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DeForest Kelley's dead, Jim. 180

Posted by Hemos from the damnit-i'm-a-corpse-not-an-engineer dept.
Manuka was one of the first to send the news that DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) of Star Trek has died. He was my favorite, too (sigh).
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DeForest Kelley's dead, Jim. More

DeForest Kelley's dead, Jim.

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  • DeForest Kelley's best on-screen performance was on the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, when he was walking with Data and complaining about his atoms scattering all over the universe.

    He will be missed. :(
  • Too bad some are so cynical and lacking in humanity, but that is their shortcoming to bear and I will feel pity rather than anger, as they will suffer from it(probably without even knowing what they're missing) more than I will.
    The Kelly as McCoy performance I really enjoyed was in the Next Generation premiere when he came on board the new Enterprise just before its maiden voyage looking and acting older than God.
    Having this come on the heels of the end of DS9(better written than all the other ST series combined)doesn't make it any easier to take.
    Hope the next one to go doesn't go any time soon.

  • In this current system of things, death is a sad, tragic, and yet common aspect of life. But when you have several family members to die of various types of cancer and heart disease in a few short years, your view of the world will begin to take on a slightly different shape.

    The attitude of one of my close family members is to make all decisions "dead seriously," seldom smiling, and criticizing others as "inappropriate" and uncaring when they do not share her dark, somber view of the world.

    Others (including myself) take the attitude of the song lyrics above:
    "How are you supposed to live

    If you're afraid to die?
    When I pass away,
    Party --- don't cry!"
    Not everyone agrees with that attitude, but it keeps me from going insane.

    Star Trek was a GREAT series, and DeForest did a superb job defining the character of Dr. McCoy. But for all it was (and continues to be), Star Trek was a TELEVISION SHOW! Despite its lofty themes and subtexts, there is still greed, war, crime and racism in the world --- some acts even being committed by computer literate persons who love the show. It ENTERTAINED people. Period. That is how Bones made a living. And if you have never personally eaten dinner with him, I doubt that you know what HE would have considered as inappropriate.

    Oh, great. Now you've got me sounding like my sister!
  • To add insult to injury, CNN, in its coverage of his death, didn't even take the time to realize they printed his photo backwards. A trivial matter perhaps, but IMHO the original Federation uniform, with it's distinctive silver/gold delta-shield insignia, must be one of the most easily recognizable costumes in the world. Everyone knows the delta goes above the LEFT breast. Nice one Ted!

    Cnn story:
    http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9906/11/kelley.obi t.ap/

    If they fix it, see the original here:
    http://www.bwill.net/dekelly/

    Warp 9, De!

  • Posted by ^ServO^:

    "................."
  • Posted by ^ServO^:

    TWOK would have to be my most favorite.
    Not such much humor, forever a classic.

    STTMP comes in a very close second.
    I think I like the main idea behind this episode the most.


  • Back before we found out more about the Borg origins, I wondered if they might be connected to V'Ger/Ilia/Decker. Think about it this way. Voyager was enhanced and sent back to us by a planet on the far side of the galaxy populated by living machines. On it's way back it collected so much knowlwdge that it "achieved consciousness itself". It then merged with Decker (and presumably Ilia as well) and with great fanfare became "something else" and vanished from the seen and at the end everyone was making comments about a new kind of life form and "It's been a long time since I delivered a baby. I hope we got this one off to a good start. (McCoy)" Then 75 years later, a new kind of life form shows up from the far side of the galaxy; One which seems an odd blend of human and machine. I think that this was really a missed opportunity to tie everything together in an interesting way. The Borg queen actually did look a bit like Ilia, too.

    -Steve
  • Yes, the shuttle pod scene is still thrilling. The Enterprise from that movie was sleek and, well, just plain gorgeous. Especially befoer they painted it white, in the later films. They used a much larger and more detailed model in that one than in the later movies. They said it was just too difficult and expensive to work with. STTMP cost $40 million which set a record in 1979.
  • If you ever really need to know what someone says in a movie, but the voice is indistinct, turn on the closed captioning in your television (if you have a recent one, within 5 years or so, you probably have CC). 9 times out of 10, they will caption what you can't understand and you'll finally know what you've been missing.

