Favorite Star Trek Doctor?

[Mynd Hed]

As in the "Favorite Star Trek Engineer" thread, I think it should be interesting to see how the medical personnel on the various Star Trek series stack up according to the folks here at TZ.

Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelly, TOS):
Crusty, argumentative, and fun as hell. Made for a great foil for Spock and rounded out the triumvirate of personalities that made Star Trek such a huge hit in the first place. But can he hold his own against the new kids in the quadrant?

Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur, TNG):
Beverly Crusher's second-season replacement, characterized by an odd hostility toward Data and often forgotten by Trek fans. Here for completeness sake... let's see if she gets any votes.

Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden, TNG):
A fan favorite, the redheaded babe who put Picard in his place a time or two and had the dubious honor of bringing Wesley into this world... or that world, however you want to look at it.

Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig, DS9):
Everyone's favorite genetically enhanced Brit, and a great counterpart to both Miles O'Brien and fan favorite Garak. His green, cocky attitude earned him some annoyance at first. He eventually won over his crewmates, but will he win over the Toonzoners?

Emergency Medical Hologram AK-1 aka "The Doctor" (Robert Picardo, VOY):
For many of us, THE reason to watch Voyager even after nearly every other aspect of the show turned out disappointing at best. He's saved from being an also-ran Data wannabe by some snarky writing and a wonderfully cantankerous performance by Robert Picardo.

Phlox (John Billingsley, ENT):
Hell if I know what his deal is-- after giving up on Voyager and being warned away by my Trekkie friends, I never bothered with Enterprise. But here's what the official site has to say:


Dr. Phlox is a congenial fellow who balances an oblique sense of humor and a happy disposition, along with a natural scientific curiosity that retains a sense of humanity. His Sickbay is home to a growing collection of "stuff" — some alive, some not — gathered from various sources. At Captain Archer's request, Phlox agreed to join the new Enterprise as Chief Medical Officer. Phlox's background in intergalactic medicine is indispensable, though his approach to the healing arts is sometimes startling.

This is a tough call as far as I'm concerned, but I'd have to go with the Doctor, with Bashir as a close second and Crusher as an equally close third. And Bones as a really close fourth. Actually, all the Star Trek doctors I've seen have been super neat, with the exception of Pulaski. Man, was I glad when we got Crusher back. (-:

[Fone Bone]

This should have been a public poll so we can openly flog whoever votes for Pulaski.

Surprisingly, the EMH is a close second to Bashir. I'm surprised a dumb show like Voyager gave us a character this cool. In the end though Voyager overused him and wound up humiliating him in so many stories that maybe he isn't as close a second after all.

My man Bashir was a wonderfully developed character who was initially abrasive but wound up being one of the best DS9 characters. His friendship with my fave Garak ups his coolness quotient considerable. Him and O'Brien make a wacky pair too. I loved how they both conspired to kill Worf after a brutal Klingon bachelor party in You Are Cordially Invited. And the fact that he was genetically engineered gave us a great scene in Change of Heart where he instantly and non-chantly memorizes the rules of Dabo. He is also the DS9er with the most great spotlight episodes like Doctor Bashir I Presume, Our Man Bashir, Inquisition, Inter Arma Silent Leges, Crossover, The Wire, Statistical Probabilites and Chrysalis.

[Reed Richards]

Bones, followed CLOSELY by Bashir and The Doctor EMH.

He's dead Jim has gotta be one of the greatest lines ever.

[James]

Bones - fantastic character. Take out into space a Doctor with no knowledge of alien anatomy - even Vulcan. Love him to bits. No one else compares to his strong irritable yet loveable character. Dr Zoidberg in Futurama was meant to be the very antithesis; an alien Doctor with no knowledge of Humans working on Earth.

RIP Deforest Kelley.

Voyager Doctor and then Bashir come second and third a long way behind.

[BonyT]

Dammit, Jim, I'm a Doctor, not a pollster! The answer is clearly the Southern gentleman, Bones McCoy. :)
EMH is a close second.

(BTW, now that I think about it, in that original Trek episode with the gunfight at the OK Coral, Kirk & friends should've been the Earps instead of the Clantons; Southern-gentleman-turned-gambler-with-a-mean-streak Doc Holiday would've been a much better fit for Bones.)

[BonyT]

My man Bashir was a wonderfully developed character ... And the fact that he was genetically engineered gave us a great scene in Change of Heart where he instantly and non-chantly memorizes the rules of Dabo.And yet, if I'm recalling correctly, despite that superior genetic head start, he finished second in his med school class. Tsk, tsk. The photographic memory alone should've been a huge edge. Guess he was just a really lazy student. ;)

[DarkAngel]

And yet, if I'm recalling correctly, despite that superior genetic head start, he finished second in his med school class. Tsk, tsk. :) But you remember why, right?

[JohnCrichton]

I don't normally bend to the will of "old school" but Bone's character is unmatched.

"Dammit, Jim!" is immortal.

What have the other doctors done that's truely transcended time and space like, "Dammit, Jim!"

