Leonard McCoy

Admiral McCoy in 2364, age 137
Leonard H. McCoy (2364)
Gender:	Male
Species:	Human
Born:	2227
Occupation:	Starfleet Officer
Rank:	Admiral
Marital status:	Divorced, Remarried and Separated
Children:	One daughter, Joanna McCoy
Father:	David McCoy
Actor:	DeForest Kelley
File:BonesMcCoy2268.jpg

Leonard H. McCoy, MD, was a noted physician and scientist of the 23rd and 24th centuries. An accomplished surgeon, xenophysician, and exobiologist, he 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 27 years.

Early Years

Leonard H. McCoy was born in the "Old South" region of North America on Earth, in 2227. He was the son of David McCoy. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

McCoy was attending the University of Mississippi during the mid-2240s when he met the joined Trill Emony Dax, who was visiting Earth to judge a gymnastics competition. Dax thought McCoy "had the hands of a surgeon" and had a feeling he would become a doctor. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")

While there is no direct evidence, the way Jadzia Dax spoke of their encounter to Benjamin Sisko hinted that they might have had some sort of relationship.

Early career

In 2251, McCoy led a massive inoculation program on planet Dramia II, where he saved a Dramian colonist, named Kol-tai, from a strain of the Saurian virus. Shortly after McCoy departed, Dramia II was struck by a plague which killed nearly all of the colonists. (TAS: "Albatross")

File:McCoy Capella IV 2265.jpg

First visit to Capella IV

By 2253, McCoy had developed a surgical procedure for the humanoid brain; grafting neural tissue to the cerebral cortex, followed by the creation of an axonal pathway between the tissue graft and the basal ganglia. (VOY: "Lifesigns")

After promotion to lieutenant commander, McCoy was part of a mission to Capella IV where Capellan lack of interest in medical aid or hospitals ensured a short visit, prior to joining the USS "Enterprise's" five-year mission in 2266. The knowledge of Capellan customs he acquired on this mission would prove valuable. (TOS: "Friday's Child")

The five-year mission

Joining the crew of the USS Enterprise, already underway in 2266, McCoy replaced Dr. Mark Piper as the starship's Chief medical officer and ship's surgeon. His assigned quarters were "3F 127" on Deck 9, section 2.

Kirk liberally used the nickname, "Bones" (short for "sawbones", the ancient description of a surgeon) for his doctor from this point on. (TOS: "The Man Trap")

File:Kirk Spock McCoy bridge 2267.jpg

Three friends, in 2267

On stardate 1513.1, while conducting a routine medical examination of outpost personnel at the archeological dig on planet M-113, McCoy became reacquainted with an old flame, Nancy Crater. Unbeknownst to McCoy, Nancy had been murdered and replaced years before by what became known as the "M-113 creature".

The last survivor of M-113's long-dead civilization was a telepathic shapeshifter who digested the salt content from its prey. Drawing from a potential food source's mental imagery, it appeared as sympathetic or attractive, and further hypnotized its victim before feeding; hence McCoy saw a vision of Nancy exactly as he had known her years earlier.

When the creature began taking the lives of Enterprise crew members on the surface and aboard the ship itself, McCoy's judgement was tainted by his past feelings for Nancy. It was only when Spock was assaulted and Captain Kirk's life was in jeopardy that Dr. McCoy was able to see past the illusion of Nancy, forcing him to fire a phaser on a sentient being, the last of its kind. (TOS: "The Man Trap")

File:McCoy Barrows flirt 2267.jpg

with Tonia Barrows in 2267

In early 2267 the Enterprise visited the Shore Leave Planet located in the Omicron Delta region. During the initial survey, McCoy reported seeing a giant white rabbit followed by a little girl.

Further investigation revealed that the thoughts in their minds were being recorded and brought to life by a vast underground factory. While walking through the glade with Yeoman Tonia Barrows, they discovered the dress of a princess, conceived from the thoughts of Barrows.

McCoy encouraged Barrows to try on the dress, and afterwards begin to romance the yeoman, later stating that she should not be afraid "with a brave knight to protect her". Moments later a Black Knight appeared on horseback, bearing a lance.