    Sam Jooky
  • I'm a great Trek fan (I co-translated the Interactive Technical Manual CD-ROM to German), so this truly is sad news.

    I always thought it was a pity that the classic Trek actors weren't allowed to do anything else but Trek. Typecasting is really a nasty thing. I would have loved to see DeForest Kelley in other roles next to his early Westerns and the Trek series and moves.

    I also think that Takei (Sulu) and Nichols (Uhura) are great actors and should have been given a chance to do work outside the "franchise".

    Let's face it - they were/are Stars in the world of Trek, but nobodies outside.
  • I'm gonna ignore the rest of the flamebait, but I have to say I seriously doubt you are a bigger fan than me. I mean, where did that even come from? That kind of divisiveness is directly counter to Gene's whole big thing (vision, prophesy, whatever). So I'm going to assume that's another example of humor. I hope.
  • Posted by Dr Evil:

    an open forum? an open forum with anonymouse posting.. you really expect consideration here.. there are vultures here who kill for the sport, not for the food.

    I will remember Star Trek forever.. it really was
    a show about people, about the future, not future
    technology.. a lot of the story could have been
    in the 1800's and it would have still made sense.

    It was one of the few shows I've seen where the
    people actually try to be human, and Dr. McCoy was
    one of the most human of all of them. He will be missed, may we get blessed with more like him.
  • With all the emphasis on flashy gadgets and special effects, it's easy for a sci-fi series to stray away from compassion and become little more than a future-technology tour-de-force. Star Trek avoid this fate, in part because of Kelly's character Dr. Leonard McCoy.

    Whether he was questioning the moral implications of the Genesis Device (Star Trek II - The Wrath of Kahn) or speaking about the conflicts between man and machine (TOS "The Ultimate Computer"), McCoy presented the human side of the issues.

    If we were to summarize McCoy's character by one quote, I think it would have to be from the original series where he says to Spock, "I'm just an old country doctor..."

    He will be missed.

  • As time goes on...We too shall pass away (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    It's things like this that really drive home my own mortality. In my mind, I'm still the child who would rush home at 6:00pm every day to watch Star Trek (for one summer we had it on 7 days a week!) But in the universe, I'm not that child, and every day I'm a day further away.

    I mourn his passing with a moment of reflection, and I wonder how long until they're all gone.


  • Posted by NJViking:

    DeForest Kelley.. may the Aesir and Vanir guide you on your way!

    "Cattle die and kinsmen die,
    thyself too soon must die,
    but one thing never, I ween, will die, --
    fair fame of one who has earned." - The Havamal
  • Anyone know how old the other TOS stars are offhand? It's sad to see DeForest go, I'd always hoped they'd have him in one more episode of Voyager, since he was still alive at the start of ST:TNG. Anyhow, how old are Shatner, Nemoy, Takei, Nichols, Doohan, and Koenig? Who'll be the last to go?
  • Bar none the best episode. It was so dark and gloomy!
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. For that one line by Ricardo Montebon! Nothing else comes close!

  • DeForest Kelley Memorial Haiku (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    "Spock, Jim, light grows dim.
    After all those lame sequels
    Could this be the end?"

    DeForest Kelley
    A corpse, not an engineer
    Last words? "I'm dead, Jim!"

    Joining the redshirts
    No life signs on tricorder
    Bones beams up at last

    Enterprise doctor
    Boldy goes on last voyage
    To the great beyond

    - Lawrence Person
  • as much as I love Star Wars, I remember fondly the afternoons when I came home from school to watch the reruns of the original Star Trek episodes. Bones, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, and of course Kirk, they were the true pioneers. Special effects now take the place of plot in nearly every visual production, but they had little to go on in the wizardy department. And so Star Trek was born. And now part of it has died. They better be releasing the entire collection of original Star Trek episodes, they're worth viewing over and over again.

  • Signs of age showing . . . (Score:3)

    by ghibli ( 38720 ) on Friday June 11, 1999 @04:39PM (#1853855)
    What did you expect! He was a HUMAN, not a LINUX SERVER, Jim!

    When someone of that reputation dies, it makes you realize just how truly forward-thinking Star Trek was. Almost forty years later, and the series (theme/characters) still generates a crowd. I think the success of Dr. McCoy (Star Trek as a whole) was that it was about people, and not about "technology for technology's sake."

