the first pilot under Captain Christopher Pike was Phillip Boyce. The Chief Medical Officer in the second pilot was Mark Piper.

In the 2009 Star Trek film, McCoy is played by Karl Urban in a new timeline. It is in this new timeline that he becomes friends with Kirk at Starfleet Academy. He joins, like in the normal universe after his divorce (see above). McCoy helps get Kirk posted aboard the USS Enterprise , thereby helping him get the command later on and very early in his career.

Character Family Development

In Star Trek: the Animated Series, it is revealed That McCoy has a daughter. Pavel Chekov 's friend Irina, in the original series episode The Way to Eden, was originally written as Dr. McCoy's daughter, Joanna, but this character was changed before the episode was shot. In another episode it was also planed for his daughter to have relations with the mischievous Kirk, but it was not to be as the series was canceled before it aired.

DeForest Kelley the actor who became synonymous with the character of McCoy died on June 11, 1999. As a tribute DC Comics honored the actor by creating a story chronicling McCoy's death.

Famous Quotes

The character of McCoy became well known for his many quotes.

• " I signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget. "
• " What's the matter, Jim, don't you trust yourself? "
• "He's dead, Jim."
• “I’m a doctor not a…” (insert depending on the event or circumstance)
• "I never say that."
• " Shut up, Spock, we're rescuing you! "
• " Hey, Jim-boy, y'all ever have a real cold, Georgia-style mint julep, huh? "
• " Do you want to see just how fast I can put you in a hospital? "
• " By golly, Jim – I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day! "
• " I'm trying to thank you, you pointed-eared hobgoblin! "
• " A child could do it... a child could do it... "
• " Just a moment, Captain, Sir, I'll explain what happened. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little-known, seldom-used reserve activation clause. In simpler language, captain, they drafted me! "
• " Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. Well, I'm gonna need a top nurse, not a doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with me. And they probably redesigned the whole sickbay too! I know engineers, they love to change things! "
• " Jim, I'm your doctor and I'm your friend. Get back your command. Get it back before you turn into part of this collection. Before you really do grow old. "
• " The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. We'll get a freighter. "
• " Because I'm a doctor, that's how I know! " (Upon learning he was the recipient of Spock's katra via a mind-meld) " That green-blooded son-of-a-bitch. It's his revenge for all those arguments he lost. "
• " You treat her like a lady, and she'll always bring you home. "
• " Jim, you don't ask the Almighty for his ID! "

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Leonard McCoy

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McCoy was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 2227.   The son of David, he attended the University of Mississippi, and is a divorcé.  In 2266, McCoy was posted as chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, who often calls him "Bones".

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Star Trek: Leonard McCoy - Frontier Doctor (Star Trek: McCoy) Kindle & comiXology

• Part of Series Star Trek: McCoy
• Print length 103 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes Not Enabled
• Publisher IDW
• Publication date May 25, 2016
• File size 342659 KB
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Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01FIK4D0E
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ IDW (May 25, 2016)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 25, 2016
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 342659 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 103 pages
• #3,024 in Science Fiction Graphic Novels (Kindle Store)
• #3,382 in Media Tie-In & Adaptation Graphic Novels
• #5,868 in Science Fiction Graphic Novels (Books)

About the author

John Lindley Byrne (born July 6, 1950) is a British-born American comic-book writer and artist. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on many major American superheroes. Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics’ X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise, the first issue of which featured comics' first variant cover. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He scripted the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing. In 2015, Byrne and his longtime X-Men collaborator Chris Claremont were inducted into the comic book hall of fame.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Corey Bond from United States (John Byrne. Cropped prior to upload.) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Leonard McCoy

Leonard Horatio "Bones" McCoy , MD was the tritagonist in the sci-fi television program Star Trek . He was portrayed in the original series, the first six Star Trek motion pictures, and the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation by the late DeForest Kelley. His alternate reality counterpart was portrayed by Karl Urban in the 2009 film Star Trek .

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History [ ]

"Bones" was a hot-blooded and humanistic person that has been noted as a physician and scientist of the 23rd and 24th centuries. He was an accomplished surgeon, physician, psychologist, and exobiology, and was also considered an expert in space psychology. As ship's surgeon and chief medical officer, he served aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A for a combined twenty-seven years.

McCoy was the son of David and Eleanora McCoy. He attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), and happened to meet the joined Trill Emony Dax. She suspected that he would eventually become a surgeon.

As a young man McCoy had married and fathered a daughter, but later divorced. To escape the pain he felt at his marriage falling apart he entered Starfleet. He later met a young Starfleet officer named James T. Kirk and became close friends with the man. McCoy served on a medical mission to Capella IV before joining his friend Kirk as chief medical officer on the Enterprise . Over the course of the five year mission McCoy came to consider first officer Spock a close friend as well, even though they frequently argued with each other. McCoy also became good friends with the others on the Enterprise senior staff - including Nyota Uhura , Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, and Montgomery Scott . He became friends with Enterprise head nurse Christine Chapel and remained friends as she became a medical doctor herself and continued to work alongside him on the refit Enterprise .

After the Enterprise was refit following the end of its first five year mission under Kirk's command, succeeding Captain Willard Decker recruited a very diverse crew with assistance from Lt. Commander Uhura. When the Enterprise left spacedock to deal with V'Ger, she had the most diverse crew in the fleet. At first Dr. McCoy was critical of this, fearing unexpected complications that could result from so many species living and working together. He later changed his mind, and his experiences working with such a diverse crew in the coming years led him to become an expert on alien physiology. McCoy began work on a medical textbook called Comparative Alien Physiology , and spent the next quarter century working on it. McCoy's work came to be regarded as one of the classics of Federation medicine along with Grey's Anatomy , and medical professionals throughout the Federation were familiar with the work. In the mid 24th century McCoy lamented that the work could never be kept truly up to date owing to the continued contact with alien life forms.

It was McCoy that Spock chose to safeguard his katra , or his immortal soul, when Spock entered the warp chamber to save the Enterprise at the cost of his own life. Heading back to the Genesis Planet, Kirk and the Enterprise crew retrieved the Genesis regenerated body of Captain Spock. This came at a terrible price as Kirk's son David Marcus was killed by the Klingon commander Kruge's crew, and Kirk was forced to destroy the Enterprise to keep her from falling into Klingon hands.

