who played bones in star trek 2009

Who Is Karl Urban?

Born in New Zealand in 1972, Karl Urban started starring in stage, TV and film productions in his home country. Introduced to American audiences in the series 'Hercules' (1996-98) and 'Xena' (1996-2001), he enjoyed new opportunities after joining The Lord of the Rings installments The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003). Following a string of action-heavy parts in films like The Bourne Supremacy (2004), the actor capably filled the shoes of Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek (2009) and its sequels and delivered a winning comedic performance in Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Beginning in 2019, Urban drew praise for leading the charge of vigilantes in Amazon Prime's dark comedy superhero series 'The Boys.'

How Old Is Karl Urban?

Karl-Heinz Urban was born on June 7, 1972, in Wellington, New Zealand, to immigrant German parents.

Early Years

While he was reportedly pressured to follow his father into the leather-goods manufacturing business, Urban instead was drawn to the profession of his mother, whom worked at a film production and equipment rental company.

From his first, brief television appearance at age eight, Urban began writing his own plays and took part in school theater productions. Enjoying a taste of professional success upon graduating from Wellington College in 1990, he soon dropped out of Victoria University to pursue an acting career full-time.

What Is Karl Urban Known For?

'Shortland Street'

Along with parts in various stage productions, Urban began his career in New Zealand with a recurring role in the police drama 'Shark in the Park' (1990) and appeared in the war film Chunuk Bair (1992). In 1994, he broke ground on 'Shortland Street' as Jamie Forrest, the first openly gay character in the popular soap opera's history, before showing off his equestrian skills in 'Riding High ' (1995-96).

'Hercules,' 'Xena'

Urban first became known to American audiences in the mid-1990s via his multiple roles , including the love god Cupid and Roman dictator Julius Caesar, in the fantasy series 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and its spinoff 'Xena: Warrior Princess.' Meanwhile, his big-screen career was also building steam, as he garnered best supporting actor nominations at the New Zealand Film Awards for his work in the dysfunctional-family dramedy Via Satellite (1998) and the romantic fantasy The Price of Milk (2000).

'The Lord of the Rings'

Urban's performance in The Price of Milk also caught the attention of director Peter Jackson , who cast the rising actor in The Lord of the Rings ’ second and third installments, The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003). Although his part of the warrior Éomer was fairly minor in an epic filled with A-list stars and stunning special effects, Urban nevertheless made his presence felt with his physicality and fierce glare.

'The Chronicles of Riddick,' 'The Bourne Supremacy,' 'Doom'

The mega-success of The Lord of the Rings paved the way for a slew of action roles for Urban: He stared down Vin Diesel as Commander Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004); stalked Matt Damon as a Russian assassin in The Bourne Supremacy ; and gunned down mutants alongside Dwayne Johnson in the video game-inspired Doom (2005). Following a return to his home country to star in Out of the Blue (2006), about a mass shooting in a small New Zealand community, Urban resumed his Hollywood career as the lead of the Viking-era Pathfinder (2007).

'Star Trek'

Urban's career took another defining turn when he played Leonard "Bones" McCoy alongside Chris Pine 's James Kirk and Zachary Quinto 's Spock in a reboot of Star Trek (2009). Along with winning over the members of a devoted fan base, Urban's performance showcased a sense of humor that was largely unknown to those who'd witnessed his previous fare.

"I have no doubt that some people perceived me as just being simply an action guy, but playing 'Bones' went a long way toward convincing them otherwise," he told Tulsa World in 2010. "I can judge that by the number of offers and how often the phone rings since Star Trek came out."

Urban went on to reprise the character for the film sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

'Red,' 'Priest,' 'Dredd'

Part of a star-studded cast assembled for the action-comedy Red (2010), Urban wound up taking his during an extended fight sequence with Bruce Willis , though the pain was offset by the film's critical and commercial success. However, his two follow-up roles, as a vampire hunter in Priest (2011) and as the titular justice-dispensing judge of Dredd (2012), both failed to make a significant impact at the box office. Similarly, Urban's return to television in 2013 as the lead of the futuristic crime drama 'Almost Human' fizzled out after one season despite strong early ratings.

'Thor: Ragnarok'

Following the family films Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) and Pete's Dragon (2016), Urban delivered another fan-favorite performance in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) as Skurge , the weary guard forced into servicing Cate Blanchett 's bloodthirsty Hela. He then appeared in supporting roles in Acts of Vengeance (2017) with Antonio Banderas , and The Hangman (2017), with Al Pacino , before taking the lead in the gritty crime thriller Bent (2018).

Once again diving into comic/graphic novel-inspired property, in 2019 Urban landed the role of vigilante Billy Butcher in Amazon Primes's subversive superhero series 'The Boys.' While part of an ensemble cast, Urban emerged as a clear standout thanks to his cutting one-liners and butt-kicking prowess, his performance helping to drive the popularity of the show through multiple seasons.

Wife and Children

Urban has two sons, Hunter and Indiana, with his ex-wife, makeup artist Natalie Wihongi. The two announced their separation in 2014 following a decade of marriage.

Charities and Personal Life

Urban has been involved with KidsCan, a New Zealand-based charity that assists children mired in poverty. In 2022, he was named a UNICEF ambassador for his native country.

The actor has resisted the urge to plant roots in Hollywood, preferring to make the long flight from his New Zealand home when it comes time for a film or TV project. He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities between shoots, especially fishing and surfing.

Is Karl Urban Related to Keith Urban?

The two celebrities are not related, although the shared last name and birth country has prompted questions about family ties and occasionally a case of mistaken identity: According to Karl Urban, a foreign newspaper once incorrectly reported that he, not the country-music singer Keith Urban, had married actress Nicole Kidman.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Karl Urban
• Birth Year: 1972
• Birth date: June 7, 1972
• Birth City: Wellington
• Birth Country: New Zealand
• Best Known For: New Zealand-born actor Karl Urban won over audiences with his roles in 'The Lord of the Rings,' 'Star Trek' and 'Thor: Ragnarok' before emerging as a star of the popular Amazon Prime series 'The Boys.'
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• Wellington College
• Occupations

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Karl Urban Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/karl-heinz-urban
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: July 11, 2022
• Original Published Date: July 11, 2022
• To me, that's the most important thing in life: building a solid connection with people and having a great time doing the thing that you really love.
• Often people say, 'Wow you are really lucky, look at your career.' To which I respond, 'It's funny, the harder I work, the luckier I seem to get.'
• If I had a dollar for every time I heard that another 'Star Trek' movie was happening, I'd be mortgage-free.

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The Best of Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

'I told you people, I don't need a doctor. Damn it, I am a doctor.'

StarTrek.com

Karl Urban and I have something in common; we were both born on June 7. However, considering that Urban has contributed much more to the Star Trek franchise than I have, let us focus on his accomplishments.

Faced with inheriting DeForest Kelley's beloved role as Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy in 2009, Urban expertly tackled the daunting task by crafting a persona that harkened back to Kelley's creation and infused the ship's surgeon with the New Zealander's own charm and acting talents.

With three films set in the Kelvin Timeline under his belt, Urban has gifted fans with scene-stealing humor and an array of memorable, character-defining moments.

Star Trek (2009)

" i told you people, i don't need a doctor. damn it, i am a doctor. ".

What better way to introduce Karl Urban's Bones to the galaxy than with a clever riff on the classic "I'm a doctor, not a..." catch phrase ? The cantankerous encounter with a Starfleet officer aboard a shuttlecraft introduced McCoy's aviophobia, reminiscent of Prime McCoy 's distaste for transporters and his irritable (and bearded!) disposition as he arrived on the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Urban made an excellent first impression on audiences...

" I may throw up on you. "

... which continued throughout his initial conversation with James T. Kirk . Despite his argumentative state, McCoy quickly established a cordial repertoire with Kirk. Urban superbly blended a colorful description of stellar perils with a generally welcoming attitude toward the younger cadet. The conversation's easy flow foreshadowed the lifelong friendship that ultimately emerged during their tenure at Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek Into Darkness

" you just stunned our ride ".

As usual, Kirk's fondness for improvisation spelled certain doom for McCoy's well-prepared exit strategy on Nibiru. The doctor's annoyance swiftly subsided as the furious natives pursuing the captain sprinted closer. Leonard's loyalty overrode his analytical mind, sending the doctor on a frantic footrace that ended with an unwelcome plunge over a cliff's edge into Nibiran waters. This brief scene demonstrated McCoy's willingness to follow Kirk's lead, regardless of the unpleasant consequences that often arose.

