Leonard McCoy ( alternate reality ) Leonard H . " Bones " McCoy , MD , was a Starfleet medical officer serving in the 23rd century . He became the chief medical officer of the during the destruction of Vulcan , serving under acting captain and then his classmate at , Captain . ( ) Early life . Dr . Leonard McCoy was born in Georgia , USA , Earth , in 2227 . He was the son of David McCoy . ( ; ; ; ; ) While at medical school , McCoy witnessed an extremely severe allergic reaction . He completed medical school and was a certified doctor sometime prior to 2255 . McCoy was married , but endured a harsh divorce . Afterwards , with nowhere else to go , he decided to enlist in Starfleet . McCoy boarded the Starfleet shuttle for new recruits which departed from Riverside Shipyard in 2255 . McCoy suffered from aviophobia and attempted to remain in the shuttle ' s bathroom during the flight , as there were no window s in that section of the craft . However , a flight officer discovered him and forced him to sit with the other passengers and buckle up . He sat next to , who assured McCoy of the shuttle ' s safety , to no avail ; the nervous doctor kept ranting to Kirk about the health hazards of flying in a shuttle . McCoy confided to Kirk his reasons for joining Starfleet , saying that his wife " took the whole damn planet in the divorce , " and " all I have left are my bones . " He and Kirk then introduced each other and shared a flask of alcohol as the shuttle took off for Starfleet Academy . ( ) Starfleet career . Starfleet Academy . McCoy spent three years at Starfleet Academy , during which time he and Kirk became close friends ; Kirk was now referring to McCoy as " Bones " , based on McCoy ' s statement three years ago that his bones were his only remaining possession . McCoy thought Kirk was mad for wanting to retake the " Kobayashi Maru " test , and knew Kirk well enough not to believe him when he claimed he was going to " study . " Indeed , Kirk had gone off to engage in sexual foreplay with a fellow cadet , . At Kirk ' s request , McCoy participated in Kirk ' s third attempt to beat the " Kobayashi Maru " simulation , serving at the helm station . McCoy believed Kirk would fail miserably as he had done the first two times , but he was surprised when his friend somehow defeated the simulation . Shortly thereafter , however , McCoy was among the cadets in attendance in the Academy assembly hall when Kirk was accused of cheating . As it turned out , Kirk had reprogrammed the simulation to make it possible to win . McCoy watched as Kirk faced off against his accuser , Commander , the programmer of the " Kobayashi Maru " test . Kirk ' s hearing was interrupted when the ruling council received word of a distress call from . All cadets , including McCoy , were ordered to report to Hangar 1 for assignment . McCoy was assigned to the newly commissioned , which had yet to have its maiden voyage . Kirk , however , was on academic suspension , which prohibited him from being assigned to a starship . McCoy decided to smuggle his friend aboard the " Enterprise " ; to do so , he injected Kirk with a vaccine to protect against a viral infection from Melvaran mud flea s . The injection caused Kirk to experience the symptoms of the infection , allowing McCoy to bring Kirk aboard the " Enterprise " as a patient . ( ) Chief medical officer of the USS " Enterprise " . Stopping Nero . After successfully sneaking Kirk aboard the " Enterprise " , McCoy brought him to the ship ' s medical bay , sedated him , and prepared for duty . Kirk awoke as the " Enterprise " neared Vulcan , and McCoy was horrified to find that Kirk ' s hands had swollen , an allergic reaction to the Melvaran mud flea vaccine . Kirk , however , was preoccupied with the notion that the " Enterprise " was heading into a trap , a deduction he reached after hearing Ensign ' s announcement over the intercom . McCoy chased Kirk through the ship , injecting him with various medications while Kirk searched for to confirm his theory . Afterward , McCoy and Uhura chased after Kirk as the seemingly delusional officer ran onto the ship ' s bridge to warn Captain that they were heading into a Romulan trap . McCoy attempted to explain Kirk ' s presence to Pike , accepting full responsibility for his actions , but Kirk was ultimately able to convince the crew that there were indeed Romulans waiting for them at