After leaving the rapidly disintegrating Genesis Planet, Kirk and his shipmates returned Spock to Vulcan. There a Vulcan priestess transferred Spock's katra back to his regenerated body. Over the next few months McCoy underwent a series of mind melds to ensure that any remaining parts of Spock's consciousness had been completely transferred back to Spock. McCoy semi-jokingly told Spock to never put him through that again, to which Spock assured him that he had no intention of dying again anytime soon nor being raised from the dead again. Even after fal-tor-pan was completed McCoy still retained a few of Spock's memories, including some of Spock's pet sehlat I-Chaya.

When the Whale Probe attacked Earth, McCoy accompanied his shipmates back in time to the late 20th century to retrieve humpback whales that the probe was looking for. McCoy played a key role in helping secure the plexiglass needed to build a tank to hold the whales. When Chekov was seriously injured in a fall and was located at Mercy Hospital, McCoy, Kirk, and Gillian Taylor snuck into the hospital so that McCoy could treat him. Ultimately, the mission to retrieve humpback whales was successful and the whales the Enterprise crew brought to the 23rd century were able to convince the probe to leave.

After the Federation council dropped all the criminal charges against McCoy for his role in the unauthorized mission to save Spock, he and his shipmates were assigned to the Enterprise-A . McCoy served as CMO on that ship until that ship had been decommissioned in 2293.

Prior to standing down from duty on the Enterprise-A , McCoy participated in the peace mission to the Klingon Empire . He began studying Klingon anatomy in depth and even considered opening a practice dedicated to treating Klingon patients.

After the apparent death of Kirk McCoy continued his career in Starfleet and worked his way up the ranks. McCoy attended the wedding of his friend Spock to Saavik in the 2340s. By 2365 the 137 year old Admiral Leonard McCoy boarded the Galaxy class USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) to inspect the medical facilities. Commander Data escorted him to a shuttle that was taking him to the USS Hood . On the way McCoy told Data that the new ship had the right name, and that if they treated the Enterprise like a lady she would always bring them home.

When Montgomery Scott was rescued from the USS Jenolen in the late 2360s, he was delighted that Doctor McCoy was still alive. He chuckled at the thought of McCoy - who had been one of the most opposed to Starfleet's Admiralty during their years of service together - winding up joining them instead.

• In Star Trek: The Original Series and in the first six Star Trek movies, he has brown hair, but in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , he has white hair, due to aging.
• In the novel Provenance of Shadows McCoy died at his home shortly after his visit to the new Galaxy -Class USS Enterprise in 2364, an event contradicted by other stories.

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Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

He's not a bricklayer, an engineer, or a coal miner. He's a doctor and his name is McCoy.

Leonard 'Bones' McCoy was one of the most celebrated doctors in Starfleet history. He was skilled in both surgery and psychology, and, during his time on the Enterprise, invented several new medical techniques and saved the ship on many occasions.

He also had a unique no-nonsense attitude that mixed well with Kirk and Spock's personalities. The three of them had a very interesting dynamic, but the other two got most of the attention. Sadly, McCoy rarely got a lot of time focused on him specifically. His backstory was mostly told in small parts, scattered across different episodes and films.

In this list, we're going to look at ten things that you might not know about Doctor McCoy's history, family, and personal life. Bones was far more than just the guy they hired to say 'he's dead, Jim' every episode, he was actually a very deep and complex character with a dark history.

10. He Didn't Attend The Academy

A lot of the confusion here comes from the 2009 Star Trek film, in which McCoy joined Starfleet Academy right at the same time as Kirk. In the prime timeline, McCoy never attended the Academy. Instead, he got a medical degree from the University of Mississippi and was commissioned to join the Starfleet ranks, and later the Enterprise, because of his talents in the field.

Many don't realise that the Academy is not the only path toward serving on a Federation starship. McCoy always saw himself as more of a doctor than a Starfleet officer, so, for him, medical school was the way to go.

Why he decided to attend the Academy in the alternate universe is unknown, but it could have something to do with how much more militarised Starfleet became after the USS Kelvin was destroyed by the Romulans. Maybe this caused Starfleet to be more picky with who they let on their ships.

Marcia Fry is a writer for WhatCulture and an amateur filmmaker.

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Published Jul 11, 2024

8 Times Leonard 'Bones' McCoy's Medical Knowledge Saved the Day

'I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!'

StarTrek.com

He's a sounding board for the captain and a sympathetic ear for his crew mates. For the audience, he's a stand-in that reminds us that space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence, but that humanity is going to make it.

He's assisted in births both humanoid (" Friday's Child ") and not (the Gorn birth alluded to in Star Trek Into Darkness ), cauterized a penetrating wound with a hand phaser ( Star Trek Beyond ), created a vaccine while the Enterprise is in a death spiral above a dying world (" The Naked Time ") and put up with a certain half-Vulcan science officer continually putting him in his place.

He's the man of the hour — Dr. Leonard McCoy — and here are eight times his medical prowess saved the day.

" Miri "

"Miri"

Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, Janice Rand, and two crewmen beam down to a world that's an exact replica of Earth in the middle of the 20th Century. The cities are near-empty, with just two small groups of survivors fighting for life — human children ("Onlies") and the strange humanoid wretches they call "Grups." The team discovers that the strange circumstances are the result of a pathogen unleashed by a medical experiment in prolonging longevity gone wrong and they've all been exposed.

You can probably guess what happens next — the landing party now has a ticking clock tied to their survival (except for Spock, who'll get to live the rest of his life as a carrier surrounded by pre-teens) and McCoy undertakes a desperate quest to isolate the organism responsible for their condition and find a cure.

Despite overwhelming circumstances — the conditions are primitive and the leader of the Onlies, Jahn, steals the landing party's "little boxes" at one point, stranding the doctor without a vital connection to Enterprise 's computers — Bones manages to find the organism responsible and synthesizes what he thinks may be a vaccine.

When presented with the possible cure, Spock immediately pulls a Spock. He states flatly that the vial might also be a beaker full of death since they can't determine dosage and are unable to check their data. McCoy responds by injecting himself to test the cure and prove the Vulcan wrong.

