Leonard McCoy#"I'm a doctor, not a..."

McCoy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2227.{{cite book|last=Mandel|first=Geoffrey|title=USS Enterprise Officer's Manual|year=1980|publisher=Interstellar Associates|location=New York|page=21|url=http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/USS-Enterprise-Officers-Manual.php|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=May 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514112722/http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/USS-Enterprise-Officers-Manual.php|url-status=live}} The son of David McCoy,{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|257–258}} he attended the University of Mississippi and is a divorcé.{{cite book|title=Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future|publisher=Pocket Books|year=1996|isbn=978-0-671-53610-7|author-link1=Michael Okuda|first1=Michael|last1=Okuda|first2=Denise|last2=Okuda|author-link2=Denise Okuda}} McCoy later married Natira, the priestess of Yonada, as recounted in the episode "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky". In 2266, McCoy was posted as chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, who often calls him "Bones". McCoy and Kirk are good friends, even "brotherly".{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|146}} The passionate, sometimes cantankerous McCoy frequently argues with Kirk's other confidant, science officer Spock, and occasionally is annoyed by Spock's Vulcan heritage.{{cite book|title=Star Trek and Sacred Ground|page=58|isbn=978-0-7914-4334-7|publisher=SUNY Press|first1=Jennifer E.|last1=Porter|first2=Darcee L.|last2=McLaren|year=1999}} McCoy often plays the role of Kirk's conscience, offering a counterpoint to Spock's logic. McCoy is suspicious of technology,{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2007/10/18/abrams-star-trek-casts-kirk-bones/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=2009-01-26|date=2007-10-18|first=Mike|last=Bruno|title=Abrams' 'Trek' Casts Kirk and Bones|archive-date=November 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107160954/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20152931,00.html|url-status=live}} especially the transporter. As a physician, he prefers less intrusive treatment and believes in the body's innate recuperative powers. The nickname "Bones" – chosen before the character was named – is a play on sawbones, a 19th century epithet for a surgeon.{{Cite web |last=Simon |first=Alexandra |date=2021-10-30 |title=The Truth About Dr. McCoy's Nickname In Star Trek |url=https://www.grunge.com/647549/the-truth-about-dr-mccoys-nickname-in-star-trek/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Grunge.com |language=en-US}}{{cite book|title=Sci-Fi Baby Names: 500 Out-of-This-World Baby Names from Anakin to Zardoz|first=Robert|last=Schnakenberg|isbn=978-1-59474-161-6|publisher=Quirk Books|year=2007}}{{cite web |url=http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9943 |title=Sawbones definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms |publisher=Medterms.com |date=2012-03-19 |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209061543/http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9943 |url-status=live }} In the 2009 Star Trek film reboot, when McCoy first meets Kirk, he complains that his ex-wife took all their shared assets following their divorce: "All I got left is my bones", implying this was the origin of the nickname.Star Trek DVD commentary

When Kirk orders McCoy's commission reactivated in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979); a resentful McCoy complains of being "drafted".{{cite video|date=1979|title=Star Trek: The Motion Picture|quote=Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little-known, seldom-used "reserve activation clause". In simpler language, Captain, they drafted me.|people=Screenplay by Harold Livingston, story by Alan Dean Foster, directed by Robert Wise}} Spock transfers his katra—his knowledge and experience—into McCoy before dying in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). This causes mental anguish for McCoy, who in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) helps restore Spock's katra to his reanimated body. McCoy continues to serve on Kirk's crew aboard the captured Klingon ship in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), McCoy (through the intervention of Spock's half-brother Sybok) reveals that he helped his father commit suicide to relieve him of his pain. Shortly after the suicide, a cure was found for his father's disease, and McCoy had carried the guilt about it with him until Sybok's intervention.

In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), McCoy and Kirk escape from a Klingon prison world, and the Enterprise crew stops a plot to prevent peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Kelley reprised the role for the "Encounter at Farpoint" pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), insisting upon no more than the minimum Screen Actors Guild payment for his appearance.{{cite book|title=Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion|publisher=Pocket Books|date=2003-01-07|last=Nemeck|first=Larry|isbn=978-0-7434-5798-9}} McCoy had attained the rank of admiral in the Trek timeline when this episode was aired, and he is stated to be 137 years of age. He went on to become chief of Starfleet Medical, with a special rank known as branch admiral. The fictional book Comparative Alien Physiology was written by McCoy, and was required reading at the Starfleet Medical Academy through the 2370s.