" I once performed an emergency c-section on a pregnant Gorn. "

Granting Bones and Dr. Carol Marcus their own scene on a planetoid in Klingon space provided an interesting dynamic, one not possible with the typical Kirk/McCoy pairing. Bones' transparent flirtations contrasted superbly with Marcus' calm professionalism, leaving the chief surgeon's commentary about his medical exploits to fall on uninterested ears.

Nevertheless, as the situation transitioned into a dire plight to prevent a torpedo from exploding, the doctors demonstrated their selfless natures as they proved willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save one another.

" Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You were barely dead ."

McCoy's flippant remark downplayed the relief he felt upon seeing his captain return to consciousness following a deadly encounter with the Enterprise 's warp core. Of course, McCoy's cool exterior evaporated when Kirk attributed his resurrection to Spock 's victorious brawl with Khan . Normally tolerant of Jim's remarks, Bones clearly drew the line when it came to giving Spock sole credit for Kirk's recovery. While brief, the trio's interaction in the hospital perfectly summarized their complex friendship's essence.

Star Trek Beyond

" you know me, mr. sensitive. ".

Dr. McCoy's aptitude for assessing Kirk's state of mind allowed him to offer a comforting ear when the captain expressed melancholy over the anniversary honoring both his birth and his father's death. Bones perceived Kirk's self-doubt as a malady that required treatment from a physician and a friend. The doctor's use of alcohol to spark the conversation paralleled his Prime counterpart's Romulan Ale delivery to a pensive Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

" Feeling philosophical, huh? "

Star Trek Beyond scribes Simon Pegg and Doug Jung brilliantly chose to pair Dr. McCoy with Spock following the Enterprise 's destruction at Altamid. This decision, along with masterful performances from Urban and Zachary Quinto, rewarded fans with a heartfelt scene that memorialized Ambassador Spock 's passing. The rare moment of raw emotion between the two began to uncover their mutual respect, setting the stage for their relationship's continued development throughout the film's remaining acts.

" You gave your girlfriend a tracking device? "

Leave it to Bones to break a situation down to its bare components. During the search for Uhura , Sulu and the Enterprise' s surviving crew, Spock surmised that their colleagues could be found by configuring the U.S.S. Franklin 's sensors to identify the Vulcan mineral vokaya.

In addition to fashionably adorning a necklace that Spock had bestowed upon Uhura, vokaya emitted innocuous, yet detectable, radiation. By describing the jewelry as a tracking device, McCoy secured a minor victory in his ongoing verbal sparring match with Spock.

" I'll keep an eye on him ."

Spock's emphatic plea to join Kirk, McCoy and Jaylah on the away mission to rescue Uhura did not fall on deaf ears. Recognizing Spock's love for Nyota, Bones convinced Kirk to permit the injured Vulcan to accompany the team by assuring the captain that monitoring the science officer's condition presented no problems. This marked yet another evolutionary step in the increasing level of trust between Spock and McCoy.

" You really want to head back out there, huh? "

Bones' simple comment, made as Kirk and Spock looked out upon the U.S.S. Enterprise -A's newly constructed frame, resonated on two wavelengths. On one hand, the words represented McCoy's disdain for space exploration and a disbelief that his comrades wished to resume their journey. On the other, the rhetorical question signified Bones' resignation to the notion that he would continue to stand by his friends and tend to their medical needs on their trek through the stars.

This article was originally published on January 4, 2019.

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

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Karl Urban On How Bones Changed His Career & Star Trek Sequel

| October 14, 2010 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 65 comments so far

Urban planning to have fun with Trek next year + says Bones role changed career

Karl is out promoting the action comedy Red , which opens this weekend. Here is a clip of him on Extra talking about the film, Dredd and returning to Star Trek , confirming again that shooting is planned for "mid next year", and he once again calls the team behind the film "a bunch of Einsteins" going on to say "they are going to create something special". The actor says he doesn’t know what is in store for his character of McCoy but he expects it to be "a lot of fun.’

Urban also made a similar statement to Newsarama when asked if he was nervous about the second Star Trek film. The actor replied:

I think it would be dangerous for anybody to take their eye off the ball. While we had a huge amount of fun making ‘Star Trek’, we were also hyper focused on what we were doing. But I have a huge degree of confidence in J.J. and the writers. I think they’re like a bunch of geniuses making it together so I know they will cook up something special.

In an interview with TulsaWorld , the actor talked about how Star Trek has changed his career, but even he can’t get secrets out of JJ Abrams. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

“I have no doubt that some people perceived me as just being simply an action guy, but playing ‘Bones’ went a long way toward convincing them otherwise,” he said. “I can judge that by the number of offers and how often the phone rings since ‘Star Trek’ came out.” Urban offers no details on the “Star Trek” sequel planned for 2012 other than to say that shooting begins sometime next year. “Prying information out of (“Trek” director) J.J. Abrams is a difficult task, but I’m really looking forward to climbing aboard the Enterprise again,” Urban said.

Karl was also the guest this week on Jimmy Kimmel Live along with Red co-star Bruce Willis. He didn’t talk Trek, but here is the video anyway (including a clip of him fighting Willis in Red ).

[ Part 2 | Part 3 ]

And here is Karl on G4’s Attack of the Show talking more about Red and giving some details on Dredd as well.

Trailer for Urban’s "And Soon The Darkness"

A while back Karl Urban shot a low budget remake of the horror film And Soon The Darkness. The film is now slated for release on December 17th in limited release, and then on DVD and Blu-ray December 28th. Here is the new trailer.

Karl Urban captured the essence of Dr. McCoy better than any other member of the cast in Star Trek 2009. I hope he gets more screen time in the sequel.

Karl Urban’s Bones was a wonderful homage, the closest to a spot on rendition, without being a spoof or mechanical impersonation. Obviously a guy with a love for the show, as well. It shows in his acting.

Karl Urban was quite simply the best cast member of the crew. He nailed it, he channeled DeForest Kelly in ways us mere mortals cannot. The second best would have to be Simon Pegg as Scotty.

Karl is a terrific actor and a Trekkie. I’ve been his fan since he played Cupid on Hercules. Can’t wait to see his role expanded in the Trek.

“A log of fun”? Is hat an Aussie expression?

Well, I certainly hope that they do get more into the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship that we all know and love. That’ll give Karl more to have a log of fun with.

Bruce Willis for Picards grandpop!

@6: Bruce Willis is bald and awesome, but he’s about as French as an all-dressed pizza, so regretfully, no. ;)

Great Karl…..BUT still exaggerating about the Einsteins……hmmmm!!!

8 — Agreed. He is way too fast and loose with that term and “geniuses.” The writers and producers are neither. The film was not that great.

8 and 9 — this was the best reboot of all time. Quit smoking that weed…I mean medicinal marijuana…please. :-)

Karl Urban is a klassy actor. :-)

J.J Abrams was obviously smart enough to cast Karl Urban, who nailed his character the best and (probably) made DeForrest Kelley smile in the afterlife.

I doubt very many fans, including you two, would’ve had the foresight to cast Mr.Urban.

So let’s give J.J Abrams and the writers some much deserved credit for bringing back Star Trek with “Star Trek”.

And one more thing: More Mcoy. More Karl Urban. More Kirk, Spock, McCoy moments. That would be great, thatnks.

P.S I honestly believe, with the right script and dialogue, that Karl Urban can be nominated for an Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor” as Dr. Leonard McCoy. That would be historic. That would be sweet.

that should be “More McCoy” as well as “thanks” instead of “thatnks”!

DAMN TYPOS!!

Best reboot… nah. It’s a pretty good movie, but it’s far from knocking sliced-bread off its golden pedestal.

I think the honor of best reboot should go to Casino Royale—intelligent script, top notch direction and acting, and the first Bond flick in a long time to make Bond seem like an actual government agent and not a Playboy Club member looking for his lost key.

But isn’t it sad that now we argue about which reboot is the greatest and not which MOVIE?! Or… maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m just being nostalgic for the time when ‘reboot’ was only used in computer manuals and on Saturday morning TV. ;)

“Batman Begins” was great as well!

