As the third member ofStar Trek: The Original Series’iconic trio, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) has some great moments throughoutStar Trek’shistory. Dr. McCoy may not be quite as famous as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), butStar Trekwould not be where it is today without all three characters. As the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise, Dr. McCoy did not have the best bedside manner, but he never failed to fight for his patients, and he remains one ofStar Trek’sbest doctors.
Dr. McCoy could be a bit of a curmudgeon, butBones cared deeply about all forms of life and was willing to risk his own safety to help others.McCoy was close friends withCaptain James T. Kirkand was not afraid to point out when he thought the captain (or anyone else) was being unreasonable. Although he could be harsh towards Spock, McCoy cared about the Vulcan more than he would like to admit. While not manyStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisodesare McCoy-centric, the good doctor plays a prominent role in many classicTrekstories.
10"The Man Trap"
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 1
In the first episode ofStar Trekto air, the USS Enterprise visits an outpost on planet M-113 to provide medical assistance to the only known inhabitants, Professor Robert Crater (Alfred Ryder) and his wife Nancy (Jeanne Bal). Although McCoy is one member ofStar Trek’smost famous trio, much about his history remains unknown.“The Man Trap” offers a little of McCoy’s backstory,revealing that the doctor was previously involved with Nancy.
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Upon arriving on the planet, each member of the landing party sees Nancy differently, and she is eventually revealed to be a shapeshifting creature who feeds on salt. In the end,McCoy is forced to kill the creature, even as it takes on the appearance of Nancy and pleads for its life.“The Man Trap” may be a somewhat odd choice for a series premiere, but it does a decent job of establishingStar Trek’s characters, and hints at the greatness to come.
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, Episode 25
As the Enterprise searches for the missing SS Beagle, they find the ship’s surviving crew members ona planet with a culture based on ancient Rome.The commander of the Beagle, Captain R. M. Merik (William Smithers), assimilated into the local culture and became known as the First Citizen. When Kirk refuses to integrate his crew into the planet’s population, the planet’s leader forces Spock and McCoy to take on two gladiators in a contest.
A different starship named Beagle that can cross through the Multiverse was introduced inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5.
Dr. McCoy is not much of a fighter, but he maintains his typical acerbic wit throughout the battle, arguing with Spock even as he defends himself against his opponent. When McCoy falls, however, Spock wastes no time taking out both opponents.The entire sequence perfectly illustrates McCoy and Spock’s relationship,and McCoy gets some truly great lines throughout.
8"Amok Time" & “Journey To Babel”
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, Episode 1 & Episode 10
Both “Amok Time” and “Journey To Babel” may technically be Spock-centric episodes, but they are also great outings for Dr. McCoy. In “Amok Time,“Spock begins experiencing the effects of Vulcan pon farrand eventually tells McCoy about the condition. McCoy advocates for Spock, and later, when Spock and Kirk are forced to fight to the death, McCoy saves the day by slipping Kirk a drug that makes him appear dead.
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Spock’s parents,Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard)and Amanda Grayson (Jane Wyatt), visit the Enterprise in “Journey to Babel.” When Sarek suffers a heart attack, Spock refuses to step down from command to act as a blood donor,believing that he’s needed on the bridge. Spock eventually relents, and Dr. McCoy performs the surgery, illustrating his skills as a doctor. As both Kirk and Spock are being treated in sickbay,McCoy finally gets the last word as the episode ends.
7"The Immunity Syndrome”
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, Episode 18
Many of Dr. McCoy’s bestStar Trekepisodes explore his relationship with Spock, and “The Immunity Syndrome” offers some fascinating insight in this regard. When the Starship Enterprise encounters a giant amoeba-like creature wreaking havoc, they must figure out how to destroy it. The effects of the creature begin sickening the Enterprise crew, andDr. McCoy and Spock both volunteer to take a shuttlecraftinto the amoeba to learn how to destroy it.
As Kirk risks the Enterprise to save Spock, the Vulcan protests, but McCoy counters:“Shut up, Spock! We’re rescuing you.“This exchange pretty much sums up their relationship.
Captain Kirk debates which of his friends to send on a potential suicide mission, ultimately deciding that Spock is best suited for the job.McCoy is clearly concerned for Spock as he helps prepare the Vulcan for the mission,and later refuses to accept that Spock has been lost within the amoeba. “The Immunity Syndrome” perfectly illustrates McCoy’s personality, as he’s argumentative, annoyed, and incredibly concerned for his friend all at the same time.
6"All Our Yesterdays”
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 23
Dr. McCoy spends some of “All Our Yesterdays” unconscious from hypothermia, but he nevertheless gets some great moments throughout the episode. The main storyline of “All Our Yesterdays” follows McCoy and Spock after they get trapped 5,000 years in the past on the planet Sarpeidon during the planet’s ice age.A woman named Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley) rescues Spock and McCoyfrom the cold, bringing them to a cavern.