In the 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Survivor", McCoy mentions he has a daughter, Joanna. Although Chekov's friend Irina in the original series episode "The Way to Eden" was originally written as McCoy's daughter, it was changed before the episode was shot.[http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/joanna.htm Joanna] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810225034/http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/joanna.htm |date=August 10, 2009 }} precursor to "The Way to Eden"

File:Leonard "Bones" McCoy (from Star Trek 2009).JPG as McCoy in Star Trek (2009)]]

In the 2009 Star Trek film, which takes place in an alternate, parallel reality,{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/05/05/a_fresh_frontier/|title=Star Trek|newspaper=The Boston Globe|access-date=2009-05-06|date=2009-05-05|first=Ty|last=Burr|page=1|archive-date=January 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130041629/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/05/05/a_fresh_frontier/|url-status=live}} McCoy and Kirk become friends at Starfleet Academy, which McCoy joins after a divorce that he says, "left [him] nothing but [his] bones." This line, improvised by Urban, explains how McCoy earned the nickname Bones. McCoy later helps get Kirk posted aboard the USS Enterprise. He later becomes the chief medical officer after Doctor Puri is killed during an attack by Nero. McCoy remains aboard to see the Enterprise defeat Nero and his crew, with Kirk becoming the commanding officer of the ship.

The Guardian called Urban's portrayal of McCoy in the 2009 film an "unqualified success",{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/apr/21/star-trek|title=JJ Abrams's Star Trek: we have liftoff|access-date=2009-04-22|first=Phil|last=Hoad|date=2009-04-21|location=London|work=The Guardian|archive-date=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529233529/http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/apr/21/star-trek|url-status=live}} and The New York Times called the character "wild-eyed and funny".{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/movies/08trek.html?partner=rss&emc=rss|title=A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|date=2009-05-08|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511021241/http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/movies/08trek.html?partner=rss&emc=rss|url-status=live}} Slate said Urban came closer than the other actors to impersonating a character's original depiction.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2217854/|title=Go See Star Trek|last=Stevens|first=Dana|date=2009-05-06|magazine=Slate|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-date=January 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115084145/http://www.slate.com/id/2217854/|url-status=live}}

Kelley had worked with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry on previous television pilots,{{cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/cast/bio/69074.html|title=DeForest Kelley profile at Startrek.com|access-date=2009-01-25|archive-date=July 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708062933/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/cast/bio/69074.html|url-status=dead}} and he was Roddenberry's first choice to play the doctor aboard the USS Enterprise.{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/152 152]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/152}} However, for the rejected pilot "The Cage" (1964), Roddenberry went with director Robert Butler's choice of John Hoyt to play Dr. Philip Boyce.{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/37 37]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/37}} For the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966), Roddenberry accepted director James Goldstone's decision to have Paul Fix play Dr. Mark Piper.{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/75 75]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/75}} Although Roddenberry wanted Kelley to play the character of ship's doctor, he did not put Kelley's name forward to NBC; the network never "rejected" the actor, as Roddenberry sometimes suggested.

Kelley's first broadcast appearance as Doctor Leonard McCoy was in "The Man Trap" (1966). Despite his character's prominence, Kelley's contract granted him only a "featuring" credit; he was not given "starring" credit until the second season, at the urging of producer Robert Justman.{{cite book|last1=Solow|first1=Herbert|author-link1=Herbert Franklin Solow|first2=Robert|last2=Justman|author-link2=Robert H. Justman|title=Inside Star Trek The Real Story|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=June 1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/240 240]|isbn=978-0-671-00974-8|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/page/240}} Kelley was apprehensive about Star Trek{{'}}s future, telling Roddenberry that the show was "going to be the biggest hit or the biggest miss God ever made".{{cite book|title=From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy|first=Terry Lee|last=Rioux|isbn=978-0-7434-5762-0|publisher=Simon & Schuster|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHqtNdfIdi8C&q=rioux+kelley|date=2005-02-28|access-date=October 18, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417190445/https://books.google.com/books?id=fHqtNdfIdi8C&q=rioux+kelley|url-status=live}}{{rp|146}} Kelley portrayed McCoy throughout the original Star Trek series, and voiced the character in the animated Star Trek.

