actor played bones star trek 2009

Who Is Karl Urban?

Born in New Zealand in 1972, Karl Urban started starring in stage, TV and film productions in his home country. Introduced to American audiences in the series 'Hercules' (1996-98) and 'Xena' (1996-2001), he enjoyed new opportunities after joining The Lord of the Rings installments The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003). Following a string of action-heavy parts in films like The Bourne Supremacy (2004), the actor capably filled the shoes of Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek (2009) and its sequels and delivered a winning comedic performance in Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Beginning in 2019, Urban drew praise for leading the charge of vigilantes in Amazon Prime's dark comedy superhero series 'The Boys.'

How Old Is Karl Urban?

Karl-Heinz Urban was born on June 7, 1972, in Wellington, New Zealand, to immigrant German parents.

Early Years

While he was reportedly pressured to follow his father into the leather-goods manufacturing business, Urban instead was drawn to the profession of his mother, whom worked at a film production and equipment rental company.

From his first, brief television appearance at age eight, Urban began writing his own plays and took part in school theater productions. Enjoying a taste of professional success upon graduating from Wellington College in 1990, he soon dropped out of Victoria University to pursue an acting career full-time.

What Is Karl Urban Known For?

'Shortland Street'

Along with parts in various stage productions, Urban began his career in New Zealand with a recurring role in the police drama 'Shark in the Park' (1990) and appeared in the war film Chunuk Bair (1992). In 1994, he broke ground on 'Shortland Street' as Jamie Forrest, the first openly gay character in the popular soap opera's history, before showing off his equestrian skills in 'Riding High ' (1995-96).

'Hercules,' 'Xena'

Urban first became known to American audiences in the mid-1990s via his multiple roles , including the love god Cupid and Roman dictator Julius Caesar, in the fantasy series 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and its spinoff 'Xena: Warrior Princess.' Meanwhile, his big-screen career was also building steam, as he garnered best supporting actor nominations at the New Zealand Film Awards for his work in the dysfunctional-family dramedy Via Satellite (1998) and the romantic fantasy The Price of Milk (2000).

'The Lord of the Rings'

Urban's performance in The Price of Milk also caught the attention of director Peter Jackson , who cast the rising actor in The Lord of the Rings ’ second and third installments, The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003). Although his part of the warrior Éomer was fairly minor in an epic filled with A-list stars and stunning special effects, Urban nevertheless made his presence felt with his physicality and fierce glare.

'The Chronicles of Riddick,' 'The Bourne Supremacy,' 'Doom'

The mega-success of The Lord of the Rings paved the way for a slew of action roles for Urban: He stared down Vin Diesel as Commander Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004); stalked Matt Damon as a Russian assassin in The Bourne Supremacy ; and gunned down mutants alongside Dwayne Johnson in the video game-inspired Doom (2005). Following a return to his home country to star in Out of the Blue (2006), about a mass shooting in a small New Zealand community, Urban resumed his Hollywood career as the lead of the Viking-era Pathfinder (2007).

'Star Trek'

Urban's career took another defining turn when he played Leonard "Bones" McCoy alongside Chris Pine 's James Kirk and Zachary Quinto 's Spock in a reboot of Star Trek (2009). Along with winning over the members of a devoted fan base, Urban's performance showcased a sense of humor that was largely unknown to those who'd witnessed his previous fare.

"I have no doubt that some people perceived me as just being simply an action guy, but playing 'Bones' went a long way toward convincing them otherwise," he told Tulsa World in 2010. "I can judge that by the number of offers and how often the phone rings since Star Trek came out."

Urban went on to reprise the character for the film sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

'Red,' 'Priest,' 'Dredd'

Part of a star-studded cast assembled for the action-comedy Red (2010), Urban wound up taking his during an extended fight sequence with Bruce Willis , though the pain was offset by the film's critical and commercial success. However, his two follow-up roles, as a vampire hunter in Priest (2011) and as the titular justice-dispensing judge of Dredd (2012), both failed to make a significant impact at the box office. Similarly, Urban's return to television in 2013 as the lead of the futuristic crime drama 'Almost Human' fizzled out after one season despite strong early ratings.

'Thor: Ragnarok'

Following the family films Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) and Pete's Dragon (2016), Urban delivered another fan-favorite performance in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) as Skurge , the weary guard forced into servicing Cate Blanchett 's bloodthirsty Hela. He then appeared in supporting roles in Acts of Vengeance (2017) with Antonio Banderas , and The Hangman (2017), with Al Pacino , before taking the lead in the gritty crime thriller Bent (2018).

Once again diving into comic/graphic novel-inspired property, in 2019 Urban landed the role of vigilante Billy Butcher in Amazon Primes's subversive superhero series 'The Boys.' While part of an ensemble cast, Urban emerged as a clear standout thanks to his cutting one-liners and butt-kicking prowess, his performance helping to drive the popularity of the show through multiple seasons.

Wife and Children

Urban has two sons, Hunter and Indiana, with his ex-wife, makeup artist Natalie Wihongi. The two announced their separation in 2014 following a decade of marriage.

Charities and Personal Life

Urban has been involved with KidsCan, a New Zealand-based charity that assists children mired in poverty. In 2022, he was named a UNICEF ambassador for his native country.

The actor has resisted the urge to plant roots in Hollywood, preferring to make the long flight from his New Zealand home when it comes time for a film or TV project. He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities between shoots, especially fishing and surfing.

Is Karl Urban Related to Keith Urban?

The two celebrities are not related, although the shared last name and birth country has prompted questions about family ties and occasionally a case of mistaken identity: According to Karl Urban, a foreign newspaper once incorrectly reported that he, not the country-music singer Keith Urban, had married actress Nicole Kidman.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Karl Urban
• Birth Year: 1972
• Birth date: June 7, 1972
• Birth City: Wellington
• Birth Country: New Zealand
• Best Known For: New Zealand-born actor Karl Urban won over audiences with his roles in 'The Lord of the Rings,' 'Star Trek' and 'Thor: Ragnarok' before emerging as a star of the popular Amazon Prime series 'The Boys.'
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• Wellington College
• Occupations

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Karl Urban Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/karl-heinz-urban
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: July 11, 2022
• Original Published Date: July 11, 2022
• To me, that's the most important thing in life: building a solid connection with people and having a great time doing the thing that you really love.
• Often people say, 'Wow you are really lucky, look at your career.' To which I respond, 'It's funny, the harder I work, the luckier I seem to get.'
• If I had a dollar for every time I heard that another 'Star Trek' movie was happening, I'd be mortgage-free.

Famous Actors

Olivia Munn

Cillian Murphy & Sterling K. Brown Oscars Grooming

Ryan Gosling’s Oscars Sunglasses

Ryan Gosling

Robert Downey Jr.

Get to Know Oscar Winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Bradley Cooper

Annette Bening

Emily Blunt

Margot Robbie

• Boston Society of Film Critics Award winners
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nominees
• Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award nominees
• View history

He reprised the role in the video game Star Trek , and appeared on card #35, titled Recruit L. McCoy, card #55, titled Cadet L. McCoy, card #82, titled Medical Officer L. McCoy, and card #98, titled Chief Medical Officer L. McCoy, of the 2013 virtual collectible card battle game Star Trek: Rivals .

Outside of Star Trek , Urban is probably best known for his role as Billy Butcher in the Amazon TV series The Boys , which also stars Jack Quaid and featured Urban's Star Trek co-star Simon Pegg in a recurring role. He is also known for his portrayal of Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The Two Towers and The Return of the King .

He is also played notable supporting roles in such films as The Chronicles of Riddick , The Bourne Supremacy and RED and lead roles in films such as Pathfinder and Dredd .

In 2009, Urban was part of the Star Trek ensemble which received a Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award nomination in the category Best Ensemble and won a Boston Society of Film Critics Award in the category Best Ensemble Cast. He shared these awards with Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana , John Cho , Leonard Nimoy , Simon Pegg , Anton Yelchin , Ben Cross , Eric Bana , Clifton Collins, Jr. , Bruce Greenwood , Jennifer Morrison , Chris Hemsworth , Winona Ryder , Faran Tahir , and Tyler Perry . In 2010, Urban was part of the ensemble which received a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination in the category Best Acting Ensemble for Star Trek . In addition, Urban won the Constellation Award for Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie or Miniseries for his work on Star Trek .

Urban has said his favorite Star Trek film is Star Trek: The Motion Picture . [1]

Early life and New Zealand career [ ]

Urban was born in Wellington, New Zealand as Karl-Heinz Urban and was educated at St. Mark's Church School in his hometown and later attended Wellington College, where he began to pursue acting. After graduating from secondary school, Urban won the role of homosexual paramedic Jamie Forrest on the hit New Zealand television series Shortland Street . He appeared on the show during the 1993-1994 season. He then attended the Victoria University of Wellington, but left after one year to continue his acting career.

Shortly after leaving Victoria University, he began appearing on the hit series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , both of which were filmed in his native New Zealand. Between 1996 and 2001, Urban appeared in twelve episodes of Xena and two episodes of Hercules , playing four different characters, primarily those of Cupid and Julius Caesar. He even played a character named Kor, not to be confused with the Klingon of the same name . Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman , the writers and two of the executive producers of Star Trek , were writers and co-executive producers on both Hercules and Xena .

Urban's first major film role was in the thriller Heaven , which was filmed in New Zealand and which opened in the United States in 1999. He continued working in New Zealand, starring in the 2000 films The Irrefutable Truth About Demons , for which he received a New Zealand Screen Award nomination as Best Actor, and The Price of Milk . His performance in the latter film won Urban acclaim as well as a nomination from the New Zealand Film and TV Awards.

In 2000, Urban was cast as Éomer for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, which was filmed in New Zealand. Among the other Star Trek alumni who appeared in these films were Brad Dourif and John Rhys-Davies . With his prominent roles in the Hercules/Xena and LOTR series, in 2009 he would be interviewed in Reclaiming the Blade , a documentary, narrated by Rhys-Davies, about swordsmanship in Hollywood.

