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He Was, And Will Always Be, Our Friend: Remembering Leonard Nimoy

While Leonard Nimoy became famous as Star Trek 's Mr. Spock, he was conflicted about the role. He later came to embrace it. He's shown here with actor William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Getty Images hide caption

While Leonard Nimoy became famous as Star Trek 's Mr. Spock, he was conflicted about the role. He later came to embrace it. He's shown here with actor William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk.

In 1966, when Leonard Nimoy was offered a minor role on a new space drama, he was thrilled. As he told Archive of American Television: "You have to understand that prior to Star Trek I never had a job that lasted longer than two weeks in any TV show or movie. Never. Two weeks — max. And here I was, looking at a season of work."

The actor beloved for his role as the pointy-eared half-human, half-Vulcan died of lung disease at his home in Los Angeles on Friday. He was 83.

Nimoy flashes the famous Vulcan salute at the 2013 premiere of Star Trek: Into Darkness . He originally based the gesture on a Jewish blessing. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption

Nimoy flashes the famous Vulcan salute at the 2013 premiere of Star Trek: Into Darkness . He originally based the gesture on a Jewish blessing.

Before he became an interplanetary sex symbol, Nimoy was a two-bit character actor knocking around Hollywood. He tended to play a lot of ethnic roles — Cherokees, Basques, Mexicans, Russians, Italian-Americans.

After filming the Star Trek pilot, Nimoy was worried when his picture was played down in the network's promotional materials. Some executives thought Spock looked satanic. "They thought the character would be offensive ... and they didn't want to take a chance," he recalled.

But it was Spock who got the most fan mail. An alien sidekick with dignity was unusual. "He was the conscience of Star Trek, " says Mark Altman, quoting show creator Gene Roddenberry. Altman is writing a book about the history of Star Trek .

Altman says Nimoy stood up for actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura, when he found out she was not being paid as much as other supporting cast members. And he refused to take part in a 1970s animated Star Trek TV show when he learned that she and George Takei, who played Sulu, had been excluded. "Often when there were issues like this, Leonard was the guy who would go to bat for people," says Altman.

I Am Not Spock

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But Nimoy's relationship to his character was ambivalent. In 1975, he wrote a book called I Am Not Spock . In 1979, the first Star Trek movie came out. Its director, Robert Wise, told NPR in 2001 he was shocked when he first read the script. "There was no Spock character in it," Wise said. "Leonard had said he was tired of putting those ears on and he didn't want to do it anymore."

Desperate, last-minute negotiations got Nimoy back onboard the Enterprise. At the time, Nimoy was appearing in serious plays on Broadway. He agreed to do the second Star Trek movie only if Spock was killed off. But Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was an enormous success. Nimoy agreed to be resurrected in the third movie. In return, he got to direct both that film and the fourth movie in the series.

In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home the crew travels back to 1986 to save humpback whales from extinction. Nimoy fought to keep the studio from adding subtitles to the whales' communication with an alien probe. "I felt extremely, extremely strongly about that issue," he said. "They are communicating with the whales, it's not necessarily for us to understand what they're saying to each other — it's not important. The magic is that they are communicating with each other and we must understand that not all things are given to us to understand — nor is it necessary."

Nimoy was proud of the film's environmental message and that this was the only Star Trek movie that did not involve weapons or even villains. Then Nimoy directed 3 Men and a Baby , the 1987 comic blockbuster. He remembered a reviewer saying, "One wouldn't think from his past work that Mr. Nimoy has the appropriate humor necessary to do this job. Fortunately he does."

Nimoy contained multitudes. He wrote a play based on the letters of Vincent van Gogh and published multiple books of poetry and photographs, including one that sensually depicted large women. And Nimoy felt a profound connection to his Jewish faith. He narrated a public radio series about Jewish music and starred in a TV movie about a real-life Auschwitz survivor who legally challenged Holocaust deniers in court.

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Wait wait...don't tell me, not my job: leonard nimoy answers three questions about dr. spock, not my job: leonard nimoy.

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Over the years, Nimoy would come to make peace with his pointy-eared alter ego. His second autobiography was titled I Am Spock . Nimoy was the only original cast member who appeared in the rebooted Star Trek movie , bringing some of the conscience of the original.

As Dr. McCoy says in a scene after Spock's death in Star Trek II: "He's not really dead as long as we remember him." And as Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy said goodbye to us so many times: "Live long and prosper."

Clarification March 2, 2015

In the audio of this story, as in a previous Web version, we note that Leonard Nimoy directed the fourth Star Trek film. He also directed Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

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Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 83

The man who was spock, leonard nimoy, best known for playing the character spock in the star trek television shows and films, died at 83..

Is there a more famous TV gesture than the Vulcan Salute? You know the one. Leonard Nimoy, who popularised the gesture in his role as Mr. Spock on the 60s TV series Star Trek, both lived long and prospered, before dying at the age of 83. In an age where the word is overused, the half-man, half-alien was truly an iconic character. Pointy ears. Upturned eyebrows. Bowl haircut. Maddingly logical. Frustratingly dispassionate. The show was cancelled after three seasons - shocking for how famous it has become - and Nimoy went on to star in the show Mission: Impossible and hosted “In Search Of...” a series that investigated mysteries and paranormal phenomena. He also had a memorable role as a psychiatrist in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The following year, he and his fellow Star Trek crew would go on to star in the first of six feature films based on the series, 2 of which Nimoy directed. Anyone who’s ever been defined by a single accomplishment can understand why Nimoy was at points ambivalent about his legacy. This was a man who wrote two autobiographies, and cheekily titled them “I Am Not Spock” and “I am Spock.” But Nimoy truly embraced the role, turning in many cameos that traded on his character. He appeared in both the Star Trek reboot and its sequel and happily attended fan convention after fan convention. To paraphrase one of the franchise’s most famous (and, come on, moving) scenes, Leonard Nimoy was, and always will be, Mr. Spock.

By Virginia Heffernan

• Feb. 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr. Nimoy announced last year that he had the disease, attributing it to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.

His artistic pursuits — poetry, photography and music in addition to acting — ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr. Spock that Mr. Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing: “Live long and prosper” (from the Vulcan “Dif-tor heh smusma”).

Mr. Nimoy, who was teaching Method acting at his own studio when he was cast in the original “Star Trek” television series in the mid-1960s, relished playing outsiders, and he developed what he later admitted was a mystical identification with Spock, the lone alien on the starship’s bridge.