Convinced it was illusion and could not harm him, McCoy stood his ground against a charge --impaled in the chest, he died instantly. McCoy was brought underground, healed, and returned to the surface with two cabaret chorus girls he once met on Rigel II. Barrow's obvious jealousy prompted McCoy to extricate himself from his fantasy girls, taking the Yeoman's arm instead. (TOS: "Shore Leave")

On stardate 3417, McCoy's tonsils, which had been removed some years earlier, re-grew when he was briefly under the influence of the Omicron spores. Although he took part in the subsequent mutiny, he returned with the rest of the crew after the spore's influence was eradicated. (TOS: "This Side of Paradise")

File:McCoyDeath.jpg

The apparent death of McCoy

During an investigation of temporal disturbances over an ancient planet, McCoy accidentally injected himself with an overdose of cordrazine, resulting in psychosis and paranoid delusions and he escaped to the planet's surface. Kirk, Spock, and a landing party followed him into the ruins of an ancient civilization, where they discovered the Guardian of Forever, an ancient time portal device.

Still psychotic, McCoy entered the device, transporting himself into Earth's past, creating a history without a Federation or Enterprise. Kirk and Spock followed him back to 1930 New York where they meet social worker Edith Keeler.

After determining her death, averted by a recovered McCoy, is the focal point of the altered timeline, Kirk was forced to hold his friend back, allowing Keeler to die. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")

After the first discovery of a silicon-based lifeform on Janus VI, the Horta matriarch, McCoy is the first xenophysician to actually treat one of the creatures, healing the wounded mother with a bandage of thermal concrete. "By God Jim, I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day." (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")

He was also the first to describe the deadly habits and help find the cure for the flying neural parasites, a plague of one-celled flying creatures linked in a collective mind that had been sweeping across whole solar systems and destroying all humanoid life. (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!")

On a return to Capella IV, McCoy helped lead Kirk through tentative negotiations over dilithium mining rights with the Capellan Teer, talks which fell apart from Klingon interference.

After the death of the Teer, the Enterprise landing party fled with the Teer's pregnant wife, Eleen. McCoy's truculent patient required an atypical bedside manner (i.e. "a right cross"), but he delivered the newborn High Teer, the rightful leader of the Capellan tribes.

Eleen, having grown fond of McCoy, named the child Leonard James Akaar, much to Spock's annoyance. (TOS: "Friday's Child")

Although possessing limited surgical experience in Vulcan anatomy and physiology, McCoy successfully operated on Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan, Spock's father, when Sarek suffered from a faulty heart valve and subsequently near-fatal heart attacks. With blood donations from Spock, McCoy performed open heart surgery on Sarek while the USS Enterprise shuddered under the attack of hostile Orions.

Despite the distractions of his captain being knifed in the back, phaser attacks on the ship, and his blood donor attempting to get up and report to duty during the procedure, McCoy successfully completed the operation and Sarek fully recovered. (TOS: "Journey to Babel")

While mapping near the Sigma Draconis star system, the USS Enterprise encountered an Eymorg starship, who's occupant, Kara rendered the crew unconscious. Upon waking, they discovered that Spock's brain had been stolen.

It fell on McCoy to find a way to keep Spock's body alive; McCoy not only managed this, but also fitted him with a control system to move Spock's body remotely. When Spock's brain was located on Sigma Draconis VI, wired to the planet's environmental control system to care for its inhabitants, it fell on McCoy to use an advanced Great Teacher machine to learn how to replace the brain back within his body.

The effects of the teaching machine quickly wore off, but not before McCoy had reconnected Spock's autonomic and speech centers, enough for the Vulcan to verbally assist the doctor with the rest of the procedure and reconnect the rest of his voluntary functions. (TOS: "Spock's Brain")

In 2267, the USS Enterprise found the USS Defiant NCC-1764 floating in and out of interphase space, its crew having apparently killed each other from space madness. When the Enterprise crew soon exhibited the same symptoms, McCoy discovered that prolonged exposure to the effects of interphase were causing the episodes.

