Leonard McCoy


 * For other uses of the name "McCoy", see: McCoy (disambiguation)
 * For the mirror universe counterpart, see Leonard H. McCoy (mirror).

Leonard H. Edward McCoy was a human Starfleet officer, best known for serving aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) as chief medical officer.

The Early Years
Leonard H. McCoy, the son of David Andrew McCoy and Eleanora McCoy, was born in Georgia, United States of America, Earth on 20th January 2227. His grandfather, Thomas Jackson "T.J." McCoy, M.D., was the Chief of Medicine at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta in the 2220s. (TOS novelization: The Final Frontier; short story: "Bum Radish: Five Spins on a Turquoise Reindeer"; novel: The Final Reflection)

Disaster struck McCoy at the age of 7 on August 17, 2234, when Leonard and his cousins built a raft and sailed down the Chattahoochee River. Leonard's cousin, David McCoy drowned when the raft broke apart. 

In September 2236, Leonard, aged 9, and his family moved into another southern town on Earth. Leonard met Mark Rousseau at school, and the two became best friends. The two parted in 2243 when Rousseau entered Starfleet Academy, at this time McCoy was determined to enter medical school. 

McCoy first became attracted to his future wife, Jocelyn Darnell, at a high school social in Early 2244, when Jocelyn forced McCoy to dance with her to counter the jealousy of her overpossessive boyfriend, Clay Treadway. Treadway brawled with McCoy there on the dance floor, but McCoy knocked him down and left with Darnell. This began their relationship. 

In late 2244/early 2245, McCoy, aged 17, entered college at the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss"). During his time there, his roommate was a Tessma, Sinnit Arvid. In 2245, McCoy met the Trill, Emony Dax at a gymnastic tournament in the Menlo T. Hodgkiss Memorial Gymnasium, and the two had a brief relationship. Undecided at the time on his choice of career, Dax suggested he should be a doctor, because he had "the hands of a surgeon." (DS9 short story: "Old Souls", DS9 novelization: Trials and Tribble-ations)

Later that year, McCoy served as an observer aboard USS Hood (NCC-1703) ( before officially enrolling in Medical School, though he studied at his home in Georgia.

Shortly after receiving his doctorate, McCoy married Joycelyn, and around 2249, their daughter, Joanna McCoy was born. (TOS novel: Shadows on the Sun; TAS episode: "The Survivor")

In 2249, McCoy commanded an innoculation program to combat a virus on planet Dramia II. However, when the team left, a plague broke out, wiping half the population out. 

Aboard the Republic
In 2253, after discovering Jocelyn had become involved with Clay Treadway once more, McCoy grew extremely depressed, and by chance saw an advert for Medicine on the cutting edge - Practicing in space. He immediately signed up, entered Starfleet and underwent the course, which was taught by Angelina Mola, before he was assigned as a junior medical officer aboard the USS Republic (NCC-1371) under the command of Captain Hillios. McCoy worked in sickbay under chief medical officer, Vincent Bando. While aboard the Republic, McCoy saved the life of a ruthless assassin on the planet Ssan. (TOS novels: Planet of Judgment, Shadows on the Sun, Recovery and The Better Man)

Aboard the Richard Feynman
In 2254, thanks to McCoy's excellent work on the Republic, he was made chief medical officer aboard the USS Richard Feynman, under the command of his old friend, Mark Rousseau. However, following a fall-out with Rousseau, McCoy accepted a demotion as a junior science officer aboard the USS Koop. (

Aboard Starbase 7
By 2255, McCoy transfered to Starbase 7 as chief medical officer. A few months later, Lieutenant James T. Kirk, of the USS Farragut (NCC-1647), was sent to the base for rehabilitation after Kirk was badly injured battling pirates from Epsilon Canaris III. In Kirk's many months at the base, McCoy and he became good friends, and Kirk visited McCoy's home on Centaurus many times. (