Vulcan . Doctor Puri , the " Enterprise " s chief medical officer , was on deck six when he was killed by missiles fired by the Romulan ship , " Narada " . McCoy took over his role and later received acknowledgment from Spock over the comm as being Puri ' s replacement . He later treated the injuries Kirk sustained while attempting to deactivate the " Narada " s drilling platform , and also saw to the survivors of the " Narada " s destruction of Vulcan . With Captain Pike captured by the Romulans , McCoy joined Kirk , Acting Captain Spock , and the rest of the bridge crew in discussing the continuing threat of Nero , the captain of the " Narada " . Kirk argued with Spock over their next course of action , with McCoy siding with Spock ' s decision to rendezvous with the rest of the Federation fleet in the Laurentian system . McCoy then laid witness to Kirk ' s attempted – and failed – mutiny . Later , in a private discussion with Spock , McCoy voiced his extreme displeasure with the acting captain ' s decision to maroon Kirk on . Spock disagreed with McCoy ' s assertions , and when Spock left , an infuriated McCoy referred to the acting captain as a " green - blood ed hobgoblin . " Shortly thereafter , McCoy was on the bridge when Kirk – who had returned to the " Enterprise " via transwarp beaming – instigated a brawl between himself and Spock , proving that Spock was emotionally compromised by the mission at hand , having lost his planet and his mother , and could not continue commanding the " Enterprise " . After coming to his senses , Spock reported to McCoy that he was emotionally compromised and that he was resigning his command as a result . In spite of his obvious support of Kirk , McCoy was still vocally incredulous when Kirk became acting captain of the " Enterprise " following Spock ' s resignation , crying out , " " You ' ve gotta be kidding me ! " " when his friend sat in the command chair . He reacted much the same way towards Ensign Chekov and his idea for beaming onto the " Narada " without being noticed after learning that Chekov was only 17 years old . Chekov ' s calculations proved to be correct , however , and Kirk and Spock were able to rescue Captain Pike and stop Nero before he destroyed Earth . McCoy continued serving aboard the " Enterprise " after Kirk received full command of the ship . McCoy was on the bridge when Kirk assumed command for the first time . With a slap on the shoulder , Kirk advised McCoy to " buckle up , " referring back to the first time they met aboard the recruitment shuttle . ( ) Nibiru . A year later , McCoy was on Nibiru helping prevent a volcano from causing the extinction of the Nibiran s , all while avoiding breaking the Prime Directive . McCoy greeted Kirk with a docile animal as their getaway transport , but Kirk accidentally stunned it , forcing them to run and jump off a cliff to dive to the " Enterprise " , hidden beneath the waves . On the bridge McCoy listened as Spock , who was activating a cold fusion device to stop the volcano ' s eruption , asked them to leave him , as getting the " Enterprise " in range to beam him out would expose the ship to the natives and ignore the Prime Directive . While McCoy asked Kirk to consider what Spock would do in his position , Kirk opted to rescue him and ignore the Directive anyway . Hunting down " John Harrison " . Later , Kirk was ordered to hunt down the traitor John Harrison , who was behind a bomb ing in London and an attack on Starfleet Headquarters that left many , including Admiral Pike , dead . McCoy expressed skepticism , believing his friend was too inexperienced to combat him . Kirk found Harrison on Qo ' noS , and witnessed him taking down scores of Klingons singlehandedly , so he ordered McCoy to investigate the source of his superhuman strength . McCoy analyzed his blood , and found it possessed extraordinarily regenerative platelet s , which he experimented with by injecting into a dead tribble . In the meantime , Harrison was reticent about his motives but suggested Kirk examine the 72 experimental photon torpedo es Admiral had given them to fire on his location . McCoy was skeptical , but took a shuttle with Marcus ' s daughter to examine one of the classified weapons on a planetoid . He accidentally activated it and trapped his hand : Kirk ordered him to be beamed up , but was warned doing would also bring an exploding torpedo