The symptoms were allieviated after McCoy created and administered a radical derivitive of theragen (a Klingon nerve gas) mixed with drinking alcohol. (TOS: "The Tholian Web")

File:McCoyNatira.jpg

The joining of McCoy and Natira

In 2268, McCoy was diagnosed with a terminal disease known as xenopolycythemia; he was given one year to live. Shortly thereafter, the Enterprise encountered the Fabrini asteroid-ship Yonada where he met their high priestess, Natira.

McCoy joined Natira and the Fabrini by having an instrument of obedience subdermally implanted into his body. He would later change his mind about staying with the Fabrini, choosing rather to search the galaxy to discover a cure for his disease.

Kirk and Spock discovered that the Fabrini, in fact, had the cure for xenopolycythemia in their databanks, curing McCoy and allowing him to continue his life aboard the Enterprise. (TOS: "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky")

In 2269, McCoy was promoted; from that point on, he wore the insignia of a commander on his uniform. He would hold this rank for over 25 years. (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star")

Around stardate 5371.3, Captain Kirk consulted McCoy to get his expert psychological opinion on whether the inhabitants of the planet Mantilles should be warned of the impending danger of an unidentified cosmic cloud that was approaching, and preparing to consume the planet.

McCoy figured that with only 4 hours and 10 minutes until the cloud reached the planet, he was certain that there would be planet-wide panic, which Kirk clarified as "blind panic." Spock, however, recommended otherwise, and noted that if they told the inhabitants of the situation, they may be able to save a small fraction of the population. McCoy then agreed with Spock, after learning that Bob Wesley was governor of the planet, and urged Kirk to contact the governor. (TAS: "One of Our Planets is Missing")

File:SpockMcCoyOld.jpg

McCoy rapidly aged on Taurus II.

Later that year, McCoy was among the landing party that beamed down to inspect the planet Taurus II. He was among those affected by the glandular secretion of the Taurean females, known for controlling the male mind.

This caused McCoy to be drained of his "life force", making him age at a rate of ten years per day. Unable to counteract the effects of rapid aging, McCoy employed a hypospray of cortropine on himself and the landing party to help allieve their conditions.

He and the landing party would eventually be recovered by an all female Enterprise security detachment lead by Uhura, and be returned to their previous ages by use of their molecular pattern stored in the transporter system. (TAS: "The Lorelei Signal")

In 2270, following a delivery of medical supplies to Dramia, McCoy was arrested for the wanton mass murder of the colonists of Dramia II from some nineteen years earlier. McCoy feared that he might have accidentally been responsible for the plague that killed the Dramians and that he might be found guilty.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise visited Dramia II and discovered a survivor, named Kol-tai, who wished to help acquit McCoy of the charges. On the journey back to Dramia they passed through an aurora, which was later discovered to be the source of the plague.

Spock helped McCoy break out of the Dramian prison in order for the doctor to help find the cure for the plague that was now unleashed aboard the Enterprise. McCoy discovered the cure in Saurian virus antibodies and was able to save the crew. McCoy was later honored by the Dramians in a series of ceremonies, for his significant achievements in the field of interstellar medicine. (TAS: "Albatross")

On stardate 5499.9, while exploring the ocean planet Argo to study the regular seismic disturbances there, Kirk and Spock were separated from the rest of the landing party during an attack from an aquatic predator.

They were found later, but adapted for water-breathing, even possessing gills and webbed hands. Dr. McCoy was able to stabilize their condition aboard the Enterprise, but could not find a reversal for their condition. He endorsed their going back to Argo to investigate the mystery.

Kirk and Spock were able to locate the underwater city of the Aquans, and discovered a medical treatment within the city’s records which could reverse their condition (utilizing the venom of another dangerous predator, the sur-snake). After obtaining a sample of venom, McCoy was able to synthesize a vaccine.

The vaccine was nearly fatal for Kirk, but the treatment was successful, and Kirk and Spock were fully cured of their condition. (TAS: "The Ambergris Element")

On stardate 5591.2, McCoy returned with the others to the Shore Leave Planet for shore leave once again. They soon discovered, however, that the Caretaker had died and the planet’s central computer was rebelling against its programming, assaulting the landing party with dangerous manifestations and kidnapping Uhura beneath the planet’s surface.