D’oh! I forgot all about Batman Begins! Hmmm…. now I’m not so sure. I’ve been a Batman fan a lot longer than a Bond or Star Trek fan….

Well… as the Black Knight said, “All right. We’ll call it a draw!” :D

They rebooted Batman when they made it a comedy in the 1960’s camp TV version of it. :-) “Holy comic book parody, Batman!”

I DEMAND MY FAIR SHARE OF SCREENTIME! Oh, and maybe a shot of Scotty caressing my transfer coils…mmm (He always did have a thing for me) And LOSE THE FLASH GORDAN NACELLS, I prefer the utilitarian look, with the pulsating ruby buzzard collectors. Don’t forget, I’m a big part of what Star Trek is all about. Them red, gold, and blue shirted guys just press the buttons, but it’s ME that $ave$ the day. Show a lady some respect.

Casino Royale and Batman Begins were solid reboots. But I still like the original “Batman” reboot in the 80’s better (not the series, just the first movie compared one-on-one to “Batman Begins”), and Casino Royale pales in comparison to the 60’s Connery Bond movies.

Ha! If Urban needs more info on what’s going to happen in the next Trek, tell him to come here! We always figure it out before anyone else, that and Orci shows up and blabs…I mean confirms our suspicious…

That, and Urban/McCoy needs more screen time. He was absolutely amazing. I would swear he was channeling Kelly. What a professional.

#17 & #19

I don’t think the Batman series or Batman ’89 were necessarily reboots; they were simply reflecting the Batman comics of their respective periods. Just look at Batman comics of the 50’s and 60’s before the series aired. They were cartoonish and campy—just like the show. Then look at Batman comics of the 70’s and 80’s before Tim Burton made his movie. They were darker with a more serious tone—just like the movie.

It was What’s-His-Face who ‘rebooted’ the Batman movies (Batman Forever and that other one that shall go unmentioned) by making them more campy. Thank God for Nolan rebooting it back.

Ugh. Could we retire the word ‘reboot?’

I loved Star Trek, however I feel we should have the original triplet of Kirk, Spock and Bones back.

Uhura just did not interest me, sure have her romance Spock that’s fine. At the end of the day it’s just I’m no fan of Miss Saldana, then again I suppose I could always be proved wrong eh Mr Orci? :-)

Vultan, good points. I think that Batman is endlessly fascinating because he’s so human and superhuman at the same time, without being literally almost invulnerable.

Superman is fundamentally a superbeing that tries hard to be human; Batman is human who has achieved being superhuman.

The two are opposite sides of the same coin.

I like modern mythology a great deal.

Someone once said that in a sense, Superman is the disguise for Clark Kent rather than the other way around. That’s an interesting way to look at it. If that’s true, then is Bruce Wayne the disguise for Batman?

Batman came first, since Bruce the millionaire was, first, the child who saw his parents murdered — the child who was the sine qua non of Batman. In that sense, Batman existed before millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.

Very good points, Hat Rick.

There’s a scene in Kill Bill Vol. 2 where the character of Bill gives a wonderful speech about the identity issues of Superman/Clark Kent you mentioned. I don’t really remember how the speech fits into the scene (it’s Tarantino you know!), but it really makes you think about Superman in a whole new way. At least it did for me.

And I do think that Batman is the real Bruce Wayne… or at least it’s his inner, angrier child that continually takes over and lashes out at those he perceives to be in the same league as the man who killed his parents—call it childhood wish-fulfillment!

And the same goes for the Watchmen’s Rorschach… but in a much darker way. :)

I thought Karl Urban was terrible casting when he was first announced in the role and now he’s without a doubt my favourite actor from the new cast. I think this time around I’m going to keep an open mind regarding any news and announcements. I’m still hoping the sequel is going to shy away from doing Khan but if they do go down that route then I’m not going to get too upset about it.

There was Oscar talk re: Urban’s Bones (that some would call it mimicry but it definitely made the movie and he should have gotten a supporting actor nom) from at least one major newspaper (canada’s National Post). Maybe next time.

MORE BONES IN 2012 !!! The trinity of KIrk(Action/leadership), Spock (Logic/reason), McCoy (humanity/compassion) was missing in the first movie. ….maybe missing is too harsh, but it was not a major theme as it should be!

26. I agree. They got the spirit of the thing right.

Agree CDR – infact they missed most of the essence of StarTrek in the first movie.

I think the ingenuity of Star Trek (2009) was creating something that was neither a reboot, prequel and sequel but all at the same time. They managed to push the movie in a new direction while still following the story that came before. Being fond of canon, I would have been bothered by a clean reboot that just ignored everything. That would have created an us vs them atmosphere in Star Trek. But doing it the way they did avoided that and allowed total fans like myself enjoy and accept the new Star Trek without feeling we are writing off everything that happened before.

I love the Bond movies. The reboot worked well there, partly because each Bond movie is really a self contained movie anyway, as opposed to a sequel (except for Quantum of Solace). A side note–I hope MGM gets their act together. I am anxious for the next 007 film also.

I also give them kudos for picking the cast. Urban and Greenwood were definitly at the top of the list.But the entire cast did a good job (Yelchin needs a little work though, of all, he seemed most like he was mocking the original actor).

While ST09 was not MY ST…I am willing to cut some slack since it at least brought ST back to the screen and generated some excitement from even admited previous non-fans like Mario. That being said, I am hopeful that more of the essence of TOS will come out in ST12 and still continue the positives in ST09.

Until then, it is definitely NOT the best reboot or original movie around. I am okay with the recasting of TOS without trying to be totally Shatner-Nimoy-Kelly and the others–the alternate universe certainly gives the actors room to reimage the characters in their own likeness. Like others here have noted, I too think that Urban best captured Kelly’s McCoy without trying to be Kelly playing McCoy.

So, in true Trek fashion…there are always possibilities!

Battlestar might be the best reboot, but Star Trek could be too.

I think the consensus is unanimous: more Urban/McCoy and more Kirk/Spock/McCoy “stuff.”

#25 – “Watchman” was unwatchable — a train wreck of a movie.

28 and 30 — Bones/Kirk and Spock had just met for the main portion of the movie, so it would not have been believable is the three of them started behaving in TOS-mode instantly — that would have looked force. The movie showed it developing though, which is as it should be. I will expect in the next movie that we will see more of TOS-mode behavior between the three.

35. That’s what I heard, but when I rented it I ended up loving it! As in all things, it’s all a matter of taste.

Actually, I agree with you about Watchmen (it’s the only movie I’ve ever walked out on), but I was referring to the comic book Rorschach.

That is, the comic book character of Rorschach, not his own comic book—you know what I mean.

Karl Urban is a class act. Let’s hope JJ & Co get the Kirk/Spock/McCoy balance right in the next movie.

Urban was also great in the Lord of the Rings

The casting of Trek 2009 was amazing, and Karl Urban by far the best of all! Can’t wait for the sequel! I love the Kirk/Spock/McCoy relationship dynamic as well but hope the other characters are not left in the background as set decorations… please develop the triumvirate but not at the expense of the entire team. Sulu,Uhura, Scotty & Chekov need vital screen time too!

#41 — Check out a little known gem called “Pathfinder” — a surprisingly good action movie with Urban in the lead. Vikings meet American Indians in the 10th century and all hell breaks loose.

#1 of course he captured the likeness of bones better then any other cast member (He’s the one who played him, remember.) I’m kidding…. your correct, he did an excellent job. I was a fan of him from LOTR and Star Trek only solidified that.

He’s from New Zealand not Australia.

As much as they might try to defy the odds, there is world of difference between us.

He’s from New Zealand not Australia.

#45 & #46

One world of difference… coming from a cloned Aussie. It’s the Twilight Zone!

Is he still calling JJ an Einstein?

Hey, who knows? He could be making a Back to the Future reference.

In addition to playing Cupid, he also played Julius Caesar in Xena. The show actually had a great supporting cast.

Karl Urban Struck A Careful Balance When It Came To Playing Star Trek's Bones

JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" reboots were a bold and largely successful attempt to bring the franchise back into mainstream relevancy, reimagining the classic sci-fi series as action/adventure blockbusters. Naturally, for a franchise with one of the oldest fandoms , many people were nervous at the prospect of not only putting a new spin on this universe, but reintroducing these legacy characters with different faces. Though the adventurous nature was there, "Star Trek" has always been a slow and philosophical series more than an action-oriented one. Trekkies felt a legitimate fear that the curious spirit of the original show would be watered down in favor of Hollywood spectacle. 