While on Starbase 7, McCoy also had a brief relationship with a woman named Nancy, who later married Professor Robert Crater. (TOS novelization: "The Man Trap", Star Trek 1)

Aboard the Constitution
In 2257, McCoy transfered aboard the USS Constitution (NCC-1700 (NCC-1700)) to work under chief medical officer Christina Velasquez. Also serving aboard the Constitution at that time was McCoy's old friend, Lieutenant Commander Kirk. (TOS novel: My Brother's Keeper, Book 1: Enterprise)

Starfleet Teaching Hospital
McCoy returned to Earth in 2262, and took up a position at Starfleet Teaching Hospital working with Dr. Carol Marcus and Christine Chapel. In late 2263, Captain Kirk and Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell were placed under McCoy's care after the destruction of the USS Lydia Sutherland at the Battle of Ghioghe.

The Three-Month Voyage
In 2264, McCoy accepted Captain Kirk's offer to become Chief medical officer aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). However, McCoy's first stint aboard the Enterprise was cut short when he learned that his father was dying of pyrrhoneuritis. McCoy took an extended leave of absence to look after his father, and was replaced by Dr. Mark Piper. 

A memory that would haunt McCoy for years was when, at the request of his father, he turned off all his life support, allowing his father to die with dignity. However, a few weeks later, a cure for pyrrhoneuritis was developed. (TOS novelization: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

Mission to Capella IV
Following the death of his father, McCoy was asked by Starfleet Medical to take part in a medical relief mission to Capella IV. He gratefully accepted, to get as far away from Earth as possible and to help others. However, by 2265, he was tired of locking horns with the Capellans, who refused any modern medical technology.

Return to the Enterprise
Luckily for McCoy, the Enterprise had returned to Earth for the funeral of Gary Mitchell, so when Kirk offered McCoy his old position as CMO back, McCoy jumped at the chance. (TOS novel: My Brother's Keeper, Book 3: Enterprise)

Jocelyn Darnell sent McCoy their divorce papers in 2266, and McCoy signed them without a fight. Although he would go on to refer to Darnell as "whatsername" and worse, he wore his wedding ring for the rest of his life.

In 2267, while serving aboard the Enterprise, McCoy was accidentally transported into the mirror universe. McCoy risked being left behind in the parallel reality to save the mirror version of $𝜇$ from a fatal subcranial hemorrhage. Spock then mind-melded with McCoy, and learned about the Federation of the regular universe. McCoy returned successfully to his own universe, but Spock's visions of a better reality would be passed on to multiple $𝜇$s in the mirror universe, and lead to a secretive resistance group against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. 

2285
In 2285, Khan Noonien Singh escaped from the surface of Ceti Alpha V on board the USS Reliant (NCC-1864). Khan went to find James T. Kirk and take revenge against him for leaving him on Ceti Alpha V and not bothering to check on Khan's progress. Khan managed to seriously damage the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). Khan then took the Genesis Device from the underground labatory on Regula. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, Kirk finally defeated Khan in the Mutara Nebula, however in a last ditch effort to destroy Kirk, Khan set the Genesis Device to explode. The Enterprise was only able to escape when Captain Spock sacrificed himself to bring the warp drive back on line just before the Genesis Device exploded. 

Just before Spock had entered the radiation-soaked dilithium chamber, he entered into a mind meld with Dr. McCoy, and transferred his katra into McCoy's mind. Spock's body died shortly after the Enterprise escaped the detonation of the Genesis device, however Spock's consciousness was still alive in the mind of Leonard McCoy.

In the weeks after Spock's apparent death, McCoy began behaving strangely. As the Enterprise docked in spacedock, McCoy broke into Spock's quarters. This tripped a security alarm on the bridge, and Admiral Kirk went to confront the intruder. Kirk was shocked to find McCoy in the quarters, who asked Kirk why he had been left behind on Genesis, and requested that Kirk climb the steps of Mount Seleya on Vulcan. A horrified Kirk called for medics to be brought to Spock's quarters when McCoy collapsed in his arms. McCoy was examined and it was believed that he was suffering from exhaustion. McCoy promised Kirk that he would stay at his home on Earth for the time.

