Leonard McCoy: Difference between revisions
→Popular culture: Not a tribute, just a coincidence. |
→Depiction: replaced prejudiced with annoyed prejudiced is too strong a word and Mc Coy was by no means a bigot. The banter was 2-way i.e. McCoy would complain he had to recalibrate his exam equipment for Vulcans or Spock complaining that Dr. Mcoy's medicines turn his stomach |
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{{short description|Fictional character from Star Trek}} |
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{{redirect|Dr. McCoy|the Marvel Comics character Dr. Hank McCoy|Beast (Marvel Comics)}} |
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{{Infobox character |
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|Caption = Dr. Leonard H. McCoy |
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| series = [[Star Trek]] |
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| image = DeForest Kelley, Dr. McCoy, Star Trek.jpg |
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|Gender = [[Male]] |
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| caption = [[DeForest Kelley]] as Leonard McCoy in a publicity photograph for the [[Star Trek: The Original Series|original ''Star Trek'' series]] |
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|Hair color = Brown |
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| first = "[[The Man Trap]]" (1966)<br>(''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|The Original Series]]'') |
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|Eye color = Blue |
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| last = ''[[Star Trek Beyond]]'' (2016) |
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|Planet = [[Earth]] |
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| creator = [[Gene Roddenberry]] |
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| portrayer = [[DeForest Kelley]] (1966–1999)<br>[[Karl Urban]] (2009–2016) |
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|Posting = [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']] & [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)|USS ''Enterprise''-A]]<br />chief surgeon/[[Chief medical officer (Star Trek)|chief medical officer]] |
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| species = Human |
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|Rank = [[Lieutenant commander (Star Trek)|Lieutenant commander]]<br>[[Commander (Star Trek)|Commander]]<br>[[Admiral (Star Trek)|Admiral]] |
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| gender = Male |
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|Portrayed = [[DeForest Kelley]] |
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| title = Doctor |
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| full_name = Leonard Horatio McCoy |
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| affiliation = {{Unbulleted list|[[United Federation of Planets]]|[[Starfleet]]}} |
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| family = David McCoy (father) |
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| spouse = Unnamed wife (divorced)<br>[[For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky|Natira]] (separated) |
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| children = Joanna McCoy (daughter) |
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| nickname = Bones |
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}} |
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'''Dr. Leonard H. McCoy''', known as "'''Bones'''", is a character in the American [[science fiction on television|science-fiction]] franchise ''[[Star Trek]]''.<!-- "and Bones media franchises." -- Please add a quote from the cited book to support whatever this is supposed to mean. --><ref name="compendium">{{cite book|title=The Star Trek Compendium|first=Alan|last=Asherman|date=1993-05-01|publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=978-0-671-79612-9}}</ref> McCoy was played by actor [[DeForest Kelley]] in the [[Star Trek: The Original Series|original ''Star Trek'' series]] from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the [[Star Trek: The Animated Series|animated ''Star Trek'' series]], in six [[Star Trek (film series)|''Star Trek'' films]], in the [[Encounter at Farpoint|pilot episode]] of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', and in numerous books, comics, and video games.<ref name="Encyc">{{cite book|title=The Star Trek Encyclopedia|first1=Michael|last1=Okuda|author-link1=Michael Okuda|first2=Denise|last2=Okuda|author-link2=Denise Okuda|first3=Debbie|last3=Mirek|publisher=Pocket Books|isbn=978-0-671-53609-1|year=1999|title-link=The Star Trek Encyclopedia}}</ref> A decade after Kelley's death, [[Karl Urban]] assumed the role of McCoy in the [[Star Trek (2009 film)|''Star Trek'' reboot film]] in 2009.<ref name="urbancast">{{cite news|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/2310434.html|title=And Karl Urban as McCoy!|date=2007-10-17|publisher=[[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]|access-date=2009-01-26|archive-date=July 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703230327/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/2310434.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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'''Leonard H. McCoy,''' [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]] ([[2227]]-) (nicknamed "'''Bones'''", as in the old-fashioned colloquialism "Sawbones" for a doctor or a surgeon), played by [[DeForest Kelley]], is a [[Starfleet]] officer in the fictional [[Star Trek]] universe. He is one of three main characters in the original ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' series, the humanistic counterpart to the logical [[Spock]]: capable of great compassion, yet also cranky, superstitious, and irrational. He is suspicious of advanced [[technology]], especially the [[Transporter (Star Trek)|transporter]], which he regards with distrust and often outright dismay, and occasionally is [[bigot]]ed with regard to Spock's half-[[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]] ancestry. He is the only American Southerner depicted among the racially and ethnically diverse crew of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']]. |
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==Depiction== |
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McCoy professes a preference toward "good ol' fashioned country medicine," however when he encounters highly invasive 1980s medicine, he refers to it as "medievalism" and reacts to it with anger and disgust (''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]''). McCoy is a physician of considerable skill, capable even of successfully treating creatures whose physiologies he is unfamiliar with, such as the [[Horta (Star Trek)|Horta]] (''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|TOS]]'': "[[The Devil in the Dark (TOS episode)|The Devil in the Dark]]"). |
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McCoy was born in [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]], in 2227.<ref name="USS Enterprise Officer's Manual">{{cite book|last=Mandel|first=Geoffrey|title=USS Enterprise Officer's Manual|year=1980|publisher=Interstellar Associates|location=New York|page=21|url=http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/USS-Enterprise-Officers-Manual.php|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=May 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514112722/http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/USS-Enterprise-Officers-Manual.php|url-status=live}}</ref> The son of David McCoy,{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|257–258}} he attended the [[University of Mississippi]]<ref name="Encyc" /> and is a [[divorce|divorcé]].<ref name="chrono">{{cite book|title=Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future|publisher=Pocket Books|year=1996|isbn=978-0-671-53610-7|author-link1=Michael Okuda|first1=Michael|last1=Okuda|first2=Denise|last2=Okuda|author-link2=Denise Okuda}}</ref> McCoy later married Natira, the priestess of Yonada, as recounted in the episode "[[For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky]]". In 2266, McCoy was posted as chief medical officer of the USS ''Enterprise'' under Captain [[James T. Kirk]], who often calls him "Bones".<ref name="Encyc" /> McCoy and Kirk are good friends, even "brotherly".{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|146}} The passionate, sometimes cantankerous McCoy frequently argues with Kirk's other confidant, science officer [[Spock]],<ref name="compendium" /> and occasionally is annoyed by Spock's [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]] heritage.<ref name="sacredground58">{{cite book|title=Star Trek and Sacred Ground|page=58|isbn=978-0-7914-4334-7|publisher=SUNY Press|first1=Jennifer E.|last1=Porter|first2=Darcee L.|last2=McLaren|year=1999}}</ref> McCoy often plays the role of Kirk's conscience, offering a counterpoint to Spock's logic.<ref name="compendium" /> McCoy is suspicious of technology,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2007/10/18/abrams-star-trek-casts-kirk-bones/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=2009-01-26|date=2007-10-18|first=Mike|last=Bruno|title=Abrams' 'Trek' Casts Kirk and Bones|archive-date=November 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107160954/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20152931,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> especially the [[Transporter (Star Trek)|transporter]].<ref name="Encyc" /> As a physician, he prefers less intrusive treatment and believes in the body's innate recuperative powers.<ref name="compendium" /> The nickname "Bones" – chosen before the character was named – is a play on ''[[wikt:sawbones|sawbones]]'', a 19th century [[epithet]] for a surgeon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simon |first=Alexandra |date=2021-10-30 |title=The Truth About Dr. McCoy's Nickname In Star Trek |url=https://www.grunge.com/647549/the-truth-about-dr-mccoys-nickname-in-star-trek/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Grunge.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Sci-Fi Baby Names: 500 Out-of-This-World Baby Names from Anakin to Zardoz|first=Robert|last=Schnakenberg|isbn=978-1-59474-161-6|publisher=Quirk Books|year=2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9943 |title=Sawbones definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms |publisher=Medterms.com |date=2012-03-19 |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209061543/http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9943 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[Star Trek (2009 film)|2009 ''Star Trek'' film]] reboot, when McCoy first meets Kirk, he complains that his ex-wife took all their shared assets following their divorce: "All I got left is my bones", implying this was the origin of the nickname.<ref name="Star Trek DVD commentary">''Star Trek'' DVD commentary</ref> |