That's why one of the bolder casting choices was Karl Urban as Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy, the gruff and hot-headed right-hand man to Captain Kirk, portrayed by Chris Pine in the Abrams reboot. Up to that point in his career, Urban had established himself as an action veteran with roles in " The Lord of the Rings " franchise, "The Bourne Supremacy," "The Chronicles of Riddick," and "Doom." Though he certainly had the rugged look to him that was similarly characteristic of Bones McCoy originator DeForest Kelley, it was still up in the air whether or not Urban could capture the nuances of the character based on what audiences had seen in his previous credits.

Urban felt the weight of playing Bones

Abrams encouraged the 2009 cast to approach these characters in a way that felt natural to them first, rather than working towards imitation. In fact, Chris Pine once explained  that the worst thing he could do for his performance was try to replicate William Shatner's Captain Kirk, and he deliberately avoided fan discussion or expectations when crafting his version of that character. 

Urban, however, felt great responsibility when handling the challenge of embodying such a beloved character and making his performance feel as authentic as possible:

"Stepping into such an iconic character that was played so wonderfully well by the late great DeForest Kelley, and really a beloved character ... I felt like as a long-term fan of 'Star Trek' that it was important to see some sort of recognizability, particularly in the character of Bones. For me, it was really about sort of cherry-picking some of the essence of what DeForest Kelley did, and sort of imbuing it into the character, without sort of slipping into some kind of imitation, which wouldn't have been a good move."

Leonard Nimoy cried watching Karl Urban's Bones

Urban's performance as Bones exceeded expectations, and it is a role he still credits as essential in shaping the rest of his career. The highest praise Urban would receive was from the late Leonard Nimoy, originator of the role of Spock, who opened up  at a press conference that he was brought to tears watching Urban onscreen. "That performance of his is so moving, so touching and so powerful as Doctor McCoy, that I think D. Kelley [DeForest] would be smiling, and maybe in tears as well."

Three films later, the whole cast of Abrams' reboots have been so wholeheartedly welcomed by the fandom that it's hard to remember there ever being any hesitation. While there's no dearth of "Star Trek " projects to engage with right now, Trekkies are anticipating the return of the Kelvin timeline with Abrams' fourth film, which was recently announced to the surprise of the cast themselves . Whether the project gets out of pre-production or not, it is clear the excitement to see this new cast is still high, and Urban's commitment to Bones is a key piece of a stronger ensemble.

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Karl Urban in ‘Star Trek Beyond’: Becoming the real McCoy

Stepping into an iconic role is never an easy task, and the re-cast crew of the “Star Trek” franchise get to do it for a third time.

Karl Urban, a New Zealand actor famous for playing Eomer in the last two “Lord of Rings” movies, took over the role of belovedly grumpy Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy from DeForest Kelley, who originated the character in the original “Star Trek” television series.

“Star Trek Beyond,” in theaters July 22, marks Urban’s third turn in the role, and the actor says he believes that it’s “probably the most well-defined version of the character that I’ve had the pleasure of playing.”

In this film, we get to see his true friendship with [Captain James T.] Kirk; you get to see him be a consigliere and adviser. … And through the course of the movie, I spend an amazing amount of time with Zach Quinto’s Spock, and that’s a real opportunity to explore the relationship between those two characters, for both of those characters to come to an understanding on a deeper level what the other represents and where the other’s coming from. For Bones, there were just a lot of wonderful shades of the character that I was able to bring forward, whether it was his compassion and understanding emotionally for where Spock was at, or his bravery and courage in looking after Spock and not abandoning him, his fear of the situation they were in and his use of humor to keep the morale of the both of them up. And his willingness to live and survive — there’s a lot of wonderful shades.

I think my favorite aspect of his relationship with Kirk is represented in the bar scene between the two of them, where you see two good friends sharing a drink and Kirk being able to sort of express his existential dilemma and Bones being able to listen and offer a sound piece of advice. And as far as Bones’ relationship with Spock, I enjoy any time that they get to argue, or the two of them get to have that great banter, it’s always a lot of fun. I particularly like the scene in the transporter where Bones discovers Spock has sold him down the river and requested that Bones accompany him on a dangerous mission. And Bones’ response to that is typically Bones.

I can. The character of McCoy is somebody who has experienced his share of pain and loss through life. And I feel like there is somewhat of an irascible shell that he wears to protect himself, but the great thing about the character in this movie is you really get to see what’s beneath that. You get to see a softer side of the character. He lets his guard down in this film, and I think for me, probably, it was part of the process of making the character my own. It was important for me to still imbue the character with those familiar elements of DeForest, it was also an opportunity to take the character in a new direction.

That’s the great thing about McCoy, he’s really a bit of a jack of all trades. You can throw him into any situation. He might grumble about it, but he’ll thrive. In this one, I get to fly an alien spaceship and do heroic things, and that’s kind of a part of the fun.

It was an enjoyable experience. Justin came in and was very sensitive to respecting the core of this cast and he brought in a real passion for “Star Trek” — he was a fan of it growing up as a kid. He was able to take that knowledge and infuse it with this wonderful visual action style that he’s synonymous for and deliver an action-packed fun ride full of special effects and thrills and also some poignant emotional moments, and I think he’s done a fantastic job.

Yeah, I think that the challenge was to not only honor the 50 years that had come before, but to also explore new territory, and “Star Trek” has always been a cult of personality. It’s about the characters, and I think Justin did a great job of infusing the story with an energy and a dynamism, and I think he was successfully able to build upon what J.J. established in ’09. … It’s about this eclectic group of diverse characters who work together, and that’s the essential message of this film — we are stronger together than we are apart.

Simon emailed us an early draft and he said, “Look, if there’s anything you’d like to see in this that’s not in there, please let me know and we’ll work together.” That was really the basis of the working relationship for having one of our own who was there for us and accessible and a great conduit for us to really be able to express these characters on a deeper level. There are many beats, and in some cases scenes, that came from that that are in the film and it was a wonderful collaborative experience. It’s just a shame that Simon gets the credit for it. [Laughs]

Well I think the most profound change, and the thing that I value the most, is the friends that I’ve made. This cast is unlike anything I’ve worked with in the past, apart from “Lord of the Rings,” which was a very similar experience. But we’re a tight group, and there’s a real bond between us. We really are a family and we’ve now experienced coming up on 10 years of this phenomenon and there’s been highs and lows. Some of us have families now, some of us were married and are no longer married and of course we’ve recently lost, a devastating loss, of losing Anton [Yelchin]. We’ve been through a lot together.

It’s absolutely devastating. There’s nothing that can prepare you for the loss of a family member and certainly we all continue to mourn him and grieve him and it hits you in the most unexpected ways and most unexpected times.

I’m about to go down to Australia for “Thor: Ragnarok” with Chris Hemsworth and directed by Taika Waititi, and I’m really looking forward to that. A lot of my stuff is with Cate Blanchett, and even though we were in “Lord of the Rings” together, I never shared any scenes with her and I have such a huge respect for her and her work and I’m really excited for that and I look forward to that.