McCoy was able to trick the planet into taking Spock beneath the surface by injecting him with melanex, an anesthetic which induced unconsciousness and odd skin discoloration in the Vulcan. McCoy and Sulu were later in danger of being incinerated by another of the planet’s manifestations, a fire-breathing dragon, but were rescued when Uhura and the others were able to "talk down" the planet’s computer. (TAS: Once Upon a Planet)

As an "old country doctor" in the 23rd century

McCoy frequently displayed a very bipolar attitude towards technology. Although he was a great believer in the body's own natural ability to heal and felt that a little suffering was good for the soul, he also held 23rd century medicine in high esteem and frequently lamented how barbarous medicine used to be in the past. ("The Corbomite Maneuver", "The City on the Edge of Forever"; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

He also distrusted other highly technological devices, especially the transporter. (TOS: "Space Seed", "Obsession"; Star Trek: The Motion Picture; TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

While technically only lieutenant commander in rank, McCoy was still the only person on the Enterprise who could talk back to the Captain and get away with it. Although not without apology when wrong, he displayed a unique individuality and plain-spoken character which certainly clashed with the service, considering himself a doctor first and an officer second. This pugnacious attitude surfaced on a number of missions.

While on Miri's planet, McCoy discovered a vaccine for the deadly life prolongation complex virus which had killed all the adults on the planet and left the children with impossibly long life spans. Although completely unsure of the dose, McCoy "shot from the hip" as it were, injecting himself with the vaccine and successfully providing the landing party with a cure. (TOS: "Miri")

McCoy and the beard he grew during his offtime.

Upon the conclusion of the historic five-year mission in 2270, then-Commander McCoy, always modestly proclaiming himself to be "just a good ol' country doctor", retired his commission and proceeded to grow a beard. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Some sources speculate that McCoy entered a private medical practice between 2270 and 2272.

Later career

File:McCoyTMP.jpg

Commander, circa 2272.

On stardate 7210, two and a half years later, McCoy's commission was reactivated by a "little-known, seldom-used reserve activation clause" at the request of now Admiral James T. Kirk. He served as chief medical officer during the V'Ger encounter, and afterwards continued to serve with his shipmates in this capacity aboard the newly refitted Enterprise. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Years later, on stardate 8130.3, Dr. McCoy served as a Starfleet Academy instructor aboard the Enterprise under Captain Spock, helping to acclimate new Starfleet doctors and nurses to shipboard medicine, and evaluating cadets during intense psychological tests such as the Kobayashi Maru scenario. However, during what was supposed to be a three-week training cruise, the Enterprise was attacked by Khan Noonien Singh, who sought revenge for his imposed exile by Kirk and the subsequent death of his wife. McCoy accompanied Kirk in the landing party to rescue the surviving scientists of Project Genesis, and was able to witness the results of Carol Marcus' work on the project beneath the Regula planetoid. Back aboard Enterprise, he continued to treat casualties during the Battle of the Mutara Nebula. He was present in main engineering when Captain Spock arrived with the intention of entering the highly radioactive dilithium chamber to reactivate the ship's warp drive, so that Enterprise could escape Khan's suicidal ploy to kill them all with the Genesis Device. McCoy objected, but Spock felled him with a Vulcan nerve pinch and (almost as an afterthought) deposited his katra within McCoy's mind. Following their escape and Spock's death, McCoy grieved with Kirk and the rest of the crew as Spock was laid to rest on the newly formed Genesis Planet. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

On their return to Earth, as the rest of the crew found that Enterprise was to be decommissioned, McCoy began to suffer increasingly erratic behavior, making odd requests of Kirk to return to Vulcan, and even sounding like Spock at times. Although at first it was thought he was only under too much stress, McCoy soon found himself placed under protective custody after making several inquiries into securing transportation to the newly restricted Genesis Planet. The significance of the Vulcan katra was explained to Kirk by Spock's father Sarek, and with their careers at stake, Kirk and his crew took it upon themselves to rescue McCoy, steal the Enterprise and take both to Genesis to recover Spock's body for return to Vulcan. Although Enterprise was disabled and Kirk's son killed by rogue Klingons, the crew managed to commandeer the attacking Klingon vessel and take McCoy and the rejuvinated Spock on to Vulcan. Spock's katra was restored via the fal-tor-pan, an ancient, legendary Vulcan technique (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock). Although it was not generally known whether another species could serve as a "keeper of the Vulcan katra", McCoy appeared to suffer no lasting ill effects from the incident.