Yet he also acknowledged ambivalence about being tethered to the character, expressing it most plainly in the titles of two autobiographies: “I Am Not Spock,” published in 1975, and “I Am Spock,” published in 1995.

In the first, he wrote, “In Spock, I finally found the best of both worlds: to be widely accepted in public approval and yet be able to continue to play the insulated alien through the Vulcan character.”

“Star Trek,” which had its premiere on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966, made Mr. Nimoy a star. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him “the conscience of ‘Star Trek’ ” — an often earnest, sometimes campy show that employed the distant future (as well as some special effects that appear primitive by today’s standards) to take on social issues of the 1960s.

His stardom would endure. Though the series was canceled after three seasons because of low ratings, a cultlike following — the conference-holding, costume-wearing Trekkies, or Trekkers (the designation Mr. Nimoy preferred) — coalesced soon after “Star Trek” went into syndication.

The fans’ devotion only deepened when “Star Trek” was spun off into an animated show, various new series and an uneven parade of movies starring much of the original television cast, including — besides Mr. Nimoy — William Shatner (as Captain Kirk), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), George Takei (the helmsman, Sulu), James Doohan (the chief engineer, Scott), Nichelle Nichols (the chief communications officer, Uhura) and Walter Koenig (the navigator, Chekov).

When the director J. J. Abrams revived the “Star Trek” film franchise in 2009, with an all-new cast including Zachary Quinto as Spock, he included a cameo part for Mr. Nimoy, as an older version of the same character. Mr. Nimoy also appeared in the 2013 follow-up, “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

Nimoy Explains Origin of Vulcan Greeting

As part of the yiddish book center wexler oral history project, leonard nimoy explains the origin of the vulcan hand signal used by spock, his character in the “star trek” series..

His zeal to entertain and enlighten reached beyond “Star Trek” and crossed genres. He had a starring role in the dramatic television series “Mission: Impossible” and frequently performed onstage, notably as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.” His poetry was voluminous, and he published books of his photography.

He also directed movies, including two from the “Star Trek” franchise, and television shows. And he made records, singing pop songs as well as original songs about “Star Trek,” and gave spoken-word performances — to the delight of his fans and the bewilderment of critics.

But all that was subsidiary to Mr. Spock, the most complex member of the Enterprise crew, who was both one of the gang and a creature apart, engaged at times in a lonely struggle with his warring racial halves.

In one of his most memorable “Star Trek” performances, Mr. Nimoy tried to follow in the tradition of two actors he admired, Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff, who each played a monstrous character — Quasimodo and the Frankenstein monster — who is transformed by love.

In Episode 24, which was first shown on March 2, 1967, Mr. Spock is indeed transformed. Under the influence of aphrodisiacal spores he discovers on the planet Omicron Ceti III, he lets free his human side and announces his love for Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland), a woman he had once known on Earth. In this episode, Mr. Nimoy brought to Spock’s metamorphosis not only warmth, compassion and playfulness, but also a rarefied concept of alienation.

“I am what I am, Leila,” Mr. Spock declares after the spores’ effect has worn off and his emotions are again in check. “And if there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them. Mine can be no worse than someone else’s.”

Born in Boston on March 26, 1931, Leonard Simon Nimoy was the second son of Max and Dora Nimoy, Ukrainian immigrants and Orthodox Jews. His father worked as a barber.

From the age of 8, Leonard acted in local productions, winning parts at a community college, where he performed through his high school years. In 1949, after taking a summer course at Boston College, he traveled to Hollywood, though it wasn’t until 1951 that he landed small parts in two movies, “Queen for a Day” and “Rhubarb.”

He continued to be cast in little-known movies, although he did presciently play an alien invader in a cult serial called “Zombies of the Stratosphere,” and in 1961 he had a minor role on an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” His first starring movie role came in 1952 with “Kid Monk Baroni,” in which he played a disfigured Italian street-gang leader who becomes a boxer.

Mr. Nimoy served in the Army for two years, rising to sergeant and spending 18 months at Fort McPherson in Georgia, where he presided over shows for the Army’s Special Services branch. He also directed and starred as Stanley in the Atlanta Theater Guild’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” before receiving his final discharge in November 1955.

He then returned to California, where he worked as a soda jerk, movie usher and cabdriver while studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He achieved wide visibility in the late 1950s and early 1960s on television shows like “Wagon Train,” “Rawhide” and “Perry Mason.” Then came “Star Trek.”

Mr. Nimoy returned to college in his 40s and earned a master’s degree in Spanish from Antioch University Austin, an affiliate of Antioch College in Ohio, in 1978. Antioch University later awarded Mr. Nimoy an honorary doctorate.

Leonard Nimoy won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek.” Mr. Nimoy, who was teaching Method acting at his own studio when he was cast in the original “Star Trek” TV series in the mid-‘60s, relished playing outsider characters, and he developed what he later admitted was a mystical identification with Mr. Spock.

“Star Trek,” which had its premiere on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966, made Mr. Nimoy a star. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him “the conscience of ‘Star Trek.’”

In addition to starring roles in television programs, movies and onstage, Mr. Nimoy made records on which he sang pop songs as well as original songs about “Star Trek” and gave spoken-word performances — to the delight of his fans and the bewilderment of critics. In 1968 he performed on “The Dick Clark Show” in Los Angeles.

Mr. Nimoy and his first wife, Sandra Zober, arrived for the Emmy Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1969. He was nominated for four Emmys during his career, although he never won. His marriage to Ms. Zober ended in divorce. 

Mr. Nimoy expressed ambivalence about his being forever tethered to the unflappable, cerebral, pointy-eared Vulcan. His double consciousness was reflected in the titles of two autobiographies: “I Am Not Spock,” published in 1977, and “I Am Spock,” published in 1995.

In “I Am Not Spock,” Mr. Nimoy wrote, “In Spock, I finally found the best of both worlds: to be widely accepted in public approval and yet be able to continue to play the insulated alien through the Vulcan character.”

From left, Mr. Nimoy with the director Robert Wise, the producer Gene Roddenberry and the actors DeForest Kelley and William Shatner on the set of the movie “Star Trek” in 1978. Mr. Nimoy later directed two Star Trek movies, “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984) and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), which he helped write. 

Mr. Nimoy appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies. He received an Emmy nomination for the 1982 movie “A Woman Called Golda,” in which he portrayed the husband of Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel, who was  played by Ingrid Bergman.