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Leonard McCoy

• View history

Admiral Leonard H. McCoy , MD was a male Human Starfleet officer of the 23rd and 24th centuries . He was an accomplished surgeon , physician , psychologist , and exobiologist , and was also considered an expert in space psychology . As chief medical officer , he served aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise -A for a combined twenty-seven years. ( Star Trek: The Original Series ; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ; TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint "; VOY : " Lifesigns ", " Message in a Bottle ")

• 1 Early life
• 2.1 The five-year mission
• 2.2 As an "old country doctor" in the 23rd century
• 2.3 Return to Starfleet
• 2.4 Training cruise aboard the Enterprise
• 2.5 Hosting Spock's "soul"
• 2.6 Saving Earth
• 2.7 Chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise -A
• 2.8 Later career
• 2.9 Fictional or exaggerated stories about McCoy
• 4.1 Friendship
• 5.1 About McCoy
• 5.2 By McCoy
• 5.3 See also
• 6 Chronology
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2 Background information
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

Early life [ ]

Dr. Leonard McCoy was born in Georgia , USA , Earth , in 2227 . He was the son of David McCoy . ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; TAS : " Once Upon a Planet "; TOS : " This Side of Paradise "; TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint "; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

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. According to Jadzia Dax , " he had the hands of a surgeon ". ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

McCoy began studying medicine in or before 2245 . ( TAS : " The Pirates of Orion ") While in medical school, McCoy and his friends used to play practical jokes on each other all the time. For example, they would substitute real drinking glasses with trick drinking glasses, causing the target drinker to spill on their shirt. ( TAS : " The Practical Joker ")

Starfleet career [ ]

In 2251 , McCoy led a massive inoculation program on planet Dramia II , where he saved a Dramen colonist , named Kol-Tai , from a strain of the Saurian virus . Shortly after McCoy departed, a plague struck Dramia II, killing most of the colonists. ( TAS : " Albatross ")

In 2253 , McCoy 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 ")

First visit to Capella IV

In 2266 , Lieutenant Commander McCoy was a sciences division officer . He was stationed on Capella IV where Capellan lack of interest in medical aid or hospitals ensured a short visit, lasting only a few months, before eventually joining the USS Enterprise 's five-year mission . The knowledge of Capellan customs he acquired on this mission would prove valuable in a later mission to the planet. ( TOS : " Friday's Child "; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

The five-year mission [ ]

In 2266, McCoy was the Life Sciences department head and the chief medical officer of the Enterprise . His assigned quarters were "3F 127" on Deck 9 , section 2. His predecessor was Dr. Mark Piper . ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " The Man Trap ")

Kirk liberally used the nickname " Bones " for his doctor from this point on. ( TOS : " The Man Trap ") During a 2267 away mission on Pyris VII , Kirk made a special point to avoid calling McCoy "Bones", instead using the nickname "Doc", after finding themselves in shackles hanging alongside a skeleton . ( TOS : " Catspaw ")

Kirk's evil persona threatening McCoy

McCoy provided Kirk with advice when the Enterprise 's transporter duplicated him in 2266. Kirk was split into two people – one good and one bad. Kirk needed his evil side to live as well as to command the Enterprise . McCoy told his captain that all Humans have their darker side; it is literally half of what they are and they need it to live. Later, Kirk had the choice of going through the transporter again to reintegrate into one being. The procedure was dangerous and McCoy told him, " Jim, you can't risk your life on a theory! " However, McCoy decided that the decision was Kirk's alone after he refused to relinquish command. Later, Kirk was successfully reintegrated as one being. ( TOS : " The Enemy Within ")

Three friends in 2267

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

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.

McCoy curing Kirk of polywater intoxication on the bridge of the Enterprise

When the creature began taking the lives of Enterprise crew members on the surface and aboard the ship itself, McCoy's past feelings for Nancy tainted his judgment. It was only when Spock was assaulted and Captain Kirk's life was in imminent jeopardy that Dr. McCoy saw past the illusion of Nancy, forcing him to fire a phaser at a sentient being, the last of its kind. Just before firing, he said quietly, " Lord forgive me. " ( TOS : " The Man Trap ")

McCoy 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 a vast underground factory recorded their thoughts and brought them to life. 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 afterward 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.

The apparent death of McCoy

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 had 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 2713.5, the Enterprise discovered an Earth-like planet inhabited only by children. They soon discovered that all of the adults had died from a virus that caused the victim to age rapidly. The landing party contracted the disease and only had one week to live. McCoy and Spock developed a cure, but were unable to verify the formula with the Enterprise 's computers, because the children had stolen their communicators. Desperate, McCoy decided to test the serum on himself when Spock stepped out. Spock and Kirk returned to find an unconscious McCoy, but also that the serum worked. ( TOS : " Miri ")

Khan choking McCoy from his biobed in sickbay

On stardate 3141, McCoy accompanied Captain Kirk, Scott , and historian Marla McGivers to the SS Botany Bay , where the landing party encountered Khan Noonien Singh in stasis . McCoy had Khan removed from his enclosure when it began to malfunction while waking him and caused Khan to have a heart flutter . McCoy later stabilized Khan and brought him back to health aboard the Enterprise . Khan awoke shortly thereafter in sickbay and threatened McCoy with a scalpel when the doctor came to check up on him. Khan removed the scalpel from McCoy's neck when the doctor told him to cut his carotid artery , remarking, " I like a brave man. " Later on, Khan commandeered the Enterprise and forced McCoy and several other Enterprise crewmembers to watch as Kirk was put into a decompression chamber to die slowly. Khan asked the crew to join him and his brethren but McCoy and the crew refused and were later knocked out by anesthesia gas sent out by Kirk and Spock, intending to knock out Khan and his followers. After the defeat of Khan and his augments, McCoy, in dress uniform , attended Khan and McGivers' sentencing. McCoy expressed incredulity when Kirk announced that he was dropping all charges in exchange for marooning Khan, his followers, and McGivers on Ceti Alpha V . ( TOS : " Space Seed ")

On stardate 3417, McCoy's tonsils , which had been removed some years earlier, regrew when he was briefly under the influence of the Omicron spores . He mentioned that he had broken three ribs once. 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 ")

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, and somehow created a history without a Federation or the Enterprise . Kirk and Spock, stranded and alone on the planet's surface, had no choice but to follow McCoy into the portal to try to undo whatever he had done to change the course of history.

They found themselves back in 1930 New York , where they met social worker Edith Keeler but had trouble locating McCoy. Using an improvised tricorder device, Spock determined that Keeler's death was the focal point of the altered timeline – she died in the original history, but somehow McCoy's going back in time prevented this from happening. Eventually, Kirk and Spock spotted McCoy walking down a city sidewalk. McCoy was happy to see them, but then he noticed that Keeler was crossing the street nearby in front of a speeding car. McCoy tried to rush forward to save her life, but Kirk, realizing that this was the critical moment, tearfully grabbed his friend and prevented him from intervening, allowing Keeler to die and restoring their own historical timeline. ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever ")

After the first discovery of a silicon-based lifeform on Janus VI , the Horta matriarch, McCoy was the first exobiologist to actually treat one of the creatures, healing the wounded mother with a bandage of thermal concrete . Considering he successfully medically treated a type of lifeform that he previously did not even believe could exist, McCoy could not help but comment, " By golly, 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 parasites , a plague of one-celled flying creatures linked in a collective mind that had been sweeping across whole star systems and destroying all humanoid life. ( TOS : " Operation -- Annihilate! ")

McCoy examining an in shock Matt Decker on the USS Constellation

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 due to 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 the annoyance of Spock, who commented that the name would cause Kirk and McCoy to become insufferably pleased with themselves for at least a month. ( TOS : " Friday's Child ")

McCoy happy at finally getting the last word

Although possessing limited surgical experience in Vulcan anatomy and physiology , McCoy successfully operated on Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan , 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 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 system , the Enterprise encountered an Eymorg starship , whose occupant, Kara rendered the crew unconscious. Upon waking, they discovered that Spock's brain had been stolen.

It fell to 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 to McCoy to use an advanced Great Teacher machine to learn how to place 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 ")

McCoy near death on Minara II

On stardate 5121.5, while investigating the disappearance of a science team sent to study an impending nova, the Enterprise encountered a mute alien with empathic abilities on Minara II . McCoy named her " Gem ." They discovered that the Vians were holding her captive. McCoy nearly died after volunteering himself to satisfy the Vians' demands for an experimental subject to teach Gem the value of self-sacrifice. ( TOS : " The Empath ")

McCoy with Sulu on the Kalandan outpost in 2268

In 2268, the Enterprise found the USS Defiant 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 alleviated after McCoy created and administered a radical derivative of theragen (a Klingon nerve gas) mixed with drinking alcohol. ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

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 later changed his mind about staying with the Fabrini, choosing instead 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 held 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 four hours and ten minutes until the cloud reached the planet, 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 might 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 ")

McCoy rapidly aged on the planet

Later that year, McCoy was among the landing party that beamed down to inspect the second planet of the Taurean system . He was among those affected by the glandular secretion of the planet's female inhabitants , 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 alleviate their conditions. An all female Enterprise security detachment led by Uhura eventually recovered McCoy and the landing party. Using their molecular pattern stored in the transporter system, they were returned to their previous ages. ( 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 some nineteen years earlier. McCoy feared that he might have accidentally been responsible for the plague that killed the Dramens 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. Later, in a series of ceremonies, the Dramians honored McCoy 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 by an aquatic predator.