Thankfully, he survived, but how weird would it have been if his Hail Mary pass hadn't worked and they had to replace McCoy so early in the series?

" The Devil in the Dark "

"The Devil in the Dark"

Miners on Janus VI have been stricken by a series of mysterious melty deaths, and the Enterprise answers their distress call to look into the situation and find the cause. They soon discover the Horta, an acid-emitting, silicone-based creature that's been wounded in a series of escalating conflicts between the humans and herself. Spock, again, pulls a Spock and decides to go ahead and mind-meld with her and discovers that she's just trying to protect her babies. Kirk sizes up the situation and calls McCoy down to help the hurt alien.

McCoy examines the rocky-skinned patient and delivers one of the most iconic lines of the franchise, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer."

Ironically, if he left the medical profession, Bones would make a heck of a contractor. After beaming down "a hundred pounds of that thermoconcrete. You know, the kind we use to build emergency shelters out of," he trowels the silicone-based construction material into the wound, where it will act as a bandage until she heals.

"By golly, Jim, I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day," he informs the captain.

" Amok Time "

"Amok Time"

Defying orders, the Enterprise diverts to Vulcan to help Spock, who is is suffering from pon-farr , a crippling biological urge that his species undergoes every seven years. It's only after reaching the planet that the first officer reveals that he's married, making it the first time that one of Spock's familial secrets is revealed, but certainly not the last.

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of mind-melding with T'Pring to relieve the plak tow blood fever, because she's opted for kal-if-fee , in which Spock will have to fight for her love. She chooses Kirk as her champion instead of Stonn, the Vulcan man with whom she wants to be betrothed. (One supposes that this is the sort of thing you do when you want to make the whole infidelity thing just that much more difficult for everyone.)

Kirk and Spock enter combat with one another using traditional weapons and, unsurprisingly, the Vulcan quickly asserts his physical superiority. After the first round, McCoy asks for permission to inject the captain with a tri-ox compound to help him compensate for the planet's thinner atmosphere. That doesn't help as much as anyone would like, as Spock still strangles his best friend, whose body is quickly beamed up.

Spock, shocked at the ritual murder he's just committed, snaps out of the plak tow and lets T'Pring know that it's fine if she wants to run off with Stonn now, because he's done with her drama. He returns to the ship and ignores McCoy's attempts to explain something to announce that he has the intention of turning himself in for court martial. That's when Kirk steps out from the shadows and asks if the first offer should maybe ask the captain first before doing that sort of thing.

What happened? It wasn't tri-ox in the doctor's bag of tricks, but a nerve paralyzer that slipped Kirk into a state that simulated death. This makes us wonder, though — what else is in McCoy's tote?

" Journey to Babel "

"Journey to Babel"

Stardate 3842.3. Just nine episodes after "Amok Time," the Enterprise returns to Vulcan to pick up Ambassador Sarek as part of a diplomatic party that's being transported to Babel, a neutral planetoid perfect for negotiations. To the surprise of Kirk and McCoy, it's revealed that Sarek is Spock's estranged father.

(Can't this guy just talk to his friends sometime? Maybe give them a heads-up on things like fathers and wives and all that?)

The following things occur in short order — a mysterious vessel is discovered trailing the Enterprise ; an argumentative Tellarite diplomat is murdered using a Vulcan technique after twice confronting Sarek about his forthcoming vote; Sarek is questioned about Gav's death and succumbs to a previously-unrevealed heart condition that can only be cured through surgery that requires Spock's presence as a blood donor; a signal is sent from the pursuing vessel to somewhere on the ship; and Kirk is stabbed and left incapacitated by an Andorian diplomat, Thelev.

Just another Tuesday aboard the Enterprise .

Thelev is quickly arrested but there's still that mysterious vessel to deal with. Spock finds himself duty-bound to sit in the center seat against his mother's and the doctor's wishes. His dilemma is quickly solved when a seemingly-recovered Captain Kirk shows up with the intention of handing the ship over to Scotty and retiring to his quarters while Spock undergoes the blood transfusion. Of course, it doesn't work out that easily.

McCoy performs cryogenic open-heart procedure with a donor who's using an untested Rigelian stimulant to induce blood cell production while the ship is repeatedly rocked by phasers and photon torpedos. There are multiple power failures and Sarek suffers a cardiac arrest, leaving Bones and Nurse Chapel to use portable equipment to keep him alive while the rest of the ship deals with the whole "Fake Andorian Who Turns Out to Be A Romulan Spy Who Is Working to Disrupt the Babel Conference" situation.

Once things are sorted on the bridge, Kirk returns to Sickbay to brief the ambassador and his son, who are now chatting away as if they hadn't spent the last 18 years trying to out-freeze each other. Not only can McCoy perform space battlefield surgery, he can restore families and, after the Captain collapses and is ordered onto a bed, finally get the last word.

" The Enterprise Incident "

"The Enterprise Incident"

"Enterprise Medical Log, stardate 5027.3. Dr. Leonard McCoy recording. I'm concerned about Captain Kirk. He shows indications of increasing tension and emotional stress."

You're telling us, Bones. This episode starts with the above quote, and we cut to Kirk going off the deep end and ordering the ship across the Romulan neutral zone. That goes about as well as you'd expect; Kirk and Spock are soon aboard the Romulan flagship and facing possible execution for their crimes.

Kirk suffers a paranoid breakdown aboard the other ship, accusing Spock of being a traitor after seeing how well the Vulcan and the Romulan commander are getting on. McCoy is beamed over to examine him. It's during his ministrations that Kirk suddenly leaps up and attacks his first officer, who defends himself with the never-before-seen Vulcan Death Grip, killing him instantly.

In Sickbay, it's revealed that the entire episode so far was what experts in drama refer to as "a total fake out," and that Captain Kirk is alive. In fact, he's about to get some high-quality otoplasty and eyebrow work courtesy of Bones in order to pass as a Romulan. His actions and Spock's are for the sole purpose of helping Starfleet get its hands on the cloaking device that has plagued them for the last several years.