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Spock soon regresses to be like the more emotional Vulcans of the past and begins to develop feelings for Zarabeth. This leads to some tense moments with Dr. McCoy, as Spock does not seem eager to return to his own time.McCoy risks his own life, confronting the much stronger Spock,determined to get back to the Enterprise whether Spock likes it or not. After theytravel back to the future, Spockbecomes his usual Vulcan self, but remains affected by the experience.
5"The Empath”
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 12
As Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy investigate an abandoned research station, they suddenly find themselves in a strange chamber with a mute woman McCoy dubs Gem (Kathryn Hays).Two aliens known as Vians torture Kirkbefore he is returned to his friends, but Gem uses her empathic abilities to heal him. The Vians wish to continue their experiments, so McCoy sedates Kirk and Spock, so they cannot become test subjects.
“The Empath” was initially banned in the United Kingdom for its depiction of torture and was not broadcast by the BBC until January of 1994.
When Kirk and Spock awaken, they set out to rescue McCoy from the Vians. Gem attempts to heal him, but he pushes her away, not wanting her to sacrifice herself for him. The Vians eventually restore both McCoy and Gem’s health and transport them back to the planet’s surface. Gem may be the empath referred to by the episode’s title, butDr. McCoy’s empathy and compassion are on full display. He offers himself as a test subject, enduring pain and risking his own life just so that Kirk and Spock will not have to suffer.
4"For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky”
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 8
When Dr. McCoy completes standard medical exams for the entire crew,he discovers that he has a terminal illness. Meanwhile, the Enterprise encounters a generation ship disguised as an asteroid that will soon collide with a planet. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam inside the ship, and McCoy forms a connection with the people’s leader, High Priestess Natira (Kate Woodville). With only a year to live, McCoy decides to remain on the generation ship with Natira.
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In the end, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy figure out how to set the ship back on course, and Spock finds a cure for McCoy’s illness within the ship’s archives. McCoy returns to the Enterprise, and Natria stays behind to care for her people.DeForest Kelley delivers a wonderfully understated performance as McCoy faces his own mortality,and the episode contains some lovely moments between McCoy and his friends.
3Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Directed By Nicholas Meyer, Premiered July 02, 2025
In the final film featuring the entire main cast ofStar Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryfinds Kirk and his crew facilitating peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons. When the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) is assassinated,Kirk and McCoy are arrested for the crime and sentenced to life in prison on Rura Penthe.Spock takes command of the Enterprise and embarks on an investigation, knowing that Kirk and McCoy are innocent.
Bones getting a laugh from the Klingons during his trial is a great DeForest Kelley moment.
Dr. McCoy is three months away from retirement, making him even more exasperated than usual to have been caught up in another live-and-death situation. As usual,McCoy gets some great lines throughoutStar Trek VI,as he and Kirk navigate prison and their escape with Martia (Iman). McCoy also gets to help Spock modify a torpedo to stopKlingon General Chang (Christopher Plummer)from interfering in the peace talks.
2"The Tholian Web"
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 9
As the Enterprise searches for themissing USS Defiant, Captain Kirk gets trapped between two parallel dimensions. As Spock, McCoy, and the Enterprise crew wait for the next interphase when the two dimensions merge, a ship approaches from the Tholian Assembly and orders the Enterprise to leave. Believing that Kirk has been lost,McCoy urges Spock to depart with the Enterprise, but the ship is damaged in a fight with the Tholians.
Star Trek: Enterpriselater reveals that the USS Defiant ended up in the Mirror Universe, and was eventually acquired by the Terran Empire.
Spock and McCoy watch a video that Kirk recorded in case of his death, in which the captain urges Spock and McCoy to put aside their differences and work together. When other crew members see an apparition of Kirk, however, McCoy and Spock find a way to bring him back.This is another great episode for McCoy and Spock,as they both struggle with Kirk’s apparent death in their own ways.
1Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Directed By Leonard Nimoy, Premiered July 03, 2025
InStar Trek’smost lighthearted feature film, Captain Kirk and his crew travel back in time to 1986 to rescue two whales and save the future.McCoy gets some of the film’s funniest lines,from pointing out the absurdity of Kirk’s initial plan to navigating 20th-century San Francisco withChief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan). McCoy is horrified by the"medieval"medical practices of the 20th century, and he uses his 23rd-century medical knowledge to save Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) after he’s injured escaping from authorities.
Despite McCoy’s apprehension regarding some futuristic technology, like transporters, he certainly appreciates the medical advancements of the 23rd century.
Dr. McCoy is at his most likable here, and DeForest Kelley never fails to make his comedic lines land. Every main character gets their moment to shine inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home,and the film truly does offer something for everyone. ThroughoutStar Trek: The Original Seriesand its subsequent films, Dr. McCoy perfectly balanced out Kirk and Spock, helping to establish one of pop culture’s most beloved trios. With his lovable sarcasm and profound compassion, McCoy remains one ofStar Trek’sgreatest characters.