In 2006, he played a New Zealand police officer in Out of the Blue based on the infamous 1990 Aramoana Massacre, which won him a New Zealand Film Award in 2008.

International career [ ]

Before he was even cast as McCoy in Star Trek , Urban already had one connection with Star Trek: The Original Series : he co-starred with Walter Koenig (the original Pavel Chekov ) in an unsold science fiction pilot called The Privateers . Several other Star Trek alumni appeared in this movie, including Jack Donner , Ray Proscia , Benjamin W.S. Lum , and Urban's Star Trek co-star, David Jean Thomas .

Urban's first Hollywood production was the 2002 horror thriller Ghost Ship , although the film itself was shot primarily in Australia. Following the releases of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Urban had supporting roles in two 2004 summer blockbusters: The Chronicles of Riddick and The Bourne Supremacy . In the former, he played the role of Vaako and worked with Roger Cross ; he reprised this role in the sequel, Riddick , in 2013. In The Bourne Supremacy he played the Russian assassin Kirill, who was responsible for killing Jason Bourne's girlfriend, Marie. Bourne was played by Matt Damon , who was approached for a role in Star Trek .

Afterward, Urban played the lead role in the 2005 adaptation of the video game Doom , opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson . He then played the lead in the Viking adventure film Pathfinder , in which he worked alongside Clancy Brown . Urban returned to his native New Zealand to star in the 2006 crime drama Out of the Blue , which won him a New Zealand Film Award in the category Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Film. He then played the role of Woodrow Call in the CBS mini-series Comanche Moon (2008).

Urban starred in the 2009 crime drama Black Water Transit , in which he worked with Bill Cobbs . The following year, he was seen in the supporting role of CIA agent William Cooper in the hit action-comedy RED . He then played the vampire villain Black Hat in the action-fantasy film Priest , based on the comic book published by TokyoPop which centers on a war between Humans and vampires. This film also featured Madchen Amick , Alan Dale , Brad Dourif, and Christopher Plummer in the cast; Michael De Luca was one of the producers.

In 2012, Urban starred in the 2012 sci-fi action film Dredd , in which he played the eponymous role of Judge Dredd , based on the comic strip character of the same name. In 2013-14, Urban starred in the FOX science fiction series Almost Human , which was executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk through their Bad Robot banner, however, the series got cancelled after only 13 episodes.

Urban then appeared in the thriller The Loft (2014), the fantasy film Pete's Dragon (2016), and the action film Acts of Vengeance (2017), and the Marvel superhero movie Thor: Ragnarok (2017, starring Chris Hemsworth and featuring Idris Elba , Benedict Cumberbatch , and the voice of Clancy Brown ).

Since 2019, Urban has been starring in the Amazon Prime satirical superhero series The Boys as Billy Butcher, leader of the eponymus vigilante group, alongside Jack Quaid , who co-stars as Hughie Campbell, Jr.

External links [ ]

• Karl Urban at StarTrek.com
• Karl Urban at the Internet Movie Database
• Karl Urban at the Tolkien Wiki
• Karl Urban at Wikipedia
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Jun 7, 2023

The Best of Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

'I told you people, I don't need a doctor. Damn it, I am a doctor.'

StarTrek.com

Karl Urban and I have something in common; we were both born on June 7. However, considering that Urban has contributed much more to the Star Trek franchise than I have, let us focus on his accomplishments.

Faced with inheriting DeForest Kelley's beloved role as Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy in 2009, Urban expertly tackled the daunting task by crafting a persona that harkened back to Kelley's creation and infused the ship's surgeon with the New Zealander's own charm and acting talents.

With three films set in the Kelvin Timeline under his belt, Urban has gifted fans with scene-stealing humor and an array of memorable, character-defining moments.

Star Trek (2009)

" i told you people, i don't need a doctor. damn it, i am a doctor. ".

What better way to introduce Karl Urban's Bones to the galaxy than with a clever riff on the classic "I'm a doctor, not a..." catch phrase ? The cantankerous encounter with a Starfleet officer aboard a shuttlecraft introduced McCoy's aviophobia, reminiscent of Prime McCoy 's distaste for transporters and his irritable (and bearded!) disposition as he arrived on the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Urban made an excellent first impression on audiences...

" I may throw up on you. "

... which continued throughout his initial conversation with James T. Kirk . Despite his argumentative state, McCoy quickly established a cordial repertoire with Kirk. Urban superbly blended a colorful description of stellar perils with a generally welcoming attitude toward the younger cadet. The conversation's easy flow foreshadowed the lifelong friendship that ultimately emerged during their tenure at Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek Into Darkness

" you just stunned our ride ".

As usual, Kirk's fondness for improvisation spelled certain doom for McCoy's well-prepared exit strategy on Nibiru. The doctor's annoyance swiftly subsided as the furious natives pursuing the captain sprinted closer. Leonard's loyalty overrode his analytical mind, sending the doctor on a frantic footrace that ended with an unwelcome plunge over a cliff's edge into Nibiran waters. This brief scene demonstrated McCoy's willingness to follow Kirk's lead, regardless of the unpleasant consequences that often arose.

" I once performed an emergency c-section on a pregnant Gorn. "

Granting Bones and Dr. Carol Marcus their own scene on a planetoid in Klingon space provided an interesting dynamic, one not possible with the typical Kirk/McCoy pairing. Bones' transparent flirtations contrasted superbly with Marcus' calm professionalism, leaving the chief surgeon's commentary about his medical exploits to fall on uninterested ears.

Nevertheless, as the situation transitioned into a dire plight to prevent a torpedo from exploding, the doctors demonstrated their selfless natures as they proved willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save one another.

" Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You were barely dead ."

McCoy's flippant remark downplayed the relief he felt upon seeing his captain return to consciousness following a deadly encounter with the Enterprise 's warp core. Of course, McCoy's cool exterior evaporated when Kirk attributed his resurrection to Spock 's victorious brawl with Khan . Normally tolerant of Jim's remarks, Bones clearly drew the line when it came to giving Spock sole credit for Kirk's recovery. While brief, the trio's interaction in the hospital perfectly summarized their complex friendship's essence.

Star Trek Beyond

" you know me, mr. sensitive. ".

Dr. McCoy's aptitude for assessing Kirk's state of mind allowed him to offer a comforting ear when the captain expressed melancholy over the anniversary honoring both his birth and his father's death. Bones perceived Kirk's self-doubt as a malady that required treatment from a physician and a friend. The doctor's use of alcohol to spark the conversation paralleled his Prime counterpart's Romulan Ale delivery to a pensive Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

" Feeling philosophical, huh? "

Star Trek Beyond scribes Simon Pegg and Doug Jung brilliantly chose to pair Dr. McCoy with Spock following the Enterprise 's destruction at Altamid. This decision, along with masterful performances from Urban and Zachary Quinto, rewarded fans with a heartfelt scene that memorialized Ambassador Spock 's passing. The rare moment of raw emotion between the two began to uncover their mutual respect, setting the stage for their relationship's continued development throughout the film's remaining acts.

" You gave your girlfriend a tracking device? "

Leave it to Bones to break a situation down to its bare components. During the search for Uhura , Sulu and the Enterprise' s surviving crew, Spock surmised that their colleagues could be found by configuring the U.S.S. Franklin 's sensors to identify the Vulcan mineral vokaya.

In addition to fashionably adorning a necklace that Spock had bestowed upon Uhura, vokaya emitted innocuous, yet detectable, radiation. By describing the jewelry as a tracking device, McCoy secured a minor victory in his ongoing verbal sparring match with Spock.

" I'll keep an eye on him ."

Spock's emphatic plea to join Kirk, McCoy and Jaylah on the away mission to rescue Uhura did not fall on deaf ears. Recognizing Spock's love for Nyota, Bones convinced Kirk to permit the injured Vulcan to accompany the team by assuring the captain that monitoring the science officer's condition presented no problems. This marked yet another evolutionary step in the increasing level of trust between Spock and McCoy.

" You really want to head back out there, huh? "

Bones' simple comment, made as Kirk and Spock looked out upon the U.S.S. Enterprise -A's newly constructed frame, resonated on two wavelengths. On one hand, the words represented McCoy's disdain for space exploration and a disbelief that his comrades wished to resume their journey. On the other, the rhetorical question signified Bones' resignation to the notion that he would continue to stand by his friends and tend to their medical needs on their trek through the stars.

This article was originally published on January 4, 2019.

Get Updates By Email

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Karl Urban Struck A Careful Balance When It Came To Playing Star Trek's Bones

JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" reboots were a bold and largely successful attempt to bring the franchise back into mainstream relevancy, reimagining the classic sci-fi series as action/adventure blockbusters. Naturally, for a franchise with one of the oldest fandoms , many people were nervous at the prospect of not only putting a new spin on this universe, but reintroducing these legacy characters with different faces. Though the adventurous nature was there, "Star Trek" has always been a slow and philosophical series more than an action-oriented one. Trekkies felt a legitimate fear that the curious spirit of the original show would be watered down in favor of Hollywood spectacle. 

That's why one of the bolder casting choices was Karl Urban as Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy, the gruff and hot-headed right-hand man to Captain Kirk, portrayed by Chris Pine in the Abrams reboot. Up to that point in his career, Urban had established himself as an action veteran with roles in " The Lord of the Rings " franchise, "The Bourne Supremacy," "The Chronicles of Riddick," and "Doom." Though he certainly had the rugged look to him that was similarly characteristic of Bones McCoy originator DeForest Kelley, it was still up in the air whether or not Urban could capture the nuances of the character based on what audiences had seen in his previous credits.

Urban felt the weight of playing Bones

Abrams encouraged the 2009 cast to approach these characters in a way that felt natural to them first, rather than working towards imitation. In fact, Chris Pine once explained  that the worst thing he could do for his performance was try to replicate William Shatner's Captain Kirk, and he deliberately avoided fan discussion or expectations when crafting his version of that character. 