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When Kirk orders McCoy's commission reactivated in ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'' (1979);<ref name="Encyc" /> a resentful McCoy complains of being "[[conscription|drafted]]".<ref>{{cite video|date=1979|title=[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]|quote=Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little-known, seldom-used "reserve activation clause". In simpler language, Captain, they drafted me.|people=Screenplay by Harold Livingston, story by [[Alan Dean Foster]], directed by [[Robert Wise]]}}</ref> Spock transfers his ''[[Katra (Star Trek)|katra]]''—his knowledge and experience—into McCoy before dying in ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'' (1982).<ref name="Encyc" /> This causes mental anguish for McCoy, who in ''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]'' (1984) helps restore Spock's ''katra'' to his reanimated body.<ref name="Encyc" /> McCoy continues to serve on Kirk's crew aboard the captured Klingon ship in ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]'' (1986).<ref name="Encyc" /> In ''[[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]]'' (1989), McCoy (through the intervention of Spock's half-brother [[Sybok]]) reveals that he [[Assisted suicide|helped his father commit suicide]] to relieve him of his pain. Shortly after the suicide, a cure was found for his father's disease, and McCoy had carried the guilt about it with him until Sybok's intervention. |
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==History== |
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{{spoiler}} |
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In ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]'' (1991), McCoy and Kirk escape from a [[Klingon]] prison world, and the ''Enterprise'' crew stops a plot to prevent peace between the [[United Federation of Planets]] and the Klingon Empire.<ref name="Encyc" /> Kelley reprised the role for the "[[Encounter at Farpoint]]" pilot episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' (1987), insisting upon no more than the minimum [[Screen Actors Guild]] payment for his appearance.<ref>{{cite book|title=Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion|publisher=[[Pocket Books]]|date=2003-01-07|last=Nemeck|first=Larry|isbn=978-0-7434-5798-9}}</ref> McCoy had attained the rank of admiral in the ''Trek'' timeline when this episode was aired, and he is stated to be 137 years of age. He went on to become chief of Starfleet Medical, with a special rank known as branch admiral. The fictional book ''Comparative Alien Physiology'' was written by McCoy, and was required reading at the Starfleet Medical Academy through the 2370s. |
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Little is established about McCoy's biography in the official Star Trek [[Canon (Star Trek)|canon]]. McCoy was born in 2227 (''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|TNG]]'': "[[Encounter at Farpoint (TNG episode)|Encounter at Farpoint]]"). He attended [[Ole Miss]], which is the [[University of Mississippi]], where he once met [[Dax (Star Trek)#Emony Dax|Emony Dax]], a female [[Trill]] athlete with whom it is implied he had a [[sexual relationship]] (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'': "[[Trials and Tribble-ations (DS9 episode)|Trials and Tribble-ations]]"). McCoy [[euthanasia|euthanized]] his terminally ill father, Dr. David McCoy, for which he carried lasting guilt because a cure for his father's ailment was discovered not long afterward (''[[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]]''). |
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In the 1973 ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' episode "[[The Survivor (Star Trek: The Animated Series)|The Survivor]]", McCoy mentions he has a daughter, Joanna. Although [[Pavel Chekov|Chekov]]'s friend Irina in the original series episode "[[The Way to Eden]]" was originally written as McCoy's daughter, it was changed before the episode was shot.<ref>[http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/joanna.htm Joanna] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810225034/http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/joanna.htm |date=August 10, 2009 }} precursor to "The Way to Eden"</ref> |
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McCoy was not a graduate of [[Starfleet Academy]] but rather was commissioned by Starfleet as a [[lieutenant (Star Trek)|lieutenant]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} By 2265, he had been promoted to [[lieutenant commander (Star Trek)|lieutenant commander]] and was assigned as a medical observer to the planet Capella. The assignment was unfruitful, as the Capellans found little need for medical arts and existed under a tribal society where only the strong survived (''TOS'': "[[Friday's Child (TOS episode)|Friday's Child]]"). |
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===Reboot film series=== |
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In 2266, McCoy was named [[Chief Medical Officer (Star Trek)|chief medical officer]] of the USS ''Enterprise'' under [[Captain (Star Trek)|Captain]] [[James T. Kirk]], replacing Doctor [[Mark Piper]]. McCoy and Kirk become good friends, but the passionate, sometimes cantankerous McCoy frequently argues with Kirk's other close friend and confidante, [[Spock]]. McCoy served until 2269, when the ship's five-year mission ended. He retired to private medical practice by 2270. |
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[[File:Leonard "Bones" McCoy (from Star Trek 2009).JPG|thumb|[[Karl Urban]] as McCoy in ''[[Star Trek (2009 film)|Star Trek]]'' (2009)]] |
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In the [[Star Trek (2009 film)|2009 ''Star Trek'' film]], which takes place in an alternate, parallel reality,<ref name="bglobe1">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/05/05/a_fresh_frontier/|title=Star Trek|newspaper=The Boston Globe|access-date=2009-05-06|date=2009-05-05|first=Ty|last=Burr|page=1|archive-date=January 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130041629/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/05/05/a_fresh_frontier/|url-status=live}}</ref> McCoy and Kirk become friends at [[Starfleet Academy]], which McCoy joins after a divorce that he says, "left [him] nothing but [his] bones." This line, improvised by Urban,<ref name="Star Trek DVD commentary"/> explains how McCoy earned the nickname ''Bones''. McCoy later helps get Kirk posted aboard the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']]. He later becomes the chief medical officer after Doctor Puri is killed during an attack by Nero. McCoy remains aboard to see the ''Enterprise'' defeat Nero and his crew, with Kirk becoming the commanding officer of the ship. |
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''[[The Guardian]]'' called Urban's portrayal of McCoy in the 2009 film an "unqualified success",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/apr/21/star-trek|title=JJ Abrams's Star Trek: we have liftoff|access-date=2009-04-22|first=Phil|last=Hoad|date=2009-04-21|location=London|work=The Guardian|archive-date=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529233529/http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/apr/21/star-trek|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the character "wild-eyed and funny".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/movies/08trek.html?partner=rss&emc=rss|title=A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|date=2009-05-08|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511021241/http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/movies/08trek.html?partner=rss&emc=rss|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' said Urban came closer than the other actors to impersonating a character's original depiction.<ref name="slatereview">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2217854/|title=Go See Star Trek|last=Stevens|first=Dana|date=2009-05-06|magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-date=January 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115084145/http://www.slate.com/id/2217854/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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During the 2271 [[V'Ger]] Crisis, Kirk uses a "little-known, seldom used, reserve activation clause," which McCoy likens to being [[conscription|drafted]], to recall McCoy to Starfleet as a [[commander (Star Trek)|commander]] and chief medical officer aboard the refit ''Enterprise'' (''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]''). |
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==Development== |
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By 2285, McCoy was an instructor at Starfleet Academy. Shortly before Spock's death, Spock uses McCoy as a receptacle for his [[katra (Star Trek)|katra]] (''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]''). The experience is traumatic for both McCoy and Spock; McCoy is taken into custody in response to his brazen attempts to reach the [[Genesis Planet]] in an attempt to reunite Spock's katra with his body. Kirk and [[Hikaru Sulu]] break McCoy out of custody and, after stealing the ''Enterprise'' with the aid of [[Montgomery Scott]], [[Pavel Chekov]], and [[Uhura]], recover Spock's body and facilitate the return of Spock's katra to his body. In the process, the ''Enterprise'' is destroyed (''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]''). |
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Kelley had worked with ''Star Trek'' creator [[Gene Roddenberry]] on previous [[television pilot]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/cast/bio/69074.html|title=DeForest Kelley profile at Startrek.com|access-date=2009-01-25|archive-date=July 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708062933/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/cast/bio/69074.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and he was Roddenberry's first choice to play the doctor aboard the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']].<ref name="insidestartrek152">{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/152 152]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/152}}</ref> However, for the rejected pilot "[[The Cage (Star Trek: The Original Series)|The Cage]]" (1964), Roddenberry went with [[television director|director]] [[Robert Butler (director)|Robert Butler]]'s choice of [[John Hoyt]] to play Dr. Philip Boyce.<ref name="insidestartrek37">{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/37 37]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/37}}</ref> For the second pilot, "[[Where No Man Has Gone Before]]" (1966), Roddenberry accepted director [[James Goldstone]]'s decision to have [[Paul Fix]] play Dr. Mark Piper.<ref name="insidestartrek75">{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/75 75]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/75}}</ref> Although Roddenberry wanted Kelley to play the character of ship's doctor, he did not put Kelley's name forward to [[NBC]]; the network never "rejected" the actor, as Roddenberry sometimes suggested.<ref name="insidestartrek152" /> |
