In the vast universe of Star Trek, few character details are as iconic as the nicknames of the USS Enterprise's original crew. We all know Montgomery "Scotty" Scott and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. While Scotty's moniker is straightforward, the origin of "Bones"—reportedly a shortening of the old-fashioned term "sawbones" for a surgeon—is a beloved piece of franchise lore. But what if we told you that the grumpy, compassionate doctor was almost known by a completely different, and frankly sillier, name?
The First Episode's Sweet Surprise
The alternate nickname surfaces in the very first aired episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Man Trap." The Enterprise visits a remote research station where Professor Robert Crater and his wife, Nancy, are stationed. A twist of plot reveals that Nancy and Dr. McCoy share a romantic history. In a moment of tender recognition, Nancy doesn't call out for "Leonard" or even "Bones." Instead, she uses a private pet name from their past: "Plum."
This affectionate, fruit-based term immediately becomes a source of amusement for Captain James T. Kirk, who witnesses the exchange. The moment provides one of the series' first genuine glimpses into the playful, brotherly dynamic between Kirk and McCoy, a cornerstone of the show's emotional core. Yet, by the episode's conclusion, Kirk has already adopted the more familiar "Bones," consigning "Plum" to a one-time, nostalgic callback.
What "Plum" Revealed About McCoy
Though it never returned, the nickname "Plum" served a vital character purpose. It momentarily peeled back the layers of the brash, often cantankerous doctor to reveal a softer, more vulnerable side. This hidden warmth is essential to understanding McCoy's role as the heart of the Enterprise crew, the passionate human counterbalance to Spock's logic. Without this capacity for deep feeling, his famous conflicts with the Vulcan science officer would lack their foundational humanity.
It's fun to imagine an alternate timeline where the nickname stuck. Could fans ever picture the doctor growling, "Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a produce manager!"? While the thought is humorous, "Bones" ultimately proved to be the perfect fit, evolving into one of science fiction's most recognizable handles.
The Kelvin timeline films, beginning with 2009's Star Trek, offered a new, more contemporary origin for "Bones," with Karl Urban's McCoy explaining it stemmed from his divorce leaving him with "just my bones." Whether "Plum" exists in that alternate reality remains one of the franchise's smaller, unanswered questions. Perhaps a future film could cheekily acknowledge it, much to the delight of longtime fans.
This kind of deep-cut trivia highlights how even the most established pop culture icons have hidden layers in their history. For every iconic detail, there's often a forgotten predecessor. It's similar to how some classic TV shows, like the foundational medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D., established tropes that later series built upon, or how certain classic Western TV shows have fascinating histories that have faded from mainstream memory.
So, the next time you watch the original adventures of the Starship Enterprise and hear Kirk call for "Bones," remember that for one brief, sweet moment, he was known as "Plum"—a tiny, juicy secret from the doctor's past that almost changed Star Trek history.