    Anyone have favorite episodes? A favorite movie line?
  • Same day or same date? It's not quite the same. At first I thought you meant you heard of Kelly's death a year or two early.

  • They are due out later this year. Not all at once, but a few at a time.

    SP
  • Was the longest running sci-fi TV series. But I did enjoy watching Star Trek, the original, Bones was a superb character. I don't think anybody but
    Mr. Kelley could play him as well as he did.
    Rest in Peace, Sir!
  • That was kirk who fell in love with her and had to let her die.
  • A human being is dead, people. And he was a human who actually touched some people's lives. I hate to be confrontational, but these comments, and the dept Hemos chose, sadly dissapoint me.
  • Here, here for Asimov, Sagan, Kelly! I miss them so very much. Asimov wrote enough in his lifetime, though, that I'm *still* trying to catch up. (It's almost as though he never left...) Sagan was not so prolific, but 'Contact' was golden and seti@home serves to remind me of him often. I'll have to go back and review the STTOS reruns on tape for McCoy. None of the later Star Trek series' captured my heart like the original, for all the *very good* arguments that can be made for them. TNG was much better in so many ways but it lacked a certain *magic* that the original had, hokey as it (TOS) seemed at (*many*) times. I was not really ready for this one. Persis Khambatta's death got my attention ({Ilia} she was so young, in her 50's, I think...) but DeForest Kelley was someone that, in retrospect, I guess I thought would live forever, or out least would outlive *me*. On the bright side, he did ST VI just 7 years ago. We've all got to die sometime, and I would very much prefer spending the majority of my life doing what I enjoy, and not spend decades fading away...

    -Steve
  • I think anyone who has seen the original episodes of Star Trek will agree that there was this magic between Kirk, Spok and Bones. Something that has not been captured in the other spin offs. A very sad day indeed
  • While I do agree with the analysis presented in your thoughts, McCoy added a truly unique dimension through his particular role -- that of Everyman. Male or female, I believe that many could relate to his character's thoroughly human character traits: the feisty crankiness, the perpetual questioning of his own abilities/self-determination (Dammit, Jim, I'm a Doctor! Not a ___________!"), and the compassion -- in some ways, dare I say it, he was the most "feminine" of the guys. There are times when I could use the "Dammit!" line with my boss, but unlike McCoy, I'm pretty sure I'd face some sort of repercussion for "insubordination." I admired the character's complexity and humanness, and envied the straight-forward delivery more than I can begin to express!

    A little hero, that one. Didn't realize the degree of my appreciation for the role he brought to life until I wandered this way...
  • Number 4 had the best combination of humor, action, reasonable plausibility, relevance, and character development. And unlike most sequels/prequels/series, the action in IV picked up right where III left off.

    Plus, who can ever top the line, "He took too much LDS back in the '60s"!? ;^)

  • My favorite DeForest Kelley line is from Star Trek VI. At the trial, McCoy almost breaks down in tears, desperate to explain the truth to the unbelieving Klingons. "I tried to save him! I
    tried to save him! He was the last, best hope for peace."

    Great line, great deliverance, I swear that you can hear the gentle doctors heart breaking over the loss of the great man he couldn't save.
  • I know most of you kiddies have watched the reruns and the movie series, but I am proud to say that I am old enough to have seen the originals during their orignal NBC broadcasts. I remember one evening starting an argument with my older sister. I wanted to watch Bonanza, and she wanted to watch something else. Of course she won, but I won too. After seeing that first episode, "The Incredible Salt-Sucking Alien Vampire", you couldn't pry me away from the set with a crowbar.

    Later, during the seventies, my friends and I would lament ST's passing, while at the same time rejoicing at being able to watch the reruns five days a week. Bittersweet it was.

    Once, I even went to a ST convention when it was in town. And you thing Linux geeks are strange! Everyone should go to one of those. But just one. Any more that than and you have a serious problem.

    Anyway, I guess we all knew that the actors were getting old. Really old. (Sorry priceline:) Kelley was definitely the third leg that provided stability and humor in an otherwise overly self-important universe. He will be missed.

    :^(

  • I have to say this is the worst news I've heard in a long time...

    I remeber watching ST since I was 6 or 7! I feel like I've lost a friend.


