"Bones" is a great nickname by any standards, but Star Trek's Dr. Leonard McCoy was called a much funnier moniker first. As one side of Star Trek's Kirk-Spock-McCoy triumvirate, DeForest Kelley's chief medical officer was a pivotal figure during the early voyages of the Enterprise. One of McCoy's most memorable character traits was the nickname "Bones," predominantly used by Captain Kirk. As well as sounding effortlessly cool, the idea of a ship's doctor going by the name "Bones" struck a chord, and it remains inextricably woven in the fabric of McCoy's character.
Dr. McCoy did not appear in Star Trek: The Original Series' pilot, "The Cage," with medical duties instead performed by John Hoyt's Dr. Boyce. Kelley was one of the many new faces who joined Star Trek's cast after the trip to Talos IV. Calling into action immediately, McCoy enjoys a prominent role in "The Man Trap," the episode that would ultimately provide the world with its very first taste of Gene Roddenberry's creation. Curiously, "The Man Trap" gives McCoy a very different nickname before the character ever gets called "Bones."
Dr. McCoy Is Called "Plum" In Star Trek Before He's Ever Called "Bones"
Dr. "Plum" McCoy Doesn't Have Quite The Same Ring To It
"The Man Trap" finds the Enterprise on a routine trip to perform medical checks on a Federation scientist and his wife - a mission complicated by the fact that said wife and Dr. McCoy once shared a romantic relationship. While attempting to remain professional, Star Trek's "The Man Trap" puts McCoy in a string of difficult positions, and his affection for the woman in question, Nancy Crater, is obvious from the beginning. Memories of wistful years gone by are first rekindled when Nancy spots McCoy and calls out, "Plum!" in an adoring voice.
As McCoy is forced to explain to an amused Captain Kirk, "Plum" was Nancy's pet name for him during their time together. While Kirk enjoys needling his doctor with the cutesy nickname, "Plum" isn't a tag that sticks for the remainder of Star Trek: The Original Series. Nevertheless, it's certainly strange that the man universally known as Bones actually gets called by a totally different nickname the first time audiences meet him. It's striking to imagine that viewers in 1966 would have associated Dr. McCoy as "Plum" before anything else.
Dr. McCoy's First Nickname Is A Great Introduction To His Character
"Plum" Is More Than Just A Funny Memory From The Past
"The Man Trap" may not have been designed asthe very first episode of Star Trek, nor as an introduction to its main players, but the "Plum" joke perfectly encapsulates Dr. McCoy's character nonetheless. DeForest Kelley begins the episode with McCoy's typical brash, forthright demeanor in full flow, refusing to entertain Kirk's jibes about Nancy and determined to keep his mind on the job at hand. The reveal of "Plum" as an old nickname, however, teases an inner softness to McCoy - a more vulnerable, romantic, tender side that can be easily swayed by emotions such as love.
The nickname spells out to audiences that McCoy is much more than just a gravel-voiced, stubborn medicine man.
That is, essentially, Dr. McCoy in a nutshell. If Spock represents logic, science, and reason, then McCoy is an avatar for the human condition. The contrast between the hardened exterior McCoy shows on the Enterprise and the cooing romance between Plum and Nancy demonstrates the innate contradiction all humans fall victim to - the kind of contradiction that so often left Spock deeply confused. Immediately, the nickname spells out to audiences that McCoy is much more than just a gravel-voiced, stubborn medicine man.
When & Why Kirk Starts Calling Dr. McCoy "Bones"
The Story Changes Between Different Star Trek Timelines
"Plum" might be the first nickname Dr. McCoy is called in the Star Trek franchise, but it doesn't take long before "Bones" gets its first airing. The doctor's more familiar title is spoken by Captain Kirk later in "The Man Trap," with William Shatner's character pointing out, "she's got some gray, Bones." The nickname then gets repeated throughout the remainder of the adventure, firmly establishing "Bones" as a core detail of McCoy's character from the off.
The nickname is one of many parallels between Star Trek: The Original Series and the Western genre.
While "The Man Trap" was the first Star Trek episode aired, it comes fifth when watching season 1 in production order.
In the rebooted Kelvin timeline, however, Star Trek 2009 provides a very different reason that Kirk calls his doctor pal "Bones." When the two characters first meet, Karl Urban's McCoy complains about a recent divorce, bemoaning, "all I've got left are my bones." The implication is that this moment inspires Kirk to conjure up a skeletal nickname for his new friend, and it sticks for the rest of their time together in Star Trek.