Urban, however, felt great responsibility when handling the challenge of embodying such a beloved character and making his performance feel as authentic as possible:

"Stepping into such an iconic character that was played so wonderfully well by the late great DeForest Kelley, and really a beloved character ... I felt like as a long-term fan of 'Star Trek' that it was important to see some sort of recognizability, particularly in the character of Bones. For me, it was really about sort of cherry-picking some of the essence of what DeForest Kelley did, and sort of imbuing it into the character, without sort of slipping into some kind of imitation, which wouldn't have been a good move."

Leonard Nimoy cried watching Karl Urban's Bones

Urban's performance as Bones exceeded expectations, and it is a role he still credits as essential in shaping the rest of his career. The highest praise Urban would receive was from the late Leonard Nimoy, originator of the role of Spock, who opened up  at a press conference that he was brought to tears watching Urban onscreen. "That performance of his is so moving, so touching and so powerful as Doctor McCoy, that I think D. Kelley [DeForest] would be smiling, and maybe in tears as well."

Three films later, the whole cast of Abrams' reboots have been so wholeheartedly welcomed by the fandom that it's hard to remember there ever being any hesitation. While there's no dearth of "Star Trek " projects to engage with right now, Trekkies are anticipating the return of the Kelvin timeline with Abrams' fourth film, which was recently announced to the surprise of the cast themselves . Whether the project gets out of pre-production or not, it is clear the excitement to see this new cast is still high, and Urban's commitment to Bones is a key piece of a stronger ensemble.

Birth Date: June 7, 1972

Age: 51 years old, birth place: wellington, new zealand.

A sturdy lead and character actor with a natural affinity for physical roles, Karl Urban rose to popularity with notable roles in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002) and "The Return of the King" (2003), as well as "The Bourne Supremacy" (2004) and "Doom" (2005). Urban excelled at playing men of action, like the proud horseman in Peter Jackson's fantasy epics and the cold-blooded killer in "Bourne," but fans who took the time to explore Urban's cv found more subtle performances in smaller projects like "The Price of Milk" (2000), which cast him as a romance-minded farmer, or "Out of the Blue" (2006), where he played a small town policeman caught in the middle of a shootout. His adaptability in a variety of genres kept him busy in Hollywood features, which reached a high point when he was cast as Dr. McCoy in J. J. Abrams' origin story for "Star Trek" (2009). It also made him a capable and highly watchable actor whose star continued to ascend with each subsequent project.

Born Karl-Heinz Urban in Wellington, New Zealand on June 7, 1972, his father was a German-born manufacturer of leather goods, while his mother worked at a production company in Wellington. Her job there afforded him his first screen appearance at age eight in an episode of the television series "Pioneer Women." Urban's interest in acting was further encouraged by performances in school, in addition to shooting some short films. At 18, he made his professional debut as a heroin addict in the police drama "Shark in the Park." More work soon followed, including a small role in the World War I drama "Chunuk Bair" (1992) and supporting turns on the long-running medical drama "Shortland Street" (TVNZ, 1992- ) and the syndicated adventure "White Fang" (1993-1994).

After years of television and local theater work, Urban's hard work paid off with international exposure on "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (syndicated/USA, 1995-99) and "Xena: Warrior Princess" (syndicated, 1995-2001). Urban played several different roles on both series, including Roman emperor Julius Caesar and Cupid. His popularity among fans of both shows facilitated a co-starring role in a spin-off series, "Amazon High" (syndicated, 1997), which never blossomed past the pilot stage. Undaunted, Urban returned to feature films in New Zealand, where he played a wide variety of character parts; first, as a villain in "Heaven" (1998) and later, as a cameraman who falls for an Olympic competitor in "Via Satellite" (1998).

By the turn of the new millennium, Urban was finally landing leads in features. In "The Irrefutable Proof About Demons" (2000), he was a skeptical anthropology professor whose investigation into Satanic cult activity puts him in jeopardy, while in the offbeat romantic fantasy "The Price of Milk" (2000), he was a lovelorn dairy farmer whose beloved (Danielle Cormack) attempts to undo his plans to make her his bride. Both films earned him Best Actor nominations at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards, as well as the attention of director Peter Jackson, who cast him in "The Two Towers" after viewing a rough cut of "Milk."

In the second film in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Urban played Eomer, proud nephew of Theoden (Bernard Hill), king of the nation of Rohan, who suffers under the machinations of the evil wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and his duplicitous henchman Grima (Brad Dourif). Eomer eventually joins the remainder of the Fellowship in their fight against the forces of evil in both "Towers" and the sequel, "The Return of the King" (2003), which at its conclusion, finds Eomer assuming the throne of Gondor after the noble death of his uncle. The exposure afforded to Urban by the trilogy's international box-office windfall translated into a career in Hollywood features, which began in earnest in 2002 with the release of "Ghost Ship," an ocean-bound ghost story which failed to generate much heat in theaters. Faring only slightly better was "The Chronicles of Riddick" (2004), an overblown sequel to the Vin Diesel futuristic horror film "Pitch Black" (2000), with Urban as a villainous general in pursuit of Diesel's genetically altered hero."

The Bourne Supremacy" (2004) gave Urban his first stateside hit since "The Lord of the Rings" and a chilling character in Kirill, a dogged and seemingly indestructible Russian hit man assigned to kill Matt Damon's amnesiac super soldier. He followed this with "Doom" (2005), a movie adaptation of the popular and bloody video game of the same name. Despite the game's massive fan base and the presence of wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the cast, the film failed to exceed expectations in ticket sales. Urban then returned to New Zealand to give a subtle and emotionally driven performance in "Out of the Blue" (2006), a harrowing account of the 1990 Aramoana Massacre, in which a lone gunman claimed the lives of 13 people in a small New Zealand town. Urban was praised for his turn as a local constable, Nick Harvey, who struggled to contain his own horror at the rampage while contending with the unstable killer.

Urban's name was one of many actors bandied about by the press as a replacement for Pierce Bronson as James Bond in the long-running franchise; however, Daniel Craig was eventually named as the new 007, and Urban went on to star in "Pathfinder" (2007), an underwhelming adventure-fantasy about a young Viking boy, raised by early Native Americans after the death of his traveling party, who then grows up to fight a wave of Vikings in the New World. Urban made his debut on American television in "Comanche Moon" (CBS, 2008), which again told an early adventure of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove heroes, Woodrow F. Call and Augustus McCrae. Critics met the two-night miniseries with largely negative reviews.

Urban completed his role as a crooked smuggler opposite Laurence Fishburne in Tony Kaye's New Orleans-based thriller "Black Water Transit" prior to setting the Internet abuzz by being cast as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in J.J. Abrams' sci-fi reboot "Star Trek" (2009). Urban, who had been a fan of the original series, actively pursued the role and was pleased by the amount of humor the role afforded him, having not had a chance to flex that muscle since "The Price of Milk." Urban's turn was particularly memorable due to his flawless approximation of actor DeForest Kelley, who played Bones in the original "Trek" franchise. In 2010, he turned up as one of the younger cast members in the action movie "Red," starring luminaries such as Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren, and later appeared as the enigmatic Black Hat in the vampire-centric adventure film "Priest" (2011).

Urban next took up the mantle of the imposing comic-book hero Judge Dredd for the movie reboot "Dredd" (2013). Although the gritty, firearms-filled movie wasn't a major financial success, it impressed both diehard fans and less-devoted viewers, largely due to his convincingly steely turn. In 2013, Urban kept his sci-fi/action run going strong, portraying Dr. McCoy once again in the tense sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" and appearing in another franchise installment with the scrappy, pared-down space tale "Riddick," once again featuring Diesel. Returning to television during the same year, he took the lead in the Abrams-produced futuristic cop show "Almost Human" (Fox, 2013-14), working opposite Michael Ealy's emotive android.

Ark: The Animated Series Stream

The Sea Beast Stream

Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys Stream

The Boys Stream

Wrestling: WWE SmackDown!

Thor: Ragnarok Stream

Acts of vengeance, building star trek, syfy presents: live from comic-con.

Star Trek Beyond Stream

Pete's dragon.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Stream

Almost Human Stream

Almost human: extras, walking with dinosaurs.

Star Trek Into Darkness Stream

Riddick Stream

Dredd Stream

Priest Stream

And Soon the Darkness

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Black water transit.

Star Trek Stream

Comanche moon, out of the blue.

Doom Stream

The Chronicles of Riddick Stream

The Bourne Supremacy Stream

Jimmy Kimmel Live! Stream

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Stream

The lord of the rings: the two towers.

Ghost Ship Stream

The irrefutable truth about demons, the price of milk, via satellite.

Xena: Warrior Princess Stream

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Stream

News about Karl Urban

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Sets Summer Premiere as Homelander Teams With Victoria Neuman (PHOTO)

‘The Boys’: Homelander Manipulates the Masses in First Season 4 Teaser (VIDEO)

‘Almost Human’ Turns 10: Where Are the Short-Lived Sci-Fi Series’ Stars Now?

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Sets Premiere With New Billy Butcher & Homelander Posters (PHOTOS)

Spoiler Alert

‘gen v’ showrunner breaks down that homelander finale twist, ‘the boys’ connection & more.

‘The Boys’ Blooper Reel: See the Stars Get Silly on the Set of Season 3 (VIDEO)

‘The Boys’ Team Teases Start of Season 4 Production (PHOTOS)

‘The Boys’ Showrunner Teases What (and Who) Is Next for The Seven & Co.