    :(

  • ###########.###########
    ##########-|-##########
    ###########|###########
    #######.-'~~~`-.#######
    #####.'=========`.#####
    #####|==R==I==P==|#####
    #####|====D=K====|#####
    #####|===========|#####
    ###\\|===========|//###
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    Jim, if you ever read this on the big Linux server in the sky, I'd just like to say that ST will never be the same again. We all miss you. Rest in peace.

  • His humorous country doctor, very un-military ways were never replaced.

    There were some Voyager episodes this season where they definitely put a bit of McCoy into The Doctor. There were a few "I'm a doctor, not a..." lines thrown in, and some McCoy mannerism.

    I thought it was a hoot. A great tribute.

  • Posted by LarryAH:

    Actually, it was Bones that handed Scotty the mouse. They were at a factory that manufacture plexiglass and were trying to make a deal for some thick plexiglass to contruct the tank that held the whales. "Captain, there be whales here!"
  • The world has been going "to hell in a handbasket" for at least 2000 years now, as nearly as I can tell from histories. It's not that no one is stepping forward to "fill their shoes"; It is that we are not recognizing those who do... The hard thing about getting older is that we don't realize that we are doing it. We do indeed get less flexible but we don't want to admit it... Look to the open-source/free-software movement and there are plenty of heroes left... (All flawed, of course, but that is integral to being human.)

    -Steve

  • For all of us who'd love to read the story @ NYT, but think it's silly to have to sign up for the NYT online stuff, I've created an account. The agreement says we can share usernames and passwords, so as long as you don't do anything illegal with the account, I don't see what's wrong with this.

    I'm trusting all of you not to mess with the password. After all, I'm personally starting a movement to oppose this sort of silliness. So, let's use our collective Slashdot Voice and roar.

    USERNAME: slashdotnews
    PASSWORD: nerdnews


    The following sentence is true.
    The previous sentence is false.
  • The first movie was the best followed by VI: The Undiscovered Country. Why? They have a full crew and a functioning ship. ST's II-V all hinge on Kirk's idiotic decision to not raise shields when approached by the Khan-led Reliant. These middle ST movies show a deep ingrained loser mentality. I forget which it was, one of the last one's, but Kirk's refusal to follow the manual becomes a little joke, never mind that such joking previously led to the deaths of both Spock and Scotty's nephew.
  • A lot of news agencies routinely flip negatives to make photo layouts flow better. I've always felt this is dishonest, as it can actually change a person's perception of a story.

    I think it just shows a lack of respect for the public "they'll believe what ever we tell them."

    -bwill
  • Duh, I am not "pleased" that he died, I just have a sense of humor. The man who died also had a sense of humor, I am sure he would appreciate it. Unfortunately they do not yet sell open source senses of humor that you can just pick up at the store.
  • Although the cheesiest acting of all the movies, Voyage Home is still great, IMHO. I know that movie inside and out. The scene goes as follows: Scott: Computer? Computer? Hello, computer. Dr. Nichols (Manager): Just use the keyboard. Scott: A keyboard. How quaint. Does anyone know if Madeline (Not now, Madeline!") was just thrown in because she was related to one of the producers?
  • This is the second great loss for Star Trek. So many people look up to skies in hope, and towards technology with possibility, because of Star Trek.

    The Star Trek Universe was suppose to be a world were people no longer live for the aquisition of money but for doing what they love for the betterment of mankind. I believe, we, in the free software community, are living some of that. I don't think I need to explain the parellels.

    Thanks DeForest Kelly. I miss you.

    --

  • Kelley's Portrayal of Bones -- To Think about (Score:4)

    by Kamion ( 27812 ) on Friday June 11, 1999 @07:29PM (#1853887)

    Borrowing a line from Kirk as he spoke of Spock at the end of STII and changing it some:

    "Of all the Star Trek characters that I've encountered. His was the most human."

    Mr. Kelley, through his portrayal of the good ol' country brought the humanizing factor to the proper and ethical use of technology.

    We, as the elite users of Technology, must use Kelley's portrayal of McCoy as a guide to upcoming technologies. Not just use it because it is there, but constantly asking ourselves: Why are we using it and what purpose does it serve?

    I cannot think of a better way we could honor the memory of this man who has touched our lives so much. Mr. Kelley, you have indeed touched my life. Thank you and Rest in Peace in that big Starship in the sky.