aboard . Fortunately , Marcus deactivated it before she could be beamed up . The two then opened up the torpedo and discovered it contained a man in cryogenic stasis . Harrison explained he was actually Khan Noonien Singh , having been revived and forced by Admiral Marcus to design weapons and ships for a war with the Klingon Empire . He had attempted to smuggle out his fellow Augment s on the torpedoes , but was forced to escape when his scheme discovered : believing Marcus killed his family , he responded in kind in London and San Francisco . Marcus appeared in the and opened fire on the " Enterprise " when Kirk refused to hand over Khan , but its weapons were deactivated by , who boarded the ship during a leave of absence . Kirk and Khan allied to fly over and commandeer the ship , but a suspicious Spock asked McCoy to remove the cryopods from the torpedoes . As expected , Khan took the " Vengeance " for himself , but McCoy removed the cryopods so Spock was able to use the torpedoes against Khan , crippling his ship . Both damaged ships began hurtling to Earth : Kirk entered the warp core to reactivate the " Enterprise " s engines , but did not put on a containment suit and suffered radiation poisoning . Kirk was brought to sickbay , where he lay dying as McCoy examined him . When he returned to his desk , the tribble he had injected came back to life . McCoy ordered one of the augments ' cryotubes brought to sickbay . Its occupant was removed and reanimated , but McCoy ordered them maintained in a medically - induced coma . He and Marcus then placed Kirk in the cryotube , placing him in suspended animation to preserve his brain . Spock and Uhura beamed down , subduing Khan after he crashed in the " Vengeance " , allowing McCoy to perform a blood transfusion on Kirk . McCoy later greeted a conscious Kirk in a hospital room as his attending physician , checking his vital signs and whether the transfusion had any psychological effects as well . The five - year mission . Almost a year after their encounter with Khan , McCoy attended a memorial service for the lives lost , and continued serving on the repaired " Enterprise " . He was less than pleased , however , to learn they were embarking on a five - year mission . ( ) Conflict with Krall . In 2263 , after a failed diplomatic mission , Kirk and McCoy shared a drink while Kirk discussed his reasons for joining Starfleet and how everything seems to have become " episodic . " Kirk also requested of McCoy to not tell the crew about his thirtieth birthday . Following the arrival of Kalara at Yorktown , McCoy traveled with the rest of the " Enterprise " crew to Altamid inside the Necro Cloud . There , the " Enterprise " was attacked by Swarm ship s and McCoy , who had been on the bridge when the battle began , headed for med bay with Spock . After a brief engagement with Swarm drone s , the two men boarded a turbolift , only to be ejected into space when the Swarm severs the " Enterprise ' s " saucer from the secondary hull . The turbolift was captured by a Swarm ship , but McCoy and Spock ejected the crew and McCoy took over piloting the ship . McCoy ultimately crashed the Swarm ship on Altamid . On the surface of Altamid , McCoy discovered that Spock had a piece of metal stuck in his abdomen . Lacking the proper tools to treat Spock ' s injuries , McCoy removed the piece of metal and crudely cauterized the wound , which he states is only a temporary fix . The two men then began making their way across Altamid , attempting repeatedly to contact the " Enterprise " , unaware that the ship had been destroyed . While resting , Spock noted the architecture on the planet matched that of the Abronath and told McCoy of Spock Prime ' s death and his decision to leave Starfleet . McCoy became concerned that Spock was delirious after he laughed at one of McCoy ' s joke s . As the two continued , Spock admitted to having a great deal of respect for McCoy , who continued to attempt to contact the " Enterprise " before they were cornered by three Swarm ships . Spock was suddenly beamed away , startling McCoy who was beamed out shortly after the Vulcan to the by Scotty after Chekov detected McCoy ' s latest attempt to contact the " Enterprise " and used it to track him and Spock . On the " Franklin " , McCoy took Spock to the mess hall where he used a device from the " Franklin " to properly treat Spock ' s wound . McCoy then took part in the debate over how to rescue the crew and was amused to hear that Spock had given his girlfriend essentially a tracking device . McCoy aided in the rescue mission with Kirk , Spock and Jaylah , breaking the crew out of their pens and helping them beam out to the " Franklin " in groups of twenty . He refused to beam the last group until they were joined by Spock and Uhura and the rescue mission was ultimately successful . After the crew ' s rescue , McCoy used what he could find on the " Franklin " to treat their injuries and remained in med bay for the first part of the battle with Krall ' s forces . After Spock decided to beam to a Swarm ship to get their cyberpathic connection , he chose to take McCoy along as McCoy was both familiar with his injury and piloting a Swarm ship . Though McCoy protested the idea , he was beamed with Spock to a Swarm ship . After taking over the Swarm ship , McCoy takes the controls of the craft , proving himself to be a somewhat clumsy but effective pilot . Spock was able to locate the cyberpathic connection , allowing the " Franklin " to use a VHF to destroy the Swarm . Struggling to stay ahead of the exploding Swarm ships and arguing with Spock about Spock ' s backseat driving , McCoy was startled to recognize the signal as " classical music " . After Krall and three ships made it into Starbase Yorktown , McCoy followed them in his Swarm ship and attempted , without success , to intercept the three ships . On Kirk ' s orders , McCoy flew head on at Krall ' s ships , forcing them low to the ground towards Yorktown Central Plaza where they were intercepted by the " Franklin " . McCoy then attempted to figure out how to land the Swarm ship before Krall was revealed to be heading towards the Yorktown ' s central atmospheric processor . McCoy remained in the air during the fight between Krall and Kirk and recognized that Kirk won ' t be able to get out in time if he attempted to vent the Abronath to space . Kirk succeeded in venting the Abronath and Krall harmlessly into space and McCoy and Spock rescued the captain in their Swarm ship before he can suffer the same fate . McCoy later lead Kirk to a surprise birthday party with the crew and wondered if Kirk really intended to return to space . Kirk had regained his enthusiasm for spaceflight and expounded upon McCoy what new wonders there were for them to explore . ( ) Relationships . Friendships . James T . Kirk . McCoy and met on a transport shuttle to Starfleet Academy , when the pair found themselves in adjacent seats where a slightly neurotic McCoy instantly opened up to the rebellious and somewhat incredulous Kirk . The two remained good friends throughout their time together at the Academy . When the time came , McCoy always had Kirk ' s back , such as helping to get him aboard the " Enterprise " after his suspension , and berating Spock for throwing Kirk off the ship and marooning him on . Despite this , he did not support Kirk ' s mutiny and was annoyed when he later forced Spock to resign command . Despite his friendship with Kirk , McCoy expressed shock at the idea that he was now acting captain , but supported him . ( ) Spock . After seeing Spock for the first time at Kirk ' s disciplinary hearing , McCoy expresses dislike for the half - Vulcan , calling him a " green - blooded hobgoblin . " This animosity presumably stems from the fact that Spock is trying to get Kirk , McCoy ' s best friend , in trouble with Starfleet . On board the " Enterprise " , McCoy retains his animosity towards Spock , though he works with Spock as the new Chief Medical Officer after the death of Doctor Puri and the promotion of Spock to acting captain . After Spock ejects Kirk from the " Enterprise " for attempted mutiny , McCoy loudly berates him for the act after gaining Spock ' s permission to speak freely . During Spock and Kirk ' s later fight on the " Enterprise " bridge , McCoy stays out of it like everyone else but berates Kirk for his actions as he believes they now lack a commanding officer . Following Kirk ' s official promotion to Captain and Spock becoming First Officer , McCoy is noticeably not pleased by Spock ' s continued presence on the ship . ( ) Over the next few years , the relationship between Spock and McCoy only marginally improves though the two gain respect for the other . During the conflict with Khan , Spock requests McCoy