One Star Trek myth is not at all true, and another is as true as ever. Captain Kirk never actually uttered a phrase widely considered to be part and parcel of Star Trek lore: “Beam me up, Scotty.” However, Dr. McCoy did declare, “I’m a doctor, not a…” on multiple occasions. And by Dr. McCoy, we mean both the OG ship’s medic, DeForest Kelley, and the Kelvin timeline’s iteration, Karl Urban.
Here are three of our favorite instances of McCoy barking “I’m a doctor, not a…” Please note that we are not including variations of the line from The Original Series, like “What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?” (from “The Corbomite Maneuver”) or “I’m not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor” (from “The Deadly Years”).
McCoy, in “The Devil in the Dark,” expressed exasperation at being ordered to “Help it. Treat it,” by Captain Kirk, referring to the injured Horta. McCoy replies, “I’m a doctor, not a bricklayer.” As we all know, McCoy turned out to be a pretty good bricklayer.
Our next favorite finds McCoy, Kirk, and Spock guiding guest star Julie Newmar’s pregnant princess, Eleen, up a rock formation in the episode “Friday’s Child.” McCoy, seeking Spock’s assistance, says, “I'm a doctor, not an escalator.” It’s totally in character, of course, but probably out of time as well. That’s because we’re not so sure mankind will still using, much less referring to escalators, in 2267, when the story’s action takes place.
And for our third choice, we’ll go with “Damn it, Jim. I’m a doctor, not a fu…” That’s from Star Trek Beyond, the third Kelvin adventure, and we’re not quite sure where McCoy was going with that line, but we’re pretty confident that Urban wasn’t about to say “funeral director” or “fun guy.”
Now, to borrow a popular phrase from another beloved Star Trek character, here’s a fascinating tidbit about DeForest Kelley and his famous line. On October 19, 1955, more than a decade before Star Trek debuted, Kelley co-starred in “The Iris Millar Story,” an episode of the television series The Millionaire. He says to another character, “I’m a doctor, not a politician.”