Kelley, who in his youth wanted to become a doctor like his uncle, but whose family could not pay for a medical education,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/367110.stm|title=Star Trek's Dr McCoy dies|publisher=BBC|access-date=2009-01-26|date=1999-06-11|archive-date=December 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206134739/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/367110.stm|url-status=live}} in part drew upon his real-life experiences in creating McCoy, a doctor's "matter-of-fact" delivery of news of Kelley's mother's terminal cancer was the "abrasive sand" Kelley used in creating McCoy's demeanor.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|145}} Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana said that while Roddenberry created the series, Kelley essentially created McCoy; everything done with the character was done with Kelley's input.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|156}}

"Exquisite chemistry" among Kelley, William Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy manifested itself in their performances as McCoy, Captain James T. Kirk, and Science Officer Spock, respectively. Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, referred to Kelley as her "sassy gentleman friend"; the friendship between the African-American Nichols and Southern Kelley was a real-life demonstration of the message Roddenberry hoped to convey through Star Trek.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|154}}

For the 2009 Star Trek film, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman saw McCoy as an "arbiter" in Kirk and Spock's relationship. While Spock represented "extreme logic, extreme science" and Kirk symbolized "extreme emotion and intuition", McCoy's role as "a very colorful doctor, essentially a very humanistic scientist", represented the "two extremes that often served as the glue that held the trio together". They chose to reveal that McCoy befriended Kirk first, explaining the "bias" in their friendship and why he would often be a "little dismissive" of Spock.{{cite news|url=http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/orci-kurtzman-how-star-tr.php|title=Orci & Kurtzman: How Star Trek deals with Kirk, Spock and McCoy|work=Sci Fi Wire|date=2009-03-25|access-date=2009-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427202732/http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/orci-kurtzman-how-star-tr.php|archive-date=April 27, 2009|url-status=dead}} Urban said the script was "very faithful" to the original character, including the "great compassion for humanity and that sense of irascibility" with which Kelley imbued the character. New Zealand-born Urban trained with a dialect coach to create McCoy's accent{{cite web|url=http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=227&task=videodirectlink&id=522|title=Karl Urban|access-date=2009-01-26|date=2008-01-17|publisher=IESB.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317071342/http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=227&task=videodirectlink&id=522|archive-date=March 17, 2009|df=mdy-all}} and reprised the role in its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness{{cite web |url=http://www.celebuzz.com/2012-09-22/dredd-3d-star-karl-urban-star-trek-into-darkness-will-be-epic-emotional-exclusive-video/ |title='Dredd 3D' Star Karl Urban: 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Will Be 'Epic', 'Emotional' (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) |publisher=Celebuzz |date=2012-09-22 |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313125002/https://www.celebuzz.com/2012-09-22/dredd-3d-star-karl-urban-star-trek-into-darkness-will-be-epic-emotional-exclusive-video/ |url-status=live }} and Star Trek Beyond.

McCoy is someone to whom Kirk unburdens himself, but is a foil to Spock. He is Kirk's "friend, personal bartender, confidant, counselor, and priest".{{cite book|page=84|first1=Grace Lee|last1=Whitney|author-link=Grace Lee Whitney|title=The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy|year=1998|isbn=978-1-884956-03-4|publisher=Quill Driver Books|first2=James D.|last2=Denney}} Spock and McCoy's bickering became so popular that Roddenberry wrote in a 1968 memo "we simply didn't realize ... how much the fans loved the bickering between our Arrowsmith and our Alien".{{cite web | url=http://io9.com/gene-roddenberrys-1968-memo-on-improving-star-treks-c-1267131265 | title=Gene Roddenberry's 1968 memo on improving Star Trek's characters | work=io9 | date=2013-09-07 | access-date=2013-09-07 | last=Davis | first=Lauren | archive-date=September 9, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909021406/http://io9.com/gene-roddenberrys-1968-memo-on-improving-star-treks-c-1267131265 | url-status=live }} Urban said McCoy has a "sense of irascibility with real passion for life and doing the right thing", and that "Spock's logic and McCoy's moral standing gave Kirk the benefit of having three brains instead of just one."{{cite web|url=http://scifipulse.net/?p=581 |publisher=Sci Fi Pulse |title=Urban On Star Trek & McCoy |access-date=2009-01-26 |date=2008-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205194252/http://scifipulse.net/?p=581 |archive-date=December 5, 2008 }}