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Kelley's first broadcast appearance as Doctor Leonard McCoy was in "[[The Man Trap]]" (1966). Despite his character's prominence, Kelley's contract granted him only a "featuring" credit; he was not given "starring" credit until the second season, at the urging of producer [[Robert H. Justman|Robert Justman]].<ref name="Inside Star Trek pg 240">{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/240 240]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/240}}</ref> Kelley was apprehensive about ''Star Trek''{{'}}s future, telling Roddenberry that the show was "going to be the biggest hit or the biggest miss God ever made".<ref name="rioux2005">{{cite book|title=From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy|first=Terry Lee|last=Rioux|isbn=978-0-7434-5762-0|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHqtNdfIdi8C&q=rioux+kelley|date=2005-02-28|access-date=October 18, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417190445/https://books.google.com/books?id=fHqtNdfIdi8C&q=rioux+kelley|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|146}} Kelley portrayed McCoy throughout the original ''Star Trek'' series, and voiced the character in the animated ''Star Trek''.<ref name="compendium" /> |
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During the ''Enterprise'' crew's three-month stay on Vulcan, McCoy makes a full recovery. McCoy's "fine sense of historical irony" leads to him naming the crew's captured [[Klingon starships#Bird of prey classes|Klingon ship]] the [[HMS Bounty|HMS ''Bounty'']]. McCoy, along with the rest of Kirk's crew, are not prosecuted for their illegal actions regarding the theft of the ''Enterprise'' and travel to Genesis; Kirk, however, is demoted and given command of a new starship, the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)|USS ''Enterprise''-A]] (''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]''); McCoy joins the crew as the chief medical officer (''[[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]]''). McCoy is briefly taken into custody in 2293 and imprisoned on [[Rura Penthe]], along with Kirk, when General [[Chang (Star Trek)|Chang]] frames the ''Enterprise'' crew for the murder of [[Klingon]] Chancellor [[Gorkon]]. McCoy and Kirk are rescued, and McCoy aids Spock in constructing a torpedo to destroy Chang's experimental bird-of-prey (''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]''). |
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[[Image:Star Trek TNG S1 OF9a.png|thumb|138px|Admiral McCoy's shoulder board]] |
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Between 2295 and 2363, McCoy's life and activities are unknown, although a FASA roleplaying manual states that McCoy held a special staff rank known as "branch admiral". |
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Kelley, who in his youth wanted to become a doctor like his uncle, but whose family could not pay for a medical education,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/367110.stm|title=Star Trek's Dr McCoy dies|publisher=BBC|access-date=2009-01-26|date=1999-06-11|archive-date=December 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206134739/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/367110.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> in part drew upon his real-life experiences in creating McCoy, a doctor's "matter-of-fact" delivery of news of Kelley's mother's terminal cancer was the "abrasive sand" Kelley used in creating McCoy's demeanor.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|145}} ''Star Trek'' writer [[D. C. Fontana]] said that while Roddenberry created the series, Kelley essentially created McCoy; everything done with the character was done with Kelley's input.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|156}} |
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In 2363, Admiral McCoy is briefly aboard the recently-commissioned [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS ''Enterprise''-D]], and compares [[Data (Star Trek)|Data]]'s mannerisms and speech to that of Vulcans (''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'': "[[Encounter at Farpoint (TNG episode)|Encounter at Farpoint]]"). |
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"Exquisite chemistry" among Kelley, [[William Shatner]], and [[Leonard Nimoy]] manifested itself in their performances as McCoy, Captain [[James T. Kirk]], and Science Officer Spock, respectively. [[Nichelle Nichols]], who played [[Uhura]], referred to Kelley as her "sassy gentleman friend"; the friendship between the [[African American|African-American]] Nichols and [[Southern United States|Southern]] Kelley was a real-life demonstration of the message Roddenberry hoped to convey through ''Star Trek''.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|154}} |
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DeForest Kelley filmed no additional Star Trek scenes, although he is briefly visible in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "Trials and Tribble-ations" via footage from ''Star Trek''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "[[The Trouble With Tribbles (TOS episode)|The Trouble With Tribbles]]". |
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For the 2009 ''Star Trek'' film, writers [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] saw McCoy as an "arbiter" in Kirk and Spock's relationship. While Spock represented "extreme logic, extreme science" and Kirk symbolized "extreme emotion and intuition", McCoy's role as "a very colorful doctor, essentially a very [[Humanism|humanistic]] scientist", represented the "two extremes that often served as the glue that held the trio together". They chose to reveal that McCoy befriended Kirk first, explaining the "bias" in their friendship and why he would often be a "little dismissive" of Spock.<ref name="scifiwireinterview">{{cite news|url=http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/orci-kurtzman-how-star-tr.php|title=Orci & Kurtzman: How Star Trek deals with Kirk, Spock and McCoy|work=[[Sci Fi Wire]]|date=2009-03-25|access-date=2009-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427202732/http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/orci-kurtzman-how-star-tr.php|archive-date=April 27, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Urban said the script was "very faithful" to the original character, including the "great compassion for humanity and that sense of irascibility" with which Kelley imbued the character. New Zealand-born Urban trained with a dialect coach to create McCoy's accent<ref name="urbanvideo">{{cite web|url=http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=227&task=videodirectlink&id=522|title=Karl Urban|access-date=2009-01-26|date=2008-01-17|publisher=IESB.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317071342/http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=227&task=videodirectlink&id=522|archive-date=March 17, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and reprised the role in its sequels ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.celebuzz.com/2012-09-22/dredd-3d-star-karl-urban-star-trek-into-darkness-will-be-epic-emotional-exclusive-video/ |title='Dredd 3D' Star Karl Urban: 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Will Be 'Epic', 'Emotional' (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) |publisher=Celebuzz |date=2012-09-22 |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313125002/https://www.celebuzz.com/2012-09-22/dredd-3d-star-karl-urban-star-trek-into-darkness-will-be-epic-emotional-exclusive-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Star Trek Beyond]]''. |
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McCoy's book ''Comparative Alien Physiology'' became a classic among medical textbooks on par with ''[[Gray's Anatomy]]'', and part of the knowledge base of the [[Emergency Medical Hologram]] (VOY "Message in a Bottle"). |
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==Cultural impact== |
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McCoy appears in several non-canon novels, several of which revolve around him. In [[William Shatner]]'s novels, McCoy is over 150 years old, thanks in large part to synthetic body parts (heart, lungs, digestive system, legs, etc.) outnumbering his original ones. DeForest Kelley's death in [[1999]] lead to a [[DC Comics]] story chronicling McCoy's death, in which Spock and Scott - two ''TOS'' characters shown to be alive in the 24th century - visit McCoy on his death bed. This comics story, however, continues to be contradicted by McCoy's continued appearances in Trek novels penned by Shatner up to and including the recent ones. |
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McCoy is someone to whom Kirk unburdens himself, but is a [[foil (literature)|foil]] to Spock.<ref name="Inside Star Trek pg 240" /> He is Kirk's "friend, personal bartender, confidant, counselor, and priest".<ref>{{cite book|page=84|first1=Grace Lee|last1=Whitney|author-link=Grace Lee Whitney|title=The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy|year=1998|isbn=978-1-884956-03-4|publisher=Quill Driver Books|first2=James D.|last2=Denney}}</ref> Spock and McCoy's bickering became so popular that Roddenberry wrote in a 1968 memo "we simply didn't realize ... how much the fans loved the bickering between our [[Arrowsmith (novel)|Arrowsmith]] and our Alien".<ref name="davis20130907">{{cite web | url=http://io9.com/gene-roddenberrys-1968-memo-on-improving-star-treks-c-1267131265 | title=Gene Roddenberry's 1968 memo on improving Star Trek's characters | work=io9 | date=2013-09-07 | access-date=2013-09-07 | last=Davis | first=Lauren | archive-date=September 9, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909021406/http://io9.com/gene-roddenberrys-1968-memo-on-improving-star-treks-c-1267131265 | url-status=live }}</ref> Urban said McCoy has a "sense of irascibility with real passion for life and doing the right thing", and that "Spock's logic and McCoy's moral standing gave Kirk the benefit of having three brains instead of just one."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scifipulse.net/?p=581 |publisher=Sci Fi Pulse |title=Urban On Star Trek & McCoy |access-date=2009-01-26 |date=2008-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205194252/http://scifipulse.net/?p=581 |archive-date=December 5, 2008 }}</ref> |
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Kelley said that his greatest thrill at ''Star Trek'' conventions was the number of people who told him they entered the medical profession because of the McCoy character.<ref>{{cite book|title=Up Till Now: The Autobiography|first=William|last=Shatner|author-link=William Shatner|page=[https://archive.org/details/uptillnowautobio00shat/page/149 149]|year=2008|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-37265-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/uptillnowautobio00shat/page/149}}</ref> He received two or three letters a month from others reporting similar experiences. A friend observed that despite not becoming a doctor as he had hoped, Kelley's portrayal of McCoy had helped create many doctors. According to Kelley, "You can win awards and that sort of thing, but to influence the youth of the country ... is an award that is not handed out by the industry".{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|273}} |
