Related
Summary
No matter whichStar Trekuniverse they ’re in , Captain Kirk always touch to Doctor McCoy by the affectionate nickname " ivory " , but where does the nickname come from ? unforgettably played by DeForest Kelley inStar Trek : The Original Series , Doctor McCoy ’s acerbic wit was the stark counterpoint to both William Shatner ’s charismatic Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy ’s deadpan Spock . So iconic were this trio and the rest of theStar Trek : TOScast , that they were recast as part of J.J. Abrams ' major Hollywood reboot in 2009 . Of this recast tout ensemble , Karl Urban ’s Doctor McCoy truly stood out from the gang .
Kirk and McCoy were snug friends , and the warm Bones soubriquet emphasizes their leisurely resonance with each other . The personal chronicle of Kirk ’s nickname forDoctor " Bones " McCoywas given an alternate notification in the 2009Star Trekmovie , which render Chris Pine ’s Kirk and Karl Urban ’s McCoy meeting each other for the first time . The primeStar Trektimelineis yet to depict this historic meeting , but there may be a opportunity to show Paul Wesley ’s James T. Kirk dubbing a young Leonard McCoy " clappers " in a future instalment ofStar Trek : Strange New Worlds .
A tone at every time the grand and much - loved Dr. Leonard " Bones " McCoy used his famous " I ’m a doctor , not a … " catchphrase in Star Trek .
Why Captain Kirk Calls Dr. McCoy “Bones” In Star Trek
The cause that Captain Kirk ring Doctor McCoy " Bones " inStar Trek : The Original Seriescan be delineate back toGene Roddenberry ’s original visionfor the show . Star Trekwas pitched as " Wagon Train to the stars " , in reference to the democratic 1950s TV show set in the Wild West . Wagon Trainwas determine soon after the conclusion of the American Civil War , at a time whenphysicians , specifically surgeons , were referred to as " sawbones " . This nickname derived from the macabre workplace that was require of civil warfare surgeons , who often had to withdraw wound and diseased limb with saw .
Future Spock histrion Leonard Nimoy Edgar Guest starred in four episodes ofWagon Train , play four unlike characters .
Civil War sawbones had to act in mise en scene that were a far cry from the uninspired environment of the spaceship Enterprise ’s sickbay , hence the irony of McCoy ’s moniker . Kirk ’s shortening of operating surgeon Bones is likely a reflection of his stake in military chronicle . However , it ’s deserving pointing out the condition had been used to draw surgeons for decades before the Civil War . As Kirk is also a bit of a book of account nerd , he would know thatCharles Dickens is the first author believe to have used the term , in his 1836 novel , The Pickwick Papers .
J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Changed Why McCoy Called “Bones”
J.J. Abrams ' 2009Star Trekmovie apply a far less evocative and interesting reason why Chris Pine ’s Captain Kirk called Karl Urban ’s Doctor McCoy " Bones " . Where William Shatner ’s Captain Kirk was let out to have a reputation as a pedant at Starfleet Academy , Chris Pine ’s version was too busy flirting and getting into fights . Perhaps this is why the " Bones " soubriquet inStar Trekdoesn’t derive from the history of medicament and instead refers to Doctor McCoy ’s ugly divorce , as he explains that his ex-wife - wife :
" … direct the whole blessed satellite in the divorce , [ … ] all I have left are my bones . "
This was one of the first thing that McCoy say to Kirk when they assemble en - road to Starfleet Academy , and the nickname was solidified during their three years of study together . It ’s a half - decent antic , but it does n’t have the deeper signification and recognizable history that the Bones nickname had inStar Trek : The Original Series . Thankfully , Karl Urban ’s performance as Bones in all three of J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies were so good that you forget the facile descent of the nickname .
J.J. Abrams ' Star Trek relaunched the movie enfranchisement and reintroduced audiences to Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise .
Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Explain Why McCoy Is Called “Bones”?
It ’s hoped that Doctor McCoy may appear inStar Trek : Strange New Worlds , shed light on his friendship with a young Lieutenant James T. Kirk ( Paul Wesley ) . Nothing has been formally announced , but fans have their own listing ofactors to playBones inStrange New Worlds , and his introduction does sense inevitable . WhetherSNWwill continue the idea that Kirk and McCoy have been friends since the Academy or take a different tack remains to be get wind . However , Doctor McCoy’sStrange New Worldsdebut may officially bring out why Kirk calls his old supporter Bones .
The connection between McCoy ’s profession and the Bones nickname was never explicitly made on - screenland , asStar Trekaudiences would be well verse in the sawbones original from multitudinous cowboy shows and the chronicle of the American Civil War . decade afterward , Paul Wesley ’s Kirk may make this connection between Doctor McCoy and the civil war sawbones more overt , as the 2020s hearing may be less cognisant of the history . If they do explicate it , we can only hope thatStar Trek : Strange New Worldsretains the resonant abstract thought that associate the spaceship Enterprise ’s chief medical officer with the chronicle of medicine .
Custom image by Ana Nieves
