# And Bones is.....KARL URBAN???? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168 "2007-10-18T15:09:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/21 "2007-10-18T20:10:34Z")
OT: The article states that the crew meets at SF Academy, and embarks on their first voyage. I presume everyone will be at the Original Series ranks? Up to now, I had ASSuMEd that the cast would be portrayed as officer cadets, and they established their relationships long before meeting up on the “Big E”, and that _this_ was what we were going to see… ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/22 "2007-10-18T21:01:40Z")
[QUOTE=mlees] The article states that the crew meets at SF Academy, and embarks on their first voyage. [/QUOTE] Has Abrams ever explained why he has McCoy at all, since he wasn’t in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”? Or is there a fanwank that I don’t know about? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/23 "2007-10-18T21:12:53Z")
By fanwank, do you mean a screwing over of the fans? I’m guessing they are not worring too much about continuity. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/24 "2007-10-18T21:16:37Z")
[QUOTE=Steve MB] My recollection is that DeForest Kelley’s pre-Trek career included a lot of tough-guy parts. [/QUOTE] Yeah, it takes a tough guy to fight giant rabbits or sit at a table and be Wyatt Earp’s bro. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/25 "2007-10-18T21:17:23Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Has Abrams ever explained why he has McCoy at all, since he wasn’t in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”? Or is there a fanwank that I don’t know about? [/QUOTE] Wiki’s no help: [Leonard McCoy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_McCoy) > [@](#): > > In 2266, McCoy was posted as chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, replacing Doctor Mark Piper.[7] McCoy and Kirk became good friends, but the passionate, sometimes cantankerous McCoy frequently argued with Kirk’s other close friend and confidante, Spock. No indication there that McCoy knew Kirk before becoming CMO. Paramount has changed canon when it suites them, if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/26 "2007-10-18T21:19:19Z")
Forget continuity. I think the should cast a woman as Bones. Perhaps one of the Deschanel sisters… ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/27 "2007-10-18T22:08:02Z")
[QUOTE=mlees] Wiki’s no help: [Leonard McCoy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_McCoy) No indication there that McCoy knew Kirk before becoming CMO. Paramount has changed canon when it suites them, if necessary. [/QUOTE] In the absence of canon from Star Trek, there is room for speculation, of course. In the novel _Crisis on Centaurus_, Brad Ferguson gives Kirk and McCoy’s backstory. When Kirk was a young lieutenant on the _U.S.S. Farragut_, he was injured on an away mission, which necessitated a few months of therapy before he could return to active duty. Dr. McCoy was placed in charge of Kirk’s rehab. Later, when he assumed command of the Enterprise, a grateful Kirk offered Bones the position of CMO. A backstory like this would make more sense to me than having Kirk and McCoy meet at the Academy. Although, according to the character biographies at [startrek.com](http://startrek.com) , Bones had just finished medical training a year before Kirk graduated from the Academy in 2254. It seems to me that Bones would have had to undergo some officer training in order to be granted the rank of lieutenant commander, even though he wasn’t on track to be a regular Starfleet officer. So it seems plausible that McCoy and Kirk would have crossed paths sometime during Kirk’s senior year. Having them all embark on their first mission together straight out of Starfleet Academy is ludicrous, though. Spock was (will be?) posted to the Enterprise as a cadet under Chris Pike in 2253. Kirk graduates from the Academy in 2254 and takes 10 years to reach captain rank with his commission aboard the Enterprise in 2264. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/28 "2007-10-18T22:10:48Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] By fanwank, do you mean a screwing over of the fans? [/QUOTE] A fanwank is when fans of a series come up with possible, although often convoluted, explanations as to why what appears to be a continuity error isn’t. > [@mlees](#): > > Paramount has changed canon when it suites them, if necessary. Oh I know. I’m still bitter that TAS was declared non-canon almost in toto. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/29 "2007-10-18T23:57:32Z")
**No Clue Boy** , where are you? Here is a Trek thread, and by the way, I don’t think I have the email addresses you had asked me for a week ago. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/30 "2007-10-19T19:30:05Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Nice language. [/QUOTE] **Walloon** , looking back over your posts, I see quite a few admonishments from you concerning other people’s language. Thing is, we don’t have any language police here, and I doubt the best interests of the board would be served by placing that burden on your shoulders. Making an appearance just to wag a schoolmarm’s finger at those whom you feel are violating some unwritten social rule doesn’t contribute to the thread and unnecessarily distracts from the conversation. If you come across a post you feel violates our rules, please report it. Otherwise, if you’re coming into a thread just to make a comment similar to the one above, please resist. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/31 "2007-10-19T19:56:26Z")
This is going to be one excruciatingly hot Star Trek remake. I hope a subplot involves most of the male cast to be shirtless and oiled. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/32 "2007-10-19T20:02:40Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] This is going to be one excruciatingly hot Star Trek remake. I hope a subplot involves most of the male cast to be shirtless and oiled. [/QUOTE] Uh… I don’t. I really, _really_ don’t. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/33 "2007-10-19T20:20:14Z")
Sigh… well as a long time fan I have never retroconned or fan wanked (Is that the right usage???) anything. When asked to explain Klingon’s and the changed looks I stare at the smirking questioner and say “Better make effects, stupid” How Did Kirk’s name go from James R Kirk to james T Kirk? “The writers didn’t bother to look over the pilot, stupid” Why does Spock Grin and shout in the first few episodes then claim to be emotionless later. Nimoy, the directors, and writers hadn’t figured out what tehy wanted to do with the charcater early on, stupid" After a while they get sick of being called stupid and walk away angry (If they don’t take a swing first). Seriously I love Trek, but I never try to explain away errors, I rather enjoy them… stupid (the errors, not you dear reader.) ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/34 "2007-10-19T20:25:19Z")
[QUOTE=CaerieD] I’m with **Zebra**. Chris Pine as Kirk? Really? Seriously? The mind boggles. I guess he’s got the right look, but I just can’t imagine him pulling it off. 😕 [/QUOTE] I have no idea who Chris Pine is, but for perspective, frickin’ _William Shatner_ pulled it off. How much worse can this Pine guy be? Unless he has Keanu Reeves levels of suck, he should be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/35 "2007-10-19T21:35:24Z")
Those aren’t admonishments, **Skip**. I’m praising his nice language. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/36 "2007-10-19T21:47:09Z")
Dr. McCoy was not a hunk. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/37 "2007-10-19T22:09:31Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] Dr. McCoy was not a hunk. [/QUOTE] “Dammit, Jim, I’m a drunk, not a hunk!” ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/38 "2007-10-20T02:59:44Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] “Dammit, Jim, I’m a drunk, not a hunk!” [/QUOTE] With Karl Urban, it’s going to be… Hack, slash, stab “He’s dead, Jim” Turn, lunge, thrust “He’s dead Jim” Spin, parry, thrust “He’s dead Jim” Kick, punch, twist “He’s fucking dead Jim” Damnit Jim, I’m an action star, not a Doctor! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168/39 "2007-10-21T06:05:20Z")
The “fanwank” explanation for why McCoy was not aboard the Big E during the events of “Where No Man Has Gone Before” is that he was on temporary duty on Capella studying the natives (as revealed in the episode “Friday’s Child”), and was temporarily replaced by Dr. Piper (Paul Fix). Seriously. . . Sir Rhosis [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-bones-is-karl-urban/423168.md?page=1)