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In the series Star Trek" Voyager, the holographic doctor, while talking to a patient states Leonard McCoy invented a procedure that involves grafting Klingon skin. |
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==Catchphrases== |
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==="He's dead, Jim."=== |
==="He's dead, Jim."=== |
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<!-- [[Warp 11]] links here. --> |
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McCoy frequently declares someone or something deceased with the line, "He's dead", "He's dead, Jim", or something similar. He makes such pronouncements for several people and things, including: |
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* Crewman Green (''TOS'': "[[The Man Trap]]") |
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* The Space Puppy (''TOS'': "[[The Enemy Within (TOS episode)|The Enemy Within]]") |
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* The adult native (''TOS'': "[[Miri (Star Trek)|Miri]]") |
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* Doctor Adams (''TOS'': "[[Dagger of the Mind]]") |
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* Captain Kirk (''TOS'': "[[Amok Time]]", "[[Return to Tomorrow]]") |
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* Scotty (''TOS'': "[[The Changeling (Star Trek)|The Changeling]]", "[[I, Mudd]]") |
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* Crewman Jackson (''TOS'': "[[Catspaw]]") |
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* Lieutenant Galway (''TOS'': "[[The Deadly Years]]") |
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* The Table Dancer (''TOS'': "[[Wolf in the Fold]]") |
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* Lieutenant Tracey (''TOS'': "[[Wolf in the Fold]]") |
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* Commissioner Hengist (''TOS'': "[[Wolf in the Fold]]") |
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* Priestess Nona (''TOS'': "[[A Private Little War]]") |
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* Professor Starnes (''TOS'': "[[And the Children Shall Lead]]") |
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* Marvick (''TOS'': "[[Is There in Truth No Beauty?]]") |
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* Ensign Chekov (''TOS'': "[[Spectre of the Gun]]") |
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* The old man (''TOS'': "[[For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky]]") |
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* Murdered scientist (''TOS'': "[[The Lights of Zetar]]") |
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Twenty times on the original ''Star Trek'' series, McCoy declares someone or something deceased with the line, "He's dead", "He's dead, Jim", or something similar. The phrase so became a [[catchphrase]] of the character that Kelley joked that the line would appear on his tombstone<ref name="Porter">{{cite book | title = Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture | last = Porter | first = Jennifer E. | year = 1999 | publisher = SUNY Press | page = 127 | isbn = 978-0-7914-4334-7 | contribution = Darcee L. McLaren}}</ref><ref name="Amesly">{{cite book | last = Amesly | first = Cassandra | others = John Fiske (ed.) | title = Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Number 3 | year = 1990 | publisher = Routledge | isbn = 978-0-415-03743-3 | pages = 68–69 | chapter = How to Watch Star Trek | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5fPe1YuA_6MC&pg=PA63 | quote = Equally part of typical episodes are a series of lines that fans readily recognize: some that are favorites in particular episodes (such as the 'accoutrements' cited in the beginning commentary) and some which are closely identified with characters: Dr McCoy says, 'He's dead, Jim,' and 'I'm a doctor, not a — '; Spock remarks 'Fascinating' to occurrences which appear likely to kill or maim the crew...' | access-date = October 18, 2020 | archive-date = April 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210417175951/https://books.google.com/books?id=5fPe1YuA_6MC&pg=PA63 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Kaplan">{{cite journal | last = Kaplan | first = Anna L. | date = October 1999 | title = Obituary: DeForest Kelley | journal = Cinefantastique | volume = 31 | issue = 8 | page = 62 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CYJZAAAAMAAJ | access-date = 2009-04-07 | quote = Dr. McCoy's signature lines, "He's dead, Jim", and "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer", will never be forgotten. In fact, Kelley joked that the line, "He's dead, Jim", would be written on his tombstone. | archive-date = March 12, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170312131200/https://books.google.com/books?id=CYJZAAAAMAAJ | url-status = live }}</ref>—and it appeared in the first sentence of at least one obituary<ref name="independent19990613">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-deforest-kelley-1100057.html | title=Obituary: DeForest Kelley | work=The Independent | date=1999-06-13 | access-date=7 April 2016 | archive-date=August 22, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822113214/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-deforest-kelley-1100057.html | url-status=live }}</ref>—but disliked repeating the line.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|166}} During filming of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', when Spock is dying from radiation exposure, Kelley felt it would spoil the gravitas of the moment, so he and [[James Doohan]] agreed to swap their lines: McCoy warns Kirk not to open the chamber, and [[Scotty (Star Trek)|Scotty]] says, "He's dead already".{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|249}}<ref name="greenberg199205">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=94 | title=Install Long and Prosper | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=May 1992 | access-date=2013-11-24 | last=Greenberg | first=Allen | page=46 | archive-date=December 3, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002514/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=94 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', the script originally had McCoy say "He's dead, Jim" in Spock's death scene. However, Kelley objected to it on the grounds that it would provoke unintended laughter{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Instead Scott tells Kirk, "Sir, he's dead already!" McCoy confirms it by telling Kirk that it is too late to save Spock. |
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[[University of Southern California]] literature professor [[Henry Jenkins]] cites Dr. McCoy's "He's dead, Jim" line as an example of fans actively participating in the creation of an [[underground culture]] in which they derive pleasure by repeating memorable lines as part of constructing new mythologies and alternative social communities.<ref name="Jenkins">{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Henry |title=Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York, N.Y. |isbn=978-0-41-553328-7 |page=76 |edition=updated 20th anniversary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xxwAZj22IdoC&q=%22he%27s+dead%2C+jim%22 |access-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417190847/https://books.google.com/books?id=xxwAZj22IdoC&q=%22he%27s+dead%2C+jim%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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=== "I'm a doctor, not a(n)..." === |
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When McCoy is pressed to perform as something other than a doctor, he often reminds whoever's nearby that he is "just" a doctor, frequently by saying, "I'm a doctor, not a(n)...", concluding with whatever profession relates to what it is he's asked to do. Such professions include: |
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* Moon shuttle conductor (''TOS'': "[[The Corbomite Maneuver]]").* ("What ''am'' I – a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?!") |
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* Bricklayer (''TOS'': "[[The Devil in the Dark]]") |
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* Psychiatrist (''TOS'': "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]") |
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* Officer of the line: "I'm a ''doctor''! If I were an officer of the line, I..." (''TOS'': "[[A Taste of Armageddon]]") |
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* Mechanic (''TOS'': "[[The Doomsday Machine]]" and "[[The Empath]]") |
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* Engineer (''TOS'': "[[Mirror, Mirror (TOS episode)|Mirror, Mirror]]") |
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* Scientist (''TOS'': "[[Metamorphosis (Star Trek)|Metamorphosis]]") |
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* Physicist (''TOS'': "[[Metamorphosis (Star Trek)|Metamorphosis]]") |
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* Escalator (''TOS'': "[[Friday's Child]]") |
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* Magician: "I'm not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor." (''TOS'': "[[The Deadly Years]]") |
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* Miracle worker (''TOS'': "[[The Deadly Years]]") |
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* Flesh peddler: "I will not peddle flesh; I'm a physician." (''TOS'': "[[Return to Tomorrow]]") |
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* Coal miner (''TOS'': "[[The Empath]]") |
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==="I'm a doctor, not a..."=== |