They were found later 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 Keeper had died and the planet's central computer was rebelling against its programming, assaulting the landing party with dangerous manifestations.

McCoy tricked the planet into taking Spock beneath the surface by injecting him with melenex , 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 love/hate 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 – when on Earth in 1986 , he angrily dismissed the medical technology of San Francisco 's Mercy Hospital , state-of-the-art for the time, as "medieval" compared to what he knew. ( TOS : " 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 ", " Spectre of the Gun "; 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 besides Spock 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. Despite his sardonic wit and curmudgeonly personality, McCoy was very compassionate and cared deeply about all living things.

While on Miri 's planet, McCoy discovered a vaccine for the deadly life prolongation project 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 off time

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 . He was heard saying he would never return to Starfleet. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

Return to Starfleet [ ]

" Damn it, Bones. I need you. Badly!"

In the mid- 2270s , Fleet Admiral Nogura , using a "little-known, seldom-used, reserve activation clause " at the request of now Admiral James T. Kirk, reactivated McCoy's commission. True to form, he refused to use the transporter until the other five crewmembers passed through safely. Though initially indignant about his re-activation, McCoy calmed down and served as chief medical officer during the V'ger encounter, and afterward continued to serve with his shipmates in this capacity aboard the newly-refitted Enterprise . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

Training cruise aboard the Enterprise [ ]

In March 2285 , McCoy was a participant in Saavik 's Kobayashi Maru scenario at Starfleet Training Command . After the scenario, he served aboard the Enterprise under the command of Captain Spock. He was the ship's chief medical officer for a three week training cruise. Upon receiving a call for help from Regula I , Starfleet Command ordered the Enterprise to investigate. With Rear Admiral Kirk assuming command, the cruise was cut short. The Enterprise became involved with Project Genesis and Khan Noonien Singh's attempt to steal the Genesis Device . McCoy accompanied Kirk in a 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 )

Hosting Spock's "soul" [ ]

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. Spock's father Sarek explained the significance of the Vulcan katra to Kirk. 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 Mount Seleya on Vulcan.

A melancholy McCoy looks down at an unconscious Spock, while carrying his katra

Although Enterprise was disabled then later destroyed, and rogue Klingons had killed Kirk's son, the crew managed to commandeer the attacking Klingon vessel and take McCoy and the rejuvenated Spock to Mount Seleya on Vulcan. En route to Vulcan, in the Klingon ship's infirmary, a melancholy McCoy admitted to his old rival, the unconscious Spock, that he missed him, and couldn't stand the thought of losing Spock again.

Spock's katra was restored via the fal-tor-pan , an ancient, legendary Vulcan technique. 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. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

Saving Earth [ ]

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.

McCoy finds himself in the "Dark Ages"

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 suffering from kidney failure with some 23rd century medicine, 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 )

Chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise -A [ ]

Afterward, 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 re-fusion 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 renegade Vulcan Sybok hijacked the Enterprise. Sybok later 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 )

McCoy in 2293, after failing to save Gorkon's life

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 the critically wounded Gorkon, the victim of an assassin's phaser. McCoy's limited knowledge of Klingon anatomy and physiology hindered his efforts and the chancellor died. The Klingons arrested McCoy and Kirk and charged them with his assassination.

The Klingon Empire put Kirk and McCoy through a show trial, and although McCoy was able to draw a laugh from the assembled Klingons with an off-the-cuff quip, neither had much of a chance of defending their case. Handed a life sentence of hard labor they were then taken to the penal asteroid Rura Penthe to live it out. Luckily Spock rescued McCoy and Kirk 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 fostered in an eighty-year era of peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

Later career [ ]

Admiral McCoy touring the USS Enterprise -D with Data in 2364

On stardate 41153.7 , 71 years after the decommissioning of the Enterprise -A, the 137-year old Admiral Leonard McCoy inspected the medical layout of the USS Enterprise -D during its first mission; still refusing to use the transporter, he was ferried to the ship by shuttlecraft before he was escorted to the USS Hood by Lieutenant Commander Data . He commented on the great significance of the ship's name to Data, telling him, " You treat her like a lady... and she'll always bring you home. " ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")

Fictional or exaggerated stories about McCoy [ ]

McCoy's big open-mouth grin

While in an argument with Montgomery Scott , Arex and M'Ress about the holodeck , D'Vana Tendi told Scotty that the rec room was a far cry from the holodeck . She references back to the time that McCoy, Sulu and Uhura were in the rec room experiencing a "boring snowstorm ," as she called it. ( VST : " Walk, Don't Run ")

During a song that was sung by a Post Mainframe Acid-Cardassian Ten Forwardcore band on the bridge of the USS Enterprise , Leonard McCoy could be seen in a variety of clips on the main viewer that were played .

The first clip showed Doctor McCoy beaming with a landing party consisting of himself, James T. Kirk , Montgomery Scott and Spock . They were all shown wearing life support belts , as they apparently beamed down to a location where it was impossible for them to breathe . The next clip shows McCoy with a big open- mouth grin on his face . ( VST : " Walk, Don't Run ")

• Commendations: Legion of Honor
• Awards of Valor: Decorated by Starfleet Surgeons
• Comparative Alien Physiology by Dr. McCoy was required reading at Starfleet Medical Academy 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 , during her maiden voyage in 2364
• Holographic Doctors , under development in the late 24th century , included McCoy in their templates

Family and relationships [ ]

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 having developed his own recipe for weed spray . ( 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 suffered many family hardships early on in life, which helped mold him into the prominent individual he eventually became. It began when McCoy was forced to face the harsh reality of his father's bout with a painful, incurable disease.

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

Only weeks later, a cure was discovered, and McCoy subsequently lived many years in regret for causing his father's apparently needless death. However, Spock's estranged half-brother Sybok was able to relieve McCoy of this regret by helping him realize that it wasn't his fault. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

McCoy eventually married and had a daughter named Joanna . Sadly, McCoy's marriage ended in a bitter divorce, separating him from his daughter and deepening his hardships. ( citation needed • edit ) His daughter eventually moved to the planet Cerberus to attend school, where she nearly died, in 2259 , when the planet experienced a crop failure. Fortunately, the kind actions of Carter Winston saved Cerberus. McCoy was grateful for this deed and expressed his most sincere thanks to Winston ten years later, when the Enterprise rescued him. ( TAS : " The Survivor ")

Natira McCoy

In 2254 , McCoy became romantically involved with the future Nancy Crater . Nancy nicknamed her beloved boyfriend " Plum ". They walked out of each other's lives in 2256 , and did not see each other again, although in 2266 , McCoy met 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 . Although the removal of his instrument of obedience technically annulled their marriage, 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 star system that was to be the new home for its people. ( TOS : " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky ")

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. He was the only Enterprise crewmember who routinely addressed Kirk by his first name, (though Spock did occasionally as well). ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " The Enemy Within ")

McCoy displayed a fondness for alcoholic beverages of his region of Earth, such as Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey , 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 ") He was even known to put whiskey in baked beans. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) He also used his connections to procure quantities of prohibited alien drinks such as Romulan ale, which he says was used only for "medicinal purposes." ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

His closest friends aboard the Enterprise included Captain 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 versus logic rather than true prejudice) camouflaged 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 intuitive; 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 when he ostensibly injected Kirk with a tri-ox compound respiratory aid when he was actually injecting him with 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, the Vians kidnapped Kirk, Spock, and McCoy and forced them to choose 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. The empathic Gem, another of the Vian's prisoners, healed McCoy's injuries.

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

Memorable quotes [ ]

About mccoy [ ].