Mr. Nimoy appeared in an episode of “T.J. Hooker” with his “Star Trek” co-star, William Shatner, in 1983. He later appeared with Mr. Shatner in two commercials for Priceline.com.

Mr. Nimoy directed two of the “Star Trek” movies, “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984) and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), pictured, which he helped write.

When the director J.J. Abrams revived the “Star Trek” film franchise in 2009, with an all-new cast, he included a small part for Mr. Nimoy, as an older version of Spock. Mr. Nimoy and his wife, Susan Bay, arrived for the film’s premiere in Los Angeles.

Mr. Nimoy wrote poetry voluminously and was also an accomplished  photographer. “Secret Selves,” a series of photographs in which he encouraged people to reveal their hidden natures any way they chose, was exhibited at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 2010.

Mr. Nimoy gave the Vulcan salute after he was awarded an honorary doctor of Humane Letters degree during Boston University’s commencement ceremony in 2012.

“To this day, I sense Vulcan speech patterns, Vulcan social attitudes and even Vulcan patterns of logic and emotional suppression in my behavior,” Mr. Nimoy wrote years after the original “Star Trek” series ended.

But that wasn’t such a bad thing, he discovered. “Given the choice,” he wrote, “if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”

Mr. Nimoy directed the movies “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984) and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), which he helped write. In 1991, the same year that he resurrected Mr. Spock on two episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Mr. Nimoy was also the executive producer and a writer of the movie “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”

He then directed the hugely successful comedy “Three Men and a Baby” (1987), a far cry from his science-fiction work, and appeared in made-for-television movies. He received an Emmy nomination for the 1982 movie “A Woman Called Golda,” in which he portrayed the husband of Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel, who was played by Ingrid Bergman. It was the fourth Emmy nomination of his career — the other three were for his “Star Trek” work — although he never won.

Mr. Nimoy’s marriage to the actress Sandi Zober ended in divorce. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Adam and Julie Nimoy; a stepson, Aaron Bay Schuck; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and an older brother, Melvin.

Though his speaking voice was among his chief assets as an actor, the critical consensus was that his music was mortifying. Mr. Nimoy, however, was undaunted, and his fans seemed to enjoy the camp of his covers of songs like “ If I Had a Hammer .” (His first album was called “Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space.”)

From 1977 to 1982, Mr. Nimoy hosted the syndicated series “In Search Of ...,” which explored mysteries like the Loch Ness monster and U.F.O.s. He also narrated “Ancient Mysteries” on the History Channel and appeared in commercials, including two with Mr. Shatner for Priceline.com. He provided the voice for animated characters in “Transformers: The Movie,” in 1986, and “The Pagemaster,” in 1994.

In 2001 he voiced the king of Atlantis in the Disney animated movie “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” and in 2005 he furnished voice-overs for the computer game Civilization IV. More recently, he had a recurring role on the science-fiction series “Fringe” and was heard, as the voice of Spock, in an episode of the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

Mr. Nimoy was an active supporter of the arts as well. The Thalia, a venerable movie theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, now a multi-use hall that is part of Symphony Space, was renamed the Leonard Nimoy Thalia in 2002.

He also found his voice as a writer. Besides his autobiographies, he published “A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life” in 2002. Typical of Mr. Nimoy’s simple free verse are these lines: “In my heart/Is the seed of the tree/Which will be me.”

In later years, he rediscovered his Jewish heritage, and in 1991 he produced and starred in “Never Forget,” a television movie based on the story of a Holocaust survivor who sued a neo-Nazi organization of Holocaust deniers.

In 2002, having illustrated his books of poetry with his photographs, Mr. Nimoy published “Shekhina,” a book devoted to photography with a Jewish theme, that of the feminine aspect of God. His black-and-white photographs of nude and seminude women struck some Orthodox Jewish leaders as heretical, but Mr. Nimoy asserted that his work was consistent with the teachings of the kabbalah.

His religious upbringing also influenced the characterization of Spock. The character’s split-fingered salute , he often explained, had been his idea: He based it on the kohanic blessing , a manual approximation of the Hebrew letter shin, which is the first letter in Shaddai, one of the Hebrew names for God.

“To this day, I sense Vulcan speech patterns, Vulcan social attitudes and even Vulcan patterns of logic and emotional suppression in my behavior,” Mr. Nimoy wrote years after the original series ended.

But that wasn’t such a bad thing, he discovered. “Given the choice,” he wrote, “if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”

An earlier version of this obituary, using information from Antioch College, misstated the name of an institution that awarded Mr. Nimoy an honorary doctorate. It was Antioch University, not Antioch College.

An obituary on Saturday about the actor Leonard Nimoy misstated the year his first autobiography, “I Am Not Spock,” was published. It was 1975, not 1977.

How we handle corrections

Daniel E. Slotnik and Peter Keepnews contributed reporting.

Leonard Nimoy Changed Star Trek History With One Mysterious Improvised Word

I watch a lot of movies, but even ones that stab at my heart rarely make me tear up. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is, to quote Hayley Williams of Paramore, the only exception.

Spock (Leonard Nimoy) dies to save the Enterprise and his comrades, taking a lethal dose of radiation when giving the ship's engine a boost. He passes on after a final conversation with his best friend James Kirk (William Shatner). It's fair to say Nimoy was a better actor than Shatner, yet it's the latter who affects me most here. From the way his voice trembles as he yells Spock's name to the quiet heartbreak across his face as he watches his friend's final moments of pain, it's the most empathic acting I've ever seen from Shatner.

So, there's a part of me that will always resent the next film, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," for undoing this. That said, this wasn't an abrupt change of plan. Even when "Wrath of Khan" first opened in June 1982, Oregonian newspaper the Register-Guard reassured Trekkies with the headline, "Spock Dies — But Wait! He'll Be Back."

See, Nimoy went in thinking "Wrath of Khan" would be the last "Star Trek" movie, and he figured Spock might as well "go out in a blaze of glory." Writer Harve Bennett had other ideas. According to the DeForest Kelley biography "From Sawdust to Stardust" by Terry Lee Rioux, Bennett asked Nimoy to "add a thread" to the death scene by having Spock mind meld with Dr. McCoy (played by Kelley). Nimoy himself suggested that Spock tell McCoy to "remember," but neither Nimoy nor Bennett thought through the full implications of the dialogue.