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Another of McCoy's catchphrases is his "I'm a doctor, (Jim) not a(n)..." statements,<ref name="Butt">{{cite book|last1=Butt|first1=Miriam|first2=Kyle|last2=Wohlmut|others=Natascha Gentz (ed.), Stefan Kramer (ed.)|title=Globalization, Cultural Identities, and Media Representations|year=2006|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-6683-4|page=83|chapter=The Thousand Faces of Xena: Transculturality Through Multi-Identity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GWyF18r-tR4C&pg=PA83|quote=each character's role is clearly defined by his or her position on the ship, so much so that one of the show's many catchphrases was Dr. McCoy's recurring line, 'I'm a doctor, not a ...'|access-date=September 24, 2016|archive-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315112524/http://books.google.com/books?id=GWyF18r-tR4C&pg=PA83|url-status=live}}</ref> delivered by Kelley 11 times,{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|166}} and three times by [[Karl Urban]] in later films. McCoy repeats the line when he must perform some task beyond his medical skills, such as when he is asked to treat the unfamiliar [[silicon]]-based Horta alien in "[[The Devil in the Dark]]" (1967), saying, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer."<ref name="Lass">{{cite book|last1=Lass|first1=Martin|first2=Rickie|last2=Hilder|title=Musings of a Rogue Comet: Chiron, Planet of Healing|edition=2nd|year=2002|publisher=Galactic Publications|isbn=978-0-9715924-2-1|page=212|chapter=The Discovery of Chiron|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiYNPFOnLLwC&pg=PA212|quote=In a classic moment (episode: "The Devil in the Dark"), McCoy, challenged with healing a being that was made more of rock than flesh, spouts out, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"|access-date=September 24, 2016|archive-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315101507/http://books.google.com/books?id=UiYNPFOnLLwC&pg=PA212|url-status=live}}</ref> Variations of the line have also been used by doctors in other ''Trek'' series, including [[Julian Bashir]], [[Phlox (Star Trek)|Phlox]], and the [[The Doctor (Star Trek: Voyager)|Emergency Medical Hologram]] stationed aboard ''[[USS Voyager (Star Trek)|Voyager]]''. |
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Kelley parodied the phrase in a 1992 commercial for [[Trivial Pursuit]]'s 10th Anniversary Edition, in which the question is asked, "How many chambers are there in a human heart?" replying "How should I know? I'm an actor, not a doctor!".<ref name="Fortean">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.forteantimes.com/specials/star-trek/1668/im_a_doctor_not_a.html |title=I'm a doctor, not a... Dr Leonard McCoy's much-parodied signature phrase |magazine=[[Fortean Times]] |access-date=2010-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607042552/http://www.forteantimes.com/specials/star-trek/1668/im_a_doctor_not_a.html |archive-date=June 7, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="NY Times">{{cite news |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Giving Familiar Brands a Second Chance |author=Stuart Elliott |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1992-09-22 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/22/business/the-media-business-advertising-giving-familiar-brands-a-second-chance.html?pagewanted=1 |access-date=2010-03-27 |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009090943/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/22/business/the-media-business-advertising-giving-familiar-brands-a-second-chance.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series|The Animated Series]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "[[Albatross (TAS episode)|Albatross]]", McCoy says, "I'm a doctor, Spock, a doctor." |
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It is often believed that Kelley said "Damn it, Jim!" before the "I'm a doctor" line, but in reality "damn" was never said on the original show (although damning was used) because the word was considered taboo on TV in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-doctor-mccoy-damn-it-jim-doctor-not/ | title=Did Dr. McCoy Never Actually Give a 'Damn' on Star Trek? | date=August 27, 2019 }}</ref> |
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The phrase is frequently misquoted as being prefaced with "Dammit, Jim...", but McCoy never uses the clause on the television series. |
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=== |
===In popular culture=== |
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An audio clip of McCoy saying "It's worked so far, but we're not out yet." (taken from the episode "[[I, Mudd]]") was sampled by Minnesota-based New Wave band [[Information Society]] on their 1988 hit single "[[What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)]]". |
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{{toomuchtrivia}} |
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*[[The Doctor (Star Trek)|The Doctor]] from ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' sometimes uses "I'm a Doctor..." McCoyisms. The [[Emergency Medical Hologram]] in ''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]'' also states, "I'm a Doctor, not a doorstop." Doctor [[Julian Bashir]] from ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' says, "I'm a doctor, not a historian" in the ''TOS'' "flashback" episode "Trials and Tribble-ations". |
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==Reception== |
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*Also from ''Star Trek: Voyager'', [[Tom Paris]] says "I'm a pilot, Harry, not a doctor" when Paris is temporarily assigned to sickbay after The Doctor is sent on an away-mission ("[[Message in a Bottle (Voyager episode)|Message in a Bottle]]"). |
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In a rebuttal to a [[tongue-in-cheek]] analysis in the ''[[Canadian Medical Association Journal]]'', which claimed that [[Dr. Nick]] from ''[[The Simpsons]]'' was a better [[role model]] than his competitor [[Dr. Hibbert]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Patterson |first1=R |last2=Weijer |first2=C |title=D'oh! An analysis of the medical care provided to the family of Homer J. Simpson |url=http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/159/12/1480.pdf |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |volume=159 |issue=12 |pages=1480–1 |year=1998 |pmid=9988570 |pmc=1229893 |access-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610204847/http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/159/12/1480.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> both of which were published in the same journal in 1998, both doctors are cast aside for Dr. McCoy, "TV's only true physician" and "someone who has broken free from the yoke of ethics and practises the art and science of medicine beyond the stultifying opposition of paternalism and autonomy. A free and independent thinker and, indeed, someone even beyond role models".<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Yeo M |date=December 15, 1998 |title=To boldly go: we have to look beyond the Simpsons for a true medical hero |url=http://www.cmaj.ca/content/159/12/1476.full.pdf |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |volume=159 |issue=12 |pages=1476–1477 |pmid=9988569 |pmc=1229891 |access-date=January 23, 2018 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313124956/https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/159/12/1476.full.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In 2012, [[IGN]] ranked the character Doctor McCoy, as depicted in the original series, its films, and the 2009 film ''Star Trek,'' as the fifth-top character of the ''Star Trek'' universe, behind Data, Picard, Spock, and Kirk.<ref>{{Citation|title=Top 25 Star Trek Characters - IGN|date=May 8, 2009|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/08/top-25-star-trek-characters|language=en|access-date=2019-07-12|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090655/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/08/top-25-star-trek-characters|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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*In an episode of the [[Star Trek: Enterprise]] series, "[[Doctors Orders]]", Dr. Phlox proclaims "I'm a physician, not an engineer!" when confronted with the problem of restarting the warp reactor by himself. |
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In 2016, Doctor McCoy was ranked as the fifth-most important character of [[Starfleet]] within the ''Star Trek'' science-fiction universe by ''[[Wired magazine|Wired]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/09/star-treks-100-crew-members-ranked/|title=Star Trek's 100 Most Important Crew Members, Ranked|last=McMillan|first=Graeme|date=2016-09-05|magazine=Wired|access-date=2019-03-20|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=March 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302002145/https://www.wired.com/2016/09/star-treks-100-crew-members-ranked/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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*In the computer game ''[[Starcraft: Brood War]]'', when the player repeatedly clicks on a [[Terran Medic]], she will eventually say "His EKG is flatlining! Give me a defib stat!" followed by "He's dead, Jim." |
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In 2016, [[Syfy|SyFy]] ranked McCoy third of the six main-cast space doctors of the ''Star Trek'' franchise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/every-major-star-trek-doctor-ranked|title=Every major Star Trek doctor, ranked|last=Roth|first=Dany|date=2016-06-29|website=SYFY WIRE|language=en|access-date=2019-07-04|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704150923/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/every-major-star-trek-doctor-ranked|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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*The ''[[The Transformers (TV series)|Transformers]]'' cartoon parodies McCoy in the episode "The Return of Optimus Prime" with [[Wreck-Gar]] saying "I'm a doctor, not a forklift" and "He's dead, Jim" when asked if he can repair [[Optimus Prime]]. (Wreck-Gar also parodies [[Montgomery Scott]] in the same scene.) |
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In 2017, Screen Rant ranked the reboot film (Kelvin timeline) McCoy, played by Urban, as the 17th-most attractive person in the ''Star Trek'' universe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-most-attractive-characters/|title=Star Trek: 20 Most Attractive Characters|date=2017-12-15|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-12|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416012852/https://screenrant.com/star-trek-most-attractive-characters/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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*[[HK-47]] in the game ''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic]]'' at one point says "Dammit, master, I'm an assassination droid, not a dictionary." |
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In 2018, [[TheWrap|''The Wrap'']] placed Doctor McCoy as sixth out 39 in a ranking of main cast characters of the ''Star Trek'' franchise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/all-39-star-trek-main-characters-ranked-from-spock-to-wesley-photos/|title=All 39 'Star Trek' Main Characters Ranked|date=2018-03-21|website=TheWrap|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-22|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702182344/https://www.thewrap.com/all-39-star-trek-main-characters-ranked-from-spock-to-wesley-photos/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, [[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] ranked McCoy as the 11th-best Starfleet character of ''Star Trek.''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-starfleet-members-ranked/|title=Star Trek: The 25 Best Members Of Starfleet, Ranked|date=2018-10-27|website=CBR|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-20|archive-date=June 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620180207/https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-starfleet-members-ranked/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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*In the movie ''[[Ace Ventura: Pet Detective]]'', Ace says, "For God sake, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a pool man." |