What's interesting about this episode is that it depends on so many things going right that one slip-up could have led to the whole house of cards collapsing. Additionally, just how much does our favorite doctor know? Is he in on it from the start or does he start to improvise aboard the Romulan vessel once he realizes that Kirk's not really dead?

"Spock's Brain"

This episode is part of the pantheon of TOS episodes in which someone boards the ship and does something inconvenient. In this case, it's stealing Spock's brain, which is very inconvenient indeed. The residents of Sigma Draconis VII need the Vulcan's high-powered skull meat to serve as the controller for their vast underground dwelling, and that's why Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and the remote-controlled body of Spock find themselves there.

They finally get in touch with Spock's mind and he informs them that while he "might trust the doctor to remove a splinter or lance a boil," he doesn't believe that McCoy or indeed anyone has the requisite skills to restore his brain's place in his body. Kirk rightly figures out that if someone from the planet managed to remove the brain, they probably know how to put it back, too.

This leads our rescue party to "the teacher," a device used to impart knowledge for a period of about three hours. McCoy's never performed an encephalplexy before, but he has supreme faith in his abilities to get the procedure done in that time with the help of the teacher. Spock, of course, disagrees, but the doctor's desire to prove him wrong again proves to be a strong motivating factor. Even as the knowledge fades from his mind, McCoy's competence keeps the patient alive and, eventually, restored to his proper place.

Side Note: In Gene Coon's original outline for the episode, McCoy received no alien knowledge directly, he just studied their techniques conventionally and was able to mimic them. This would have made McCoy's surgery even more miraculous.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

If you had a present-day doctor go back to the early 1700s, they'd likely be aghast. Smallpox, cowpox, and measles ran rampant; homeopathy was viewed as a perfectly reasonable course of action; and if you burnt yourself, it was likely that you'd be told to use an ointment that included, "mosse that groweth on an old thackt howse top."

With this in mind, it's easy to imagine how a doctor from the 23rd Century felt when visiting a hospital in San Francisco in 1986 and being told by an elderly woman that she was undergoing kidney dialysis.

For the unfamiliar, dialysis is a treatment that occurs at the end stage of kidney failure, when the organs have have lost 85 to 90 percent of their function. Dialysis removes waste and helps the body maintain its blood pressure as well as its levels of potassium and other essential chemicals, which is good; but the average person only lives for an additional five to ten years. The only alternative at the present is a kidney transplant, which comes with its own complications, including outright organ rejection and a recovery period of three to eight weeks.

Bones' immediate response is, "Dialysis? My god, what is this, the Dark Ages?" He hands her a pill, saying, "Here, you swallow that. If you have a problem, just call me," before going to rescue Chekov from a group of surgeons who are literally about to drill a hole in his head.

When we next see the patient (when Kirk, Gillian, and McCoy are trying to wheel Chekov out of the hospital), the understandably delighted woman is informing a group of flustered doctors that the pill he gave her grew a completely new kidney.

Remembered when I wondered what else was in McCoy's bag? Turns out it's full of replacement organs. For Bones, I'm sure it was another Tuesday, but I'd love to see what the Journal of the American Medical Association had to say about the whole thing.

Star Trek (2009)

In the Kelvin Timeline, Bones saved the Federation. No big deal.

Seriously, without his absolutely encyclopedic knowledge of alien diseases, he never could have gotten Jim Kirk sick enough to have him brought aboard the Enterprise under his care.

Sure, his hands are grotesquely swollen as a result of the vaccine against against viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas and his tongue goes numb as a result of the cortazone that McCoy administered to counter the inflated hands, but Kirk is able to warn Pike and the Enterprise arrives at Vulcan with its shields up and under red alert, giving them an advantage the rest of Starfleet didn’t have.

Without McCoy's knowledge and ability to act on it, Nero and crew of the Narada could have rampaged across the galaxy, crushing planets with impunity as long as they had red matter to play with. That makes this a perfect place to wrap up the article, as there's just no way we can beat that.

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This article was originally published on May 2, 2019.

Kevin Church (he/him) lives in Brooklyn, NY with his partner Robin and two small dogs. He writes comics, takes pictures, and occasionally updates They Boldly Went, a Tumblr dedicated to The Original Series. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Church.

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Leonard McCoy (Kelvin timeline)

• 1.2 Early life
• 1.3 Starfleet Academy (2255-2258)
• 1.4.1 2260s
• 1.5 Aboard the Endeavour
• 2 Alternate timeline
• 3.1 Starfleet service record
• 3.2 Connections
• 3.3 Background
• 3.4 Appearances
• 3.5 External link

Biography [ ]

Leonard H. McCoy, the son of David Andrew McCoy and Eleanora McCoy , was born in Atlanta, Georgia , United States of America , Earth on 20th January 2227 . His grandfather, Thomas Jackson "T.J." McCoy , M.D., was the Chief of Medicine at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta in the 2220s . ( TOS novelization : The Final Frontier ; TOS - Strange New Worlds VI short story : " Bum Radish: Five Spins on a Turquoise Reindeer "; TOS comic : " Who's Who in Star Trek, Issue 1 "; TOS novel : The Final Reflection )

Early life [ ]

In 2231 , at the age of four, Leonard accompanied his father on a trip to Aberdeen , where he briefly met young Montgomery Scott . ( TOS - Strange New Worlds VI short story : " Bum Radish: Five Spins on a Turquoise Reindeer ")

As a boy, McCoy was encouraged by his father to work with what he had when he was without medical technology. McCoy attended medical school at the University of Mississippi , where he introduced himself to his future wife, Pamela Branch , by telling her how to cure her ice cream headache . ( TOS comic : " IDW Star Trek, Issue 17 ") While attending medical school, McCoy's father perished. ( TOS novel : More Beautiful Than Death ) By 2255 , McCoy was a medical doctor and had gotten divorced from his wife that same year. He decided to enter Starfleet Academy , and boarded a shuttlecraft at the Riverside Shipyard in Iowa , where he met James T. Kirk for the first time. ( TOS movie : Star Trek , TOS comic : " IDW Star Trek, Issue 17 ", Star Trek App )

At some point McCoy had a relationship with Dr. Elizabeth Dehner which ended badly. Dehner would later cancel a transfer onto the Enterprise because she had still not forgiven McCoy. ( TOS comic : " IDW Star Trek, Issue 1 ")