Chaos Reigns & Heads Explode in ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Finale (RECAP)

‘The Boys’ Ruminates on Fathers & Sons—and Drops the Grandaddy of All Plot Twists (RECAP)

Best Lines of the Week (June 17-23): ‘I Will Do What I Must’

‘The Boys’: ‘Herogasm’ Will Leave Fans Sweaty & Satisfied (RECAP)

‘The Boys’: A Lot Happens in ‘The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies’ (RECAP)

‘The Boys’ Renewed for Season 4 at Prime Video

‘The Boys’: It All Goes Wrong for Stan Edgar in ‘Glorious Five-Year Plan’ (RECAP)

‘The Boys’ Turns Back the Clock to Introduce Soldier Boy (RECAP)

‘The Boys’: Listen Up — It’s Time Meet the Real Homelander! (RECAP)

‘The Boys’ Season 3 Premiere: Remember That Ant-Man Joke? (RECAP)

‘The Boys’: Everything You Need to Remember Before Season 3

‘The Boys’ Season 3 Trailer: Could Soldier Boy Be Butcher’s Secret Weapon? (VIDEO)

‘The Boys’: 5 Questions Raised by the First Season 3 Teaser

‘The Boys’: Soldier Boy Arrives & Billy Butcher Transforms in Season 3 Teaser (VIDEO)

‘The Boys’: Billy Butcher Takes the Spotlight in Season 3 First Look (PHOTO)

12 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows We’re Looking Forward to in 2022

Where ‘The Boys’ Left Off, and the ‘Meditation on Toxic Masculinity’ Coming in Season 3

‘The Boys’ Season 3 Wraps Production – See the Cast’s Reactions

‘The Boys’ Stars & Boss Take to Social Media to Share Season 3’s First Day of Shooting (PHOTOS)

7 Questions We Need Answered in ‘The Boys’ Season 3

‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Turns 25: Little-Known Facts About the Fantasy Series

Homelander & Butcher Go Head-to-Head in ‘The Boys’ Season 2 Trailer (VIDEO)

Where ‘The Boys’ Characters Pick Up in Season 2

‘The Boys’ Will Be Back! Amazon Renews Series for Season 3

‘The Boys’ Are ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ in Amazon’s Season 2 Trailer (VIDEO)

5 Things to Remember Ahead of ‘The Boys’ Season 2

‘The Boys’ Are Back! Amazon Unveils Season 2 Premiere Date & Sneak Peek (PHOTO)

Everything We Know About ‘The Boys’ Season 2 So Far

‘The Boys’ Season 2 Trailer Takes the Action & Carnage to Another Level (VIDEO)

What ‘The Boys’ Told Us Before Their Kick-Ass Show Kicked Off (VIDEO)

7 Questions We Need Answered in ‘The Boys’ Season 2 (PHOTOS)

‘The Boys’ Cast and Showrunner Tease R-Rated Characters, Action & More (VIDEO)

‘The Boys’ Final Trailer Teases a Bitter Battle Against Bad Superheroes (VIDEO)

‘The Boys’ at NYCC: Simon Pegg’s Panel Surprise, ‘Depraved’ Superheroes & Changes From the Comics

• March 25, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Showrunner Drops Hints For Each Season 5 Episode
• March 24, 2024 | Review: Action-Packed ‘Star Trek: Picard: Firewall’ Reveals Seven’s Compelling Quest For Identity
• March 22, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Digs Into Star Trek Business News And Reflects On The New William Shatner Documentary
• March 21, 2024 | Filming On The ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Streaming Movie Has Wrapped
• March 21, 2024 | Check Out New Posters Celebrating The Final Season Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Karl Urban On How Bones Changed His Career & Star Trek Sequel

| October 14, 2010 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 65 comments so far

Urban planning to have fun with Trek next year + says Bones role changed career

Karl is out promoting the action comedy Red , which opens this weekend. Here is a clip of him on Extra talking about the film, Dredd and returning to Star Trek , confirming again that shooting is planned for "mid next year", and he once again calls the team behind the film "a bunch of Einsteins" going on to say "they are going to create something special". The actor says he doesn’t know what is in store for his character of McCoy but he expects it to be "a lot of fun.’

Urban also made a similar statement to Newsarama when asked if he was nervous about the second Star Trek film. The actor replied:

I think it would be dangerous for anybody to take their eye off the ball. While we had a huge amount of fun making ‘Star Trek’, we were also hyper focused on what we were doing. But I have a huge degree of confidence in J.J. and the writers. I think they’re like a bunch of geniuses making it together so I know they will cook up something special.

In an interview with TulsaWorld , the actor talked about how Star Trek has changed his career, but even he can’t get secrets out of JJ Abrams. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

“I have no doubt that some people perceived me as just being simply an action guy, but playing ‘Bones’ went a long way toward convincing them otherwise,” he said. “I can judge that by the number of offers and how often the phone rings since ‘Star Trek’ came out.” Urban offers no details on the “Star Trek” sequel planned for 2012 other than to say that shooting begins sometime next year. “Prying information out of (“Trek” director) J.J. Abrams is a difficult task, but I’m really looking forward to climbing aboard the Enterprise again,” Urban said.

Karl was also the guest this week on Jimmy Kimmel Live along with Red co-star Bruce Willis. He didn’t talk Trek, but here is the video anyway (including a clip of him fighting Willis in Red ).

[ Part 2 | Part 3 ]

And here is Karl on G4’s Attack of the Show talking more about Red and giving some details on Dredd as well.

Trailer for Urban’s "And Soon The Darkness"

A while back Karl Urban shot a low budget remake of the horror film And Soon The Darkness. The film is now slated for release on December 17th in limited release, and then on DVD and Blu-ray December 28th. Here is the new trailer.

Karl Urban captured the essence of Dr. McCoy better than any other member of the cast in Star Trek 2009. I hope he gets more screen time in the sequel.

Karl Urban’s Bones was a wonderful homage, the closest to a spot on rendition, without being a spoof or mechanical impersonation. Obviously a guy with a love for the show, as well. It shows in his acting.

Karl Urban was quite simply the best cast member of the crew. He nailed it, he channeled DeForest Kelly in ways us mere mortals cannot. The second best would have to be Simon Pegg as Scotty.

Karl is a terrific actor and a Trekkie. I’ve been his fan since he played Cupid on Hercules. Can’t wait to see his role expanded in the Trek.

“A log of fun”? Is hat an Aussie expression?

Well, I certainly hope that they do get more into the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship that we all know and love. That’ll give Karl more to have a log of fun with.

Bruce Willis for Picards grandpop!

@6: Bruce Willis is bald and awesome, but he’s about as French as an all-dressed pizza, so regretfully, no. ;)

Great Karl…..BUT still exaggerating about the Einsteins……hmmmm!!!

8 — Agreed. He is way too fast and loose with that term and “geniuses.” The writers and producers are neither. The film was not that great.

8 and 9 — this was the best reboot of all time. Quit smoking that weed…I mean medicinal marijuana…please. :-)

Karl Urban is a klassy actor. :-)

J.J Abrams was obviously smart enough to cast Karl Urban, who nailed his character the best and (probably) made DeForrest Kelley smile in the afterlife.

I doubt very many fans, including you two, would’ve had the foresight to cast Mr.Urban.

So let’s give J.J Abrams and the writers some much deserved credit for bringing back Star Trek with “Star Trek”.

And one more thing: More Mcoy. More Karl Urban. More Kirk, Spock, McCoy moments. That would be great, thatnks.

P.S I honestly believe, with the right script and dialogue, that Karl Urban can be nominated for an Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor” as Dr. Leonard McCoy. That would be historic. That would be sweet.

that should be “More McCoy” as well as “thanks” instead of “thatnks”!

DAMN TYPOS!!

Best reboot… nah. It’s a pretty good movie, but it’s far from knocking sliced-bread off its golden pedestal.

I think the honor of best reboot should go to Casino Royale—intelligent script, top notch direction and acting, and the first Bond flick in a long time to make Bond seem like an actual government agent and not a Playboy Club member looking for his lost key.

But isn’t it sad that now we argue about which reboot is the greatest and not which MOVIE?! Or… maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m just being nostalgic for the time when ‘reboot’ was only used in computer manuals and on Saturday morning TV. ;)

“Batman Begins” was great as well!

D’oh! I forgot all about Batman Begins! Hmmm…. now I’m not so sure. I’ve been a Batman fan a lot longer than a Bond or Star Trek fan….

Well… as the Black Knight said, “All right. We’ll call it a draw!” :D

They rebooted Batman when they made it a comedy in the 1960’s camp TV version of it. :-) “Holy comic book parody, Batman!”

I DEMAND MY FAIR SHARE OF SCREENTIME! Oh, and maybe a shot of Scotty caressing my transfer coils…mmm (He always did have a thing for me) And LOSE THE FLASH GORDAN NACELLS, I prefer the utilitarian look, with the pulsating ruby buzzard collectors. Don’t forget, I’m a big part of what Star Trek is all about. Them red, gold, and blue shirted guys just press the buttons, but it’s ME that $ave$ the day. Show a lady some respect.

Casino Royale and Batman Begins were solid reboots. But I still like the original “Batman” reboot in the 80’s better (not the series, just the first movie compared one-on-one to “Batman Begins”), and Casino Royale pales in comparison to the 60’s Connery Bond movies.

Ha! If Urban needs more info on what’s going to happen in the next Trek, tell him to come here! We always figure it out before anyone else, that and Orci shows up and blabs…I mean confirms our suspicious…

That, and Urban/McCoy needs more screen time. He was absolutely amazing. I would swear he was channeling Kelly. What a professional.

#17 & #19

I don’t think the Batman series or Batman ’89 were necessarily reboots; they were simply reflecting the Batman comics of their respective periods. Just look at Batman comics of the 50’s and 60’s before the series aired. They were cartoonish and campy—just like the show. Then look at Batman comics of the 70’s and 80’s before Tim Burton made his movie. They were darker with a more serious tone—just like the movie.

It was What’s-His-Face who ‘rebooted’ the Batman movies (Batman Forever and that other one that shall go unmentioned) by making them more campy. Thank God for Nolan rebooting it back.

Ugh. Could we retire the word ‘reboot?’