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==References== |
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*In keeping with ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]''' profusion of Star Trek references, Dr. [[Carson Beckett]] is often linked to McCoy. On at least one occasion, he says "I'm a medical doctor, not a bloody fighter pilot!" ("[[The Storm (Stargate Atlantis)|The Storm]]", "[[The Eye (Stargate Atlantis)|The Eye]]"). In addition, Dr. [[Rodney McKay]] needles Beckett about how, like McCoy, he doesn't like going outside his safety zone (in McCoy's case, the ship; in Beckett's case, [[Atlantis (Stargate)|Atlantis]]) or using a teleportation device (in McCoy's case, a [[transporter (Star Trek)|transporter]]; in Beckett's case a [[Stargate (device)|Stargate]]), at which point [[Teyla Emmagan]] inquires about McCoy. Major [[John Sheppard (Stargate)|John Sheppard]] describes McCoy as "The TV character Beckett plays in real life."({{sgcite|Poisoning the Well|sga}}) |
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{{Reflist|30em}} |
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*In ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' season 9 episode "[[Babylon (Stargate SG-1)|Babylon]]", Col. Mitchell is saved from dying in a duel to the death by being drugged to feign death -- the same strategy used to save Kirk from dying in combat with Spock in the Original Series episode "Amok Time". When he revives, he thanks his benefactor by saying, "Good work, Bones." |
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*In ''[[Treasure Planet]]'', Dr. Doppler reverses McCoy's famous line: "Dang it, Jim, I'm an astronomer, not a doctor! I mean, I am a doctor, but I'm not that kind of doctor." |
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*In an episode of "[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]" in which [[William Shatner]] guest starred, [[Will Smith]] parodies the line by saying, "Dammit, Jim, I'm a black boy from Philly, not a doctor!" |
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*In the film ''[[Zoolander]]'', Derek Zoolander's father says, "Damnit, Derek, I'm a coal miner, not a professional film or television actor." |
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*In a late 1990s episode of "[[Saturday Night Live]]" hosted by [[William Shatner]], a skit involving the ''Enterprise'' as a rotating restaurant has Kirk turning to McCoy for help after a patron starts to choke. McCoy (played by [[Phil Hartman]]) responds with "Dammit, I'm a Doctor, not a... ''Oh''! Oh, sure!" and proceeds to administer the [[Heimlich]] maneuver. |
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*On the TV series ''[[Unfabulous]]'', Principal Brandywine uses lines that follow the pattern of, "This is school [or name of a school-related object or place], not a/an/the [event, time, place or object unrelated to school]!", or "You're a middle school student, not [a famous person who does what the student is doing]!", or "I'm a middle school principal, not a doctor [or other jobs outside school]!" |
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*In a television commercial for Trivial Pursuit, a player asks another player a medical question from one of the cards. The camera whip-pans to reveal DeForest Kelley, who says, "How should I know? I'm an actor, not a doctor." |
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*In an episode of ''[[Family Guy]]'', [[Peter Griffin]], looking for someone to give him a prostate exams, comes across McCoy. McCoy then responds with, "Forget it. I'm a doctor, not a patsy." |
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*In episode 85 of the [[machinima]] series ''[[Red Vs. Blue]]'', [[Church (Red vs. Blue)|Church]] states that [[List of characters in Red vs. Blue#Doc|Doc]] "...will fix the tank". [[Tucker (Red vs. Blue)|Tucker]] responds "Doc's not a mechanic, he's a doctor! Not a doctor, a medic!" |
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* An episode of ''[[Beavis and Butthead]]'' has the pair witnessing a Star Trek episode in which McCoy is heard to state: "Captain, there is a limit to what one man can do. Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a... oh yeah. I'll get right on it." |
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* In the popular [[MMORPG]] ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', at the completion of a specific quest in which the end result is the questgiver 'accidentally' blowing himself up, the NPC goblin "Doc" quips, "Dammit Boots! I'm a doctor, not a priest!" |
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*In an episode of ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', "Mob Rule", Dr. Gregory House says, "I'm a doctor, not a lapdog for the feds." |
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* On the "Guide to Fundraising & Competition" episode of ''[[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide]]'', Vice Principal Crubbs, Mr. Sweeney, and Coach Dirga told [[Ned Bigby|Ned]] and [[Simon Nelson-Cook|Cookie]] "You're the worst fundraisers ever!", and then Cookie's response is "We're students, not salesmen!" |
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==Future casting== |
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Since ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek XI]]'' will, by all accounts, take place during the same time frame as the original Trek series, it is possible that McCoy will make an appearance. No casting has, as yet, been made for any roles in the film; however, fans are already speculating over who will play (among others) McCoy. [[Gary Sinise]] is a fan favorite for the role. |
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John M. Kelley plays doctor McCoy in the [[Star Trek New Voyages]] fan films. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commons category}} |
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{{wikiquote|Star Trek: The Original Series}} |
{{wikiquote|Star Trek: The Original Series}} |
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* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112499.html |
* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112499.html Leonard McCoy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616060155/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112499.html |date=June 16, 2010 }} at [[StarTrek.com]] |
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{{Memory Alpha}} |
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* [http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.com/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3814 "DeForest Kelley (1920–1999)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517084058/http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.com/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3814 |date=May 17, 2013 }} at the ''[[New Georgia Encyclopedia]]'' |
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*{{memoryalpha|I'm a doctor, not a...}} |
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*{{memoryalpha|Star Trek parodies#I'm a doctor, not a...|Star Trek Parodies}} |
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{{Star Trek regulars}} |
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Latest revision as of 17:07, 25 July 2024
Leonard McCoy | |
---|---|
Star Trek character | |
First appearance | "The Man Trap" (1966) (The Original Series) |
Last appearance | Star Trek Beyond (2016) |
Created by | Gene Roddenberry |
Portrayed by | DeForest Kelley (1966–1999) Karl Urban (2009–2016) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Leonard Horatio McCoy |
Nickname | Bones |
Species | Human |
Gender | Male |
Title | Doctor |
Affiliation | |
Family | David McCoy (father) |
Spouse | Unnamed wife (divorced) Natira (separated) |
Children | Joanna McCoy (daughter) |
Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise Star Trek.[1] McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the animated Star Trek series, in six Star Trek films, in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books, comics, and video games.[2] A decade after Kelley's death, Karl Urban assumed the role of McCoy in the Star Trek reboot film in 2009.[3]
Depiction
[edit]McCoy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2227.[4] The son of David McCoy,[5]: 257–258 he attended the University of Mississippi[2] and is a divorcé.[6] McCoy later married Natira, the priestess of Yonada, as recounted in the episode "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky". In 2266, McCoy was posted as chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, who often calls him "Bones".[2] McCoy and Kirk are good friends, even "brotherly".[5]: 146 The passionate, sometimes cantankerous McCoy frequently argues with Kirk's other confidant, science officer Spock,[1] and occasionally is annoyed by Spock's Vulcan heritage.[7] McCoy often plays the role of Kirk's conscience, offering a counterpoint to Spock's logic.[1] McCoy is suspicious of technology,[8] especially the transporter.[2] As a physician, he prefers less intrusive treatment and believes in the body's innate recuperative powers.[1] The nickname "Bones" – chosen before the character was named – is a play on sawbones, a 19th century epithet for a surgeon.[9][10][11] In the 2009 Star Trek film reboot, when McCoy first meets Kirk, he complains that his ex-wife took all their shared assets following their divorce: "All I got left is my bones", implying this was the origin of the nickname.[12]
When Kirk orders McCoy's commission reactivated in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979);[2] a resentful McCoy complains of being "drafted".[13] Spock transfers his katra—his knowledge and experience—into McCoy before dying in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).[2] This causes mental anguish for McCoy, who in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) helps restore Spock's katra to his reanimated body.[2] McCoy continues to serve on Kirk's crew aboard the captured Klingon ship in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).[2] In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), McCoy (through the intervention of Spock's half-brother Sybok) reveals that he helped his father commit suicide to relieve him of his pain. Shortly after the suicide, a cure was found for his father's disease, and McCoy had carried the guilt about it with him until Sybok's intervention.