That one line set the course for the sequel.

Remember Spock

Nimoy writes in his 1995 memoir "I Am Spock" about how seeing Spock's death at a "Wrath of Khan" studio screening affected him, especially since he felt like a "co-conspirator" in the character's death. He became so sad that he almost bolted from the theater, but didn't want to give the false impression he disliked the movie.

But as Nimoy watched the film, he also started to notice " how open" the door was for Spock's return, from "remember" to an ending scene (filmed after test screenings to alleviate the somberness) of Spock's coffin landed safely on the newly-born Genesis planet. A realization struck Nimoy: "I'm going to be getting a call from Paramount!"

Since "Wrath of Khan" was a success, Nimoy indeed got that call. He not only agreed to return for "Star Trek III," but asked to direct it as well — his request was granted. Shatner told USA Today in 2017 that he believes Nimoy went along with killing Spock in part to get leverage to direct, but Nimoy himself never confirmed this.

Bennett would also return to write the script for what became "The Search for Spock" and had to answer the challenge of reviving everyone's favorite Vulcan. As he recounted to Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross for their book "The Fifty-Year Mission":

"One, there is a casket on a planet that has been created by the reformation of life forces, and life has been created from death. Two, 'There are always possibilities.' Three, before he died, Spock said, 'Remember.' Remember what? The puzzle was solved so easily that I think seventeen other people could have written the script to 'Star Trek III.'"

So yes, the Genesis Planet (born from a life-creating device) restores Spock's body to life, with the Vulcan rapidly re-aging from childhood throughout the film. But what about his oh-so-logical mind?

The Genesis of The Search for Spock

Bennett came up with the idea of a Vulcan "Katra," or a consciousness , reasoning that if Vulcans can telepathically link their minds to others, then they can surely transfer the sum of their self during a meld. When a Vulcan dies, they ceremoniously transfer their Katra via a mind meld so that their knowledge may be preserved. That's what Spock did to McCoy; "remember" was a plea for the doctor to remember all that Spock himself did.

Early in the film, Kirk comes across McCoy possessed by Spock's Katra, pleading to be taken home to planet Vulcan: "Jim, help me. You left me on Genesis — why did you do that?" Soon afterward, Kirk is visited by Spock's father Sarek (Mark Lenard), who mistakenly assumes that Kirk carries the Katra. But since Kirk and Spock were physically separated by a radiation shield when the latter died, a mind meld (carried out via touch) was impossible.

Like Bennett figuring out how to revive Spock, Kirk pieces together what's happened and brings his crew back to Genesis to retrieve Spock's body and free McCoy from Katra-induced madness (after all, Kirk isn't going to lose his other best friend). Then, at Vulcan, Spock's Katra is returned to his born-again body. This unique two-factor circumstance also handily explains why all Vulcans aren't resurrected via Katra transference.

Bennett adds in "The Fifty-Year Mission" that a viewer can easily assume from the clues of "Wrath of Khan" and their payoff in "The Search for Spock" that the exact nature of Spock's return was already planned when the former film was shot. However, that was not the case.

All Bennett needed to write Spock's resurrection was some imagination, but Leonard Nimoy inadvertently made his job a lot easier with his suggestion of "Remember."

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan review – Spock and Kirk shine in charming Enterprise revisit

The 1982 sequel to the original Star Trek film, featuring a film debut for Kirstie Alley, returns to cinemas with its crowdpleasing zap and raw emotion intact

T he 1982 sequel to the original Star Trek feature film is now re-released: a brisker, brasher work directed by Nicholas Meyer which moved away from the more lugubrious, Kubrickian ambitions of the first film and back to the crowdpleasing zap of the TV show, importantly starting with the irresistible theme tune. However, 60s TV Star Trek would surely never have given us anything like the rather extraordinary moment included in this movie: chief engineer Mr Scott is discreetly treated for a certain ailment by Dr McCoy, because of his recent “shore leave”. Too much information there about Mr Scott’s private life.

Wrath of Khan is the film that sensationally gave us the heroic and tragic sacrifice of Mr Spock, a wonderful performance of sonorous gravitas from Leonard Nimoy. That calamity traumatised its audiences and taught future generations of franchise-creators from Star Wars to Harry Potter that nothing grabs the fanbase like a big death. The Spock demise was further elevated in pop culture a decade later on the Seinfeld TV show when it was revealed that Jerry’s friend George Constanza was, in adult life, more moved by the memory of Spock’s fate than by the death of his own fiancee.

The situation aboard the USS Enterprise is that Spock is now captain, mentoring a commander-in-training, Saavik, played by Kirstie Alley in her debut film role. There has been another uniform redesign: tunics are now a deep cherry red, thus confounding the “red jersey” stigma, traditionally the colour of other ranks’ uniforms, those most likely to die when beamed down to other planets with more important cast-members.

Admiral James T Kirk (William Shatner) is yearning to get away from desk responsibility and see action once again. He is grimly aware of the passing years, made more piquant by a birthday present from his plain-speaking pal, Dr McCoy (DeForest Kelley): a pair of reading glasses. But Admiral Kirk’s inspection of the Enterprise coincides with a threat from his old nemesis Khan (an enjoyably hammy Ricardo Montalbán) who tries to steal a terrifyingly powerful new invention: the Genesis, which has the power to create biological lifeforms on desolate planets, but also to destroy lifeforms that are already there.

The unspeakable Khan gains an insidious access to the Enterprise by capturing Chekov (Walter Koenig) and getting a little reptile’s offspring to slither into his ear, thus putting him under a hypnotic influence: a truly creepy moment. And so the duel between Kirk and his old adversary begins, with the Admiral periodically shouting “Khaaaaan!” in pedantic moments of defiance. It’s still entertaining and charming in its innocent idealism.

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• Leonard Nimoy
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Leonard McCoy

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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

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Product Description

Kirk and crew clash with a genetically engineered superman from 20th century Earth.

Product details

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 1.44 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ MFR097360718843#N
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, Original recording remastered, AC-3, Widescreen, Dubbed, NTSC, Restored, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 52 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 22, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ James Doohan, George Takei, Kirstie Alley, DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ Spanish, Portuguese, French
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ Spanish, English, French, Portuguese
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002I9Z8AS
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #163 in Science Fiction DVDs

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Star Trek's George Takei pens children's book detailing childhood in World War II internment camps

"My Lost Freedom," is an autobiographical account of his experience as a child.