I loved Star Trek, however I feel we should have the original triplet of Kirk, Spock and Bones back.

Uhura just did not interest me, sure have her romance Spock that’s fine. At the end of the day it’s just I’m no fan of Miss Saldana, then again I suppose I could always be proved wrong eh Mr Orci? :-)

Vultan, good points. I think that Batman is endlessly fascinating because he’s so human and superhuman at the same time, without being literally almost invulnerable.

Superman is fundamentally a superbeing that tries hard to be human; Batman is human who has achieved being superhuman.

The two are opposite sides of the same coin.

I like modern mythology a great deal.

Someone once said that in a sense, Superman is the disguise for Clark Kent rather than the other way around. That’s an interesting way to look at it. If that’s true, then is Bruce Wayne the disguise for Batman?

Batman came first, since Bruce the millionaire was, first, the child who saw his parents murdered — the child who was the sine qua non of Batman. In that sense, Batman existed before millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.

Very good points, Hat Rick.

There’s a scene in Kill Bill Vol. 2 where the character of Bill gives a wonderful speech about the identity issues of Superman/Clark Kent you mentioned. I don’t really remember how the speech fits into the scene (it’s Tarantino you know!), but it really makes you think about Superman in a whole new way. At least it did for me.

And I do think that Batman is the real Bruce Wayne… or at least it’s his inner, angrier child that continually takes over and lashes out at those he perceives to be in the same league as the man who killed his parents—call it childhood wish-fulfillment!

And the same goes for the Watchmen’s Rorschach… but in a much darker way. :)

I thought Karl Urban was terrible casting when he was first announced in the role and now he’s without a doubt my favourite actor from the new cast. I think this time around I’m going to keep an open mind regarding any news and announcements. I’m still hoping the sequel is going to shy away from doing Khan but if they do go down that route then I’m not going to get too upset about it.

There was Oscar talk re: Urban’s Bones (that some would call it mimicry but it definitely made the movie and he should have gotten a supporting actor nom) from at least one major newspaper (canada’s National Post). Maybe next time.

MORE BONES IN 2012 !!! The trinity of KIrk(Action/leadership), Spock (Logic/reason), McCoy (humanity/compassion) was missing in the first movie. ….maybe missing is too harsh, but it was not a major theme as it should be!

26. I agree. They got the spirit of the thing right.

Agree CDR – infact they missed most of the essence of StarTrek in the first movie.

I think the ingenuity of Star Trek (2009) was creating something that was neither a reboot, prequel and sequel but all at the same time. They managed to push the movie in a new direction while still following the story that came before. Being fond of canon, I would have been bothered by a clean reboot that just ignored everything. That would have created an us vs them atmosphere in Star Trek. But doing it the way they did avoided that and allowed total fans like myself enjoy and accept the new Star Trek without feeling we are writing off everything that happened before.

I love the Bond movies. The reboot worked well there, partly because each Bond movie is really a self contained movie anyway, as opposed to a sequel (except for Quantum of Solace). A side note–I hope MGM gets their act together. I am anxious for the next 007 film also.

I also give them kudos for picking the cast. Urban and Greenwood were definitly at the top of the list.But the entire cast did a good job (Yelchin needs a little work though, of all, he seemed most like he was mocking the original actor).

While ST09 was not MY ST…I am willing to cut some slack since it at least brought ST back to the screen and generated some excitement from even admited previous non-fans like Mario. That being said, I am hopeful that more of the essence of TOS will come out in ST12 and still continue the positives in ST09.

Until then, it is definitely NOT the best reboot or original movie around. I am okay with the recasting of TOS without trying to be totally Shatner-Nimoy-Kelly and the others–the alternate universe certainly gives the actors room to reimage the characters in their own likeness. Like others here have noted, I too think that Urban best captured Kelly’s McCoy without trying to be Kelly playing McCoy.

So, in true Trek fashion…there are always possibilities!

Battlestar might be the best reboot, but Star Trek could be too.

I think the consensus is unanimous: more Urban/McCoy and more Kirk/Spock/McCoy “stuff.”

#25 – “Watchman” was unwatchable — a train wreck of a movie.

28 and 30 — Bones/Kirk and Spock had just met for the main portion of the movie, so it would not have been believable is the three of them started behaving in TOS-mode instantly — that would have looked force. The movie showed it developing though, which is as it should be. I will expect in the next movie that we will see more of TOS-mode behavior between the three.

35. That’s what I heard, but when I rented it I ended up loving it! As in all things, it’s all a matter of taste.

Actually, I agree with you about Watchmen (it’s the only movie I’ve ever walked out on), but I was referring to the comic book Rorschach.

That is, the comic book character of Rorschach, not his own comic book—you know what I mean.

Karl Urban is a class act. Let’s hope JJ & Co get the Kirk/Spock/McCoy balance right in the next movie.

Urban was also great in the Lord of the Rings

The casting of Trek 2009 was amazing, and Karl Urban by far the best of all! Can’t wait for the sequel! I love the Kirk/Spock/McCoy relationship dynamic as well but hope the other characters are not left in the background as set decorations… please develop the triumvirate but not at the expense of the entire team. Sulu,Uhura, Scotty & Chekov need vital screen time too!

#41 — Check out a little known gem called “Pathfinder” — a surprisingly good action movie with Urban in the lead. Vikings meet American Indians in the 10th century and all hell breaks loose.

#1 of course he captured the likeness of bones better then any other cast member (He’s the one who played him, remember.) I’m kidding…. your correct, he did an excellent job. I was a fan of him from LOTR and Star Trek only solidified that.

He’s from New Zealand not Australia.

As much as they might try to defy the odds, there is world of difference between us.

He’s from New Zealand not Australia.

#45 & #46

One world of difference… coming from a cloned Aussie. It’s the Twilight Zone!

Is he still calling JJ an Einstein?

Hey, who knows? He could be making a Back to the Future reference.

In addition to playing Cupid, he also played Julius Caesar in Xena. The show actually had a great supporting cast.

Star Trek (2009) Cast and Crew

Star Trek: Alternate Reality Collection

J.J. Abrams' cinematic re-envisioning of the Star Trek universe portrayed by a new cast, and set in an alternate reality from earlier films and series (referred to as the "Kelvin" timeline).

Movie Recommendations

Featured News

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Movie trailers.

Flip through today’s papers

AMNY Newsletter

Tackle the city, with our help..

Manage your settings.

Karl Urban in ‘Star Trek Beyond’: Becoming the real McCoy

Stepping into an iconic role is never an easy task, and the re-cast crew of the “Star Trek” franchise get to do it for a third time.

Karl Urban, a New Zealand actor famous for playing Eomer in the last two “Lord of Rings” movies, took over the role of belovedly grumpy Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy from DeForest Kelley, who originated the character in the original “Star Trek” television series.

“Star Trek Beyond,” in theaters July 22, marks Urban’s third turn in the role, and the actor says he believes that it’s “probably the most well-defined version of the character that I’ve had the pleasure of playing.”

In this film, we get to see his true friendship with [Captain James T.] Kirk; you get to see him be a consigliere and adviser. … And through the course of the movie, I spend an amazing amount of time with Zach Quinto’s Spock, and that’s a real opportunity to explore the relationship between those two characters, for both of those characters to come to an understanding on a deeper level what the other represents and where the other’s coming from. For Bones, there were just a lot of wonderful shades of the character that I was able to bring forward, whether it was his compassion and understanding emotionally for where Spock was at, or his bravery and courage in looking after Spock and not abandoning him, his fear of the situation they were in and his use of humor to keep the morale of the both of them up. And his willingness to live and survive — there’s a lot of wonderful shades.

I think my favorite aspect of his relationship with Kirk is represented in the bar scene between the two of them, where you see two good friends sharing a drink and Kirk being able to sort of express his existential dilemma and Bones being able to listen and offer a sound piece of advice. And as far as Bones’ relationship with Spock, I enjoy any time that they get to argue, or the two of them get to have that great banter, it’s always a lot of fun. I particularly like the scene in the transporter where Bones discovers Spock has sold him down the river and requested that Bones accompany him on a dangerous mission. And Bones’ response to that is typically Bones.

I can. The character of McCoy is somebody who has experienced his share of pain and loss through life. And I feel like there is somewhat of an irascible shell that he wears to protect himself, but the great thing about the character in this movie is you really get to see what’s beneath that. You get to see a softer side of the character. He lets his guard down in this film, and I think for me, probably, it was part of the process of making the character my own. It was important for me to still imbue the character with those familiar elements of DeForest, it was also an opportunity to take the character in a new direction.

That’s the great thing about McCoy, he’s really a bit of a jack of all trades. You can throw him into any situation. He might grumble about it, but he’ll thrive. In this one, I get to fly an alien spaceship and do heroic things, and that’s kind of a part of the fun.

It was an enjoyable experience. Justin came in and was very sensitive to respecting the core of this cast and he brought in a real passion for “Star Trek” — he was a fan of it growing up as a kid. He was able to take that knowledge and infuse it with this wonderful visual action style that he’s synonymous for and deliver an action-packed fun ride full of special effects and thrills and also some poignant emotional moments, and I think he’s done a fantastic job.

Yeah, I think that the challenge was to not only honor the 50 years that had come before, but to also explore new territory, and “Star Trek” has always been a cult of personality. It’s about the characters, and I think Justin did a great job of infusing the story with an energy and a dynamism, and I think he was successfully able to build upon what J.J. established in ’09. … It’s about this eclectic group of diverse characters who work together, and that’s the essential message of this film — we are stronger together than we are apart.