While returning to Earth with his shipmates to stand trial for the many violations in Starfleet regulations committed in saving Spock, McCoy discovered with the others that an unknown probe was intent on sterilizing the planet after replies to its broadcasts went unanswered. Spock deduced that the intended recipients of the probe's transmissions were extinct Humpback whales, and McCoy soon found himself a somewhat reluctant participant in Kirk's plan to time travel back to 20th century San Francisco to recover a pair of whales and save their future. McCoy was included in Sulu's and Captain Scott's team to recover supplies for the construction of a whale tank aboard their ship. He later led a rescue team into a San Francisco hospital to save the critically injured Chekov, pausing just enough to also provide an elderly lady with a new kidney and berate several 20th century physicians on their methods of practice. Accompanying his shipmates and the whales back through time to successfully save Earth from the Whale Probe, McCoy was acquitted with the rest of the crew for their offenses, and returned to duty aboard the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-A. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

Afterwards, while enjoying a well-deserved leave with his close friends Kirk and Spock, McCoy also berated both the others (Kirk for taking unnecessary risks, Spock for apparently not completely becoming his old self after the refusion with his katra). Underneath, McCoy's real lament was for lacking a true family, and always being "stuck", as it were, with the crew of the Enterprise. During the rescue mission that immediately followed to save the ambassadors of Nimbus III, the Enterprise was hijacked by the renegade Vulcan Sybok, who forced McCoy to reveal his secret pain, the loss of his father, to Kirk and Spock (see "Family and Relationships" below). In the events that followed and their return to Earth, McCoy finally came to terms with his loss and accepted the love and camaraderie of his two friends, who remain his enduring family, as they began singing songs around a campfire. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier).

File:LeonardMcCoy2293.jpg

McCoy in 2293.

Shortly after stardate 9522, in 2293, the Enterprise was sent on a diplomatic mission to escort a Klingon envoy to Federation space for peace talks. When the Enterprise mysteriously appeared to fire on the ship of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, Dr. McCoy beamed aboard with Captain Kirk to assist with casualties. McCoy attempted to save the life of Gorkon, who was critically wounded by an assasin's phaser, but was hindered by his limited knowledge of Klingon anatomy and physiology. The chancellor died, and McCoy was arrested with Kirk and charged with his assassination. Following a show trial where neither had much of a chance of defending their case, they were taken to the penal asteroid Rura Penthe to live out a life sentence of hard labor. Luckily, McCoy and Kirk were rescued by Spock in time to discover the roots of the Khitomer conspiracy and disrupt a second assassination attempt at the peace talks at Khitomer. It was McCoy who assisted Spock in modifying a photon torpedo with a plasma sensor, so that it would home in on Klingon General Chang's attacking cloaked ship. McCoy then helped prevent the assassination of the Federation president, safeguarding a conference that would foster in an eighty-year peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Admiral McCoy touring the Enterprise-D with Data in 2364

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 "You treat her like a lady... she'll always bring you home." (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

Family & Relationships

File:DavidMcCoy.jpg

David McCoy

An early ancestor of McCoy's, his great-great-grandfather, was a noted gardener, having had one of the finest gardens in the South. He also was noted for his own excellent weedkiller. (TAS: "The Infinite Vulcan")

A famous McCoy family recipe for Southern baked beans dated back several generations. McCoy prepared a batch for Kirk and Spock during their camping trip in 2287. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

McCoy would suffer many family hardships early on in life, which would eventually help mold him into the prominent individual he would become. It would begin when McCoy was forced to face the harsh reality of his father's bout with a painfully incurable disease.

