Naw. That's what he calls Spock.
That's not how McCoy got his nickname!
- Thread starter Trekker4747
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Naw. That's what he calls Spock.
The rules of drama say that if a gun is hung on the wall in act one, it will be used by act three.
If you put the line in a movie, you are doing it for a reason. The people who made the movie were obviously trying to give a reason for the nickname. If you don't like that reason that's fine, but don't try to make the case that that wasn't even the intent of the movie makers. That makes no sense at all.
Remember, its a movie. It follows the rules of drama.
If you put the line in a movie, you are doing it for a reason. The people who made the movie were obviously trying to give a reason for the nickname. If you don't like that reason that's fine, but don't try to make the case that that wasn't even the intent of the movie makers. That makes no sense at all.
Remember, its a movie. It follows the rules of drama.
Ok, it's canon, at least in this new timeline.
But you have to admit, then, that Kirk is a jerk for using it. "Hey, [your wife left you and took everything , forcing you into an outer space rampant with disease and forcing you to rely on technology you don't trust], how's it going?"
But you have to admit, then, that Kirk is a jerk for using it. "Hey, [your wife left you and took everything , forcing you into an outer space rampant with disease and forcing you to rely on technology you don't trust], how's it going?"
I think the whole line to Bones at the end was a nod to their first meeting in the cadet shuttle:
"Bones? Buckle up!"
"Bones? Buckle up!"
The term has survived, although rarely used. Once in my life I have been called sawbones, by a patient, I think. Maybe he watched a lot of Civil War movies.
Anyhow, it is amazing that people can discuss this for six pages of posts.
Trekkies Forever.
Maybe your patient was an oldschool Trekkie. In ToS Kirk actual calls him sawbones but I can't remember which episode. I would say the nickname is both from the divorce comment, which Kirk probably heard again and McCoy was not that sensitive about if revealing it to people he just met AND from McCoy's love/hate relationship with medical history.
This shows just how much you people know about Star Trek history. Kirk calls McCoy "Bones" because of an incident that happened in their past, off screen, when they first met. The bones in Kirk's legs had been completely crushed, almost beyond repair, and it was thought that they would have to be amputated and replaced with synthetic legs. McCoy saved Kirk's legs by painstakingly reconstructing the bones piece by piece. This was supposed to have been addressed and shown as a flashback in a season four or five episode of TOS but the show was cancelled before it happened. The idea for the episode, which had been authorized by Roddenberry eventually became one the old Star Trek novels. The name of the novel escapes me, but I will look for it.
Any true fan would know this.
The explanation they gave in this new film is pure crap.
Any true fan would know this.
The explanation they gave in this new film is pure crap.
Crisis on Centaurus I'm pretty certain, but I don't remember it then saying that was why Kirk calls McCoy Bones, it was the story of why they were such good friends.
God, here we go with the true fan crap again.
As if fans don't have anything better to do then memorize minutiae.
I believe Odo's Bucket was being facetious. A true fan would know that.
(Do I really have to put a smilie here to let you know I'm also being facetious?)
No, but his post was quite a bit more negative then yours, so that alters how it's recieved.
I've come up with a third possibility, and it goes like this:
The way Kirk looked at McCoy after McCoy said the line about his ex-wife, it's pretty obvious that he took note of the word 'bones', and McCoy's general pessimism.
A little time passes; they become buddies. But why? Well, maybe Kirk - newly optimistic and seeing the potential of his life for the first time - sees McCoy's downcast nature and responds to it. Maybe he feels some sympathy for the slightly older dude who is clearly a talented doctor but is feeling like life has kicked him in the balls. (after all, how low does a guy have to be to join Starfleet as a 'last resort'? Think about it - McCoy has a phobia about flying! Yet he joins Starfleet because he has "nowhere else to go." That's pretty depressing.)
Anyway. Kirk and McCoy are buddies, not terribly close yet, but maybe they both get drunk one night after classes are over and McCoy restates how lousy things are - he created a life that got ripped away, his wife took everything, and all he has left are his bones.
Well, yeah, Kirk slurs in reply, but think about that. Bones aren't nothing; they're a foundation, something you can build on. Look at you, you took those bones and joined Starfleet, and now you're going to help lots of sick and hurting people, and have a life of adventure few people get to have. That's cool. Those bones you got hold up a pretty special guy, and I for one am glad they found their way on board that shuttlecraft.