Starfleet Academy (2255-2258) [ ]

In summer 2255, McCoy was attending Starfleet Medical College when he was swept into the search for the serial killer known as the Doctor . McCoy treated Academy Cadets Gaila and Nyota Uhura after each was attacked by the Doctor. In collaboration with several other scientists, McCoy determined that the Doctor was using a swarm of extremely powerful nanites to remove victims' internal organs without leaving incisions. McCoy, Uhura and Dr. Patricia Park discovered that the Transamerica Pyramid was the Doctor's hideout. McCoy, Kirk and Uhura headed for the skyscraper, McCoy outfitting Kirk with weapons designed to combat the nanites. Kirk and McCoy entered the building's spire and fought through the nanites to find the hooded Doctor and four similar figures, all of whom proved to be coalesced swarms of nanites. McCoy and Kirk were nearly killed, but the nanites retreated and left Earth. At this time McCoy had already formed a close friendship with Kirk, who had begun calling him "Bones". ( TOS - Starfleet Academy novel : The Delta Anomaly )

Also in 2255, McCoy treated Kirk when he was infected with a neural agent by the Gemini Project , an initiative of the Jolan Movement on Romulus . McCoy became romantically interested in Lieutenant Samarra Caan , a Starfleet Intelligence officer investigating the case. ( TOS - Starfleet Academy novel : The Gemini Agent )

2257 saw McCoy assist with the inoculation against the Saurian virus on Dramia II. At some point, McCoy wrote his thesis which focused on axonal pathways and neural grafting ; this earned him a Special Commendation . ( Star Trek App )

Leonard McCoy in 2258

In 2258 , McCoy participated in Kirk's third Kobayashi Maru test , on which Kirk cheated in order to win. McCoy attended Kirk's disciplinary hearing, at which they both met Commander Spock for the first time. It was reported that Vulcan had sent a distress call , and many of the cadets were called into action, including McCoy, Spock, and Uhura. As he was under academic suspension, Kirk was not given an assignment, but McCoy injected him with a vaccine in order to give him the appearance of a disease and transfer him aboard the USS Enterprise under his medical care. The Enterprise reached Vulcan only to be attacked by Nero and the Narada , which had already destroyed the rest of the fleet. When Dr. Puri was killed in the Narada 's initial attack, McCoy became chief medical officer .

Spock took command of the Enterprise in the absence of Captain Christopher Pike and was forced to throw Kirk off the ship for insubordination, marooning him on Delta Vega . Spock acknowledged how difficult it must have been for McCoy to support him against his friend Kirk. McCoy opined that Spock was out of his mind to maroon Kirk; he was certain Kirk would triumph in the end. After Nero's defeat, McCoy was permanently assigned as chief medical officer of the Enterprise . ( TOS movie : Star Trek )

Aboard the Enterprise [ ]

Months after the destruction of Vulcan, the Enterprise set out on a mission to the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy . When the ship encountered the force field at the edge of the galaxy , Kirk's Academy friend Lieutenant Gary Mitchell was mutated into a superhuman being. McCoy monitored Mitchell in Sickbay as the young officer's behavior became increasingly erratic; at one point he shoved McCoy across the room when the doctor recommended that Mitchell rest. Refusing to be stranded on Delta Vega I , Mitchell blasted Kirk with energy from his hands but was knocked out by McCoy with a sedative. Kirk was subsequently forced to kill Mitchell. ( TOS comics : " IDW Star Trek, Issue 1 ", " IDW Star Trek, Issue 2 ")

McCoy then went with commander Spock, Scott and a landing party to explore Murasaki 312 . Unfortunately, they were then forced to crash land on Taurus II . McCoy, Spock, and the landing party were then rescued by Lt. Uhura. ( TOS - The Galileo Seven comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ")

McCoy then accompanied Kirk and a landing party to investigate a mass hysteria on Deneva . Following a Blastoneuron attack on Spock, McCoy, Kirk and the landing party returned to the Enterprise . McCoy was then able to find a way to eliminate the blastoneurons. ( TOS - Operation: Annihilate comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ")

McCoy then went with Kirk, Spock and a landing party to the Romulan Neutral Zone to apprehend a group of renegade Vulcans posing as Narada survivors. They were then captured by a Romulan warbird and taken to Romulus, to its senate to be tried for crimes against the Empire. However, McCoy and the rest of the landing party were then freed when they stopped the Vulcans from detonating the red matter . ( TOS - Vulcan's Vengeance comic : " Part 2 ")

McCoy then accompanied Kirk, Spock, and a landing party to investigate the mystery of Beta III . McCoy and Lt. Lindstrom then met a woman named Ariel . McCoy then returned to the Enterprise after Landru's machine was disabled. ( TOS - The Return of the Archons comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ")

In 2259 , McCoy then worked with Spock and Scott on finding a way to stop the Tribble 's rapid breeding, to which they did. ( TOS - The Truth About Tribbles comic : " Part 2 ")

McCoy oversaw a blood transfusion between Hendorff and Spock , which was successful. ( TOS comic : " The Redshirt's Tale ")

McCoy then attended to Scotty when he was shocked by the computer. He then watched one of the regeneration unit create a life-form . McCoy was angry that he used up all the synthetic tissue and surgical nano-filaments . He watched as the life-form was able to make the hull invisible. McCoy then continued to attend Scotty. He then examined the new life-form when it wiped it program clean.( TOS - I, Enterprise! comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ")

McCoy was then in left charge of the Enterprise when most of the senior staff went down to the surface of Phaedus IV to investigate a strange energy field emanating from the surface. McCoy and other members of the crew were then locked in a room after April took over the Enterprise. McCoy then saw a Klingon warship appear in front of the Enterprise ( ST - Countdown to Darkness comics : " Number Two ", " Number Three ", " Number Four ")

McCoy was responsible for finding an antidote to the Gorn virus . Kirk and Spock found him locked in a room hiding from the Gorn and promised to get him samples from infected crewmen. McCoy oversaw the medical treatment of evacuated Vulcans from the Helios-1 station and New Vulcan , and tended to an injured Pavel Chekov after Kirk and Spock delivered him to sick bay.