In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), McCoy and Kirk escape from a Klingon prison world, and the Enterprise crew stops a plot to prevent peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire.[2] Kelley reprised the role for the "Encounter at Farpoint" pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), insisting upon no more than the minimum Screen Actors Guild payment for his appearance.[14] McCoy had attained the rank of admiral in the Trek timeline when this episode was aired, and he is stated to be 137 years of age. He went on to become chief of Starfleet Medical, with a special rank known as branch admiral. The fictional book Comparative Alien Physiology was written by McCoy, and was required reading at the Starfleet Medical Academy through the 2370s.
In the 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Survivor", McCoy mentions he has a daughter, Joanna. Although Chekov's friend Irina in the original series episode "The Way to Eden" was originally written as McCoy's daughter, it was changed before the episode was shot.[15]
Reboot film series
[edit]In the 2009 Star Trek film, which takes place in an alternate, parallel reality,[16] McCoy and Kirk become friends at Starfleet Academy, which McCoy joins after a divorce that he says, "left [him] nothing but [his] bones." This line, improvised by Urban,[12] explains how McCoy earned the nickname Bones. McCoy later helps get Kirk posted aboard the USS Enterprise. He later becomes the chief medical officer after Doctor Puri is killed during an attack by Nero. McCoy remains aboard to see the Enterprise defeat Nero and his crew, with Kirk becoming the commanding officer of the ship.
The Guardian called Urban's portrayal of McCoy in the 2009 film an "unqualified success",[17] and The New York Times called the character "wild-eyed and funny".[18] Slate said Urban came closer than the other actors to impersonating a character's original depiction.[19]
Development
[edit]Kelley had worked with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry on previous television pilots,[20] and he was Roddenberry's first choice to play the doctor aboard the USS Enterprise.[21] However, for the rejected pilot "The Cage" (1964), Roddenberry went with director Robert Butler's choice of John Hoyt to play Dr. Philip Boyce.[22] For the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966), Roddenberry accepted director James Goldstone's decision to have Paul Fix play Dr. Mark Piper.[23] Although Roddenberry wanted Kelley to play the character of ship's doctor, he did not put Kelley's name forward to NBC; the network never "rejected" the actor, as Roddenberry sometimes suggested.[21]
Kelley's first broadcast appearance as Doctor Leonard McCoy was in "The Man Trap" (1966). Despite his character's prominence, Kelley's contract granted him only a "featuring" credit; he was not given "starring" credit until the second season, at the urging of producer Robert Justman.[24] Kelley was apprehensive about Star Trek's future, telling Roddenberry that the show was "going to be the biggest hit or the biggest miss God ever made".[5]: 146 Kelley portrayed McCoy throughout the original Star Trek series, and voiced the character in the animated Star Trek.[1]
Kelley, who in his youth wanted to become a doctor like his uncle, but whose family could not pay for a medical education,[25] in part drew upon his real-life experiences in creating McCoy, a doctor's "matter-of-fact" delivery of news of Kelley's mother's terminal cancer was the "abrasive sand" Kelley used in creating McCoy's demeanor.[5]: 145 Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana said that while Roddenberry created the series, Kelley essentially created McCoy; everything done with the character was done with Kelley's input.[5]: 156
"Exquisite chemistry" among Kelley, William Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy manifested itself in their performances as McCoy, Captain James T. Kirk, and Science Officer Spock, respectively. Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, referred to Kelley as her "sassy gentleman friend"; the friendship between the African-American Nichols and Southern Kelley was a real-life demonstration of the message Roddenberry hoped to convey through Star Trek.[5]: 154
For the 2009 Star Trek film, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman saw McCoy as an "arbiter" in Kirk and Spock's relationship. While Spock represented "extreme logic, extreme science" and Kirk symbolized "extreme emotion and intuition", McCoy's role as "a very colorful doctor, essentially a very humanistic scientist", represented the "two extremes that often served as the glue that held the trio together". They chose to reveal that McCoy befriended Kirk first, explaining the "bias" in their friendship and why he would often be a "little dismissive" of Spock.[26] Urban said the script was "very faithful" to the original character, including the "great compassion for humanity and that sense of irascibility" with which Kelley imbued the character. New Zealand-born Urban trained with a dialect coach to create McCoy's accent[27] and reprised the role in its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness[28] and Star Trek Beyond.
Cultural impact
[edit]McCoy is someone to whom Kirk unburdens himself, but is a foil to Spock.[24] He is Kirk's "friend, personal bartender, confidant, counselor, and priest".[29] Spock and McCoy's bickering became so popular that Roddenberry wrote in a 1968 memo "we simply didn't realize ... how much the fans loved the bickering between our Arrowsmith and our Alien".[30] Urban said McCoy has a "sense of irascibility with real passion for life and doing the right thing", and that "Spock's logic and McCoy's moral standing gave Kirk the benefit of having three brains instead of just one."[31]
Kelley said that his greatest thrill at Star Trek conventions was the number of people who told him they entered the medical profession because of the McCoy character.[32] He received two or three letters a month from others reporting similar experiences. A friend observed that despite not becoming a doctor as he had hoped, Kelley's portrayal of McCoy had helped create many doctors. According to Kelley, "You can win awards and that sort of thing, but to influence the youth of the country ... is an award that is not handed out by the industry".[5]: 273
"He's dead, Jim."
[edit]Twenty times on the original Star Trek series, McCoy declares someone or something deceased with the line, "He's dead", "He's dead, Jim", or something similar. The phrase so became a catchphrase of the character that Kelley joked that the line would appear on his tombstone[33][34][35]—and it appeared in the first sentence of at least one obituary[36]—but disliked repeating the line.[5]: 166 During filming of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, when Spock is dying from radiation exposure, Kelley felt it would spoil the gravitas of the moment, so he and James Doohan agreed to swap their lines: McCoy warns Kirk not to open the chamber, and Scotty says, "He's dead already".[5]: 249 [37]
University of Southern California literature professor Henry Jenkins cites Dr. McCoy's "He's dead, Jim" line as an example of fans actively participating in the creation of an underground culture in which they derive pleasure by repeating memorable lines as part of constructing new mythologies and alternative social communities.[38]
"I'm a doctor, not a..."
[edit]Another of McCoy's catchphrases is his "I'm a doctor, (Jim) not a(n)..." statements,[39] delivered by Kelley 11 times,[5]: 166 and three times by Karl Urban in later films. McCoy repeats the line when he must perform some task beyond his medical skills, such as when he is asked to treat the unfamiliar silicon-based Horta alien in "The Devil in the Dark" (1967), saying, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer."[40] Variations of the line have also been used by doctors in other Trek series, including Julian Bashir, Phlox, and the Emergency Medical Hologram stationed aboard Voyager.
Kelley parodied the phrase in a 1992 commercial for Trivial Pursuit's 10th Anniversary Edition, in which the question is asked, "How many chambers are there in a human heart?" replying "How should I know? I'm an actor, not a doctor!".[41][42]
It is often believed that Kelley said "Damn it, Jim!" before the "I'm a doctor" line, but in reality "damn" was never said on the original show (although damning was used) because the word was considered taboo on TV in the 1960s.[43]
In popular culture
[edit]An audio clip of McCoy saying "It's worked so far, but we're not out yet." (taken from the episode "I, Mudd") was sampled by Minnesota-based New Wave band Information Society on their 1988 hit single "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)".