Simon emailed us an early draft and he said, “Look, if there’s anything you’d like to see in this that’s not in there, please let me know and we’ll work together.” That was really the basis of the working relationship for having one of our own who was there for us and accessible and a great conduit for us to really be able to express these characters on a deeper level. There are many beats, and in some cases scenes, that came from that that are in the film and it was a wonderful collaborative experience. It’s just a shame that Simon gets the credit for it. [Laughs]

Well I think the most profound change, and the thing that I value the most, is the friends that I’ve made. This cast is unlike anything I’ve worked with in the past, apart from “Lord of the Rings,” which was a very similar experience. But we’re a tight group, and there’s a real bond between us. We really are a family and we’ve now experienced coming up on 10 years of this phenomenon and there’s been highs and lows. Some of us have families now, some of us were married and are no longer married and of course we’ve recently lost, a devastating loss, of losing Anton [Yelchin]. We’ve been through a lot together.

It’s absolutely devastating. There’s nothing that can prepare you for the loss of a family member and certainly we all continue to mourn him and grieve him and it hits you in the most unexpected ways and most unexpected times.

I’m about to go down to Australia for “Thor: Ragnarok” with Chris Hemsworth and directed by Taika Waititi, and I’m really looking forward to that. A lot of my stuff is with Cate Blanchett, and even though we were in “Lord of the Rings” together, I never shared any scenes with her and I have such a huge respect for her and her work and I’m really excited for that and I look forward to that.

About the Author

Things to do in nyc.

Post an Event

DRAG BINGO IN PARK SLOPE Rullo’s

Easter at the Mount Mount Loretto

Pinocchio: A Dance/Theater Performance for Families Theatre Row

Celebrate Easter Sunday at Marble Collegiate Church Marble Collegiate Church

Sesame Street Live! Say Hello Kings Theatre

Bluey’s Big Play Kings Theatre

View All Events…

Jobs in New York

Add your job.

• MDG Design & Construction LLC Section 3 Work Opportunity
• Panera Bread (Doherty Enterprises) Restaurant Assistant Managers/AGMs
• Publishers Circulation Fulfillment, Inc Newspaper Delivery Driver- Early mornings – PT

View all jobs…

Related Articles

More from around NYC

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres secures over $18M in funding for Bronx projects

BREAKING: Cop shot in Queens during apparent gun battle with suspect, sources say

Man arrested in connection to fatal Bath Beach fire claims innocence during walk-out

Joan Gibbs, renowned lesbian activist and attorney, dies at 71

• The A.V. Club
• The Takeout
• The Inventory

Leonard 'Bones' McCoy Was the True Heart of Star Trek

When most people think of Star Trek , they of course think of Kirk and Spock . This isn’t surprising, as they were the star and the break-out character of the series, but it’s easy to forget that they were two members of a triumvirate that made up the essence of the show. Ship’s doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy was the third, and just as integral in making Star Trek a joy to watch.

While Spock was all cold logic and Kirk was fiery passion, Bones was the heart of the Enterprise crew. He was the one who made the plea to do the right thing, who reminded the others of the potential cost of obeying logic or the Prime Directive. McCoy also was the true audience surrogate of the show, saying the things we yelled at the TV. The crew of the Enterprise did run into some completely ridiculous phenomena, and none of it would have worked if McCoy wasn’t there to say “Of course you save their lives, you idiots!” and “How in the universe is this happening to us?”

What makes Bones so fascinating is that he clearly didn’t want to be there. He wasn’t a full believer in the Starfleet mission. He hated space and ships and Starfleet, but he went out there and did his job every single time, no matter what insanity he encountered. Remember “The Devil in the Dark?” Can you imagine starting out life as a doctor in your home state and then finding yourself being asked to treat this?

McCoy complained, but he did it. Because he was a doctor and that was his job. And Kirk ordered him to. McCoy’s history isn’t epic and tragic like Kirk’s or unique like Spock’s. Which is why he, despite being an actual genius, insisted over and over that he was just a country doctor.

And when I say McCoy complained, I mean he complained all the time. About everything, but mostly Spock. Just think about how much life Star Trek would have lost without Bones for Kirk to talk to or for Spock to spar with:

Spock: I’m happy the affair is over. A most annoying emotional episode. McCoy: Smack right in the old heart. Oh, I’m sorry. [pointing to his side] In your case, it would be about here. Spock: The fact that my internal arrangement differs from yours, Doctor, pleases me no end.

(I would literally watch Spock and McCoy trade barbs over any other duo in all of Star Trek ’s 50 years.)

In between insults, grumpiness, and straight-up bitching, McCoy was also responsible for delivering messages about the human condition more than anyone else on the show. Kirk had the mission, Spock his logic, but what McCoy cared about was his patients—and that made him closer to people than he was to anything else.

One of Star Tre k’s primary messages is about the importance of the balance within ourselves. (It’s why several episodes revolve around characters splitting into two halves.) McCoy was an integral part of that equation for TOS, just like DeForest Kelley was integral is making Bones the perfect mix of grumpy and compassionate, prickly but still so essentially humane.

Kelley may not have received the same level of fame as William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy, and Bones might not have gotten the flashiest scenes. But Dr. McCoy was still the heart of the whole show, and it would have never taken off without him. Bones may not have wanted to be in space at all, but thank goodness he was.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one pl... Read all The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time. The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.

• J.J. Abrams
• Roberto Orci
• Alex Kurtzman
• Gene Roddenberry
• Zachary Quinto
• 1.6K User reviews
• 532 Critic reviews
• 82 Metascore
• 27 wins & 95 nominations total

• Spock Prime

• (as Zoë Saldana)

• Amanda Grayson

• George Kirk

• Winona Kirk

• Captain Robau

• Officer Pitts
• (as Antonio Elias)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Simon Pegg did not audition for the role - he simply received an email from J.J. Abrams asking if he would like to play Scotty. Pegg said he would have done this for free, or even paid Abrams to be in this film, if he had not been offered a role.
• Goofs After Spock boards the Vulcan ship on board the mining vessel, Kirk is seen walking through some pipes. His Starfleet phaser has switched to a Romulan gun (longer barrel and no lights), before switching back to the Starfleet one again in the next scene. He actually acquires the Romulan gun a few scenes later.

Spock Prime : James T. Kirk!

James T. Kirk : Excuse me?

Spock Prime : How did you find me?

James T. Kirk : Whoa... how do you know my name?

Spock Prime : I have been and always shall be your friend.

James T. Kirk : Wha...

[shakes head]

James T. Kirk : Uh... look... I-I don't know you.

Spock Prime : I am Spock.

James T. Kirk : Bullshit.

• Crazy credits The first part of the closing credits is styled after the opening credits of Star Trek (1966) , where the starship Enterprise blasts off into space as a monologue describes its mission, and then the cast names appear as the famous "Star Trek" theme music plays.
• Connections Edited into De wereld draait door: Episode #4.157 (2009)
• Soundtracks Theme from 'Star Trek' TV Series Written by Alexander Courage & Gene Roddenberry

User reviews 1.6K

• briancham1994
• Aug 9, 2020

Reboots & Remakes

• If this premise is that an alternate timeline created when Nero traveled back in time, then what happened to James Kirk's older brother, Sam, aka George Samuel Kirk Jr.?
• How can Spock's mother still be alive years later (original series) when she dies earlier on in this movie ?
• What is Star Trek about?
• May 8, 2009 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Star Trek: The Future Begins
• Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA (Vulcan)
• Paramount Pictures
• Spyglass Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $150,000,000 (estimated)
• $257,730,019
• $75,204,289
• May 10, 2009
• $385,681,768

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 7 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos
• 2.35 : 1 (original ratio)
• 2.39 : 1 (original ratio)

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Star Trek: There's a Good Reason Kirk Calls McCoy 'Bones'

Star Trek's Leonard "Bones" McCoy had his nickname even before he was a character, and there's a fairly simple reason behind its origin.

Dr. Leonard McCoy forms the third part of Star Trek ’s “holy trinity,” along with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. He’s also the only one of the three with a nickname: “Bones,” a references to his role profession as a physician. The The 2009 film reboot was very specific about the origin of McCoy's nickname, but the original character never received an official explanation. It was part of the original concept of  Star Trek  – predating even the character of Leonard McCoy – and was another early sign of the kind of attention to detail that made the show a classic.

Roddenberry’s original pitch for the show included a specific reference to a doctor named “Bones.” It wasn’t Dr. McCoy, but instead Philip Boyce (played by veteran actor John Hoyt), who served under Christopher Pike in "The Cage," and who was replaced, along with most of the rest of the cast, for the show’s second pilot. Nevertheless, the nickname transferred over, and was used in almost every episode when Kirk referred to his chief medical officer. Clearly, it held some especial importance to creator Gene Roddenberry.

RELATED:  Star Trek: Next Generation's Weirdest Episode Was Basically Just Copied From The Original Series

“Bones” is short for “sawbones,” a term from the early 19th century that referred to a doctor’s often-gruesome practice of amputating injured limbs. The implications provide a great deal of character development in a single word. In the first place, it suggests the Enterprise’s mission is a dangerous one, akin to combat, and that the ship’s surgeon is there to repair injuries as much as study new diseases or find new medicines.

But it also suggests something about the character himself, a self-described “country doctor” who can be cantankerous and difficult at times. The “sawbones” name suggests a figure devoted to “practical” medicine, who does what works without necessarily following medical procedure. It’s very much in keeping with McCoy. In fact, before Star Trek , actor DeForest Kelley, like many of his fellow cast members, was largely known for his roles in Westerns ( Gunfight at the O.K. Corral , Warlock, Death Valley Days ), the predominant TV and film genre of the era. So, a gruff country doctor was certainly in keeping with his onscreen persona. And Roddenberry, who famously pitched Star Trek to NBC executives as " Wagon Train to the Stars," was no stranger to Westerns, having written for such TV series as Have Gun - Will Travel , Jefferson Drum and The Virginian .

RELATED:  Star Trek: How Picard Homaged One of Sci-Fi's Most Important Writers

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot was more explicit about the nickname, however. In a conversation with Kirk (Christopher Pine) on their way to Starfleet Academy, McCoy reveals the only reason he’s joining Starfleet is because he lost everything in a divorce. “All I got left is my bones,” he mutters before offering Kirk a drink. In the DVD commentary for the film, Abrams claims the moment was improvised by Karl Urban, a longtime Trek fan.