His father pleaded with McCoy to release him from the pain, but McCoy could not, as he was adamant in attempting to find a cure. Seeing his father suffer so painfully, however, moved McCoy to soon acquiesce and take his father off life support.

Soon after a cure was discovered, and McCoy subsequently lived many years in regret for causing his father's apparently needless death. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

McCoy would eventually marry and have a daughter, named Joanna. Sadly, McCoy's marriage ended in a bitter divorce, and he was separated from his daughter, deepening his hardships. His daughter would eventually move to the planet Cerberus to attend school, where she would nearly die, in 2260, when the planet experienced a crop failure.

Fortunately Cerberus was saved by kind actions of Carter Winston. McCoy would be quite grateful of this deed and expresses the most sincere thanks to Winston, ten years later, when he is rescued by the Enterprise. (TAS: "The Survivor")

In 2254, McCoy would become romantically involved with the future Nancy Crater. Nancy would nickname her beloved boyfriend "Plum". They would walk out of each other's lives in 2256, and would not see each other again -- though in 2266, McCoy would meet a creature who mimicked Nancy. (TOS: "The Man Trap")

In 2268 (during his stay on the Yonada), McCoy, fell in love with and married Natira. Though technically the marraige could be considered annulled by the removal of his instrument of obedience, McCoy and Natira still felt strongly for each other and he asked her to come with him when he left. She declined, indicating that her place was with her people.

The two planned to be reunited just over a year later, when Yonada reached the solar system that was to be the new home for its people. (TOS : "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky")

Though not shown on screen, Kirk indicated that he felt certain that he could arrange for the Enterprise to be on hand when the Yonadans disembarked on their new planet. The ultimate fate of their realtionship is unknown.

Friendship

Sharing a drink in 2266.

McCoy was not above kicking back with a good drink with the Captain now and again, regularly keeping stashes of vintage saurian brandy and other libations with the controlled substances in sickbay. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver", "The Enemy Within")

Displaying a fondness for Kentucky bourbon, his favorite drink was believed to be the mint julep. (TOS: "This Side of Paradise") He also made a Finagle's Folly "known from here to Orion." (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")

His closest friends aboard the Enterprise included Captain James T. Kirk and, begrudgingly, Spock. McCoy's friendship with Kirk dated back well before Kirk took command of the Enterprise, and he often served as a sounding board and voice of conscience for the young captain.

His legendary feud with the half-Vulcan science officer (borne more from dispute over the merits of emotion vs logic rather than true prejudice) camoflaged the genuine mutual respect and friendship the two had. Over time, the three appeared to form nearly a single personality, with McCoy ever emotional and passionate, Spock ever objective and logical, and Kirk the focus, direction and driving force combining the best of the other two.

While he and Kirk were observing Spock's marriage rites on Vulcan, McCoy suddenly found himself watching his two best friends in a fight to the death over the entranced Spock's betrothed. In a covert, underhandedly sneaky human move, he tipped the scales of the fight and saved Kirk's life by ostensibly injecting him with a tri-ox compound respiratory aid, which was actually a neural paralyzer.

When Kirk appeared dead, Spock snapped out of his trance and ended the marriage, only to gleefully find Kirk alive back on the Enterprise a short time later. (TOS: "Amok Time")

On Minara II, Kirk, Spock and McCoy were kidnapped by the Vians, and forced to choose between themselves which one would die in their experiments. Sacrificing himself for the others against their will, McCoy submitted to a level of torture which nearly killed him, only to be healed by the empathic Gem, another of the Vian's prisoners.

It was all a test, to see if Gem's people were worthy of salvation by the Vians from Minara's own supernova. (TOS: "The Empath")

Memorable Quotes

• "He's dead, Jim." (various episodes)

• "I never say that." (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")

• "I signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget." (TOS: "Space Seed")

• "Shut up Spock, we're rescuing you!" (TOS: "The Immunity Syndrome")

• "Hey Jim-boy, y'all ever have a real cold, Georgia-style mint julep, huh?." (TOS: "This Side of Paradise")

• "By golly, Jim - I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day!" (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")

• "I'm trying to thank you, you pointed-eared hobgoblin!" (TOS: "Bread and Circuses")

• "A child could do it...a child could do it..." (TOS: "Spock's Brain")

• "...and they probably redesigned the whole sickbay, too. I know engineers, they love to change things!" (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

• "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!" (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

• "The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. We'll get a freighter." (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

• "Because I'm a doctor, that's how I know!" (TOS: "Friday's Child")

See also: "I'm a doctor, not a..."