George Takei, who portrayed Hikaru Sulu in the "Star Trek" series, details his experience growing up in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II in his new book.

Takei's children's book, "My Lost Freedom," is an autobiographical account of his experience as a 5-year-old in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. The book aims to reach children and their parents.

The book recounts Takei's time as a child in a Japanese internment camp in Rohwer, Arkansas, a dark chapter in American history.

"I remember the terror, the confusion, the chaos of being moved constantly from one place to another, one strange part of the country to another," Takei told ABC News Live. "And so that's my real memory that I have. But I didn't understand what that was all about."

ABC News Live interviewed Takei about his new book, which pays tribute to his parents.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Many of you know him best as Hikaru Sulu from the Star Trek series, but his journey extends far beyond the stars. His new book, "My Lost Freedom," details his experience growing up in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

Joining us now is a true legend, actor, activist, social justice icon George Takei. Sir, thanks so much for joining us.

GEORGE TAKEI: Good to be here, appreciate it.

ABC NEWS LIVE: You're teaching us things already, not just in this book. This book details a really, you know, a dark chapter, in this country's history and in your own personal history. Why did you want to tackle it in a children's book?

TAKEI: Well, I was a child then. I was 5 years old, and I wanted to share, share this story, as an autobiography that was published in 1994. I did also a graphic memoir because I wanted to reach teenagers and, as a teenager, I loved comic books. So I told the same story as, from the vantage point of a teenager, to reach them. But with this one book, "My Lost Freedom," I'm reaching for two generations. The parents and their kiddies.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Absolutely. Because it's not just the kids reading it, it's the adults reading it to the children and having a conversation.

TAKEI: Exactly.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Opening up a conversation. I'm wondering, I know you wrote about it. You know, in the book that came out in 1994. And this is a different way of talking about it. Is it painful to relive this period or is it cathartic? Therapeutic in a way.

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TAKEI: I think for my parents, the greatest pain was felt. I was 5 years old. Four years, five, six, seven, eight, four years of my life, in imprisonment. My brother was a year younger than me. And our baby sister went in as an infant. And so the first four years of her life was behind those barbed wire fences.

ABC NEWS LIVE: How did your family keep hope going?

TAKEI: So I remember the terror, the confusion, the chaos of being moved constantly from one place to another, one strange part of the country to another. And so that's my real memory that I have. But I didn't understand what that was all about. And as a teenager, out of camp and a few years having elapsed, I was very curious about my childhood imprisonment, and I went to libraries to look for books on it. Couldn't find a thing.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Do you think it had anything to do with you growing up, you know, having the career you had, but being the activist that you have turned into. Do you think it shaped you in that way?

TAKEI: Well, as I said, those after-dinner conversations that I had with my father, he said, and he loved quoting from the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln's historic speech: "Ours is a government of the people, by the people and for the people." He said, "those are noble words. That's what makes American democracy so singular." But those words are also the weakness of American democracy because it's a people's democracy and people are fallible human beings, and they get swept up by the hysteria of the time and by racism and the president is also a human being. His other were tens of thousands of people that look just like the people that bombed Pearl Harbor. Living on the West Coast.

ABC NEWS LIVE: That weren't those people.

TAKEI: And he signed an executive order ordering all Japanese-Americans on the West Coast to be rounded up with no charge, no trial, no due process, in the most un-American way to be. Rounded up and imprisoned in barbed wire prison camps in some of the most hellish places and most desolate places in the country.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Yeah, it was a, it was a hugely dark time in this country's history. And to be able to put it in a book like this, to not only teach children, but the adults who are reading it to them, is really spectacular thing.

TAKEI: Well, I had to simplify it.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Absolutely

TAKEI: We don't deal with the loyalty question.

ABC NEWS LIVE: George, thank you so much; we so appreciate you coming in. You can purchase "My Lost Freedom" wherever books are sold

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Star trek: discovery’s burnham fight makes michael even more like kirk.

Captain Burnham fought herself in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, which is an experience Captain James T. Kirk is very familiar with in Star Trek: TOS.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange."

• Captain Burnham's encounter with her past self in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 mirrors Kirk's battle with his doppelganger.
• Burnham's growth on Discovery highlights similarities to Kirk's brash, action-oriented command style from Star Trek: The Original Series.
• In Discovery season 5, Burnham's quest for a powerful treasure brings her closer to the spirit of exploration shared by Kirk in Star Trek.

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) already has a lot in common with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), but fighting herself in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 makes her even more like the Captain of the Enterprise. In its fifth and final season, Star Trek: Discovery follows Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery as they set out in search of a powerful treasure that could reveal secrets about the creation of all humanoid life. With numerous references to Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Discovery season 5 feels more connected to Star Trek's long, rich history.

Captain Michael Burnham has come a long way in Star Trek: Discovery , and no scene illustrates this better than one in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 , "Face the Strange." Written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, "Face the Strange" finds Burnham and her First Officer, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), jumping through the USS Discovery's past and possible future . As they work with Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) to stop the time jumping, Michael and Rayner end up on Discovery during the show's first season, and Michael has a run-in with her past self, Specialist Michael Burnham.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Burnham fighting herself in star trek: discovery makes michael more like kirk, burnham is not the first starfleet captain to fight herself..

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, Captain Burnam tries to alter events in the past as little as possible, but that becomes more difficult when she accidentally encounters her past self. By this point in the time jumps, Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets have figured out a possible solution, and if they can execute it before the next jump, any changes they make in the past will be erased. Although Captain Burnham tries to convince her younger self to trust her, the Michael Burnham of Star Trek: Discovery season 1 was a very different person. Specialist Burnham cannot see a world where she would ever become Captain of Discovery.

The Michael Burnham of Star Trek: Discovery season 1 Captain Burnham encountered was just weeks removed from her prison sentence as Starfleet's first mutineer.

The two Michael Burnhams are evenly matched in their subsequent fistfight until Captain Burnham takes down her younger self with a Vulcan nerve pinch . This fistfight feels reminiscent of a similar fight Captain Kirk had with his doppelganger. In Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 5, "The Enemy Within," a transporter accident splits Kirk into two individuals. One embodies all of the negative traits of Kirk, while the other has the more positive aspects. The two Kirks end up in a fistfight and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) disables the "evil" Kirk with a Vulcan nerve pinch.