  • When I saw him on the Sci Fi Channel's enhanced reruns this past winter, he looked pretty bad (WHEN were those interviews taped??), and I kinda said to myself that he didn't look long for this world... and then it got me wondering about how old the others were and how long before they are all gone. Depressing, really. Never met any of them, but they feel kinda like family in a weird way.

    During the SCI FI channel interviews he was marveling about how people back then laughed about the ST medical tools and how with Medical Technology today alot of today's devices are similar. He seemed proud.

    Favorite line: "I'm a doctor, not a BRICKLAYER."

    RIP Mr. Kelley, you were a class act to the end.



    ==============================
    Windows NT has crashed,
    I am the Blue Screen of Death,
  • The good doctor was next to last. Once Vonnegut goes, all of my heroes will be humus. And the great thing about living in a declining civilization is that no one is stepping forward to fill their shoes.

    The weird thing is that, as I was driving home today before I heard the news, I was thinking idly about the afterlife and imagined Bones saying, "My God, Jim... I'm dead!" Howzat for creepy?
  • Cya later, Bones. We're gonna miss you.

    1) I'm an engineer, not a Microsoft coder.

    2) It's a blue screen error, Jim.

    3) Don't let them do anything that takes you out of the Captain's chair of your cubicle.

    4) I must go home. Not to Earth...to Root.

    5) Well, I'll be damned! I finally got the last line of code in.

    6) Damn you and your FORTRAN logic, Spock.

    7) I don't know much about Winbbles, except that it's born bloated and just gets slower with age.

    8) I'm dying, Jim. I've been infected with the Michaelangelo virus. I want to live out my last days in this big hollow place known as Las Vegas.
  • www.imdb.com:

    William Shatner (Kirk),
    Date of birth 1931-03-22
    Montreal, Canada.
    Leonard Nimoy (Spock),
    Date of birth 1931-03-26
    Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    George Takei (Sulu),
    Date of birth 1940-04-20
    Los Angeles, California, USA
    Nichelle Nichols (Uhura),
    Date of birth 1933-12-28
    Robbins, Illinois, USA
    James Montgommery Doohan (Scotty),
    Date of birth 1920-03-03
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Walter Koenig (Chekov),
    Date of birth 1936-09-14
    Chicago, Illinois, USA

    and "Bones"..
    DeForest Kelley,
    Date of birth 1920-01-20
    Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Alf
  • No, it wasn't humor. It was me telling you to lighten up a bit. Flamebait? Not really. Divisiveness? I didn't object first.
  • As another fan who watched Star Trek in its original broadcasts, I am saddened by the news of DeForrest Kelley's death. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and the others have been good friends for a long, long time. He will be missed.
  • Although the cheesiest acting of all the movies, Voyage Home is still great, IMHO. I know that movie inside and out. The scene goes as follows:

    Scott: Computer? Computer? Hello, computer.
    Dr. Nichols (Manager): Just use the keyboard.
    Scott: A keyboard. How quaint.

    Does anyone know if Madeline (Not now, Madeline!") was just thrown in because she was related to one of the producers?
  • Although the cheesiest acting of all the movies, Voyage Home is still great, IMHO. I know that movie inside and out. The scene goes as follows:

    Scott: Computer? (Bones hands him the mouse and Scott speaks into it) Computer? Hello, computer.
    Dr. Nichols: (annoyed) Just use the keyboard.
    Scott: (looks at it in mild disgust) A keyboard. How quaint. (cracks knuckles)

    Does anyone know if Madeline ("Not now, Madeline!") was just thrown in because she was related to one of the producers?
  • So I guess the folks at Hanna Barbera were geniuses as well, having done the same thing with Yogi Bear (the id), the Ranger (the superego) and poor little Boo Boo as the ego, caught between the immediacy of Yogi's desire for immediate gratification and the Ranger's attempts to enforce order.

    Brilliant works of genius can be found in so many places!
  • **

    (redundant? yes. appropriate? i think so.)
  • In most other countries/cultures, an actor or actress may spend an entire lifetime playing one character, or one type of character. These actors are highly respected and dearly loved.

    Examples? Ain't got none. But my cousin's mother's uncle's favorite taxi-driver's beautician's saimese-twin nieces told me so.

