Leonard H. "Bones" Mc Coy
Chief medical officer aboard the original Starship Enterprise under the
command of Captain James Kirk, who gave him the nickname Bones. As of 2267,
McCoy had earned the Legion of Honor, and had been decorated by Starfleet
surgeons. Early in his medical career McCoy's father was struck with a
terrible, fatal illness. Faced with the prospect of suffering a terrible,
lingering death, McCoy mercifully pulled the plug on his father, allowing
him to die. To McCoy's considerable anguish, a cure for his father's disease
was discovered shortly thereafter, and McCoy carried the guilt for his
father's possibly needless death for many years. Prior to his assignment
to the Enterprise, McCoy had been romantically involved with the future
Nancy Crater. McCoy first joined the Enterprise crew in 2266, and remained
associated with that illustrious ship and its successor for some 27 years.
In 2267, McCoy suffered a serious overdose of cordrazine in a shipboard
accident. In the paranoid delusions that followed, McCoy fled the ship,
then jumped through a time portal being studied by Enterprise personnel.
In the past, McCoy effected serious damage to the flow of time until Kirk
and Spock followed him to restore the shape of history. In 2268, McCoy
was diagnosed with terminal xenopolycythemia and chose to resign from Starfleet
so that he could marry a woman named Natira, high priestess of the Yonadan
people. McCoy rejoined Starfleet after a cure was found in the Yonadan
memory banks. McCoy retired from Starfleet after the return of the Enterprise
from the five-year mission, but he returned to Starfleet at Kirk's request
when the ship intercepted the V'Ger entity near Earth. McCoy, along with
Kirk, was wrongly convicted for the murder of Klingon chancellor Gorkon
in 2293, a conviction that was later overturned. McCoy was scheduled and
to retire shortly after the Khitomer peace conference, but he either changed
his mind, or later returned to Starfleet. As a retired Starfleet admiral,
McCoy made an inspection tour of the Enterprise -D in 2364 at the age of
137.
DeForest Kelley (1920-1999)
DeForest Kelley was born on January 20, 1920 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was
16 when he graduated from high school, at the age of 17 he made a visit
to California, and decided that he was going to live there. In the 30's
he joined the Long Beach Theater Group. He enlisted when World War Two
called, but then was spotted by a Paramount scout while taking part in
a Navy training film, and as a result, he was signed to a contract by Paramount,
where he stayed for two and a half years. He went to New York in 1948,
and gained more experience on stage and in television. When he returned
to California, some of his friends from New York helped him to establish
himself in the film capital. His motion picture credits include Fear
in the Night,
Canon City, Gunfight at Comanche Creek,
Illegal,
Marriage on the Rocks, and a lot more. His various
TV appearances in the 50's and 60's include roles on Schlitz Theater,
Playhouse 90, Gunsmoke, You Are There, Navy Log,
Science Fiction Theater, Zane Grey Theater, Rawhide
and
Bonanza. Although he worked a lot, he was on the verge of being
typecast.
Roddenberry wanted to use Kelley in the first Star Trek pilot,
but was rejected by Paramount. But Roddenberry persisted, and Paramount
finally reversed their decision, but not until the second Star Trek
pilot had been filmed. Kelley joined the cast once the show was picked
up as a series. When Star Trek was canceled, Kelley's career momentum
slowed considerably. In the 70's he appeared infrequently on television,
such as in an episode of the short-lived series The Cowboys as well
as in the low budget horror film Night of the Lepus. He was back
playing his familiar role of Dr. McCoy in the animated version of Star
Trek. Primarily Kelley worked the convention route in that decade.
His only screen work since the 70's has been in the Star Trek movies,
with one notable exception. In the premier episode of Star
Trek: The Next Generation, Kelley appeared under heavy make-up
as a 137 year old Dr. McCoy. DeForest Kelley is a fine actor who has rarely
been given the opportunity to prove what he can do. Because of how easy
he makes his role of Dr. McCoy appear, he isn't given his due nor is he
considered for the more ambitious roles he'd like to play.
Mail to: De Forest Kelley
De Forrest Kelley Fan Communiquè, c/o Sue Keenan, 5507 W. 98th
St, #2, Los Angeles, CA 90045 - U.S.A.
For comments, suggestions, ideas etc.etc. please
Mail-me.
by Mario Guatteri