He accompanied Kirk, Spock, Sulu and some unnamed security team members to the Lymax planet . When initially startled by a Lymax , he initially asked to come with Kirk and Spock on their mission to the Gorn compound. Kirk agreed and McCoy donned a wingsuit. When he looked over the edge of the cliff and saw the drop, however, he changed his mind, much to Kirk's amusement and relief.

While they were traversing the Gorn planet, McCoy delivered by C-section live Gorn babies from a pregnant female Sulu stunned and almost lost his hand to its bite (or so he said. He might have been exaggerating.) He developed a vaccine just in time to save Kirk from an infected Spock who was attacking him in the Gorn arena . Later, he synthesized enough to disperse throughout the Enterprise through the atmospheric generators . ( TOS video game : Star Trek )

For the mission to Nibiru , McCoy was in charge of the cataloging of fauna and a focus on potential pathogens. McCoy then accompanied Kirk when he decided to save the planet and its species from extinction. ( Star Trek App ; TOS movie & novelization : Star Trek Into Darkness )

Following the Nibiru mission, McCoy then stayed onboard the Enterprise during its manhunt for "John Harrison" on Qo'noS . Following Harrison's capture, McCoy then studied Harrison, who revealed himself to be the augment tyrant Khan Noonien Singh . McCoy then assisted Dr. Carol Marcus in examining one of the Advanced long-range torpedoes , which they found out they were carrying Khan's crew of 72 Augments . Following the attack by the USS Vengeance , McCoy was able to use Khan's blood to bring a tribble and Kirk back to life. A year later, McCoy then attended the memorial service to the people lost due to Khan's and Alexander Marcus 's actions. McCoy then stayed onboard for the Enterprise 's first Five-year mission .( TOS movie & novelization : Star Trek Into Darkness )

Starfleet Academy indicated interest in having McCoy serve as an instructor when the assignment to the Enterprise was completed. The Starfleet Medical Board expressed concern about McCoy using procedures not yet reviewed by them, however Starfleet looked at deep space diagnosis procedures based on what McCoy had reported to them. He also worked on a vaccine for external parasites and Siphonaptera . ( Star Trek App )

McCoy then examined Spock when exhibited a short temper with Uhura. He then saw that Spock's adrenaline levers were off the chart and that he would dead in two weeks. McCoy was then informed by Spock that it was the pon farr . McCoy then accompanied Kirk, Spock and a landing party to New Vulcan to meet with Sarek . McCoy stood by and watched as Spock was taken by Sarek and the other Vulcans to deal with his blood fever . McCoy then agreed to use the transporter to trick the Sasaud Vulcan into believing that they were beaming to Vulcan to cure them of the pon farr.( TOS - After Darkness comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ", " Part 3 ")

When the Enterprise detected a distress signal from the miners on Parthenon 559 , McCoy then attended to Henderson . McCoy then gave Henderson a tour of the Enterprise 's bridge.( TOS comic : " Issue 24 ")

In 2261 , McCoy then accompanied Captain Kirk and the landing party to investigate the massacre on Khitomer . However, they were then captured by the Klingons from Commander Kor 's forces. McCoy was then returned to the Enterprise , to demonstrate their superior transporter technology. McCoy urged Spock to fight back in order to rescue Kirk and the landing party. McCoy the supported Spock's decision to disobey Starfleet Command and rescue Kirk from Qo'nos . ( TOS - The Khitomer Conflict comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ", " Part 3 ")

McCoy then met his alternate female counterpart aboard another alternate Enterprise . ( TOS - Parallel Lives comic : " Part 2 ")

McCoy then treated Captain Kirk and the landing party after they were attacked by a creature on Hinrichs V . McCoy then disproved of Kirk's ideas of bring the creature. He was then amazed when the creature changed into a human, Steve Cory . However, McCoy was unable to stop Cory's tumors from killing him. ( TOS - Lost Apollo comic : " Part 2 ")

Aboard the Endeavour [ ]

After the destruction of the Enterprise at Altamid , McCoy then accepted a position aboard the USS Endeavour alongside Kirk and Chekov as a medical officer under CMO , Dr. Groffus . ( TOS - Boldly Go comic : " Issue 1 ")

Alternate timeline [ ]

In a different permutation of the Kelvin timeline, Nero directed his ship to Earth as his first target, successfully destroying the planet. His next target was Andoria but he was routed in the subsequent Battle of Andoria before he could destroy it, though McCoy, along with Kirk, perished to save Andoria. ( TOS - Boldly Go comic : " Issue 15 ")

Appendices [ ]

Starfleet service record [ ], connections [ ], background [ ].

• Leonard McCoy was played by New Zealand actor Karl Urban in Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond .

Appearances [ ]

External link [ ].

• Leonard McCoy (Kelvin timeline) article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Achilles class
• 2 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 3 Odyssey class

Star Trek: Leonard "Bones" McCoy's 10 Best Quotes

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10 Best Rick Berman Era Star Trek Episodes, Ranked

Samuel l. jackson's new crime series becomes streaming hit with near-perfect rt score, did bel-air kill off a major character in the season 3 finale.

In 1966, DeForest Kelley embarked on a three-year journey aboard the starship Enterprise as Star Trek 's Leonard McCoy, one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. Over the course of three seasons and 79 episodes, "Bones" gifted audiences with some fantastic, memorable quotes. While McCoy's popularity is often overshadowed by Kirk and Spock, there's no denying that the grumpy doctor was essential in making the trio a team like no other.

Related: Star Trek: All Movies, Ranked According To IMDb

Reliable and experienced, McCoy managed to keep his crewmates in top shape and accompany his commanding officer on dangerous missions at the same time, imparting his wit and wisdom whenever there was trouble on the horizon.

10 "In All The Universe, Three Million Galaxies Like This, And In All Of That... And Perhaps More... Only One Of Each Of Us."

One of Kirk's closest friends and colleagues, McCoy often acted as the captain's advisor and sounding board during the Enterprise's most desperate times. When the starship found itself up against a Romulan warship during the celebrated episode "Balance of Terror," McCoy tried to encourage Kirk while the latter debated how to proceed.

After Kirk confessed he felt burdened by his current responsibility, McCoy wisely reminded him that in the vastness of the galaxy there was only one James T. Kirk, and he should make sure not to destroy him.

