Leonard McCoy

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Star Trek Character
Leonard McCoy
DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy
Status	Deceased in franchise chronology
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Origin	Earth
Portrayed by	DeForest Kelley
First Appearance	"The Man Trap"
Profession	Chief Medical Officer - USS Enterprise NCC-1701
Relatives
Special Features	Nicknamed "Bones" by Kirk. Presumably short for "Sawbones", an old slang term for "Doctor".

Dr. Leonard H. McCoy is a fictional character of the TV series Star Trek: The Original Series portrayed by DeForest Kelley.

Dr. McCoy served as the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Starship Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. He began his service on the Enterprise in the year 2266 and remained associated with the ship and its commander for a good 27 years.

McCoy was not part of the crew during either of the original Star Trek pilots (there were two), but appeared in the first official episode that appeared on television, "The Man Trap". As the series developed, he became a key relationship for both Captain Kirk and his half Vulcan first officer, Science Officer Spock. While Spock represented logic, intelligence, and judgment, McCoy came to represent the humanistic point of view, often taking the opposite side of any issue than the alien first officer, allowing Captain Kirk to listen to two sides of every issue before making a decision. The three officers developed a close working relationship and friendship that many felt was the hallmark of the original Star Trek series. The three characters would continue their relationship through the first six Star Trek movies. The character would live long enough to make a cameo appearance as a 137 year old retired Admiral McCoy in the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which took place in the year 2364, almost a century after the start of the original series.

The character was often a humorous foil, taking advantage of Mr. Spock’s supposed lack of “Earth humor”. Spock fought back by pointing out McCoy’s lack of “logic”, or excessive emotion, in his thinking. McCoy was famous for saying, “I’m a doctor, not a …” whatever, when forced by circumstances to act outside his medical expertise. Future doctors on various Star Trek series would use this line on occasion, in homage to the original Star Trek doctor. On the other hand, McCoy was often left to deliver the sobering pronouncement when a member of the crew met with fatal results, saying his most repeated line, “He’s dead, Jim.”

McCoy was considered an accomplished Medical Man. As of 2267, McCoy had received the Legion of Honor, and had been decorated by Starfleet Surgeons. Before he died, he wrote a medical text entitled “Comparative Alien Physiology” that was considered a “classic in medical literature” well into the 24th century.

In 2009, Karl Urban portrays McCoy in Star Trek XI.