Sarek soon arrived on Earth and revealed the possibility that Spock's katra might have survived. Sarek did not find the katra in Kirk's mind. The two searched through engine room recordings, and discovered that McCoy was carrying Spock's katra. Sarek asked Kirk to retrieve Spock's body and bring the body and Dr. McCoy to Mount Seleya, claiming that it was the only way both could find peace. Learning that he was suffering from the effects of a Vulcan mind meld, McCoy stated that it was the "green blooded son of a bitch" getting revenge for all the arguments he had lost over the years.

When Starfleet Command refused to allow McCoy, Kirk, and the remaining senior staff of the Enterprise to return to the Genesis Planet, Kirk and his senior officers stole the Enterprise. En route to Genesis, McCoy took the science station, and using Spock's skills was able to use the scanners to determine that there were no vessels pursuing the Enterprise. After arriving at Genesis, they learned that Spock's body had been regenerated by Genesis. Kirk and his crew managed to defeat Commander Kruge, however they lost the Enterprise in the process. Spock's body had reached the same age as it was just prior to his entering the dilithium chamber of the Enterprise at this point.

After being beamed on board Kruge's Bird-of-Prey, the crew of the late Enterprise proceeded at best speed to Vulcan. Arriving at Vulcan, the crew climbed the steps of Mount Seleya, where Sarek requested that the Fal-tor-pan be performed on Spock. Agreeing to this request, the High Priestess T'Lar performed the Fal-tor-pan, removing the katra of Spock from McCoy's mind and refusing it into Spock's body. 

2286
Over the next three months, Captain Spock recovered his memories. Spock and McCoy underwent a number of mind melds to ensure that any remaining vestiges of Spock were transferred from McCoy back to Spock.

McCoy named the captured Klingon bird-of-prey HMS Bounty in reference to the mutiny on board the British naval vessel nearly 500 years earlier. McCoy and the senior staff of the Enterprise all voted to return to Earth to face the consequences of traveling to the Genesis Planet to rescue Spock. Spock joined them, even though McCoy was concerned that Spock's recent experiences meant that he was not yet ready to resume his post.

On their way back to Earth, the Cetacean Probe arrived, searching for the humpback whales that it had lost contact with. The probe began reconditioning Earth, which endangered the population of Earth. To get the probe to stop damaging Earth, McCoy and the crew of the Bounty traveled back to 1986. While in the past, McCoy worked with Montgomery Scott and Hikaru Sulu went to find materials to enclose a tank on board the Bounty to hold humpback whales. The Bounty took the whales George and Gracie in to the 23rd century, where they managed to convince the probe to stop its assault on Earth.

After arriving back in the 23rd century, McCoy was concerned that he and Spock were not fully separated from each other, and that depending on his punishment he might not be able to participate in further mind melds with Spock. Spock reassured McCoy that the two men had been completely separated from each other. In a session of the Federation Council, McCoy learned that any charges against him had been dropped. The only punishment was directed at Kirk, who was reduced in rank from Admiral to Captain. 

Later years
After James T. Kirk had been swept into the Nexus, Doctor McCoy served under Captain Spock on board the starship USS Intrepid II (Oberth class). 

Also, in 2294 McCoy had become seriously ill. As a result, this illness required the replacement of several organs by organs that had been cloned earlier and held in storage for such an eventuality. 

In 2344, McCoy escorted Spock and Saavik to their wedding ceremony. 

