Kirk/McCoy (TOS)
- Are you looking for the pairing of Kirk/McCoy from the reboot franchise? See Kirk/McCoy (AOS)
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | James T. Kirk/Leonard McCoy |
| Alternative name(s): | K/Mc, Kirk/Bones, Jim/Bones |
| Gender category: | M/M Slash |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: The Original Series |
| Canonical?: | No |
| Prevalence: | Rare |
| Archives: | |
| Other: |  Mwah <3 by drachen-katze (2024) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Kirk/McCoy is the slash pairing of Star Trek characters James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy in Star Trek: The Original Series fandom. It had a modest following in comparison with the iconic and ubiquitous Kirk/Spock.
Background
Actress Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Janice Rand of Star Trek: The Original Series) described Leonard McCoy's role in Jim Kirk's life as that of "friend, personal bartender, confidante, counselor and priest."[1] As chief medical officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, McCoy was one of the few people aboard able to relate to the captain as a friend and equal, and provided--in contrast with Spock's devoted but often coolly logical friendship--the human warmth, perspective, philosophy and humor Kirk needed in both his personal and professional life.
Kirk/McCoy did not have a large zine presence, generally only found as part of a Kirk/Spock/McCoy threesome (as in Between Friends by Gayle F, the first published Star Trek threesome story, presented in Obsc'zine 3 in 1978). There were some pre-slash and hurt-comfort type stories that bordered on slash in the late 1980s.
RPF was considered taboo during the heyday of TOS fandom. William Shatner/DeForest Kelley slash was rare, possibly to the point of nonexistence.
Fandom
Common Tropes and Storylines in Fanworks
Recurring themes, backstories and characterizations in canon-based Kirk/McCoy fic include:
- the evolution of their relationship from platonic to romantic
- Kirk's propensity to sleep around (derived partly from TOS Kirk's 'alien woman of the week')
- McCoy's bitterness over his failed marriage and the assisted-suicide death of his father
- Kirk's more upbeat personality contrasted with McCoy's bad temper
- Kirk's past as a survivor of genocide on Tarsus IV
- balancing their personal relationship with their duties as captain and doctor of the U.S.S. Enterprise (for example, Kirk's technical authority over McCoy, and McCoy's angst over having to treat Kirk's injuries after missions gone wrong).
AU fanfiction is common. Alternate universe depictions of Kirk/McCoy include:
- Mirrorverse (often with McCoy characterized as a fundamentally decent and humanistic man controlled by a twisted Kirk, though there are darker depictions of McCoy)
- Crossovers with many other sci-fi fandoms
A frequent permutation of the K/M relationship is its expansion to include Spock, uniting the three characters considered the 'holy trinity' or 'triumvirate' of TOS, as well as three of the most popular slash ships in the fandom (the others being Kirk/Spock and Spock/McCoy).
Notable Kirk/McCoy Fanworks
Fanfiction
- Apollo, Physician by lyrastar (TOS)
- Alternative by Karen Fleming (in R & R #13, 1979) is an early example -- "Kirk, having been burnt once too often, now refuses to get intimate with female crewmembers. McCoy decides to convince him to experiment with males. The author handles the idea gingerly at first, but it turns out as one of the best examples of stories on same-sex possibilities I've read in fanfic. Best of zine award." [2]
- The Stars Far Away by Faris Vincent
- One Night on Rura Penthe by Scarlet
Meta
- Between Friends: TOS Kirk/McCoy Ship Manifesto, Archived version by Acidqueen (syredronning) (6 December 2004 LiveJournal post)
Websites, Recs, Thematic Lists
- Syredronning's website, encompassing recs, meta, zines, art and more for both TOS and AOS Kirk/McCoy, as well as Kirk/Spock/McCoy
- The KirkMcCoyFest, a TOS fic challenge which ran from 2004-2005
Example Art Gallery
from KSX #2, artist Sherry Veltkamp (1988)
from Nome #9, for the story 180 Degrees, artist Marilyn Cole (1986)
Art by Connie Faddis, from Metamorphosis #2 (1976), a gen zine
Archives and Links
- James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Original Series, tag at Archive of Our Own
- Kirk + McCoy, Original Series at FanFiction.net
- Kirk/McCoy, Original Series at Trekiverse