McCoy looks at him blearily and says, "I love you man."
They affectionately throw up on each other and a nickname is born.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
The way Kirk looked at McCoy after McCoy said the line about his ex-wife, it's pretty obvious that he took note of the word 'bones', and McCoy's general pessimism.
A little time passes; they become buddies. But why? Well, maybe Kirk - newly optimistic and seeing the potential of his life for the first time - sees McCoy's downcast nature and responds to it. Maybe he feels some sympathy for the slightly older dude who is clearly a talented doctor but is feeling like life has kicked him in the balls. (after all, how low does a guy have to be to join Starfleet as a 'last resort'? Think about it - McCoy has a phobia about flying! Yet he joins Starfleet because he has "nowhere else to go." That's pretty depressing.)
Anyway. Kirk and McCoy are buddies, not terribly close yet, but maybe they both get drunk one night after classes are over and McCoy restates how lousy things are - he created a life that got ripped away, his wife took everything, and all he has left are his bones.
Well, yeah, Kirk slurs in reply, but think about that. Bones aren't nothing; they're a foundation, something you can build on. Look at you, you took those bones and joined Starfleet, and now you're going to help lots of sick and hurting people, and have a life of adventure few people get to have. That's cool. Those bones you got hold up a pretty special guy, and I for one am glad they found their way on board that shuttlecraft.
McCoy looks at him blearily and says, "I love you man."
They affectionately throw up on each other and a nickname is born.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Stop saying that Kirk gave McCoy the nickname "Bones" from McCoy's line about his ex-wife. That's not why he has that nickname!
Not only does such a genesis for a nickname make no sense, "Hey when we first met you said your wife left you with your bones after the divorce. It was an off-the-cuff flippant remark and using it as a nickname will likely stir up painful memories of your divorce!"
No. His nickname is "Bones" from the term "sawbones" a slang-term for a surgreon!
Or it could be both.
While I agree about the "sawbones" origen of the name as far as the intention of the original writers/creators of TOS is concerned, the new origen doesn't bother me, because Ive already interpreted it to fit my "pet" theory anyway. That is, McCoy got his nick-name because of his skull collection (seen in his office throughout TOS) and so, I choose to believe this is what he was reffering to when he said "my bones"? His ex-wife obviously wouldn't want those.
I've come up with a third possibility, and it goes like this:
The way Kirk looked at McCoy after McCoy said the line about his ex-wife, it's pretty obvious that he took note of the word 'bones', and McCoy's general pessimism.
A little time passes; they become buddies. But why? Well, maybe Kirk - newly optimistic and seeing the potential of his life for the first time - sees McCoy's downcast nature and responds to it. Maybe he feels some sympathy for the slightly older dude who is clearly a talented doctor but is feeling like life has kicked him in the balls. (after all, how low does a guy have to be to join Starfleet as a 'last resort'? Think about it - McCoy has a phobia about flying! Yet he joins Starfleet because he has "nowhere else to go." That's pretty depressing.)
Anyway. Kirk and McCoy are buddies, not terribly close yet, but maybe they both get drunk one night after classes are over and McCoy restates how lousy things are - he created a life that got ripped away, his wife took everything, and all he has left are his bones.
Well, yeah, Kirk slurs in reply, but think about that. Bones aren't nothing; they're a foundation, something you can build on. Look at you, you took those bones and joined Starfleet, and now you're going to help lots of sick and hurting people, and have a life of adventure few people get to have. That's cool. Those bones you got hold up a pretty special guy, and I for one am glad they found their way on board that shuttlecraft.
McCoy looks at him blearily and says, "I love you man."
They affectionately throw up on each other and a nickname is born.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Perfect!
^ We have a winner!
McCoy was on the run from his ex-wife. She took all his worldly possessions and even his family name, home, and no doubt turned his old fashioned medical practice out in the sticks, over to a Vulcan neuropressure franchise.
There's no origin for the nickname. He just says, that's all she left me with... so insert your favourite interpretation here. Maybe he kept the remains of his first patient in a display case, in his waiting room. Who knows?
McCoy was on the run from his ex-wife. She took all his worldly possessions and even his family name, home, and no doubt turned his old fashioned medical practice out in the sticks, over to a Vulcan neuropressure franchise.
There's no origin for the nickname. He just says, that's all she left me with... so insert your favourite interpretation here. Maybe he kept the remains of his first patient in a display case, in his waiting room. Who knows?
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