In the 2350s, he accompanied Spock to the Romulan Empire, where he met Eric John Stiles. (TNG novel: Double Helix: Red Sector)

When news of the commissioning of USS Enterprise-D was broadcast, McCoy - who retired in 2353 - was in such a hurry to see it that he tripped over one of his great-great-grandchildrens' toys, forcing him to be sent to Bethesda Starfleet Hospital during the time the ship was launched in 2363. In "revenge", McCoy connived the USS Hood to take him to the Enterprise upon its first mission proper in 2364. (TNG novelisation: "Encounter at Farpoint")

McCoy revisited the Enterprise-D in 2367, and again in 2370. ({{n|TNG|{{nd|Crossover}})

By the late twenty-fourth century, McCoy was forced to have to wear an exoskeleton, including leg braces (SNW story "Doctors Three"; TOS novel The Return), although he later was given implants which allowed him to discard the exoskeleton. (TOS novel: Spectre)

In 2375, he assisted Kirk, Spock and Montgomery Scott in fighting the denizens of the mirror Universe (TOS novel: Spectre) before attending the wedding of Kirk and Teilani (TOS novel: Dark Victory) and setting out to find a cure when Teilani was poisoned by eugenic child 7. (TOS novel: Preserver)

In 2376, McCoy joined in the celebrations surrounding Starbase 11. (NWNC article 225 Years of Service)

In 2378, he and Spock, both wearing the current Starfleet uniform, retrieved an unconscious James T. Kirk from his battle with the Bajoran called Corrin Tal. (TOS novel: Captain's Peril)

Provenance of Shadows Timeline
''After traveling through the Guardian of Forever in 2267 to New York City, 1930, McCoy saved Edith Keeler's life, an act which, unbeknownst to him, altered Earth history. McCoy spent two years in New York, expecting his colleagues to follow him back in time and rescue him. He placed numerous classified ads directed at Kirk and Spock, in the hope that these newspaper records will be retained into the 23rd century. By 1932, however, he became resigned to the conclusion that rescue was not coming, and he left New York and the 21st Street Mission to re-establish a life for himself.''

''With little money, he jumped a southbound freight train, heading for his native Atlanta. On the way, McCoy was accosted by two other vagabonds, forcing him to jump from a moving train. He found himself in Hayden, South Carolina, badly injured and in need of medical attention. He encountered local resident Lynn Dickinson, who took him in and called on Doctor William Lyles to treat his injuries. Lynn and her husband, Phil, put McCoy up during his convalesce, and continued to board him for several weeks after, claiming McCoy as Phil's second cousin.''

''In late 1932, McCoy was compelled to perform an emergency tracheotomy, revealing himself to be a physician. Lyles, who had been initially suspicious of McCoy, offered him a partnership in his practice. When Lyles died in 1934, McCoy took on his home and office and became Hayden's sole doctor.''

''A rift formed between McCoy and Phil Dickinson after the doctor acted to defend an African-American man named Benny Russell from racist attackers. The incident also prompted Lynn to reconsider her own prejudices, and elevate her regard for McCoy.''

''McCoy was surprised when December 7, 1941, passed without news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He realized then that, because Edith Keeler had survived her brush with death years earlier, was able to become a powerful voice in the American Pacifist Movement and exert significant influence on the Roosevelt Administration, so much so as to delay or prevent the United States entry into World War II. McCoy confronted Keeler during a rally in Atlanta in late 1941, but was unable to sway her from her anti-war stance.''

''By 1944, after London had fallen to the Nazis and Japan had conquered Australia and New Zealand, the Axis finally struck against the United States in Hawaii and drew the nation into war. Phil Dickinson enlisted in the Army, and was killed in action in Ireland in May of 1946.''

''McCoy and Lynn grew closer in the years that followed, though McCoy insisted on keeping the relationship platonic. However, when the Nazis dropped an atomic weapon on Atlanta in 1954, at the same time Lynn was supposedly in the city, McCoy was moved to propose marriage.''

''In 1955, a Nazi fighter was shot down over Hayden and crashed on the edge of town. McCoy, while attempting to offer aid to the pilot, was stabbed and killed. (TOS novel: Crucible: McCoy: Provenance of Shadows'')