The cover art is TOS era, but I believe that most lit chronologies place it after TMP.
What are you doing here, Bones?
- Thread starter David Strickhouser
- Start date
^Ah. Because I was wondering how Bones first started standing near him on the bridge. Frankly, it just wouldn't be the same without buddy, doctor, advisor and critic Bones nearby.
I would say that he just started doing it, and ignored Kirk if he said anything against it. After a while, Kirk just stopped saying anything.
^Did you like the post I made suggesting how Kirk might get annoyed once?
I can rationalize one professional reason for Bones to spend time on the bridge (and in landing parties) in crisis situations while there aren't any injuries to attend to...he's the guy responsible for evaluating the command fitness of the captain, and has the power to remove him from command if needed. Hard to evaluate his command fitness from sickbay.
Makes sense. If it wasn't a tv show I would think a doctor would get a few reports from subordinates first, of something weird. There would be no reason to assume anything is wrong until some issue shows up.
Then again, if I was really in the Star Trek universe, you would have to question everything all the time. You wouldn't assume anything. He could be subjected to just about anything at anytime.
According to Goodman's Kirk "autobiography" both men knew each other from an earlier command (the Hotspur; not a fan of that name). We conjecture that Bones has always had Kirk's ear, wherever they've served together.
Of course, in the real world, being the series third lead (by season two) meant utilizing DeForest Kelley more, delighting all the fans.
It may be that McCoy's official assignment is supervisory over Life Sciences, and that he belongs on the Bridge. It's just that he can't resist doing diagnoses and surgery rather than delegating it to some lower-ranked physician.
Me neither, but I really liked the backstory that Goodman came up with for their friendship. The commonality they originally bonded over and the source of Kirk calling McCoy "Bones" were both really clever, I thought.
You're probably aware that Kirk was pitched as "Hornblower in space". Forester's fictional British Navy captain Hornblower's first command was HMS Hotspur.
Given that assignment and the power to undertake it by Starfleet Command. In a way it puts McCoy somewhat in the position of a "political officer."
Dunno...did McCoy serve on any other ship before the Enterprise? Guess we really have no idea what his career was like before TOS. If he had any other CO's besides Kirk.
NuMcCoy didn't. He joined Starfleet to get away from his ex, who had taken everything in the divorce. If some things are the same between realities, maybe McCoy Prime did too.
McCoy's powers seem different from those of his predecessor in the prime timeline. Doc Piper had to put up with Starfleet sending the outside specialist Dehner to evaluate command crew perfomance. Then again, McCoy had competence in Space Psychology, perhaps making all the difference. Although not even that competence allowed him to declare Matt Decker unfit for command on medical grounds...
Timo Saloniemi
Timo Saloniemi
We know from "Friday's Child" that he was assigned to Capella IV for a few months. Presumably that was before he was assigned to the Enterprise (probably just before, considering that McCoy was wearing the post-WNMHGB style uniform in the archival footage).
Some random observations: Doesn't McCoy have the rank of lieutenant commander or commander too? It may be that he's passed the bridge officer exam that we see Troi take, so he's entitled to be there.
Also look at other Trek doctors. Crusher showed up on the bridge often, sometimes as more than Wesley's mother. Pulaski less so. Bashir turned up at ops or the Defiant's bridge quite a lot. The EMH, even after he gets his mobile emitter he stays in sickbay a lot. I don't remember Phlox ever appearing on the NX-01's bridge.
Also look at other Trek doctors. Crusher showed up on the bridge often, sometimes as more than Wesley's mother. Pulaski less so. Bashir turned up at ops or the Defiant's bridge quite a lot. The EMH, even after he gets his mobile emitter he stays in sickbay a lot. I don't remember Phlox ever appearing on the NX-01's bridge.
That always annoyed me: the monitor footage showing McCoy in his uniform with the Enterprise delta, even though it was supposed to have occurred before his posting.
An annoying inconsistency!
I think that McCoy is a valued sounding board. And as Captain, Kirk needs to hear from various sources in order to make those important decisions.
I remember in the ep "Corbomite Maneuver" Kirk was not happy when McCoy questioned his decision regarding Bailey
MCCOY: Well, then about Bailey. Let me enter it in my medical records as simple fatigue.
KIRK: That's my decision, Doctor.
MCCOY: And your mistake. You overworked him, pushed him, expected too much from him.
KIRK: I'm ordering you to drop it. I have no time for you, your theories, your quaint philosophies.
MCCOY: I intend to challenge your actions in my records. I'll state that I warned you about Bailey's condition. Now that's no bluff.
KIRK: Any time you can bluff me, Doctor.
BALOK [OC]: Three minutes.
KIRK: All right, Doctor. Let's hope we have time to argue about it. Not chess, Mister Spock, poker. Do you know the game? Ship to ship.
UHURA: Hailing frequencies open, sir.
KIRK: This is the Captain of the Enterprise. Our respect for other lifeforms requires that we give you this warning. One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying
BALOK [OC]: You now have two minutes.
KIRK: Destroying the attacker! It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two of our centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has little meaning to us. If it has none to you then attack us now. We grow annoyed at your foolishness.
SPOCK: However, it was well played. I regret not having learned more about this Balok. In some manner he was reminiscent of my father.
SCOTT: Then may heaven have helped your mother.
SPOCK: Quite the contrary. She considered herself a very fortunate Earth woman.
KIRK: Doc. Sorry.
MCCOY: For having other things on your mind? My fault. I don't how the devil you keep from punching me in the face.
I remember in the ep "Corbomite Maneuver" Kirk was not happy when McCoy questioned his decision regarding Bailey
MCCOY: Well, then about Bailey. Let me enter it in my medical records as simple fatigue.
KIRK: That's my decision, Doctor.
MCCOY: And your mistake. You overworked him, pushed him, expected too much from him.
KIRK: I'm ordering you to drop it. I have no time for you, your theories, your quaint philosophies.
MCCOY: I intend to challenge your actions in my records. I'll state that I warned you about Bailey's condition. Now that's no bluff.
KIRK: Any time you can bluff me, Doctor.
BALOK [OC]: Three minutes.
KIRK: All right, Doctor. Let's hope we have time to argue about it. Not chess, Mister Spock, poker. Do you know the game? Ship to ship.
UHURA: Hailing frequencies open, sir.
KIRK: This is the Captain of the Enterprise. Our respect for other lifeforms requires that we give you this warning. One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying
BALOK [OC]: You now have two minutes.
KIRK: Destroying the attacker! It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two of our centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has little meaning to us. If it has none to you then attack us now. We grow annoyed at your foolishness.
SPOCK: However, it was well played. I regret not having learned more about this Balok. In some manner he was reminiscent of my father.
SCOTT: Then may heaven have helped your mother.
SPOCK: Quite the contrary. She considered herself a very fortunate Earth woman.
KIRK: Doc. Sorry.
MCCOY: For having other things on your mind? My fault. I don't how the devil you keep from punching me in the face.
A white-hot moment when Kirk lost his patience with McCoy during a crisis situation. When the crisis passed, belated apologies smoothed over the moment.
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