[Lord Dalek]

Bones. "I liked him more before he died!"

[sKorpia]

It's a toss-up between McCoy and Bashir, but the edge goes ultimately to McCoy. The Doc on Voyager comes in third.

I heard an interesting theory on the evolution of the medical figure on Star Trek and how it mirrors public opinion of the medical profession as a whole. I present it to you now.

Dr. McCoy, the classic Southern gentleman, was the country doctor. He'd make house calls, felt like part of the family, and would share a mint julep with you at the end of the day. He was comforting and comfortable, a bit of nostalgia for the days when everyone in town knew everybody and you had one doctor who cared for you and your family your entire life. Everybody trusted McCoy; you never doubted that he had your best interests at heart and you knew he wasn't in it for the money.

Then we had Dr. Crusher, the first female doctor. The only problem was her character was more associated with her maternal role than her role as ship's doctor. This possibly reflects the public's unease with females in positions of power. In support of this view, we also had Dr. Pulaski, a tough, cynical, and cold woman. She's not the type of doctor you'd want caring for you and it's easier to imagine her as an MD/PhD, removed from patient care. So, as a female physician, you can either be a mom or a cold shrew.

Enter Dr. Bashir, who seems to be a throw-back to McCoy's era. He's got an excellent bedside manner and treats most everyone the way they need to be treated. He's affable in this distant and architecturally cold outpost. However, it later comes out that he's the product of genetic enhancement. He's stronger, smarter, faster. He's also a bit removed from everyone now, a bit different. There's been a breach of trust with this revelation and it's hard to look at him the same afterwards.

On Voyager, our good doctor looks human but isn't. He's a hologram, photons and force fields and devoid of humanity. At first he's only programmed with medical knowledge, a walking Merck manual, and severely lacking in bedside manner. He's distant and all business and treats his patients as if they were numbers, not people. Throughout the course of the show, however, it's necessary to re-humanize the doctor. Interesting (and scary) that doctors are perceived as needing to go in search of their souls.

And finally, Enterprise's doctor doesn't even look human. He's an alien, completely foreign through and through. If his general appearance isn't enough to remind the viewer of that fact, then his alien habits come in to reinforce the notion. From what I heard, he's also practicing forms of alternative therapy, which is gaining ground in mainstream medical practice but still seen today as "Other" and not entirely normal.

It's most likely not a conscious decision made by the show's producers but, if it's subconscious, that makes the argument all the more interesting to ponder. *likes to share*

[Fone Bone]

And yet, if I'm recalling correctly, despite that superior genetic head start, he finished second in his med school class. Tsk, tsk. The photographic memory alone should've been a huge edge. Guess he was just a really lazy student. ;)Season three's Distant Voices revealed he threw the test.

[ManicWebb]

I'm gonna have to vote for the Emergency Medical Hologram Doctor. Jeeze, that was a lot to write. Why didn't he ever finish picking that name for himself?

This guy carried Voyager. He was rude, sarcastic, and completely lacked any bedside manners. He's a total reverse of every doctor who's ever come before him, with the exception of that b***h Pulaski. He also picked up a long-dropped storyline once carried by Data-- can A.I. truly be more than they're programmed to be? Are they individuals? Doctor had the disadvantage of actually being owned by the Federation, however, so he had it a lot worse. You also got to see him evolve more than any other character in Star Trek history. I particularly liked the episode where he defied his logical programming by choosing to save one patient over another, despite them both having an equal chance of survival. His programming was stuck in a loop for the rest of the episode, and he completely snapped.

Bones and Basir tie for second place.

Phlox takes last place, simply because I never watched Enterprise.

Pulaski doesn't register on my list, because she's such an easily forgettable character.

[Jade_GL]

I'm gonna have to vote for the Emergency Medical Hologram Doctor. Jeeze, that was a lot to write. Why didn't he ever finish picking that name for himself?

This guy carried Voyager. He was rude, sarcastic, and completely lacked any bedside manners. He's a total reverse of every doctor who's ever come before him, with the exception of that b***h Pulaski. He also picked up a long-dropped storyline once carried by Data-- can A.I. truly be more than they're programmed to be? Are they individuals? Doctor had the disadvantage of actually being owned by the Federation, however, so he had it a lot worse. You also got to see him evolve more than any other character in Star Trek history. I particularly liked the episode where he defied his logical programming by choosing to save one patient over another, despite them both having an equal chance of survival. His programming was stuck in a loop for the rest of the episode, and he completely snapped.

Bones and Basir tie for second place.

Phlox takes last place, simply because I never watched Enterprise.

Pulaski doesn't register on my list, because she's such an easily forgettable character.
Perfectly put. While Bones and Bashir were characters in a cast of equals (mostly) the EMH was the main character on Voyager. He was probably the most developed, the most interesting, and darn near the most human, on the show by the end. His character grew the most, and I think carried the show , as you said. I mean, I remember tons of Doctor centered eps of Voyager, and remember his character as one I enjoyed quite a bit, but I barely remember any other character's episodes (besides Torres, she was cool).

