Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy
He's not a bricklayer, an engineer, or a coal miner. He's a doctor and his name is McCoy.
Leonard 'Bones' McCoy was one of the most celebrated doctors in Starfleet history. He was skilled in both surgery and psychology, and, during his time on the Enterprise, invented several new medical techniques and saved the ship on many occasions.
He also had a unique no-nonsense attitude that mixed well with Kirk and Spock's personalities. The three of them had a very interesting dynamic, but the other two got most of the attention. Sadly, McCoy rarely got a lot of time focused on him specifically. His backstory was mostly told in small parts, scattered across different episodes and films.
In this list, we're going to look at ten things that you might not know about Doctor McCoy's history, family, and personal life. Bones was far more than just the guy they hired to say 'he's dead, Jim' every episode, he was actually a very deep and complex character with a dark history.
10. He Didn't Attend The Academy
A lot of the confusion here comes from the 2009 Star Trek film, in which McCoy joined Starfleet Academy right at the same time as Kirk. In the prime timeline, McCoy never attended the Academy. Instead, he got a medical degree from the University of Mississippi and was commissioned to join the Starfleet ranks, and later the Enterprise, because of his talents in the field.
Many don't realise that the Academy is not the only path toward serving on a Federation starship. McCoy always saw himself as more of a doctor than a Starfleet officer, so, for him, medical school was the way to go.
Why he decided to attend the Academy in the alternate universe is unknown, but it could have something to do with how much more militarised Starfleet became after the USS Kelvin was destroyed by the Romulans. Maybe this caused Starfleet to be more picky with who they let on their ships.