It’s unclear whether this explanation applies to the Prime Universe’s Bones, but it’s certainly in keeping with the character’s personality: contentious, passionate, grumpy, and forced into a vessel he considers less than safe by circumstance. Either way, it does the same job as the Prime Universe’s nickname by putting a human face on the character and allowing audience members to better identify with life aboard a 23rd century starship .

There is no official word on whether Boyce will appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , along with the rest of Pike’s crew, or whether the show will address his nickname of “Bones” if he does. Given how closely the name is associated with McCoy at this point, it seems unlikely. Roddenberry’s commitment to detail paid off in an iconic character, and the nickname remains an inseparable part of that package.

KEEP READING:  Star Trek: William Riker Only Exists Because of Q Interference

Star Trek's 10 Best Monster Episodes

• Star Trek embraces peace but also explores monster movie elements for some thrilling episodes.
• Shows like Voyager & Next Generation weave classic monster movie themes with sci-fi twists.
• Even as monsters take center stage, empathy remains a core theme in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek has a message of peace and tolerance and seeing beyond the surface, but it's not above doing an all-out monster movie from time to time. From its inception in 1966, Star Trek has taught audiences not to judge alien species by appearances . For example, Star Trek: Voyager villains Species 8472 were terrifying, Alien -inspired creatures, who turned out to be benevolent aliens that had been driven to violence by the actions of the Borg Collective. Earlier episodes like Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Devil in the Dark" revealed hidden emotional depths to a creature that was ostensibly a disgusting rock monster.

Despite Star Trek 's message of empathy, sometimes the writers can't resist creating scary monsters and super creeps. Star Trek has always drawn on the history of science fiction, and the big monster movies popularized by studios like RKO are no exception . Over nearly six decades, Star Trek TV shows have drawn on classic monster movies like The Thing From Another World and King Kong , giving them a Gene Roddenberry-style twist.

10 Times Star Trek Went Full-On Horror And Gave Us Nightmares

Star trek: voyager, season 2, episode 15, "threshold", story by michael de luca, teleplay by brannon braga.

Star Trek: Voyager 's notorious salamander episode , "Threshold" begins as an exploration of theoretical transwarp barriers and becomes something more akin to The Phantom of the Opera or King Kong . When Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) breaks the transwarp barrier, he begins experiencing some bizarre side effects. Breaking the transwarp barrier has triggered a strange evolution in Paris' body, which turns him into a salamander, who decides they need a mate in the form of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

...the monster movie elements ensure that "Threshold" is never boring.

There are some obvious monster movie parallels in "Threshold", from the way that the reptilian Paris carries an unconscious Janeway like the Phantom of the Opera to the body horror of the Voyager helmsman's transformation. The climax of the notorious Star Trek: Voyager episode, in which the "monster" that is now Paris fights off the crew to take Janeway as his mate, is pure King Kong . It's a Voyager episode that is rightly panned for its lack of narrative cohesion, but the monster movie elements ensure that "Threshold" is never boring.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episode 19, "Genesis"

Written by brannon braga.

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" is essentially The Island of Dr. Moreau set aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) return to the Enterprise to discover that the crew has devolved into various terrifying monsters. For example, Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) is de-evolved into a spider-like creature, while Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) devolves into a savage proto-Klingon that tries to kill Picard. The cause of these transformations is a mistake made by Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) while reactivating a cell that would have given Barclay immunity to the flu.

Gates McFadden injects what could have been a very silly story with genuine tension.

Although the science is just as dubious as Star Trek: Voyager 's "Threshold", Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" has the benefit of being much more atmospheric. Interestingly, "Genesis" was directed by Dr. Beverly Crusher actor Gates McFadden , who injects what could have been a very silly story with genuine tension. The climax, where Picard tries to fend off an attack from a prehistoric Worf, while Data tries to concoct a cure using the DNA of Nurse Ogawa's unborn baby, is well directed by McFadden, giving this daft TNG outing an exciting monster movie vibe.

"Genesis" was the only episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to be directed by Gates McFadden.

Star Trek: Every Actor Who Also Directed Episodes Or Movies

Star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 26, "the devil in the dark", written by gene l. coon.

"The Devil in the Dark" is a classic Star Trek monster episode , because it hinges on Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Lt. Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) learning to understand a creature beyond their understanding. Investigating a supposed monster that is attacking a mining operation on Janus IV, they soon discover that the titular " devil in the dark " is no monster, but a mother protecting their young. It's thanks to Kirk and Spock's open-mindedness that the miners manage to avert the destruction of the entire Horta race .

The scene in which Kirk has to reason with the baying mob invokes images of the villagers with torches and pitchforks in the climax of Universal's classic monster movie, Frankenstein .

From a visual effects perspective, the actual Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series may look hokey by today's standards , but it tells a story about the need for empathy. TOS' cave monster isn't able to communicate with the miners, and so has to resort to violence. Similarly, the miners want violent recriminations from the "monster" that killed their colleagues. The scene in which Kirk has to reason with the baying mob invokes images of the villagers with torches and pitchforks in the climax of Universal's classic monster movie, Frankenstein . Thanks to Kirk, however, the Horta has a happier ending than Frankenstein's monster.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 2, Episode 12, "The Alternate"

Teleplay by bill dial, story by jim trombetti and bill dial.

In one of Constable Odo's best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes , a mysterious monster stalks the corridors of DS9 late at night. It's believed to be the mysterious sample that Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and scientist Dr. Mora Pol (James Sloyan) brought back from the Gamma Quadrant. However, in reality, it's Odo, who is under the influence of mysterious alien toxins, and the stress of seeing his "father" again. "The Alternate" is a fun Star Trek spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde , that has some genuinely unnerving moments of horror.

Odo's monstrous alter-ego is less Mr. Hyde, and more like the titular Blob from the classic 1958 sci-fi monster movie.

Odo's transition into the monster toward the end of the episode is horrifying to watch as he rants and raves while struggling to remain in a solid state. Odo's monstrous alter-ego is less Mr. Hyde, and more like the titular Blob from the classic 1958 sci-fi monster movie. Interestingly, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) doesn't categorically confirm it's the alien toxins that caused the transformation, suggesting another cause. As the gelatinous monster bears down on Dr. Mora Pol, it becomes clear that the real cause of the transformation is Odo's father issues.

All 4 Star Trek Characters Played By James Sloyan

Star trek: voyager, season 3, episode 12, "macrocosm".

Star Trek: Voyager has many creepy episodes , but "Macrocosm" is the most overt monster episode. Like Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Genesis", also written by Brannon Braga, "Macrocosm" has a silly concept that is realized like a survival horror movie. The monsters faced by Captain Janeway and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) are effectively giant viruses that become airborne, infecting those they come into contact with. To repel the viral infection of the USS Voyager, the Doctor created an antigen which Janeway eventually detonated inside the holodeck, killing the assembled macroviruses.

"Macrocosm" finally gave Captain Janeway her Ellen Ripley moment.

"Macrocosm" got a wryly funny sequel in Star Trek: Lower Decks ' season 4 premiere, "Twovixed", but the episode itself is a decent homage to the Alien franchise. As the Star Trek franchise's first female captain, it's great to see Janeway getting to be an action hero like Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series , or Picard in Star Trek: First Contact . While the monsters themselves weren't anywhere near as terrifying as Alien 's Xenomorph, "Macrosm" finally gave Captain Janeway her Ellen Ripley moment.

Star Trek: Discovery, Season 1, Episode 3, "Context is for Kings"

Teleplay by gretchen j. berg, aaron harberts, and craig sweeny.

The disgraced Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is given a second chance after her mutiny aboard the USS Shenzhou in a Star Trek: Discovery monster episode. "Context is for Kings" explores what happened to the USS Glenn, the second of Discovery 's crossfield-class starships . Following a catastrophic accident while experimenting with spore drive technology, the ship's entire crew were killed, save for the tartigrade creature they had captured and wired to the spore drive. Freed from its shackles by the accident, the creature rampaged through the Glenn, killing a Klingon boarding party and turning its attention to Burnham and her away team .

The true monster in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings" is Starfleet themselves.

The true monster in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings" is Starfleet themselves. The cruelty that the crew of the USS Glenn had shown to the tartigrade was unbecoming of Starfleet, and showed how far they were willing to diverge from their principles to defeat the Klingon Empire . Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) hammers this point home by having the tartigrade brought aboard the USS Discovery, taunting it as it tries to break free from the forcefield.

Jason Isaacs 10 Best Acting Roles (Including Star Trek: Discoverys Lorca)

Star trek: lower decks, season 4, episode 2, "i have no bones yet i must flee", written by aaron burdette.

Star Trek: Lower Decks introduced Moopsy into the canon in the season 4 episode, "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee". Visiting an alien menagerie, newly promoted Lt. junior grade Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) had to conted with Moopsy, a soft fluffy creature that also happened to drink bones . Mariner and Ransom came up with a suitably irreverent Lower Decks solution to their problem, by punching out Ransom's teeth and using them as treats to lure the Moopsy back into its cage.

Moopsy is basically a monstrous Tribble, unable to control its base urges.

Moopsy was the sort of creation that could only feature in the irreverent world of Star Trek: Lower Decks , and yet it plays on existing creatures in the canon. Moopsy is basically a monstrous Tribble, unable to control its base urges. However, Mariner and Ransom don't kill the creature to save themselves, they find a humane - if slightly painful - solution to their situation. Not only that, but Mariner also unmasks the truly dangerous monsters - greedy humans seeking to bulk up their business portfolios , in this case by staging a hostile takeover of an alien menagerie.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 1, Episode 9, "All Those Who Wander"

Written by davy perez.

"All Those Who Wander" combines the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Arena" with Alien to provide a terrifying episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The vicious Gorn babies that are encountered by the Enterprise away team are relentless, rampaging through the ship and killing everything in their path. It's through the noble sacrifice of Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak) that the away team is able to get back to the safety of the USS Enterprise. However, the scars of the terrifying encounter between the Enterprise and the Gorn carry over into Strange New Worlds season 2 .