  • search for spock:

    You klingon bastard, you KILLED my son!!!



    "The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
    -jafac's law
  • Bones and the rest of the Star Trek crew brightened many a rainy day for me. I wish Dee would have lived to see 140+, like Bones in the first episode of ST:TNG.

    His wit and wisdom will be missed.
  • That was his real line? Did Babylon 5 steal this line?

  • Look, what we do after someone dies isn't for the dead person - what do they care? It's for the rest of us.

    Speaking as one of "the rest of us," I have to say that I was considerably jarred and disheartened by that dept. comment. I consider that sort of mean-spirited "humor" questionable at the best of times.

    Yes, what we do after someone dies is for the rest of us. And the rest of us--at least those of us who were fans--are sad enough about it already; we don't need to be hit by a smart-ass comment making fun of the fact that this person is dead.

    De, we're gonna miss you.
  • I believe you comment is equally innapropriate. Unfortunately I backarrowed too much and lost my three-paragraph explanation.

    I believe that expressing the curiosity and insights a person's life and death has given us is the ultimate tribute to their life. Life goes on, being able to affirm this is a tribute to DeForest Kelley's memory.

    It saddens me that you are unable to grasp how significant a testimony to the effect he had on our lives these statements are. I hope DeForest Kelley would have been honored to know how much of an impact on our thought processes and emotions Hemos' and the others' statements show.

    It saddens me that you are too wrapped up in believinng that your method of morning is the only appropriate mehtod to see that otherrs are just as appropriate and meaningful to those who make it.

  • Where's your consideration for those who cope best by remembering a person in all their respects, by remembering how that person impacted their lives and made them think. You're the cold-hearted one here, who demands others to cope in exactly the same way you do; who demands others to have consideration for you when you aren't willing to have consideration for them. I make no such demands, because I know it is logically inconsistent and morally indefensible.

    You have all the right in the world to demand this though, and express outrage at the current treatment, just as I have the right to reciprocate.

    I appreciate these comments, and I hope DeForest Kelley would, too. Life goes on. It's appropriate to affirm the curiosity and insights of life that a person's life and death gives us. It is the ultimate tribute in my opinion.

  • I've gotta agree. Star Trek IV is by far my favorite. I think it was probably because as a youngster, my parents wouldn't let me watch the more violent Star Trek movies that had come before it, but this one was alright. I've impressed several friends by being able to say every line in the movie as it comes (well, impress or annoy... same thing)

    "Admiral! There be whales here!"
    "You planning to go for a bit of a swim?" - "Off the deep end Mr. Scott"
    "Humpbacked? People?" - "Whales, Mr. Scott"
    "Angels and ministers of grace defend us" - "Hamlet, Act One, scene four" - "No doubts about your memory, Spock"
    "Excuse me, can you tell us where they keep the nuclear vessels?" (in thick russian accent)
    "You mean I have to die before I can discuss death with you?" (another great McCoy line... *sigh*)

    anyway, the one line i've never figured out is in the beginning... maybe somebody can help me... the klingon ambassador is demanding kirk's release, sarek comes along, the president denies the klingon request, klingon: "Star fleet regulations, that's outrageous! remember this well... there shall be no peace, as long as kirk lives"
    and then the crowd gets into a frenzy of sorts, and some voice yells something in the background... i've rewound that scene many, many times, trying to figure out what the voice says, but i can't figure it out... it's probably not even english or something, but i shan't give up my quest till i know that for sure.

    ah well... RIP bones... i miss you already...

  • I liked 4 the best.

  • -------------------------------------
  • Who else but Ricardo Montalban could outfit a starshit with fine, corinthian leather and still manage to look cool after having half his face burned off! ST:2 still remains my favorite hands down. Thank you for all the found memories, Mr. Kelly
  • As good as this episode was - it could have been much better had Gene not butchered Harlan's fantastic story. Originally Harlan had Kirk being the one who needed to be restrained - but Gene felt that it did'nt fit Kirk's image, to be willing to sacrfice the future for the love of a woman... Harlan has a book out with the original screenplay and various rewrites he was forced to come up with - including encounters by the rest of the star trek crew with space pirates while the main group was marooned. Extremely good reading - but dont read this book if you think Gene is god and can't do no wrong.
    Hopefully - this links to the book on Amazon: BOOK [amazon.com]
    (Darn it - the url get's broken - there is NO space between the "6" and "305602" at the end of the link)
    Or just search for "city on the edge of forever" on amazon and you should find it.
  • It was his specific line and action ("God forgive me," as he pulled the trigger) that "sold" me on the original series when its first prime-time episode aired in fall 1966. At its best, Star Trek and its descendants have established a tradition in televised/cinematic SF of presenting difficult choices and issues. Even at its most franchised, ST is a great technomagic tale, an American equivalent of Arabian Nights. Always, he gave McCoy a believably conflicted compassion.

