Star Trek: Every Medical Officer Ranked

Like a captain or a Spock-type, the medical officer of a starship and/or starbase has become an iconic mainstay of the Star Trek Universe.

While recent series have somewhat skewed away from a rigid Starfleet command structure that also dictates the structure of the cast, the chief medical officer has been a primary character in six of the nine Star Trek television series (yes, The Animated Series and Short Treks count) and their motion picture counterparts. With every incarnation of the franchise has come a new medical professional, each with his or her or its own personality, special gimmick, and (in most cases) stunning ability to heal bizarre space diseases and reverse severe physical transformations.

There have been multiple doctors on a single series, even multiple versions of a single doctor, all fodder for a Star Trek generations-old debate over who is the better medical officer. Whichever doc is your favorite, our prescription is a hypospray full of PCS (Pulaski's chicken soup) and this list of every Star Trek medical officer ranked.

As Star Trek's very first doctor, Doctor Phil Boyce holds a special place in the franchise despite only a single appearance in the very first unaired pilot, "The Cage" (and of course file footage in "The Menagerie").

Boyce is also notable right out of the gate for medicating Captain Pike (and self-medicating right along with him) with a medkit martini in our first introduction to the character. As the prototypical Star Trek medical officer, Boyce is established in the pilot as a sounding board for Pike, a relationship that would be duplicated when Star Trek went to air with the roles swapped out for Kirk and McCoy.

With the return of Captain Christopher Pike both in the Kelvin Timeline films and later in Star Trek: Discovery, alongside another "Cage" favorite Number One, maybe now's the time for the return of Doctor Phil Boyce in a Star Trek: Pike spin off series.

Kahless knows television could use a competent Doctor Phil.