It was hard to pick between the EMH, Bones, and Bashir, but the EMH was just a great idea to expand on, and I enjoyed his episodes the most, in almost all circumstances. However, I almost didn't even want to vote for him because Voyager is pretty crappy in comparison to a show like DS9...

I loved Bashir, now that I think on it, and I had quite a little crush on him by the middle of DS9 (don't tell my BF... :D). And I loved what they did with the genetic engineering aspect of his character, that was great.

You know, the more I write, the more I reconsider my vote.

Oh, and Bones is just classic. :D

[BonyT]

And yet, if I'm recalling correctly, despite that superior genetic head start, he finished second in his med school class. Tsk, tsk. The photographic memory alone should've been a huge edge. Guess he was just a really lazy student. ;)
:) But you remember why, right?
Season three's Distant Voices revealed he threw the test.Well, that was actually just my attempt at a little humor, guys (as indicated by the little winking smiley) :) . But I didn't know about Bashir throwing the test. I missed a lot of the eps; somehow, DS9 never really did it for me -- although there are some fantastic characters, particularly Garak, who's unique among all regular characters from all Trek shows.

[The Penguin]

Man, this was even tougher than the engineer poll. :shrug:

I went back and forth between The Doctor and Julian and eventually chose Bashir. Both of them are my favorite character on their respective shows and I liked them both from the first time they appeared on the screen. I eventually decided to pick Julian because he stood out immediately and The Doctor at first shared my "favorite Voyager character" role with Harry Kim.

Both were just awesome characters that made the most of their spotlight episodes ("Our Man Bashir" was on Spike today). I just wish they would have both ended up with their dream women.

Pushing Seven into Chakotay was just wrong and after all Julian and Jadzia had been through, it sickened me to see her with Worf. I haven't seen the Ezri Dax episodes yet, but I can't imagine it feeling the same.

[ManicWebb]

Dr. Bashir lost both of the women he loved on this show. It was a little depressing.

Dax: Bashir, Worf, and (to a lesser extent) Sisko were in love with this woman. Sadly, Bashir didn't stand a chance.

Kira: I don't know how, but he lost her to a transforming ooze. Freaking ooze!

[The Detective]

Have to go with Bones, the original and still the best. And surely one of the most quotable Star Trek character ever.

</The Detective>

[Djm912]

I am truly stunned at the lack of love for Beverly Crusher. Do people dislike Wesley THAT much? :p

For me, anyway, I'm not much to go for the 'old school' route, and I haven't seen much of the TOS, but I would say that Bones would at least be 2nd.

My favorite is probably Voyager's EMH, he was by far the best character on the show. Easily the most interesting. I don't need to take this much further.

Bones and Bashir are behind the EMH. Then Beverly, and Doc Pulaski wasn't so bad, but she was easily forgettable.

[Mynd Hed]

Both were just awesome characters that made the most of their spotlight episodes ("Our Man Bashir" was on Spike today). I just wish they would have both ended up with their dream women.

Honestly, Julian came on so strong so early toward Dax that I couldn't see any way they could have ever gotten them together that wouldn't have seemed forced. It would've been pure fanservice to get them together, and probably would've signalled a shark-jump for both their characters-- they just had better chemistry with Bashir constantly hitting on her than they ever would've had as a couple.
Me, I just wish they could've gotten him to stick with ANY woman. He lost his subsequent flame to Rom of all people. And given his opinion, expressed early on, that marriage is a mistake for people with careers as dangerous as Starfleet, it would have been a very interesting character arc to see him change his mind. Oh, well-- he was plenty good as it was, and I guess O'Brien fills the "family man" role better than Bashir ever could.


I am truly stunned at the lack of love for Beverly Crusher. Do people dislike Wesley THAT much?

Actually, this surprises me as well. I didn't think she'd rank up there with Bones or the EMH, but I figured she'd have gotten at least ONE vote by now. She did have a disappointing spotlight episode or two-- I'm thinking especially of the one in which the haunted ancestral candle ghost seduces her, which seemed more like a typical bad Troi episode with Crusher arbitrarily thrown into Troi's role for a change. But she had wonderful chemistry with Picard, and her occasional scene with Data was lots of fun, too, since they're such different characters. An overall good character, despite an unfortunate biological connection with a certain wunderkind....

[Fone Bone]

Dr. Bashir lost both of the women he loved on this show. It was a little depressing.

Dax: Bashir, Worf, and (to a lesser extent) Sisko were in love with this woman. Sadly, Bashir didn't stand a chance.

Kira: I don't know how, but he lost her to a transforming ooze. Freaking ooze!Fortunatly Alexander Siddig married Nana Visitor in real life. Does anyone know if they're still married?

[DarkAngel]

Fortunatly Alexander Siddig married Nana Visitor in real life. Does anyone know if they're still married?They're not.

[Fone Bone]

They're not.Bummer. That would make a Deep Space Nine reunion awkward.