replicate his accidental arming of an advanced long - range torpedo on all of the torpedoes as well as to remove Khan ' s crew from them , showing faith in McCoy ' s ability to perform a task that could destroy the " Enterprise " if improperly performed . ( ) During the conflict with Krall in 2263 , Spock and McCoy were forced to work together extensively , starting with hijacking a Swarm ship during the Battle of Altamid . After crashing on Altamid , McCoy assessed Spock ' s injuries and admitted that though either of his options could lead to Spock ' s death , he didn ' t want Spock to die . During their trek across the planet , McCoy refused to leave Spock behind and the two were friendly enough to have a candid conversation about Spock ' s plans for the future and relationship with Uhura . Spock also admitted to harboring a great deal of respect for McCoy , something he had thought to be obvious . After Spock reveals that Uhura bears an amulet he can use as a tracking device , McCoy is amused by the idea that Spock gave his girlfriend a tracking device . During the attack on Yorktown , Spock specifically requests McCoy accompany him in hijacking a Swarm ship , feeling that McCoy is the best choice as he ' s familiar with the ship and Spock ' s wound . While flying the Swarm ship together , McCoy and Spock bicker and banter several times but prove to be an effective team . Working together , they play a pivotal role in the defeat of the Swarm and save Kirk ' s life . ( ) Romantic relationships . Ex - wife . McCoy was married prior to enrolling in Starfleet Academy . His divorce from her prompted him to join , given that he felt she had gotten everything in the ensuing settlement – " " the whole damn planet " " , in his words – and left him with nothing but his bone s . ( ) Carol Marcus . McCoy awkwardly flirted with Dr . Marcus while helping her disassemble one of the advanced long - range torpedo es , much to Kirk ' s annoyance . Marcus ignored his overtures , choosing instead to focus on the task at hand . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " I don ' t need a doctor , damn it ! I " am " a doctor ! " " " " I suffer from aviophobia . It means fear of dying in something that flies ! " " " " I might throw up on you . " " " " Don ' t pander to me , kid . One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds . A solar flare might crop up , cook us in our seats . And wait ' til you ' re sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles . See if you ' re still so relaxed when your eye balls are bleeding ! Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence . " " " " Well , I hate to break this to you , but Starfleet operates in space . " " " " Yeah . Well , I got nowhere else to go , the ex - wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce . All I got left is my bones . " " " " Who was that pointy - eared bastard ? " " " " I don ' t know . But I like him . " " " " I might throw up on you . " " " " Damn it , man , I ' m a doctor , not a physicist ! " " " " Are you out of your Vulcan mind ? Are you making a logical choice sending Kirk away ? Probably . But the right one ? You know , back home we have a saying : If you ' re gonna ride in the Kentucky Derby , you don ' t leave your prize stallion in the stable . " " " " " Green - blooded hobgoblin . " " " " Well congratulations Jim . Now we ' ve got no captain and no goddam first officer to replace him ! " " " " Yeah we do . " " " " What ? ! " " " " Pike made " him " first officer . " " " " You ' ve got be kidding me ! " " " " Thanks for the support . " " " " Same ship , different day . " " " " Damn it Man , that was our ride ! You just stunned our ride . " " " " Jim , you ' re not actually going down there , are you ? You don ' t rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire . " " " " Jim , wait . You just sat that man down at a high stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff . Now Sulu ' s a good man but he ' s no captain . " " < br > " " Well for the next two hours he is . . . and enough with the metaphors alright ? That ' s an order . " " " " Mr . Sulu . . . remind me never to piss you off . " " " " Are you out of your corn fed mind ? ! " " " " You know , when I dreamed about being stuck on a deserted planet with a gorgeous woman , there " was " no torpedo . " " " " Sweetheart , I once performed an emergency C - section on a