• "...the Admiral's a rather remarkable man." - Worf ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")

By McCoy [ ]

• " I'm a doctor, not a... " (various episodes)
• " He/she's dead, Jim. " (various episodes)
• " My god, man! " (various episodes)
• " I never say that. " ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")
• " What's the matter, Jim, don't you trust yourself? " ( 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 ")
• " Do you want to see just how fast I can put you in a hospital? " ( 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 ")
• " Because I'm a doctor, that's how I know! " ( TOS : " Friday's Child ")
• " Spock, I've found that evil usually triumphs - unless good is very, very careful. " ( TOS : " The Omega Glory ")
• " 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 )
• " Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. Well, I'm gonna need a top nurse, not a doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with me. And they probably redesigned the whole sickbay too! I know engineers, they love to change things! " ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )
• " Jim, I'm your doctor and I'm your friend. Get back your command. Get it back before you turn into part of this collection. Before you really do grow old. " ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )
• (Upon learning he was the recipient of Spock's katra via a mind-meld) " That green-blooded son-of-a-bitch. It's his revenge for all those arguments he lost. " ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )
• (As Kirk watches the hulk of the Enterprise burn up and asks McCoy: " My God Bones what have I done "?) " What you had to do, what you always do; turn death into a fighting chance to live. " ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )
• " Sounds like a Goddamn SPANISH INQUISITION to me! " ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )
• (Arguing with a 20th century surgeon over treatment of Pavel Chekov) " My God man! Drilling holes in his head is not the answer! The artery must be repaired! Now put away your butcher knives and let me SAVE this patient! " ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )
• " My God, Jim, where are we? " ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )
• " The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe . We'll get a freighter . " ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )
• " You really piss me off, Jim. " ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )
• " Jim, you don't ask the Almighty for His ID! " ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )
• " What's so damn troublesome about not having died?! " ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")
• " You treat her like a lady... and she'll always bring you home. " ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")

See also [ ]

• " I'm a doctor, not a... "
• " He's dead, Jim "

Chronology [ ]

• 2227 : Born on Earth .
• 2245 : Medical practice begins on or before this date
• 2249 : Daughter, Joanna , is born
• 2251 : Heads a massive inoculation program on Dramia II
• 2253 : Develops revolutionary surgical procedure, a cerebral-cortex/brain-tissue graft
• 2254 : Becomes romantically involved with Nancy Crater
• 2256 : Ends relationship with Nancy
• 2260s : As a lieutenant commander , visits Capella IV briefly before joining the 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
• 2270s : His commission is re-activated at Kirk's insistence, during V'ger crisis
• 2285 : On Enterprise , chief medical officer on a training cruise. Is a repository of Spock's katra.
• 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

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Corbomite Maneuver "
• " Mudd's Women "
• " The Enemy Within "
• " The Man Trap "
• " The Naked Time "
• " Charlie X "
• " Balance of Terror "
• " Dagger of the Mind "
• " The Conscience of the King "
• " The Galileo Seven "
• " Court Martial "
• " The Menagerie, Part I "
• " Shore Leave "
• " The Squire of Gothos "
• " The Alternative Factor "
• " Tomorrow is Yesterday "
• " The Return of the Archons "
• " A Taste of Armageddon "
• " Space Seed "
• " This Side of Paradise "
• " The Devil in the Dark "
• " The City on the Edge of Forever "
• " Operation -- Annihilate! "
• " Catspaw "
• " Metamorphosis "
• " Friday's Child "
• " Who Mourns for Adonais? "
• " Amok Time "
• " The Doomsday Machine "
• " Wolf in the Fold "
• " The Changeling "
• " The Apple "
• " Mirror, Mirror "
• " The Deadly Years "
• " I, Mudd "
• " The Trouble with Tribbles "
• " Bread and Circuses "
• " Journey to Babel "
• " A Private Little War "
• " The Gamesters of Triskelion "
• " Obsession "
• " The Immunity Syndrome "
• " A Piece of the Action "
• " By Any Other Name "
• " Return to Tomorrow "
• " Patterns of Force "
• " The Ultimate Computer "
• " The Omega Glory "
• " Assignment: Earth "
• " Spectre of the Gun "
• " Elaan of Troyius "
• " The Paradise Syndrome "
• " The Enterprise Incident "
• " And the Children Shall Lead "
• " Spock's Brain "
• " Is There in Truth No Beauty? "
• " The Empath "
• " The Tholian Web "
• " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "
• " Day of the Dove "
• " Plato's Stepchildren "
• " Wink of an Eye "
• " That Which Survives "
• " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield "
• " Whom Gods Destroy "
• " The Mark of Gideon "
• " The Lights of Zetar "
• " The Cloud Minders "
• " The Way to Eden "
• " Requiem for Methuselah "
• " The Savage Curtain "
• " All Our Yesterdays "
• " Turnabout Intruder "
• " Beyond the Farthest Star "
• " Yesteryear "
• " One of Our Planets Is Missing "
• " The Lorelei Signal "
• " More Tribbles, More Troubles "
• " The Survivor "
• " The Infinite Vulcan "
• " The Magicks of Megas-Tu "
• " Once Upon a Planet "
• " Mudd's Passion "
• " The Terratin Incident "
• " The Time Trap "
• " The Ambergris Element "
• " The Eye of the Beholder "
• " The Pirates of Orion "
• " The Practical Joker "
• " Albatross "
• " How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth "
• " The Counter-Clock Incident "
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek Beyond (photograph only)
• TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint "
• DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations " (archive footage)
• ST : " Ephraim and Dot "
• VST : " Walk, Don't Run " (archive footage)

Background information [ ]

Kelley in a screen test for his appearance in " Encounter at Farpoint "

Leonard McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley . In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , a couple of lines spoken by McCoy while he was possessed by and in possession of Spock's katra were voiced by Leonard Nimoy .

An ultimately unused stage direction from the final revised draft script of TOS : " The Conscience of the King " described McCoy thus; " McCoy is tart in manner and somewhat privileged in behavior. "

Although McCoy doesn't appear in " The Menagerie, Part II ", he did feature in the script for that episode. Initially, there were a couple of incidences where he was mentioned, without having any lines of dialogue, entering the Enterprise 's hearing room , such as at the end of the episode's teaser , when he accompanied Scott into the room, eager to help Captain Kirk but unable to. When Christopher Pike needed rest later in the script, McCoy alone arrived to maneuver him, in his wheelchair , out of the room. McCoy also appeared in a deleted scene from "The Menagerie, Part II". In it, after again accompanying Scott into the hearing room, he was credited, by Scott, as having thought of a way to determine which of the Enterprise 's computer tapes Spock had jammed in order to lock the ship on a course to Talos IV . The solution McCoy had devised involved using a spectrograph beam to detect traces of copper salt from Vulcan sweat on the tapes Spock had touched. However, McCoy wished he'd thought of the method earlier than he had, as he considered it "elementary body chemistry." [1]

The Star Trek Concordance established that his daughter Joanna was born around 2249 , and was in training to become a nurse. It also established that although they wrote each other often, Dr. McCoy's duties aboard the USS Enterprise kept the two apart. The Star Trek Chronology provided additional background information on his divorce and his daughter. This scenario established that as a result of the divorce McCoy left the private practice (which he apparently rejoined 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 Star Trek Encyclopedia speculated that Emony Dax and McCoy met around 2245 , this based on the fact that McCoy appeared 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.

He was one of at least five Starfleet officers (along with Spock, Scott, Sulu, and Uhura) who had at some point served under James T. Kirk to have attained a rank of captain or above, as he was a retired admiral during the events of " Encounter at Farpoint ".

Apocrypha [ ]

The novels Provenance of Shadows and The Assassination Game have identified McCoy's middle name as "Horatio", but this was never established on screen. The novels The Romulan Way and Spock's World claim that his middle name is "Edward".

In David Gerrold 's Encounter at Farpoint novelization, McCoy served on three vessels named Enterprise before being promoted to admiral and head of Starfleet Medical . He finally retired from this position in 2354 and moved to a farm in present-day Georgia to live his old days peacefully. By 2364 , he had at least one great-great-grandchild from his daughter, Joanna.

According to Star Trek II: Biographies , McCoy was born in 24 October 2119 in Atlanta, Georgia to parents Robert Edward Lee McCoy and Maureen Abney. He has two brothers named Henry Clay McCoy and Landor Abney McCoy, and two sisters named Melissa Jane McCoy and Elizabeth Ashley McCoy. His ex-wife was named Elinor Lee.

Other novels and comics have given different names for McCoy's parents: David Andrew McCoy ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier novelization) and Eleanora McCoy ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock novelization). McCoy's ex-wife has variously been called Gillian ( Who's Who in Star Trek 1 ), Joann Zauber ( The Real McCoy ), Jocelyn Treadway ( Shadows on the Sun ) and Pamela Branch ( Bones ).

In the novel Crisis on Centaurus , McCoy has a sister named Donna Withers.

Michael Jan Friedman 's novel Shadows on the Sun elaborated on much of McCoy's backstory, particularly his marriage to Joanna's mother, Jocelyn Treadway ( β ).