Reception
[edit]In a rebuttal to a tongue-in-cheek analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which claimed that Dr. Nick from The Simpsons was a better role model than his competitor Dr. Hibbert,[44] both of which were published in the same journal in 1998, both doctors are cast aside for Dr. McCoy, "TV's only true physician" and "someone who has broken free from the yoke of ethics and practises the art and science of medicine beyond the stultifying opposition of paternalism and autonomy. A free and independent thinker and, indeed, someone even beyond role models".[45]
In 2012, IGN ranked the character Doctor McCoy, as depicted in the original series, its films, and the 2009 film Star Trek, as the fifth-top character of the Star Trek universe, behind Data, Picard, Spock, and Kirk.[46]
In 2016, Doctor McCoy was ranked as the fifth-most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trek science-fiction universe by Wired.[47]
In 2016, SyFy ranked McCoy third of the six main-cast space doctors of the Star Trek franchise.[48]
In 2017, Screen Rant ranked the reboot film (Kelvin timeline) McCoy, played by Urban, as the 17th-most attractive person in the Star Trek universe.[49]
In 2018, The Wrap placed Doctor McCoy as sixth out 39 in a ranking of main cast characters of the Star Trek franchise.[50] In 2018, CBR ranked McCoy as the 11th-best Starfleet character of Star Trek.[51]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Asherman, Alan (May 1, 1993). The Star Trek Compendium. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-79612-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Okuda, Michael; Okuda, Denise; Mirek, Debbie (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-53609-1.
- ^ "And Karl Urban as McCoy!". Viacom. October 17, 2007. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Mandel, Geoffrey (1980). USS Enterprise Officer's Manual. New York: Interstellar Associates. p. 21. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rioux, Terry Lee (February 28, 2005). From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-5762-0. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ Okuda, Michael; Okuda, Denise (1996). Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-53610-7.
- ^ Porter, Jennifer E.; McLaren, Darcee L. (1999). Star Trek and Sacred Ground. SUNY Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7914-4334-7.
- ^ Bruno, Mike (October 18, 2007). "Abrams' 'Trek' Casts Kirk and Bones". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Simon, Alexandra (October 30, 2021). "The Truth About Dr. McCoy's Nickname In Star Trek". Grunge.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ Schnakenberg, Robert (2007). Sci-Fi Baby Names: 500 Out-of-This-World Baby Names from Anakin to Zardoz. Quirk Books. ISBN 978-1-59474-161-6.
- ^ "Sawbones definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms". Medterms.com. March 19, 2012. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Star Trek DVD commentary
- ^ Screenplay by Harold Livingston, story by Alan Dean Foster, directed by Robert Wise (1979). Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little-known, seldom-used "reserve activation clause". In simpler language, Captain, they drafted me.
- ^ Nemeck, Larry (January 7, 2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-7434-5798-9.
- ^ Joanna Archived August 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine precursor to "The Way to Eden"
- ^ Burr, Ty (May 5, 2009). "Star Trek". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
- ^ Hoad, Phil (April 21, 2009). "JJ Abrams's Star Trek: we have liftoff". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (May 8, 2009). "A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ Stevens, Dana (May 6, 2009). "Go See Star Trek". Slate. Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ "DeForest Kelley profile at Startrek.com". Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Solow, Herbert; Justman, Robert (June 1997). Inside Star Trek The Real Story. Simon & Schuster. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-671-00974-8.
- ^ Solow, Herbert; Justman, Robert (June 1997). Inside Star Trek The Real Story. Simon & Schuster. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-671-00974-8.
- ^ Solow, Herbert; Justman, Robert (June 1997). Inside Star Trek The Real Story. Simon & Schuster. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-671-00974-8.
- ^ a b Solow, Herbert; Justman, Robert (June 1997). Inside Star Trek The Real Story. Simon & Schuster. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-671-00974-8.
- ^ "Star Trek's Dr McCoy dies". BBC. June 11, 1999. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "Orci & Kurtzman: How Star Trek deals with Kirk, Spock and McCoy". Sci Fi Wire. March 25, 2009. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ^ "Karl Urban". IESB.net. January 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "'Dredd 3D' Star Karl Urban: 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Will Be 'Epic', 'Emotional' (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)". Celebuzz. September 22, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ Whitney, Grace Lee; Denney, James D. (1998). The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy. Quill Driver Books. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-884956-03-4.
- ^ Davis, Lauren (September 7, 2013). "Gene Roddenberry's 1968 memo on improving Star Trek's characters". io9. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ "Urban On Star Trek & McCoy". Sci Fi Pulse. July 18, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Shatner, William (2008). Up Till Now: The Autobiography. Macmillan. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-312-37265-1.
- ^ Porter, Jennifer E. (1999). "Darcee L. McLaren". Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture. SUNY Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-7914-4334-7.
- ^ Amesly, Cassandra (1990). "How to Watch Star Trek". Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Number 3. John Fiske (ed.). Routledge. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-415-03743-3. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
Equally part of typical episodes are a series of lines that fans readily recognize: some that are favorites in particular episodes (such as the 'accoutrements' cited in the beginning commentary) and some which are closely identified with characters: Dr McCoy says, 'He's dead, Jim,' and 'I'm a doctor, not a — '; Spock remarks 'Fascinating' to occurrences which appear likely to kill or maim the crew...'
- ^ Kaplan, Anna L. (October 1999). "Obituary: DeForest Kelley". Cinefantastique. 31 (8): 62. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
Dr. McCoy's signature lines, "He's dead, Jim", and "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer", will never be forgotten. In fact, Kelley joked that the line, "He's dead, Jim", would be written on his tombstone.
- ^ "Obituary: DeForest Kelley". The Independent. June 13, 1999. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- ^ Greenberg, Allen (May 1992). "Install Long and Prosper". Computer Gaming World. p. 46. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
- ^ Jenkins, Henry (2013). Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (updated 20th anniversary ed.). New York, N.Y.: Routledge. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-41-553328-7. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ Butt, Miriam; Wohlmut, Kyle (2006). "The Thousand Faces of Xena: Transculturality Through Multi-Identity". Globalization, Cultural Identities, and Media Representations. Natascha Gentz (ed.), Stefan Kramer (ed.). SUNY Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7914-6683-4. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
each character's role is clearly defined by his or her position on the ship, so much so that one of the show's many catchphrases was Dr. McCoy's recurring line, 'I'm a doctor, not a ...'
- ^ Lass, Martin; Hilder, Rickie (2002). "The Discovery of Chiron". Musings of a Rogue Comet: Chiron, Planet of Healing (2nd ed.). Galactic Publications. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-9715924-2-1. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
In a classic moment (episode: "The Devil in the Dark"), McCoy, challenged with healing a being that was made more of rock than flesh, spouts out, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"
- ^ "I'm a doctor, not a... Dr Leonard McCoy's much-parodied signature phrase". Fortean Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ^ Stuart Elliott (September 22, 1992). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Giving Familiar Brands a Second Chance". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ "Did Dr. McCoy Never Actually Give a 'Damn' on Star Trek?". August 27, 2019.
- ^ Patterson, R; Weijer, C (1998). "D'oh! An analysis of the medical care provided to the family of Homer J. Simpson" (PDF). Canadian Medical Association Journal. 159 (12): 1480–1. PMC 1229893. PMID 9988570. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
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External links
[edit]- Leonard McCoy Archived June 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at StarTrek.com
- Leonard McCoy at Memory Alpha
- "DeForest Kelley (1920–1999)" Archived May 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine at the New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Star Trek: The Original Series characters
- Star Trek: The Animated Series characters
- Star Trek (film franchise) characters
- Starfleet officers
- Star Trek: The Next Generation characters
- Starfleet admirals
- Fictional physicians
- Fictional surgeons
- Star Trek: Phase II characters
- Starfleet medical personnel
- Starfleet commanders
- Starfleet lieutenant commanders
- Television characters introduced in 1966
- Fictional characters from Atlanta
- Fictional scientists
- Fictional characters from the 23rd century
- University of Mississippi alumni