  • It's amazing to see the reaction from this event. And, it certainly is inspiring.

    When things like this inevitably happen, they bring everyone together for a short time to lament the loss of what once was. Our only recourse is to sit back and think about how great it really was.

    Sage wisdom indeed, but it really is difficult to even think about it. We need things like Star Trek, and any break from that "reality" is frightening and unnerving.

    Being unable to deal with our own emotions is what makes geeks Geeks, but it is heartwarming to see the evangelical notions of what is Good and Bad be set aside to honor something, and someone, that was truly Good.

    JonKatz, I hope you can put all of this into some coherency for your next write up.

    So, goodbye DeForest Kelley. May you both rest in peace.


  • None of the others come close, especially #'s 1,5,6, & 7 (yech!).

  • Use the "cypherpunk" login, Luke...

  • "That green-blooded sonovabitch! It's his revenge for all those arguments he lost!"
  • It has to be "The Devil In The Dark", the episode with the silicon creature called the Horta. When Kirk asks McCoy to help save its life he retorts, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!" Absolutely classic.

    Of course, McCoy *does* save the Horta by effectively becoming a bricklayer, spreading a silicon based cement over the Horta's wounds as a bandage to allow it to heal itself. Beaming, his arms covered in the stuff he says, "By God, Jim, I can almost believe I could cure a rainy day!"

    We always believed, Bones. Rest easy. You've earned it.

  • I preferred from all the moveis the first one, the concept of "V'ger" ( a lost Voyager probe ) coming back without remembering its human origins, was superb.
    Saying that, I think one of the most laughable moments in STIV ( Voyage home ) was when Scottie asked a computer on Earth ( I think it was a Mac ) to get some records. Of course, he talked to the computer but the computer NIL. Then, I think it was Kirk, pointed to the mouse, and Scottie said "Oh, yes !" or similar, grabbed it, and using it as a microphone, asked again for the records :-)
  • This announcement stuns me even more than it does most people here, I think.

    I heard that DeForrest Kelley died on the same day as Princess Diana.. there's something *completely* weird here, is it me?
  • Que? I always made Kirk to be the Ego, Spock the Super-Ego and McCoy the Id.

    It was always Spock and McCoy having the arguments... Spock the eternally logical side of the psyche, and McCoy the passionate/emotional side. It was McCoy that always poked fun at Spock's lack of emotions.. and Spock always chastising McCoy for his emotionalism.

    Kirk was on the other hand constantly torn between these two points of view... taking advice from either as the case may be. Besides, Kirk was the central character, so it's fitting he was the Ego.

  • "You mean I have to die to discuss your insights on death!?!?!?!?!?!?"

    Very well doctor. Now we'll get Spock to work on the Kata thingee so you can come back and argue.

    Farewell Mr. Kelley. You gave us much of yourself to us. And we enjoyed every minute. Thank you.


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!

  • Oh well, I guess they had to start dropping off sometime.
  • Here [go.com] is a report which does not require registration.
  • Okay, I've got a mini-poll to send off with Doc McCoy:
    Which of the original series movies (aka 1-6) was the best and why?

    Now, no wussing out and choosing two; you have to choose one and back it up. Bonus points are awarded if you can sucessfully defend an odd-numbered movie (good luck).

    ----

  • What can be said? I've been a Star Trek fan for ages, and I loved the character of McCoy. The loss, years ago, of The Great Bird of the Galaxy, Gene Roddenberry, was hard. (I still have a copy of the article that told of his death) The one who created this wonderful series, yet ... he wasn't as visible. Kelley was one of the actors - he was there everyday, he was in the movies, his old-time country doctor personality in this modern contraption of a starship. He was a lot more familiar to me, and his loss ... brings great sadness to my heart.