pregnant Gorn ; octuplets and let me tell you those little bastards bite . " " " " Damn it , man , I ' m a doctor , not a torpedo technician ! " " " " Don ' t be so melodramatic . You were barely dead . " " " " Five years in space . God help me . " " " " To perfect eyesight and a full head of hair . " " " " It looks like a giant snowglobe in space just waiting to break . " " " " You guys break up ? What ' d you do ? " " " " A typically reductive inquiry , doctor . " " " " You know Spock , if an Earth girl says , uh , " It ' s me , not you " , it ' s definitely " you . " " " Leaving me behind will significantly increase your chances of survival , Doctor . " " " " Well that ' s damn chivalrous of you , but completely out of the question . " " " " It is imperative that you locate any surviving crew . " " " " Here I was thinking you cared . " " " " Of course I care , Leonard . I always assumed my respect for you was clear . The dialogue we have had across the years has always . . . " " " " It ' s okay , Spock . You don ' t have to say it . " " " [ McCoy and Spock are surrounded by three of Krall ' s drone ships ] " " " Well , at least I won ' t die alone " " " [ Spock is beamed out from behind McCoy ] " " " Well that ' s just " typical . " " " " COME ON YOU BASTARDS ! " " " " Next time you have a piece of pipe stuck in your transverse . . . call a plumber . " " " " Damn it Jim ! I ' m a doctor , not a . . . " " " " Damn backseat driver ! " " " " You really want to head back out there , huh ? " " Appendices . Background information . Leonard McCoy was played by Karl Urban . In the audio commentary for the film , J . J . Abrams stated that the " Bones " line was not actually in the script , but was an on - set improvisation by Urban , a " Star Trek " fan long before being cast in the film . Urban himself said of McCoy , " ' " It ' s his point of view that I love , and his expression of character . I ' ve been pretty blessed with some fantastic dialogue , particularly from the first film . I had such amazing lines as , ' Space is full of disease and danger , wrapped in darkness and silence . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 63 ) Karl Urban felt disappointed about the extent to which McCoy is featured in . " " There wasn ' t anything for me to do , " " he complained . ( " " , issue 326 , p . 67 ) actor Simon Pegg agreed , " " We didn ' t really hear much from Bones in [ the film ] . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 77 ) During filming of " Star Trek Into Darkness " , Urban became concerned McCoy ' s lines were making him " some [ kind of ] metaphor man " ; J . J . Abrams ' response was to add the line where Kirk orders him to stop using metaphors . Urban ' s personal favorite of McCoy ' s metaphors was " " You don ' t rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire . " " Karl Urban ' s reaction to McCoy ' s limited involvement in " Star Trek Into Darkness " influenced him when he was asked to reprise the role of McCoy in the next film , . " " I was actually on the fence about committing to this movie , " " he related . " " Unless I had a function and purpose in this film , what ' s the point of me being there ? " " ( ' , issue 326 , p . 67 ) A conversation with Justin Lin , who was due to direct the movie , persuaded the actor to indeed appear in it as McCoy . " " It became clear McCoy was going to have a valid function in this film , " " Urban continued . " " That ' s something I had been yearning for , to [ . . . ] further develop and cement his role . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 63 ) Other factors that convinced Urban to appear in the movie were that McCoy ' s relationships with Kirk and with Spock would be explored therein . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 63 ; ' , issue 326 , p . 67 ) As co - writer of " Star Trek Beyond " , Simon Pegg was thrilled to script dialogue for McCoy , who he described as " such an interesting character . " " " Bones is really fun to write for , just because he ' s so straight - talking , he uses a lot of metaphors , and his ' Southern charm ' is loads of fun , " " Pegg remarked . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , pp . 