The novel Shadows on the Sun had, as one of its subplots, the story of his marriage and divorce, when his ex-wife arrived 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.

According to the video game Star Trek: Starship Creator , McCoy's mother is named Louise and his ex-wife is named Miriam.

In David R. George III 's novel, Provenance of Shadows , McCoy was portrayed as passing away peacefully in 2366 , at home on Earth in present-day Georgia. In this story, he was married to Tonia Barrows , who was also still alive at advanced age during the story. Although they had been married for decades, when they married isn't exactly known.

In William Shatner 's novels, McCoy was 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, has a new set of lungs grown each month, and had around ten meters of cloned intestines inside him). He helped 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 was subsequently the first person Kirk saw upon regaining consciousness.

Leonard McCoy in the 2380s

In the IDW Publishing comic Star Trek Special: Flesh and Stone , McCoy is still alive in the 2380s , living at the Viirre-5 Agricultural Cultivation Facility, and using a wheelchair similar to that of Christopher Pike .

In Star Trek Cats , McCoy is depicted as a gray-and-white longhair cat .

External links [ ]

• Leonard McCoy at StarTrek.com
• Leonard McCoy at Wikipedia
• Leonard McCoy at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Leonard McCoy at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

Screen Rant

Star trek: what happened to bones after tos & movies.

Star Trek's Dr. Leonard McCoy's (DeForrest Kelley) Starfleet career continued after the TOS movies. Here's what Bones did in the 24th century.

Here's what happened to Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy after Star Trek : The Original Series and the six movies that starred the classic crew of the Starship Enterprise . From 1966 until 1991, the late DeForrest Kelley portrayed the gruff but loveable Dr. McCoy, whom Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) affectionately referred to as "Bones". However, McCoy's remarkable Starfleet career lasted well into the 24th century, long after Kirk and his original crew embarked on their final mission together in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

For 27 years, Dr. McCoy served as the Chief Medical Officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and Enterprise-A. Bones was a key player in Kirk's original five-year mission, forming a triumvirate with his best friends Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock . McCoy retired from Starfleet after the five-year mission was completed but he was drafted back into service using a little-known 'reactivation clause', just in time for Kirk to command the Enterprise against V'Ger in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Bones resumed his post as Chief Medical Officer and became the host of Spock's katra (his soul) after the Vulcan's death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan until Spock's resurrection in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock . In Star Trek VI , Bones and Kirk were wrongly convinced of the assassination of Klingon High Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) and were imprisoned on the penal planet Rura Penthe. After Spock liberated them, Bones helped the Enterprise crew uncover a conspiracy and successfully fostered peace with the Klingons.

Related: Star Trek: What Happened To Kirk After TOS & Movies

Surprisingly, Bones remained in Starfleet after his service aboard the Enterprise was over, although McCoy didn't join Captain Kirk on the maiden voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise-B when Kirk was presumed killed by the Nexus in 2293. However, an elderly McCoy made a cameo in "Encounter at Farpoint", the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation . In 2364, after the U.S.S. Enterprise-D commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) arrived at Farpoint Station, Admiral McCoy was accompanied off the ship by Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner). Bones was aboard inspecting the medical facilities of the new  Galaxy -class starship and when Data correctly stated that the Admiral was 137 years old, McCoy checked to see if the android had pointy ears like a certain Vulcan he once knew.

DeForrest Kelley's Bones was the first of five Star Trek TOS characters to meet the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation ; Sarek (Mark Lenard)), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Scotty (James Doohan) would all appear on the series while Kirk met Picard (and died) in the Star Trek Generations  movie. While "Encounter at Farpoint" was the lone appearance by McCoy in the 24th-century era, the legendary Doctor would be mentioned in the other Star Trek series .

In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his crew time-traveled to the 23rd century and met the crew of the Starship Enterprise, including Bones. Lieutenant Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) confessed that Emony Dax met Leonard McCoy on Earth in the mid-2240s. Emony and McCoy apparently had a brief fling because Jadzia recalled Emony's memories that "he had the hands of a surgeon" . In the Star Trek: Voyager season 2 episode "Lifesigns", The Doctor (Robert Picardo) mentioned that in 2253, Dr. McCoy created a surgical procedure for the humanoid brain that involved grafting neural tissue to the cerebral cortex, which notes how much Bones has positively impacted medicine in the 24th century. McCoy's templates are part of the design of the Emergency Medical Holographic doctors used aboard 24th-century Starfleet ships, which includes Bones' favorite catchphrase, "I'm a doctor, not a ____!"

Star Trek TV and movies have not canonically stated if and when Leonard McCoy died. In William Shatner's non-canon Star Trek novels published in the 1990s, Bones is alive in 2379 thanks to cloned and artificial body parts. Also, the IDW comic book Star Trek Special: Flesh and Stone depicts an ancient McCoy using a wheelchair similar to Captain Christopher Pike 's as he lives at the Viirre-5 Agricultural Cultivation Facility. Though he would be roughly 172 years old, it's even possible that Bones could still be alive during the era of Star Trek: Picard .

Next: Star Trek: What Happened To Spock After TOS & Movies

• Emily Deschanel

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 5,000 196

• Contact info
• 13 nominations

Star Siblings: Famous Brothers and Sisters

Photos 1036

• Temperance Brennan
• 2005–2017 • 245 eps

• Kate Houghton

• Receptionist

• Mrs. Morgan
• Post-production

• The Voice of the Night Brigade
• 23 episodes

• Sarah Nolan

• 12 episodes

• Babe Didrikson
• Marina Raskova

• Emily Deschanel (voice)
• 245 episodes

• Bones (voice)

• The Captain (English version, voice)

• Julia Roberts (voice)

• Shannon Cleary
• co-producer
• 201 episodes

• associate producer

Personal details

• 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
• October 11 , 1976
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• David Hornsby September 25, 2010 - present (2 children)
• Children Henry Lamar Hornsby
• Parents Caleb Deschanel
• Relatives Zooey Deschanel (Sibling)
• Other works Interact Theater's Production of "The Three Sisters"
• 5 Interviews
• 7 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia She is real-life best friends with Michaela Conlin who plays Angela Montenegro, her best friend on their show Bones (2005) .
• Quotes I was in school with Ginnifer Goodwin ; she's a couple of years younger than I am. She's super-sweet. She told me I gave her a pep talk once, even though I can't remember it. And Michael Chiklis - I love The Shield (2002) - he's so good. When I was in school, he came to speak to us about acting and told this story about how he had "As You Like It" on his resume; and a casting director asked if it were a soap opera. The casting guy said, "ABC? NBC?" and Chiklis said, "No, Shakespeare". I'll never forget it.

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Zoe Saldaña was asked on an upcoming episode of The Playlist’s “Discourse” podcast  if she was “done” playing Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that James Gunn’s “ Guardians of the Galaxy ” trilogy has ended. Gunn has moved on to DC, and some of Saldaña’s co-stars like Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer) have vowed that “Vol. 3” was their last “Guardians” movie.

“I would think it would be a huge loss for Marvel if they didn’t find a way to bring back the Guardians of the Galaxy,” Saldaña said. “It’s just such a fan-favorite group of misfits, you know? And then at the helm, they had a voice like James Gunn’s writing — which is just so marvelous for and very specific for this genre. And it’s so great for this genre as well. So, I would be the first one in the first row to sort of celebrate when the Guardians of the Galaxy come back.” 

Saldaña played Gamora in three “Guardians” movies and other Marvel films, including “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Gunn ended “Vol. 3” with the creation of a new “Guardians” team that included the likes of Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Cosmo (voiced by Maria Bakalova) and Adam Warlock (Will Poulter). Marvel hasn’t announced a new “Guardians” film starring this group.

“I still have hope,” Saldaña told “The Discourse” podcast about making a fourth “Stark Trek” movie. “I had a wonderful experience through and through and through the three times that I was a part of that team. I know that they’re always trying to sort of aim to wrangle everybody together, but I also know that Paramount is working on a new sort of fresh take on ‘Star Trek,’ which I think is such a wonderful franchise that should live for a very long time, whether or not us as the original remake cast can come back. I don’t know, but I certainly hope so.”

Saldaña is currently making the press rounds in support of her new immigration drama “The Absence of Eden,” co-starring Garrett Hedlund and Adria Arjona and directed by Marco Perego.

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