Captain Kirk also brawls with a lookalike in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, when a Chameloid named Martia (Iman) mimics his appearance.

How Star Trek: Discovery’s Captain Burnham Echoes Captain Kirk

Michael burnham has more in common with james t. kirk than you might think..

William Shatner's James T. Kirk, of course, achieved fame as the Captain of the USS Enterprise on Star Trek: The Original Series , with his brash, action-oriented command style. Much like Kirk, Michael is also unafraid to take risks and doesn't hesitate to charge headfirst into dangerous situations if any of her friends are in danger. Both Captains are intelligent and compassionate, and they inspire loyalty in those who follow their commands. In stark contrast to Captains like Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Rayner when he commanded the USS Anteres, Burnham and Kirk have a more relaxed relationship with their crew.

While other members of the USS Discovery's crew have borrowed the spotlight throughout the show's four seasons so far, Discovery has always been Michael's story.

Unlike the Star Trek shows that came before it, Star Trek: Discovery has a clear main character in Michael Burnham. While other members of the USS Discovery's crew have borrowed the spotlight throughout the show, Discovery has always been Michael's story. "Face the Strange" not only adds another similarity between Burnham and Kirk, but also demonstrates how far Michael has come since the earliest days of Star Trek: Discovery . Captain Michael Burnham is one of Star Trek's greatest new characters, and she has a lot in common with Star Trek's first great Captain, James T. Kirk.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

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NBA Playoffs: Mavericks even series despite return of Clippers star Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard was available for Tuesday's playoff game. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Clippers , so was Luka Dončić .

The Dallas Mavericks star led his team to a 96-93 win over the Clippers in Leonard's return from injury for Game 2, evening the first-round series at 1-1 as it heads to Dallas. Dončić finished with 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Tuesday's game was a defensive struggle until the fourth quarter, with the Clippers in particular struggling to shoot with any sort of consistency. They finished the game 32-of-87 (36.8%) from the field and 8-of-30 (26.7) from 3-point range, and the outing could have been worse had they not had a solid game when it came to turnovers (eight) and offensive rebounds (14).

The Mavericks held a lead for the vast majority of the game, but the Clippers were always there. They took a lead at one point in every quarter, but the Mavericks responded with a considerable run at every moment.

Dončić delivered what sure seemed like a dagger with about 87 seconds left in the game.

LUKA CAME UP CLUTCH! 😤 #NBAPlayoffs (via @NBA ) pic.twitter.com/hkEc9kgpO4 — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 24, 2024

The Clippers still had a little life in them, though, cutting the Mavs' lead to as little as three points with 20 seconds remaining. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Paul George left the score a little closer than the game appeared.

Leonard was quiet in his return by his standards, posting 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 35 minutes. He had missed the last eight games of the regular season and Game 1 against the Mavericks on Sunday due to lingering knee inflammation.

Head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed his status to reporters Tuesday evening.

"He's checked every box, and the medical's doing a great job just making sure he checks those boxes," Lue said . "We're never putting a guy on the floor that's not ready to go, so he's ready to go."

Leonard was questionable for Game 1 until the Clippers ruled him out prior to tip . He participated in shootaround Tuesday morning , raising hopes in Los Angeles of his availability for Game 2. The Clippers made the call after pregame warm-ups.

Kawhi Leonard RETURNS to the lineup for Game 2 tonight at 10pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/iGeVwt44Rs — NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2024

Clippers rolled in Game 1 with Leonard sidelined

The Clippers thrived in a 109-97 Game 1 win despite Leonard's absence. James Harden scored 20 first-half points in a 28-point effort as the Clippers held the Mavericks to 30 points on 22.5% shooting in the first half. Los Angeles raced to a 56-30 halftime lead, then thwarted a Dallas comeback effort in the second half. The Mavericks never challenged in a dominant Clippers win.

The Clippers, of course, are better off with Leonard in the lineup. A six-time All-Star, seven-time All-Defensive team selection and five-time All-NBA selection, Leonard is one of the best two-way players in basketball.

He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game this season while shooting 52.5% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point distance. Until his knee issue, he had largely avoided the injury concerns that have plagued his career. He played in 68 regular-season games, his most since the 2016-17 season with the San Antonio Spurs .

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Clippers | Kawhi Leonard to play for Clippers in Game 2…

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Clippers | Kawhi Leonard to play for Clippers in Game 2 against Mavericks

The all-star forward missed the final eight games of the regular season and sunday’s game 1 victory over dallas with inflammation in his surgically repaired knee.

LOS ANGELES — Word began to filter through the hallways of Crypto.com Arena late Tuesday afternoon. Kawhi Leonard would be warming up in advance of Game 2 of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.

Within minutes, cell phones clicked and cameras rolled, all capturing footage of the six-time All-Star forward as he prepared for his first postseason game.

Leonard returned to the Clippers’ lineup on Tuesday night after missing the past nine games, including Sunday’s Game 1 victory, because of lingering inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. The two-time NBA Finals MVP only recently began practicing after experiencing discomfort in the knee after the Clippers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets on March 31.

“He’s done all the necessary things he has to do to get on the floor,” Coach Tyronn Lue said before tipoff. “He’s checked every box and the medical (staff has) done a great job just making sure he checks those boxes. We could never put a guy on the floor who is not ready to go, so he’s ready to go.

Lue said Leonard would not be on any kind of minutes restriction but would “just gauge it to see how he feels. Just kind of go off feel, see how he’s feeling.”

Dallas coach Jason Kidd said Leonard obviously presents additional challenges than those the Mavericks faced in the series opener.

“(You’re talking) about a future Hall of Famer,” Kidd said. “He’s one (player who’s) basketball IQ is high, so he’s gotta be accounted for on both ends, defensively and offensively, no matter how long he’s been out.

“If he’s playing, he’s ready to go. You gotta account for him on both sides of the ball.”

Lue said he expected that Leonard would not be as sharp as he was throughout the regular season, when he was averaging a team-high 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

“He can be a little rusty offensively, but he’s still going to make shots and be who he is and so we’ll see when the game starts,” Lue said.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had described Leonard’s inflammation as “unpredictable” and “stubborn” last week.

Before the injury, Leonard was enjoying his healthiest season since arriving in Los Angeles, playing 68 games, the most since he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2016-17. He was averaging a career-high 34.3 minutes this season.

SPEAKING UP

Norman Powell stayed quiet until he couldn’t any longer. For the second year in a row, the Clippers guard was not among the three finalists for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award and the snub was too much to ignore.