Honors

• Starfleet Legion of Honor
• Starfleet Surgeons Decoration
• Leonard McCoy's Comparative Alien Physiology medical text is used through the 2370s
• Capellan Teer Leonard James Akaar was named after McCoy (and his captain), after McCoy delivered him in 2267.
• Admiral McCoy was invited to tour the USS Enterprise-D (NCC-1701-D), during her maiden voyage in 2364.
• Holographic Doctors, under development in the 24th century, included McCoy in their templates.

Chronology

• 2227: Born on Earth.
• 2240s: Attends the University of Mississippi; meets Emony Dax.
  • 2249: Daughter, Joanna, is born.
• 2250s: Commissioned to Starfleet
  • 2251: Heads a massive inoculation program on Dramia II.
  • 2253: Develops revolutionary surgical procedure, a cerebral-corex/brain-tissue graft..
  • 2254: Becomes romantically involved with, the future, Nancy Crater.
  • 2256: Ends relationship with Nancy.
• 2260s: As a lieutenant commander, visits Capella IV briefly before joining the Enterprise.
• 2265-2270: Serves as ship's surgeon and chief medical officer aboard the USS Enterprise.
  • 2268: Contracts xenopolycythemia; briefly wed to Fabrini high priestess Natira.
  • 2269: Promoted to commander.
• 2270: Retires from Starfleet at conclusion of Kirk's five year mission.
• 2272: His commission is re-activated at Kirk's insistence, during V'Ger incursion.
• 2285: Instructor aboard USS Enterprise.
• 2286: Chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise-A.
• 2293: Imprisoned on Rura Penthe and subsequent escape helps to uncover the Khitomer conspiracy.
• 2364: Tours newly commissioned USS Enterprise-D.

Template:EnterpriseChiefMedicalOfficers

Background

Leonard McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley. Several novelizations of movies have identified McCoy's middle name as Horatio, but this was never established on screen.

The Star Trek Concordance establishes that his daughter Joanna was born around 2249, and was in training to become a nurse. It also establishes that although they write each other often, Dr. McCoy's duties aboard the USS Enterprise keep the two apart. The Star Trek Chronology provides additional background information on his divorce and his daughter.

File:Nancy McCoy.jpg

Nancy

This scenario establishes that as a result of the divorce McCoy leaves the private practice (which he apparently rejoins in 2270) to join Starfleet. "The Way to Eden" was originally written for and titled "Joanna", but was however rewritten and Joanna became Irina Galliulin The novel "Shadows on the Sun" has as one of its subplots the story of his marriage and divorce, when his ex-wife arrives on the Enterprise-A to help them deal with a crisis on a world that McCoy visited fresh out of medical school, only to die in the course of the mission- killed, ironically, by someone whose life McCoy saved on his first visit.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia speculates that Emony Dax and McCoy met around 2245, this based on the fact that McCoy appears to have not yet entered (or at least not yet completed) medical school when they knew each other. Jadzia Dax strongly implied that Bones and Emony were physically intimate, if only for a short time.

The animation for Star Trek: The Animated Series depicted McCoy as a full commander in both promotional artwork and in episode photography, although more than a few erroneous sequences of him with lieutenant commander insignia cropped up during the course of the series.

Apocrypha

In William Shatner's novels McCoy is still alive and well in 2379 thanks to the use of artificial body parts, many of which he developed (He claims to be on his third heart, have a new set of lungs grown each month, and around ten metres of cloned intestines inside him). He helps Julian Bashir remove a Borg implant from Kirk's brain, advising the young physician as to what to do due to his elderly condition, and is subsequently the first person Kirk sees upon regaining consciousness.

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