Kelley said that his greatest thrill at Star Trek conventions was the number of people who told him they entered the medical profession because of the McCoy character.{{cite book|title=Up Till Now: The Autobiography|first=William|last=Shatner|author-link=William Shatner|page=[https://archive.org/details/uptillnowautobio00shat/page/149 149]|year=2008|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-37265-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/uptillnowautobio00shat/page/149}} He received two or three letters a month from others reporting similar experiences. A friend observed that despite not becoming a doctor as he had hoped, Kelley's portrayal of McCoy had helped create many doctors. According to Kelley, "You can win awards and that sort of thing, but to influence the youth of the country ... is an award that is not handed out by the industry".{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|273}}

Twenty times on the original Star Trek series, McCoy declares someone or something deceased with the line, "He's dead", "He's dead, Jim", or something similar. The phrase so became a catchphrase of the character that Kelley joked that the line would appear on his tombstone{{cite book | title = Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture | last = Porter | first = Jennifer E. | year = 1999 | publisher = SUNY Press | page = 127 | isbn = 978-0-7914-4334-7 | contribution = Darcee L. McLaren}}{{cite book | last = Amesly | first = Cassandra | others = John Fiske (ed.) | title = Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Number 3 | year = 1990 | publisher = Routledge | isbn = 978-0-415-03743-3 | pages = 68–69 | chapter = How to Watch Star Trek | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5fPe1YuA_6MC&pg=PA63 | quote = Equally part of typical episodes are a series of lines that fans readily recognize: some that are favorites in particular episodes (such as the 'accoutrements' cited in the beginning commentary) and some which are closely identified with characters: Dr McCoy says, 'He's dead, Jim,' and 'I'm a doctor, not a — '; Spock remarks 'Fascinating' to occurrences which appear likely to kill or maim the crew...' | access-date = October 18, 2020 | archive-date = April 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210417175951/https://books.google.com/books?id=5fPe1YuA_6MC&pg=PA63 | url-status = live }}{{cite journal | last = Kaplan | first = Anna L. | date = October 1999 | title = Obituary: DeForest Kelley | journal = Cinefantastique | volume = 31 | issue = 8 | page = 62 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CYJZAAAAMAAJ | access-date = 2009-04-07 | quote = Dr. McCoy's signature lines, "He's dead, Jim", and "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer", will never be forgotten. In fact, Kelley joked that the line, "He's dead, Jim", would be written on his tombstone. | archive-date = March 12, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170312131200/https://books.google.com/books?id=CYJZAAAAMAAJ | url-status = live }}—and it appeared in the first sentence of at least one obituary{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-deforest-kelley-1100057.html | title=Obituary: DeForest Kelley | work=The Independent | date=1999-06-13 | access-date=7 April 2016 | archive-date=August 22, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822113214/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-deforest-kelley-1100057.html | url-status=live }}—but disliked repeating the line.{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|166}} During filming of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, when Spock is dying from radiation exposure, Kelley felt it would spoil the gravitas of the moment, so he and James Doohan agreed to swap their lines: McCoy warns Kirk not to open the chamber, and Scotty says, "He's dead already".{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|249}}{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=94 | title=Install Long and Prosper | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=May 1992 | access-date=2013-11-24 | last=Greenberg | first=Allen | page=46 | archive-date=December 3, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002514/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=94 | url-status=live }}

University of Southern California literature professor Henry Jenkins cites Dr. McCoy's "He's dead, Jim" line as an example of fans actively participating in the creation of an underground culture in which they derive pleasure by repeating memorable lines as part of constructing new mythologies and alternative social communities.{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Henry |title=Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York, N.Y. |isbn=978-0-41-553328-7 |page=76 |edition=updated 20th anniversary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xxwAZj22IdoC&q=%22he%27s+dead%2C+jim%22 |access-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417190847/https://books.google.com/books?id=xxwAZj22IdoC&q=%22he%27s+dead%2C+jim%22 |url-status=live }} As an example, the line appears in The Firm's 1987 novelty song Star Trekkin', which became a #1 hit in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |title=Star Trekkin' – a number one hit! |date=August 27, 2020 |url=https://trekkingwithdennis.com/2020/08/27/star-trekkin/ |publisher=Trekkin' with Dennis |accessdate=March 4, 2025}}{{cite web |last=Wester |first=Anine |title=Star Trekkin 2009 |date=2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUq9Hxqad24 |publisher=YouTube |accessdate=March 4, 2025}}