“Two years in a row? I mean I don’t know what else you got to do to be a Sixth Man,” Powell said Tuesday. “Last year, you’re leading the league in bench points. Don’t get nominated. This year, the most efficient off the bench, given the fact that I’m playing with four Hall of Famers, limited touches, role decreases and I’m still able to put out the same amount of production as the three finalists that were (picked). I think it sucks.”

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk are the three finalists.

During the regular season, Powell was one of only 21 qualified players with minimum shooting splits of 45% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 80% from the free-throw line while averaging at least 10 points per game, according to Stathead . Powell and Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu were the only two to do it predominantly as reserves. Powell started in just three of his 76 appearances this season, while Dosunmu started 37 of 76 games.

Powell, who averaged 13.9 ppg on 48.6% shooting from the field, also shot 43.5% from behind the arc and 83.1% at the free-throw line.

Powell said he is moving on, focusing on the bigger picture. “By the end of the day, the main focus is to win a championship.”

VALUABLE EXPERIENCE

Amir Coffey started his first playoff game Monday, a rare opportunity made possible by Leonard’s absence. Coffey had started 12 games this season, but none as big as the series opener.

“I mean, really just pure excitement, just an exciting feeling ready to get going,” said Coffey, who scored six points and had three rebounds in 25 minutes. “It’s been a journey over the years, so having my first one was pretty cool.”

Coffey resumed his spot on the bench for Game 2 when Leonard returned to the lineup.

Coffey said his confidence has increased with every start, every game, every shot since signing with the Clippers in 2019 as an undrafted rookie.

“It’s really just something that comes with reps,” Coffey said. “First couple of years, I wasn’t playing as much, so it has kind of just accumulated off the court. … I guess it’s just kind of been growing through everybody a little bit.”

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Published May 9, 2012

Leonard Nimoy Talks Tees, Trek And More, Part 2

Yesterday, in part one of our exclusive two-part interview with Leonard Nimoy , the Star Trek legend talked about his new line of tee-shirts, available in the StarTrek.com Store and on the site for his granddaughter’s company, Shop LLAP . He also discussed his newfound appreciation and semi-mastery of the Internet, his latest appearances on Fringe and the digital release of the Alien Voices recordings he produced with John de Lancie. Today, in the second half of our conversation, Nimoy – who was in great spirits, laughing easily and full of anecdotes -- chats about his memories of the space shuttle Enterprise, upcoming projects (including a speaking engagement at the celebration of Walter Koenig’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame), and his recent visit to the set of the Star Trek sequel.

You were in New York late last month for the arrival of the Enterprise following its final voyage. You were on hand as well for the rollout of the Enterprise back in 1976. How full-circle was it for you to bookend the history of the Enterprise?

Nimoy: It was really quite an emotional experience for me. I remember that day very, very well, when it rolled out. I was flying my own plane at the time, and I got permission to land it on their runway (in Palm Beach, California). I flew it out from the Santa Monica Airport and landed. They told me where to park. I got out of my plane and walked over to the guest area, and there we were (most of the TOS cast), all gathered. A few minutes later, those hangar doors opened up and out rolled the Enterprise. The Air Force band was playing the theme from Star Trek . It was very touching, very exciting.

To be there again to say goodbye to it was great. I will visit the Enterprise again. I don’t know if I’ll be there the day it actually gets installed. I’d love to be there when it gets installed on the Intrepid, but I will certainly visit again on the Intrepid after it’s been put in place. I understand that it will be in an enclosed environment, so it will be viewable all year round. I think it’s a great thing.

It’s been announced that you will be a guest speaker this fall when Walter Koenig receives his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Would you agree it’s about time that Walter finally got that Star?

Nimoy: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I’m planning on being there. He certainly deserves it. Let me tell you something, if people were to ask me, “What are you thinking now about the original Star Trek series?,” one of the things that comes to mind immediately is the people who have not had enough recognition, and I include Walter and Nichelle (Nichols) and George (Takei) in that, as well as DeForest Kelley, Jimmy Doohan and Gene Coon, who gave us some wonderful writing and worked very hard as a producer. Harve Bennett doesn’t get enough credit for having put Star Trek back on its feet when it was beached after the first Star Trek movie. Nicholas Meyer did a terrific job of shaping up the script for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . When I first read it, it was not very good, and I told him so. He said, “I agree with you. I’m working on it.” Sure enough, he did a great job shaping up that script and then helped us a lot on Star Trek IV . Nick and Harve elevated the audience and spread the audience.

So those are some of the things that come to mind when I think about Star Trek . Matt Jefferies, who did the sets for the original series, is another one. Out of cardboard and plaster, he gave us usable sets every week. Sure, they shook every once in a while, but to be able to turn that stuff out week after week the way he did, it was an incredible job. The directors – Marc Daniels, Joe Pevney, Ralph Senensky – were wonderful people who worked very, very hard under tough conditions. We shot fast, never more than six days and, occasionally, we shot faster than that. Most TV series, they take 9, 10, 11 days. These are people you don’t hear about very often, and I think they deserve credit.

One major side effect of J.J. Abrams’ first Star Trek film was that it brought a lot of young people into the fold and  many of them went on to seek out The Original Series . What did that mean to you?

Nimoy: I am getting email and fan mail now from young people who, as you say, are watching The Original Series for the first time. J.J.’s film has opened up the territory and made people conscious of it all over again. I guess we’re into a third generation by now of viewers. It’s extraordinary. I don’t see Star Trek fading. That it just keeps reviving itself is wonderful.

Speaking of J.J. Abrams, how did you enjoy your visit to the set of the sequel?

Nimoy: I visited the set one day and that started some speculation about whether I was doing the film. It’s all speculation. I talk to these people regularly. Zachary Quinto and I have dinner whenever we can. We just had dinner three or four weeks ago. I talk to J.J. about family. His parents and I go back a number of years as friends. I knew them long before I ever met J.J. So we talk regularly. I visited the set one day because I had never seen the bridge. When I was in the last film, none of my work was on the bridge of the Enterprise. So I wanted to see the bridge, and the bridge was extraordinary. It’s beautifully designed and put together. We talk. It’s great. I expect that it’s going to be a gigantic film. Look, I think he’s put together a wonderful cast of people. His writers are imaginative and energetic. I think we’re going to see another great Star Trek movie.