74 & 77 ) The character ' s dialogue in " Star Trek Beyond " deliberately included some call - backs to previous statements made by the McCoy of the prime universe . " " There are a couple of moments of dialogue , a couple of McCoy expressions , that we just took as his parlance , " " admitted Pegg . " " Like ' in a pig ’ s eye ' from the end of " , and we thought , if that ' s in his parlance , he can say it in this movie . So there were little things that I think fans will go , ' I know that ! " " ( " " , p . 812 ) Karl Urban thoroughly enjoyed helping craft the depiction of McCoy in " Star Trek Beyond " , later commenting , " " I had a fantastic time collaborating with Doug [ Jung ] and Simon [ Pegg ] to deliver what we believe to be some truly quintessential Bones beats . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 60 ) Indeed , Urban was proud of their results . " " There ' s a lot more McCoy in this movie than probably the last two movies combined , " " he observed . ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 48 ) The actor particularly liked performing McCoy ' s duration on Altamid , despite additionally enjoying the time he spent on the bridge of the " Enterprise " . " " I was [ also ] very excited I got to ' beam ' in this film , which I didn ' t get to do in the previous two , " " Urban commented . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 60 ) Justin Lin likewise appreciated the chance to help develop McCoy . " " On a personal note , with Karl [ Urban ] I had so much fun , " " Lin enthused . " " Because Bones was my favorite growing up . So to be able to re - engineer Bones , and to see where he is today but then at the same time how he would interact with challenges and how that would shape who he is and evolve him . . . That was part of the joy [ of making " Beyond " ] . " " ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 49 ) Apocrypha . In the novelization of , as McCoy nervously watches Kirk , Spock and Pike beaming back from the " Narada " , a throwaway line states that he is " never " confident about transporter use , establishing that he hates the device just like his counterpart does . The opening issue of comic series – the first half of an alternate reality re - imagining of – reveals that McCoy had a prior relationship with Dr . Elizabeth Dehner ; it ended badly , and relations still so strained that she withdraws a transfer to the " Enterprise " after discovering McCoy is aboard . This turn of events is fortuitous for Dehner , as therefore , unlike Gary Mitchell , her fatal encounter with the galactic barrier never takes place . McCoy is also the protagonist of issue 17 , which recounts his backstory , suggesting that his reasons for joining Starfleet were a combination of his failed marriage " and " as a tribute to a little girl named " Jenny " who died under his care ( she had expressed a desire to join Starfleet when she grew up . ) . His wife ' s name in the issue is given as Pamela Branch . The virtual collectible card battle game " " uses screenshots for card # 35 Recruit L . McCoy , card # 55 Cadet L . McCoy , card # 82 Medical Officer L . McCoy , and card # 98 Chief Medical Officer L . McCoy . In the video game , McCoy plays a prominent role , developing the vaccine for the Gorn virus . At one point , Kirk and Spock have to rendezvous with McCoy when Commodore Daniels ' frontier starbase is attacked by the Gorn , as the doctor had barricaded himself in a room to avoid being attacked . Later , after landing on the Lymax planet , McCoy is hesitant to remain behind on the shuttle and offers to accompany Kirk and Spock in their quest to retrieve T ' Mar . Upon donning a wingsuit and looking over the edge of the cliff they plan to jump from , he changes his mind and elects to stay behind with Sulu and " get a head start on that vaccine " . At some point , he delivers the babies of a pregnant Gorn by Caesarean after Sulu stuns it , and they almost " bit ( his ) hand off , " as he explains later to Kirk , who finds the story amusing . Just as Kirk defeats Spock in the ring , the shuttle arrives and McCoy gives them a " little care package " of weapons . Like the rest of the crew of the " Enterprise " , McCoy has a female counterpart in the parallel timeline portrayed in " Parallel Lives , Part 1 " and 2 . In the of IDW ' s " " comic series that is set after the events of , McCoy temporarily accepts a lower rank and agreed to serve under Chief Groffus on the USS " Endeavour " in order to join Kirk and Pavel Chekov who had also been stationed onboard the " Endeavour " .