Another of McCoy's catchphrases is his "I'm a doctor, (Jim) not a(n)..." statements,{{cite book|last1=Butt|first1=Miriam|first2=Kyle|last2=Wohlmut|others=Natascha Gentz (ed.), Stefan Kramer (ed.)|title=Globalization, Cultural Identities, and Media Representations|year=2006|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-6683-4|page=83|chapter=The Thousand Faces of Xena: Transculturality Through Multi-Identity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GWyF18r-tR4C&pg=PA83|quote=each character's role is clearly defined by his or her position on the ship, so much so that one of the show's many catchphrases was Dr. McCoy's recurring line, 'I'm a doctor, not a ...'|access-date=September 24, 2016|archive-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315112524/http://books.google.com/books?id=GWyF18r-tR4C&pg=PA83|url-status=live}} delivered by Kelley 11 times,{{r|rioux2005}}{{rp|166}} and three times by Karl Urban in later films. McCoy repeats the line when he must perform some task beyond his medical skills, such as when he is asked to treat the unfamiliar silicon-based Horta alien in "The Devil in the Dark" (1967), saying, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer."{{cite book|last1=Lass|first1=Martin|first2=Rickie|last2=Hilder|title=Musings of a Rogue Comet: Chiron, Planet of Healing|edition=2nd|year=2002|publisher=Galactic Publications|isbn=978-0-9715924-2-1|page=212|chapter=The Discovery of Chiron|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiYNPFOnLLwC&pg=PA212|quote=In a classic moment (episode: "The Devil in the Dark"), McCoy, challenged with healing a being that was made more of rock than flesh, spouts out, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"|access-date=September 24, 2016|archive-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315101507/http://books.google.com/books?id=UiYNPFOnLLwC&pg=PA212|url-status=live}} Variations of the line have also been used by doctors in other Trek series, including Julian Bashir, Phlox, and the Emergency Medical Hologram stationed aboard Voyager.

Kelley parodied the phrase in a 1992 commercial for Trivial Pursuit's 10th Anniversary Edition, in which the question is asked, "How many chambers are there in a human heart?" replying "How should I know? I'm an actor, not a doctor!".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.forteantimes.com/specials/star-trek/1668/im_a_doctor_not_a.html |title=I'm a doctor, not a... Dr Leonard McCoy's much-parodied signature phrase |magazine=Fortean Times |access-date=2010-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607042552/http://www.forteantimes.com/specials/star-trek/1668/im_a_doctor_not_a.html |archive-date=June 7, 2009 }}{{cite news |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Giving Familiar Brands a Second Chance |author=Stuart Elliott |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1992-09-22 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/22/business/the-media-business-advertising-giving-familiar-brands-a-second-chance.html?pagewanted=1 |access-date=2010-03-27 |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009090943/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/22/business/the-media-business-advertising-giving-familiar-brands-a-second-chance.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live }}

It is often believed that Kelley said "Damn it, Jim!" before the "I'm a doctor" line, but in reality "damn" was never said on the original show (although "damning" was used) because the word was considered taboo on TV in the 1960s.{{cite web | url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-doctor-mccoy-damn-it-jim-doctor-not/ | title=Did Dr. McCoy Never Actually Give a 'Damn' on Star Trek? | date=August 27, 2019 }}

An audio clip of McCoy saying "It's worked so far, but we're not out yet." (taken from the episode "I, Mudd") was sampled by Minnesota-based New Wave band Information Society on their 1988 hit single "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)".