    Star Trek will go on, it will always go on. But it won't be the same. If they ever make another TOS movie, they cannot replace Kelley - noone could do him justice.

    The Star Trek universe is a good future, but even there it is not perfect. People live, love, fight and die. A perfect world, where nothing bad ever happened, would not be a place I'd want to live ... but the price for that is sadness, hurt and pain. And now is a time to remember, and to be sad, although life must go on.

    Live Long and Prosper

  • Freudian Trek (Score:3)

    by BaronCarlos ( 34713 ) <slashdotNO@SPAMgeekbrigade.com> on Friday June 11, 1999 @04:58PM (#1853959)
    Roddenberry was a genuis when he put the triumverate of Kirk, Spock and McCoy on the screen, the art of three peices of the human Psyche was made manifest in these three characters.

    The Id: Kirk, the impatient, action-oriented captain, with needs wants and desires, often pulsated buy a child-like drive. He was a doer, thinking was the last option. But, like the rest of the society, it's the do-ers that get the job done.

    The Super-Ego: Spock, the logical, rational, thinker, slow to act, cautious to interceede, and always ready to step back and observe the situation rationally, and clearly, without the distraction of a need to act prematurely.

    And the Ego: McCoy, the character of conflict, always at some sort of odds with Kirk and Spock, making the two of them more like the other. McCoy would always try and help Kirk grow up, challenging him to think and react responsibly, and he always attempted to convince Spock to act more human and take chances.

    It's sad to see part of that team pass on. In a sense, it's like having part of ourselves die. Those of us who have watched all the episodes over and over, and see the spectrum of personalitites in these three characters, it aches us to see that a key part is gone.

    And who said that syndication is a bad thing?

    Thanks for the memories DeForest.
    You will no be forgotton,
    You will be missed.



    *Carlos: Exit Stage Right*

    "Geeks, Where would you be without them?"


  • Anyone have favorite episodes? A favorite movie line?

    Yes, I have one by Dr. Mccoy, from STII, referring to Spock:

    He's not dead, as long as we still remember him.

    Dee Kelley, may you rest in peace, and Godspeed ahead. You shall be remembered.

    I'll watch my tape of STII again, this weekend, in your memory.

    Anyone have an address for a card, or flowers?

  • Lighten Up. (Score:4)

    by Skyshadow ( 508 ) on Friday June 11, 1999 @05:03PM (#1853985) Homepage
    Man, when I die, I hope that people are able to still poke fun at me (God knows I give them enough ammunition).

    Look, what we do after someone dies isn't for the dead person - what do they care? It's for the rest of us. So, here we are. We didn't know him as a person, so this is what's natural to say goodbye to someone a lot of us grew up watching on a (forgive me) fairly campy TV show that enthralled so many people.

    For a detached sense of loss like this, humor is a lot more healthy than mourning. We're not using it to hide or supress feelings, but instead to remember old friends. What's wrong with that?

    ----

  • Like other members of the Enterprise crew, he's pretty immortal now. Needless to say, how many years will pass before there is an instance in time where he's not being seen, talked about, read about, or thought about.

    Ain't aging a bitch though.
  • I remember Kelley from a number of Westerns, usually playing the bad guy. He will be missed.
  • I'm going to go with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

    I'm going to take a lot of heat from people who think Wrath of Kahn was better. While I agree that Kahn is the best bad guy in Trekdom, I think that the rest of the qualities of VI overcome this.

    The quality of ST6 has to be the highest of any of the films. The directing was fantastic, the score was great and the effects were finally good enough not to be hokey.

    More than that, I find the story to be the most engaging. It provided a really good ending to the series (I consider VI to be the last original series film; Generations just had a couple of guest appearances). It acknowlaged the aging characters while still keeping up the "adventure" feel, it was a look back without being sappy, and it was overall exciting.

    Besides, the battle with the warbird at the end was a blast, especially the way they managed to stay focused on the characters rather than on the effects (Spock and McCoy rigging the torpeado, Sulu showing up with Excelsior to take some of the heat off, etc). Even though you knew what was going to happen ('cause no Klingon ever beats Kirk), it was tense and exciting.

    So, overall, Star Trek 6 was (and is) the best.

    ----

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