The Gorn infants move like raptors, drawing comparisons with the climax of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park

Because there's genuine dramatic stakes and a cost to life, Star Trek: Strange New World 's Gorn survival horror movie is the best version of the subgenre after the classic movie, Star Trek: First Contact . As an hour of television, it wears its genre influences on its sleeve, particularly the similarities between the icy crash site with the colony in Aliens . However, it's not just the Alien franchise that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds riffs on in "All Those Who Wander". The Gorn infants move like raptors, drawing comparisons with the climax of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park .

Complete History Of The Gorn In Star Trek

Star trek: the next generation, season 1, episode 23, "skin of evil", teleplay by joseph stefano & hannah louise shearer.

Armus (Ron Gans) in Star Trek: The Next Generation , is a truly monstrous creation, and even refers to himself as " evil " . Unlike the Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series , Armus isn't attacking the Enterprise away team to protect its children, he's doing it because he's a monster. A black, oily mass of everything impure and evil rejected by a " race of Titans ", Armus was abandoned on the planet Vagra II . There, he fantasized about torturing any visitors to the planet, but he quickly got bored after killing Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby).

Tasha Yar was no red shirt, and her death at the hands of the monster of the week makes "Skin of Evil" an impactful entry in the TNG canon.

"Skin of Evil" is one of Star Trek 's best monster episodes because, like "All Those Who Wander", it takes a toll on the characters. Star Trek: The Next Generation loses Tasha Yar to this monster, which proved that it would be a very different show to Star Trek: The Original Series . A TOS version of "Skin of Evil" would have played out in a similar fashion, but with the deaths of some disposable red shirts thrown in . Tasha Yar was no red shirt, and her death at the hands of the monster of the week makes "Skin of Evil" an impactful entry in the TNG canon.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1, Episode 5, "The Man Trap"

Written by george clayton johnson.

Star Trek 's best monster episode is also its very first, setting the tone for those that would follow . Star Trek: The Original Series , season 1, episode 5, "The Man Trap", features a Salt Vampire that feeds on salt, which can also shapeshift to take the form of anyone that can help it achieve its goals. In essence, "The Man Trap" is Star Trek 's take on the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World , later remade by John Carpenter as The Thing . Both the Star Trek episode and the Thing movies center on a shapeshifting creature that feeds on the human characters.

"The Man Trap" was chosen by the network as the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air due, in part, to its strong monster-of-the-week.

Both iterations of The Thing and Star Trek: TOS season 1, episode 5, "The Man Trap" also play on paranoia and being unable to trust your own eyes . In "The Man Trap", the Salt Vampire has the ability to take the form of the woman most desirable to each of the male characters. For example, Dr. McCoy believes it to be his former lover, Nancy, driving a wedge between him, Kirk and Spock. "The Man Trap" was chosen as the first episode of Star Trek: TOS to air in 1966, and its influence can be felt in Star Trek 's monster episodes nearly 60 years later.

All these episodes of Star Trek are available to stream on Paramount+.

Screen Rant

All 4 star trek characters played by james sloyan.

From a time-traveling Klingon to a Barjoran scientist, James Sloyan's guest starring roles stole the show in all four of his Star Trek appearances.

• James Sloyan portrayed four distinct characters across Star Trek series, delivering unforgettable performances in every appearance.
• From Romulan Admiral to Klingon Time Traveler to complex scientists, Sloyan's versatility shone in his various Star Trek roles.
• Sloyan appeared in popular TV shows and movies, showcasing his talent beyond Star Trek with voice work in commercials and trailers.

James Sloyan has portrayed four different characters in the Star Trek universe, across three different shows. An accomplished character actor, Sloyan portrayed memorable guest stars in every one of his Star Trek appearances. On Star Trek: The Next Generation , Sloyan played Romulan Admiral Alidar Jarok in "The Defector," and time-traveling Klingon K'mtar in "Firstborn." Sloyan appeared as Haakonian scientist Doctor Ma'Bor Jetrel in Star Trek: Voyager's "Jetel," and as Bajoran scientist Dr. Mora Pol in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Alternate" and "The Begotten."

Since he began acting in the 1970s, James Sloyan has appeared in episodes of many popular television shows, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Love Boat, Matlock, MacGyver, Murder, She Wrote, Quantum Leap, Baywatch, and The X-Files . He also had roles in 1973's The Sting and 1980's Xanadu , as well as numerous made-for-television movies. Sloyan has also provided his voice to several commercials and film trailers. From a Romulan defector to a Klingon time traveler to a couple of complicated scientists, here are James Sloyan's four Star Trek roles.

Every Star Trek Series, Ranked Worst To Best

4 admiral alidar jarok, star trek: the next generation season 3, episode 10 - "the defector", star trek: the next generation.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Defector," James Sloyan plays Admiral Alidar Jarok, a high-ranking Romulan officer who seeks asylum aboard the USS Enterprise-D after defecting from Romulus. Jarok once led several campaigns against Federation outposts, but now believes another Earth-Romulan war would destroy the Empire. After Jarok learned that Romulus was planning an invasion of the Federation, he stole a Romulan scout ship to warn Starfleet, knowing he could never return to his home planet.

"The Defector" has some truly amazing performances from Patrick Stewart and James Sloyan.

Motivated by love for his wife and daughter, Jarok thought he was saving Romulus from being devasted by war. Jarok provides important tactical information to Picard, but it's later revealed that he was fed incorrect information to lead the Enterprise into a trap. Captain Picard anticipated this and came accompanied by three Klingon Birds-of-Prey. Realizing that he sacrificed everything for nothing, Jarok tragically takes his own life, leaving Picard to reflect on the Romulan's bravery. "The Defector" has some truly amazing performances from Patrick Stewart and James Sloyan, and the episode is often cited as one of TNG's best.

3 K'Mtar / Adult Alexander

Star trek: the next generation season 7, episode 21 - "firstborn".

Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Firstborn" begins with Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) lamenting that his son, Alexander Rozhenko (Brian Bonsall) , has no desire to become a Klingon warrior. To teach Alexander more about Klingon culture, Worf takes his young son to the Kot'baval festival at Maranga IV. Not long after they arrive, however, three Klingons attack Worf and a mysterious Klingon named K'Mtar jumps to Worf's aid. James Sloyan brings K'Mtar to life, making the mysterious Klingon immediately compelling and selling his obvious obsession with his mission (even if his mission does not quite make sense).

K'Mtar eventually reveals himself to be Alexander from the future, who has come to the past to prepare his younger self for an assassination attempt on Worf's life. The future Alexander believed that if his younger self chose the path of the Klingon warrior, he would be able to save his father's life. At one point, the adult Alexander contemplates killing his younger self, which would essentially erase him from existence. When K'Mtar sees that Worf has taken more of an interest in the young Alexander's life, he returns to his own time.

"Worf Is A Terrible Father": Michael Dorn Hopes Star Trek: Picard Spinoff Brings Back Worf's Son

2 dr. ma'bor jetrel, star trek: voyager season 1, episode 15 - "jetrel", star trek voyager.

Neelix (Ethan Phillips) may not have been the most popular of Star Trek: Voyager's main characters , but he shines in this episode alongside James Sloyan's Dr. Jetrel. A Haakonian scientist, Jetrel was responsible for creating a weapon of mass destruction that killed over 300,000 Talaxians on the moon Rinax, including Neelix's family. Neelix understandably wants nothing to do with Jetrel after Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) allows him on board. Eventually, Neelix allows Jetrel to examine him, and the Haakonian reveals that Neelix has a fatal blood disease called metremia, contracted from the weapon Jetrel created.

Jetrel seemingly wants to help Neelix, and the USS Voyager travels to the Talaxian system so that Jetrel can create a cure for metremia. In the end, Jetrel reveals that he lied about Neelix having metremia, and that his real goal is to bring back the Talaxians killed on Rinax using Voyager's transporter. His far-fetched plan fails, and Jetrel dies of metremia just after Neelix offers him forgiveness. Not only is "Jetrel" a great episode of Star Trek: Voyager , but it also gives Ethan Phillips the chance to portray a more serious version of Neelix, as he plays off of James Sloyan's incredibly compelling Jetrel.

The story of Dr. Ma'bor Jetrel and his superweapon has obvious (and intentional) parallels to J. Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb.

1 Dr. Mora Pol

Star trek: deep space nine season 2, episode 12 - "the alternate" & season 5, episode 12 - "the begotten", star trek: deep space nine.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Alternate" introduces James Sloyan as Dr. Mora Pol, the Bajoran scientist who studied Odo (René Auberjonois) when he was first discovered. Before Mora knew that Odo was a sentient lifeform, he performed various, often painful experiments on the Changeling. Sloyan perfectly plays Mora as a self-centered, but realistic character, who tries to act like a father figure to Odo without acknowledging the pain his initial experiments caused. In the end, Mora begins to understand the tragedy of Odo's history and the two part on better terms.

Much like Brent Spiner played both Lt. Commander Data and Data's creator, Dr. Noonien Soong, Dr. Mora Pol was originally meant to be played by René Auberjonois. However, the extensive make-up and prosthetics required for Odo made it too difficult for Auberjonois to switch back and forth between the two characters.

Mora returns in "The Begotten," when Odo comes across an infant Changeling. The two immediately clash over how to raise the Changeling, with Odo condemning the more invasive techniques Mora once used on him. Mora and Odo eventually work together to teach the young Changeling how to shapeshift, and they share in their excitement. Tragically, the infant Changeling dies, merging into Odo in its last moments. The experience helps Odo better understand how Mora must have felt when Odo left, and the two end the episode with an embrace and a promise to remain in each other's lives. In only two appearances, James Sloyan makes Mora one of Star Trek's more interesting and memorable recurring characters.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.