In a rebuttal to a tongue-in-cheek analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which claimed that Dr. Nick from The Simpsons was a better role model than his competitor Dr. Hibbert,{{cite journal |last1=Patterson |first1=R |last2=Weijer |first2=C |title=D'oh! An analysis of the medical care provided to the family of Homer J. Simpson |url=http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/159/12/1480.pdf |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |volume=159 |issue=12 |pages=1480–1 |year=1998 |pmid=9988570 |pmc=1229893 |access-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610204847/http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/159/12/1480.pdf |url-status=live }} both of which were published in the same journal in 1998, both doctors are cast aside for Dr. McCoy, "TV's only true physician" and "someone who has broken free from the yoke of ethics and practises the art and science of medicine beyond the stultifying opposition of paternalism and autonomy. A free and independent thinker and, indeed, someone even beyond role models".{{cite journal |vauthors=Yeo M |date=December 15, 1998 |title=To boldly go: we have to look beyond the Simpsons for a true medical hero |url=http://www.cmaj.ca/content/159/12/1476.full.pdf |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |volume=159 |issue=12 |pages=1476–1477 |pmid=9988569 |pmc=1229891 |access-date=January 23, 2018 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313124956/https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/159/12/1476.full.pdf |url-status=live }}

In 2012, IGN ranked the character Doctor McCoy, as depicted in the original series, its films, and the 2009 film Star Trek, as the fifth-top character of the Star Trek universe, behind Data, Picard, Spock, and Kirk.{{Citation|title=Top 25 Star Trek Characters - IGN|date=May 8, 2009|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/08/top-25-star-trek-characters|language=en|access-date=2019-07-12|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090655/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/08/top-25-star-trek-characters|url-status=live}}

In 2016, Doctor McCoy was ranked as the fifth-most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trek science-fiction universe by Wired.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/09/star-treks-100-crew-members-ranked/|title=Star Trek's 100 Most Important Crew Members, Ranked|last=McMillan|first=Graeme|date=2016-09-05|magazine=Wired|access-date=2019-03-20|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=March 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302002145/https://www.wired.com/2016/09/star-treks-100-crew-members-ranked/|url-status=live}}

In 2016, SyFy ranked McCoy third of the six main-cast space doctors of the Star Trek franchise.{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/every-major-star-trek-doctor-ranked|title=Every major Star Trek doctor, ranked|last=Roth|first=Dany|date=2016-06-29|website=SYFY WIRE|language=en|access-date=2019-07-04|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704150923/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/every-major-star-trek-doctor-ranked|url-status=live}}

In 2017, Screen Rant ranked the reboot film (Kelvin timeline) McCoy, played by Urban, as the 17th-most attractive person in the Star Trek universe.{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-most-attractive-characters/|title=Star Trek: 20 Most Attractive Characters|date=2017-12-15|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-12|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416012852/https://screenrant.com/star-trek-most-attractive-characters/|url-status=live}}

In 2018, The Wrap placed Doctor McCoy as sixth out of 39 in a ranking of main cast characters of the Star Trek franchise.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/all-39-star-trek-main-characters-ranked-from-spock-to-wesley-photos/|title=All 39 'Star Trek' Main Characters Ranked|date=2018-03-21|website=TheWrap|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-22|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702182344/https://www.thewrap.com/all-39-star-trek-main-characters-ranked-from-spock-to-wesley-photos/|url-status=live}} In 2018, CBR ranked McCoy as the 11th-best Starfleet character of Star Trek.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-starfleet-members-ranked/|title=Star Trek: The 25 Best Members Of Starfleet, Ranked|date=2018-10-27|website=CBR|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-20|archive-date=June 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620180207/https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-starfleet-members-ranked/|url-status=live}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

{{wikiquote|Star Trek: The Original Series}}

• [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112499.html Leonard McCoy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616060155/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112499.html |date=June 16, 2010 }} at StarTrek.com

{{Memory Alpha}}

• [http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.com/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3814 "DeForest Kelley (1920–1999)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517084058/http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.com/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3814 |date=May 17, 2013 }} at the New Georgia Encyclopedia

{{Star Trek: The Original Series}}

{{Star Trek: The Animated Series|state=collapsed}}

{{Star Trek reboot series}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccoy, Leonard}}

Category:Star Trek: The Original Series characters

Category:Star Trek: The Animated Series characters

Category:Star Trek (film franchise) characters

Category:Starfleet officers

Category:Star Trek: The Next Generation characters

Category:Starfleet admirals

Category:Fictional physicians

Category:Fictional surgeons

Category:Star Trek: Phase II characters

Category:Starfleet medical personnel

Category:Starfleet commanders

Category:Starfleet lieutenant commanders

Category:Television characters introduced in 1966

Category:Fictional characters from Atlanta

Category:Fictional scientists

Category:Fictional characters from the 23rd century

Category:University of Mississippi alumni