9 "Monsters Come In Many Forms. Do You Know The Greatest Monster Of Them All? Guilt."

As the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer, McCoy was in charge of assessing the crew's physical and mental health, sometimes having to take drastic measures to save his crewmates from themselves. In "Obsession," Kirk was consumed by his desire to destroy a strange, murderous cloud that he had failed to eradicate in his youth, causing the rest of his crew to perish.

McCoy noticed that Kirk's obsession seemed to be rooted in his guilty conscience, calling it the "greatest monster of all" before questioning whether Kirk was fit to stay in command.

8 "A Cage Is A Cage, Jim."

Despite holding Kirk in great esteem, McCoy was never shy to contradict him and give him a different perspective to consider. In "Dagger of the Mind," after Kirk expressed his interest in Dr. Tristan Adams—a renowned psychologist who had revolutionized prisons into hospitals—McCoy carefully reminded him that things may have changed, but a cage was still a cage.

Related: 10 Star Trek Actors Who Played More Than One Role

Ultimately, McCoy was proven right when Dr. Van Gelder, one of Adams's associates, infiltrated the Enterprise and revealed the horrors Adams constantly inflicted on the inmates.

7 "The Chain Of Command Is Often A Noose."

In "The Conscience of the King," Kirk suspected one of the Shakespearean actors aboard the Enterprise might actually be Kodos, the ex-governor of Tarsus IV who had mass-murdered almost his entire colony. As Kirk endeavored to investigate and protect his crew, his strange actions alerted Spock and led him to consult with McCoy.

When asked about Kirk's decision to send Lieutenant Riley back to engineering, a surprising choice given he'd just been transferred, McCoy simply replied that the chain of command was usually a noose and Kirk must have had his reasons for doing so. McCoy often spoke his mind, but he also respected the hierarchy of the Enterprise.

6 "Compassion. That's The One Thing No Machine Ever Had. Maybe It's The One Thing That Keeps Men Ahead Of Them."

Created during the technological boom of the 1960s, Star Trek often discussed the merits and disadvantages of computers in relation to mankind. In episode 53, "The Ultimate Computer," Kirk was temporarily replaced by an uber computer that seemed capable of taking over his role as captain.

After the computer attacked fellow Starfleet ships and shut itself down, McCoy explained that despite its high-tech, it lacked the compassion that kept humanity ahead of any machine. Star Trek was equally of its era and ahead if its time. It was thought-provoking, and "Bones" provided many memorable quotes that forced the viewers to stop and wonder.

5 "I'm Trying To Thank You, You Pointed-Eared Hobgoblin!"

Despite bickering more often than not, McCoy and Spock had absolute respect for one another as Kirk's friends and as two of Starfleet's finest . When Spock saved McCoy from certain death at the hands of a gladiator in "Bread and Circuses," the doctor struggled to thank him as Spock inspects their holding cell.

Various attempts later, McCoy couldn't take more of Spock's logical responses and called him a "pointed-eared hobgoblin." He then tried to break through Spock's aloof exterior by appealing to his humanity, suggesting that Spock might be more afraid of "living" than he let on.

4 "If You Treat Her Like A Lady, She'll Always Bring You Home."

Almost twenty years since the cancellation of The Original Series, Star Trek returned to the small screen with The New Generation in the late 1980s. DeForest Kelley made a cameo appearance in the new series' first episode, "Encounter at Farpoint," as a symbolic passing of the baton for the brand-new crew of the Enterprise.

Related: Live Long & Prosper: 10 Best Quotes From Star Trek's Spock

As an Admiral, a much older McCoy toured the Enterprise-D alongside Data, comparing the android's speech patterns and lack of emotion to a Vulcan's. Just before leaving, McCoy advised Data to treat the Enterprise "like a lady" and she'll always bring the crew home.

3 "The Release Of Emotions, Mr. Spock, Is What Keeps Us Healthy—Emotionally Healthy, That Is."

In "Plato's Stepchildren," the Enterprise found itself up against a race of psychic aliens who followed Plato's teachings. Shortly after being captured by them, Spock was forced to let go of his Vulcan stoicism when he was psychically tortured to show extreme emotions.

Spock was understandably humiliated by the display. To appease him, McCoy mentioned that releasing emotions is what keeps people emotionally healthy, but Spock simply replied that, in his experience, doing so always ends up being 'unhealthy' for those closest to him.

2 "A Man Who Holds That Much Power, Even With The Best Intentions, Just Can't Resist The Urge To Play God."

Since joining the Enterprise, McCoy visited dozens of civilizations ruled by unjust leaders who were corrupted by their own greed. He encountered one of them in "Patterns of Force" when the Enterprise was sent on a rescue mission to the planet Ekos. To the crew's complete shock, its society had modeled itself after Nazi Germany and was led by the man they'd been sent to recover, John Gill.

RELATED: 10 Best Uhura Moments In Star Trek, Ranked

Later in the episode, McCoy explained that, despite Gill's best intentions to organize the Ekosians' chaotic civilization, he eventually succumbed to his absolute power because he couldn't resist the urge to play god.

1 "I'm A Doctor, Not An Engineer!"

McCoy's well-known catchphrase had many variations, but none was as iconic as the one he uttered in the emblematic "Mirror, Mirror" . When Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Scotty accidentally switched places with their counterparts from a parallel universe, they tried to find a way back home without revealing themselves as impostors.

Their only option was to tamper with the transporter and beam back to their reality, so Scotty requested some help from McCoy. The doctor reminded them of his profession, specifically denying his expertise in engineering, but helped Scotty and his crew anyway.

Next: 10 Amazing Sci-Fi Shows With The Worst First Impression

The Real McCoy

McCoy's ex-wife and her current husband Anton Zauber conspire to alter Anton such that he can take the place of McCoy and enjoy the economic benefits of McCoy's medical patents.

• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3 Background information
• 4.1 Regular Cast
• 4.2 Other Characters

Summary [ ]

The story opens with a chemically -powered ship traveling from the Andorian asteroid belt to the Tarsus system. On board are Joann and Anton Zauber. Anton, with the help of a robotic assistant, has just altered his appearance to look like McCoy . His plan is to replace McCoy and reap the economic benefits of McCoy's many medical patents, currently going to Starfleet charities. Anton and McCoy have a history, with McCoy marrying the woman Anton loved, divorcing her, and later providing testimony that got Anton's medical license revoked. To lure McCoy into a trap, Anton laces the water supply on Tarsus II with a bacillus that will create a Rigellian fever outbreak. It can only be cured by ryetalyn , which fortunately the nearby USS Enterprise has.

When the request for help comes in the ship is in the middle of transporting Zantra, a Zaranite , who is arguing for secession of his planet from the Federation . The ship immediately changes course and heads for the planet. McCoy cures everyone, then rushes to the recently arrived freighter, where his former wife Joann awaits him. Surprised to see her, McCoy is drugged and hidden in an isolation tank. Anton exchanges clothing and begins to pass for McCoy, keeping McCoy alive just long enough to answer questions to help Anton blend in.

Perscan inset from "The Real McCoy"

Anton as McCoy acts very oddly: he wants to retire and collect his patent credits, and he has a lackadaisical attitude toward his patients. Dr. Chapel researches McCoy's medical readouts available through the Perscan device and sees that something has altered McCoy since he was on the planet. Meanwhile, one of Zantra's hearts has stopped and Anton is going to try a risky procedure to start it back up. Kirk and Spock , suspecting the truth, head to sickbay , where Spock contacts McCoy through a Vulcan " mind-touch " and learns the truth. Joann confesses all to Kirk right after they learn it from the mind-touch, and the race is on to Anton. Confronting Anton in an operating room filled with fluorine gas (natural for a Zaranite), Anton threatens Chapel. But his patient gets up and pulls his air hose out; Anton collapses to the floor. Both he and Joanne are led away, with McCoy suggesting they both need psychiatric help. It turns out Zantra's heart stopping was normal for his age, as one heart rests while the other works on. Zantra's heart rest state has permitted him the time and rest to reconsider his position, and he will now argue against secession.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" As you know, Captain, our belt ornaments contain the Perscan device, which monitors and transmits data directly into the medical computer. "

Background information [ ]

• The freighter is noted as being chemically-propelled, although it clearly travels interstellar distances.
• This arc included a special insert on the Perscan device (possibly as an homage to what was done in the Dick Tracy comic strip from time to time). In later strips Warkentin included other insets on items like the communicator and tricorder .
• McCoy's daughter's name was established as Joanna in TAS : " The Survivor ", derived from early draft scripts of TOS : " The Way to Eden ". Either Warkentin misunderstood the relationship or believed the younger McCoy household had both a Joann and Joanna.
• The Tarsus system in the story was presumably also home to Tarsus IV, the location of Kodos 's executions, but the strip did not mention that.
• The title of this arc is very close to the one that James Blish gave for his version of TOS : " The Man Trap " in Star Trek #1 : "The Unreal McCoy".

Regular Cast [ ]

Other characters [ ].

• Joann Zauber
• Anton Zauber
• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

Screen Rant

Star trek's dr. mccoy quit starfleet as a tribute to captain kirk (not an insult).

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Star Trek Already Confirmed How the Franchise Ends

I’m glad voyager’s tom and b’elanna are no longer star trek's only successful romance, star trek's new warp drive breaks the prime directive in a way no-one expected.

• McCoy quit Starfleet as a tribute to Kirk, not out of anger or insult.
• McCoy didn't feel safe going on missions without Kirk and believed no other captain could protect him like Kirk did.
• McCoy's decision to leave Starfleet was driven by his lack of trust in any other captain.

Star Trek ’s Doctor McCoy quit Starfleet as a tribute, not an insult, to Captain Kirk. When Star Trek returned to live-action in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture , some of the Enterprise’s senior officers, including Spock and Doctor McCoy, had left Starfleet. Their reasons for doing so were never explored on screen, but in Star Trek: Mission’s End #5, McCoy’s reason for leaving the service is finally revealed–and it is a tribute to his friend Kirk.

Star Trek: Mission’s End #5 is written by Ty Templeton and drawn by Steve Molnar. As the Enterprise’s original five-year mission comes to an end, Kirk is preparing for a promotion to admiral, which McCoy cannot believe. Because of Kirk’s decision, McCoy decides to leave Starfleet. He explains that he does not feel safe going on missions without Kirk, and that he believes in Starfleet, but does not necessarily believe in dying for it.

McCoy confesses he has no faith in any other Starfleet captain.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Left a Lot Unexplained--Such as Why Doctor McCoy Left Starfleet

As soon as NBC cancelled the original Star Trek series in 1969, fans began tirelessly working to bring it back, culminating in the release of Star Trek: The Motion PIcture a decade later. In that movie, the Enterprise’s “trinity” of Kirk, Spock and Doctor McCoy, had gone their separate ways: Kirk took a desk job and Spock and McCoy left Starfleet altogether. McCoy initially had no interest in returning, forcing Kirk to essentially “draft” him. Kirk was able to convince Doctor McCoy to stay on board, but why he left in the first place was never revealed.

For years, many fans believed Doctor McCoy left Starfleet out of anger towards Kirk over taking a promotion. McCoy felt that Kirk was not meant to be a paper pusher. Kirk has butted heads with admirals on many occasions, and McCoy believed this was the wrong avenue for Kirk to take. For the entirety of Kirk’s time as admiral, McCoy was never comfortable with it, expressing his concerns to Kirk on the eve of his birthday in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He (rightfully) saw that the admiralty was not right for Kirk.

Although the Star Trek franchise is unlikely to ever end, one comic story sets up a potentially awesome conclusion in the far-flung future.

McCoy paid Captain Kirk the Ultimate Tribute

Now, thanks to Star Trek : Mission’s End , fans finally know that McCoy left not because he was mad at Kirk, but because he did not trust any other captain. Doctor McCoy was on the high-strung side, as seen in several episodes, but most notably in the 2009 JJ Abrams’ reboot. In one scene, McCoy laments all the potential ways one can die in space. McCoy was an anxious individual who was continually put in highly dangerous situations. Captain Kirk got him out of every single one, and McCoy did not believe anyone else could do this–leading to his decision to leave Starfleet.