You seem so busy. Do you really, truly consider yourself retired?

Nimoy: Yeah, I do. I am. Look, I liken myself to a steamship that’s been going full-blast and the captain pulls that handle back and then says, “Full stop,” but the ship doesn’t stop. It keeps moving from inertia. It keeps moving. It keeps moving. It’ll start slowing down, but it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t come to a dead stop. That’s the way I am. I still have a few odds and ends things that I enjoy doing. I don’t want to get up in the morning and have nothing to do that day. That would be boring.

Click HERE to read part one of our interview with Leonard Nimoy, HERE to check out his new tee-shirts in the StarTrek.com Store and HERE to visit his new retail site, Shop LLAP.

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Clippers' Kawhi Leonard to return for Game 2 vs. Luka Doncic, Mavs

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has missed the last nine games, including Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs against Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

Tomer Azarly

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has missed the last nine games, including Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks . That absence will end with Leonard set to return for Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Kawhi Leonard came out to warm up at his usual time, something he hadn't done at all over the last few weeks. Amir Coffey, who started in his place for Game 1 against the Mavs, usually comes to warm up during Leonard's slot when the two-time NBA Finals MVP is inactive. Coffey went early today, and that was followed up by Leonard's appearance during his usual time.

Kawhi Leonard fadeaway jumpers during warms here before Game 2 of Clippers-Mavs. pic.twitter.com/0ndkHxrBBt — Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 24, 2024

Kawhi Leonard is out to warm up before Game 2. pic.twitter.com/KJuNRXhlSi — Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 24, 2024

About 15 minutes after his warm up began, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that Kawhi Leonard would make his return to the Clippers lineup for the first time since March 31st.

Kawhi Leonard WILL PLAY tonight in Game 2, says Tyronn Lue. — Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 24, 2024

“Yeah, he's done all the necessary things to get on the floor,” Tyronn Lue said pregame. “And so he's checked every box and the medical [team] has done a great job of just making sure he checks those boxes. We'll never put a guy on the floor that's not ready to go, and so he's ready to go.”

When asked if he'd participated in contact, Lue smiled and said, ‘there's contact tonight.'

Tyronn Lue gave no clear indication that Kawhi Leonard would be facing a minutes restriction, but admitted his overall workload would be based off of feel.

“We're just gonna gauge it to see how he feels and just kinda go off of feel and see how he's feeling.”

Kawhi Leonard played 68 games during the 2023-24 regular season, the most he's played since the 2016-17 season when he played 74 games. He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on a career-high 52.5 percent shooting from the field, 41.7 percent from three, and 88.5 percent from the free throw line.

The Clippers went 4-4 without Kawhi Leonard to close out the regular season, including must-win games against the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Phoenix Suns. With the fourth seed in the Western Conference all but locked up, Tyronn Lue played a much more lax rotation over the final three games — all losses — against the Suns, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets.

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The Clippers then defeated the Mavs in Game 1 without Kawhi Leonard thanks to a 28-point game by James Harden and a 20-point, 15-rebound performance by Ivica Zubac.

While the offensive output is going to be something to watch, Tyronn Lue believes the Clippers immediately upgrade on the other end.

“Defensively, what he brings to the table defensively rebound the basketball,” Lue added of Kawhi Leonard. “He can be a little rusty offensively, but he's still going to able to make shots and be who he is. We'll see when the game starts.”

Game 1 between Kawhi Leonard's Clippers and Luka Doncic's Mavs will tip off at 7PM PST on TNT.

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Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard returning from 9-game absence for Game 2 vs. Mavericks

Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard is available for Tuesday's playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks. 

Head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed his status to reporters Tuesday evening. 

Leonard missed the last eight games of the regular season and Game 1 against the Mavericks on Sunday due to lingering knee inflammation. He was questionable for Game 1 until the Clippers ruled him out prior to tip . 

Leonard participated in shoot-around Tuesday morning , raising hopes in Los Angeles of his availability for Game 2. The Clippers made the call after pregame warm-ups. 

Clippers rolled in Game 1 with Leonard sidelined

The Clippers thrived in a 109-97 Game 1 win despite Leonard's absence. James Harden scored 20 first-half points in a 28-point effort as the Clippers held the Mavericks to 30 points on 22.5% shooting in the first half. Los Angeles raced to a 56-30 halftime lead, then thwarted a Dallas comeback effort in the second half. The Mavericks never challenged in a dominant Clippers win.

The Clippers, of course, are better off with Leonard in the lineup. A six-time All-Star, seven-time All-Defensive team selection and five-time All-NBA selection, Leonard is one of the best two-way players in basketball. 

He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game this season while shooting 52.5% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point distance. Until his knee issue, he had largely avoided the injury concerns that have plagued his career. He played in 68 regular-season games, his most since the 2016-17 season with the San Antonio Spurs.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Unification II

• Episode aired Nov 9, 1991

On Romulus, Picard finds Spock, as well as an underground peace movement, a double agent, a bold ulterior motive against the Federation, and a familiar adversary. On Romulus, Picard finds Spock, as well as an underground peace movement, a double agent, a bold ulterior motive against the Federation, and a familiar adversary. On Romulus, Picard finds Spock, as well as an underground peace movement, a double agent, a bold ulterior motive against the Federation, and a familiar adversary.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Michael Piller
• Rick Berman
• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• 18 User reviews
• 11 Critic reviews

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Worf

• Dr. Beverly Crusher

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Mister Spock

• Capt. K'Vada

• Senator Pardek

• Proconsul Neral

• (as William Bastiani)

• (as Harriet Leider)

• (uncredited)
• Michael Piller (showrunner)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia This contains the first instance of Klingon opera in the series, as well as Worf's avid appreciation for it. There were further mentions of it in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) .
• Goofs As Data, Spock and Picard head to the underground tunnels to make their escape, a film crewman's reflection can be seen in the green crystal on the table.

Ambassador Spock : I was involved with "cowboy diplomacy", as you described it, long before you were born.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Nevertheless, sir, I'm not prepared to leave until your affairs are complete.

Ambassador Spock : In your own way, you are as stubborn as another Captain of the Enterprise I once knew.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Then I'm in good company, sir.

• Connections Edited into Star Trek: Discovery: Unification III (2020)
• Soundtracks Star Trek/Main Theme Written by Alexander Courage

User reviews 18

• Jun 1, 2022
• November 9, 1991 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 45 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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