H.O.M.E.

‘Dammit Jim’ – A Classic Star Trek Catchphrase

Ah, the classic phrase “Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor not a…” has been a staple of the Star Trek franchise since its inception. The phrase was firt uttered by Leonard McCoy in the original Star Trek series and has become an iconic catchphrase of the series. But what is it about this phrase that has made it so popular?

First of all, it’s important to understand who Leonard McCoy is. He was originally portrayed by DeForest Kelley on The Original Series and continued by Karl Urban in the rebooted films. He is a medical officer and chief surgeon aboard the USS Enterprise and is known as “Bones” due to his nickname derived from 19th century epithet for a surgeon. He is often seen as being gruff yet caring and his no-nonsense attitude often lands him in trouble with his fellow crew members.

The phrase itself has become so popular because it perfectly captures Leonard McCoy’s attitude towards his job as a doctor on board the Enterprise; he wants to help people but he can only do so much. It shows how he values his work and how dedicated he is to doing it right despite any difficulties that may arise. He also speaks these words in moments of frustration when he feels like he can’t do anything else to help or when someone challenges him on his authority over medical matters.

The phrase “Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor not a…” has become an enduring part of Star Trek lore that stands for more than just Leonard McCoy’s attitude; it stands for dedication, perseverance, and resilience in the face of any difficulties one may face. It also serves as a reminder that we should always strive to do our best even if we are not sure if we can succeed or not – something that Leonard McCoy embodies perfectly with this phrase.

The Origin of the Phrase Dammit Jim

The phrase “Dammit Jim” is believed to have originated from the iconic science fiction television series Star Trek. It was a catchphrase commonly used by the character Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, played by actor DeForest Kelley, to express his frustration or annoyance with the decisions made by his colleague, Captain James T. Kirk, portrayed by William Shatner.

The phrase has become so popular and recognizable that it is now widely associated with the show and its characters. In fact, it has even been included in othr media outside of Star Trek such as video games, books, and movies.

It’s unclear exactly when this phrase first appeared in Star Trek, but it’s believed to have first been used in the episode “Balance of Terror”, which aired on December 15th 1966. From then on, McCoy would often use this phrase whenever he was exasperated with Kirk’s actions or ideas throughout the remainder of the series’ run until its cancellation in 1969.

Today, “Dammit Jim” is an instantly recognizable quote for any fan of Star Trek and a reminder of just how iconic Dr. McCoy and his relationship with Captain Kirk truly were.

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Did Bones Ever Utter the Iconic Phrase Dammit Jim?

No, Leonard McCoy (better known as “Bones”) never said “Dammit Jim” in Star Trek: The Original Series. The phrase is a misquotation of the line, “He’s dead, Jim,” which was spoken by McCoy during the episode “The Corbomite Maneuver”. However, this version of the line was eventually used by the alternate reality Leonard McCoy in later series.

What Does the Phrase ‘Dammit Jim’ Mean?

“Dammit Jim” is an expression used to emphasize one’s status as a particular type of person, usually with the implication that somebody else is not of that same type. For example, if someone identifies themselves as a hardworking, reliable person, they might say “Dammit Jim, I’m not like the rest of them!” to emphasize their difference from other people.

Dr McCoy’s Catchphrase

Dr McCoy’s signature catchphrase on Star Trek is, “I’m a doctor, not a (insert profession here).” The phrase is often used to express frustration when asked to do something outside of the scope of his medical expertise. Its variants include statements such as, “I’m a surgeon, not a bricklayer,” “I’m a healer, not an engineer,” and “I’m a physician, not a physicist.” The catchphrase was first used by DeForest Kelley in The Original Series and has been continued by Karl Urban in the three Kelvin Timeline films.

Bones’ Dialogue in Star Trek

In the Star Trek films, Karl Urban’s McCoy famously delivers the line “Damn it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a…” to Kirk for the first time in the final film of the rebooted series. This phrase has become a memorable and iconic part of the Star Trek canon. The sentiment behind this line is that McCoy is a doctor first and foremost and should not be expected to perform duties outside of his scope of expertise. It was initially used as an exclamation in the first two films without being addressed directly to Kirk; however, it was only in their final adventure together that McCoy finally uttered thse famous words directly to him.

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The Origin of Jim Calling McCoy Bones

Jim calls McCoy ‘Bones’ because it is a play on the term ‘sawbones’, which was an old 19th century slang term for a surgeon. The nickname was chosen before the character of McCoy was even named, and it is still used as an affectionate nickname among fans of the show. It is a nod to McCoy’s medical expertise and skill as a doctor.

Age of Dr McCoy in Star Trek

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dr. McCoy was 137 years old when he appeared in the series’ first episode, “Encounter at Farpoint”. He was portrayed by DeForest Kelley, who had originally played McCoy in the original Star Trek series.

Bones’ Use of ‘I’m Dead Jim’

Dr. Leonard McCoy, more commonly known as “Bones”, said the phrase “He’s dead, Jim” a total of 20 times throughout the original Star Trek series. He sometimes varied the line to say “The man is dead!” instead. The phrase became a trademark expression for the character and has become an iconic part of popular culture. It was featured in numerous parodies and references from other shows and movies, including The Simpsons and Galaxy Quest. Despite its popularity, McCoy only said it 20 times during the show’s initial run from 1966-1969.

Kirk’s Catchphrase

Kirk was known for his iconic catchphrase, “Execute!” He used this phrase to give orders to the crew of the USS Enterprise, usually when they were in a dire situation or needed to act quickly. The phrase had become so identified with him that it was even used as the title of some episodes of the original series. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, he used the phrase twice for dramatic effect.

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Kirk’s Nickname for McCoy: Bones

Kirk calls Mccoy ‘Bones’, a truncated version of the 19th century nickname ‘Sawbones’, given to Civil War surgeons due to the large numbers of battlefield amputations they would carry out. The irony in this nickname is that despite its origin, by the time of Star Trek: The Original Series, the technology and expertise available to Bones (Mccoy) aboard the Enterprise was far more advanced than anything Civil War surgeons would have had access to.

Brennan’s Note to Booth

In Brennan’s note to Booth, she expressed her understanding that he had done all he could to save her and that she did not blame him if he hadn’t been able to get there in time. She also conveyed her appreciation for all of his efforts and reassured him that he should not feel guilty about any of it.

Understanding the Meaning of the Slang Term ‘Jim’

In slang, Jim is a term used to refer to two different things. The first is a marijuana cigarette, which is a rolled cigarette containing marijuana that can be smoked for its psychoactive effects. The second use of the term refers to a device known as a slim jim, which is an instrument used to bypass the locking mechanism on car doors and gain access to the vehicle’s interior.

What Does the Slang Term ‘Jim’ Mean?

Jim is an acronym that stands for “Jesus In Me”. It is a phrase used to emphasize the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ and allowing Him to be present in all areas of one’s life. The phrase is often used as an expression of one’s commitment to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. It implies a dedication to making sure that the decisions one makes and the way one lives their life reflect the values and principles set forth by the Bible.

What Is the Meaning of ‘Jim’?

A Jim is a punctuation mark used to separate different parts of a newspaper headline, individual items under one newspaper heading, or separate stories dealing with one event. It looks like two hyphens side by side (- -) and is sometimes referred to as an em-dash. It is placed at the beginning and end of each section in order to indicate that the respective sections are related but distinct. A Jim helps readers understand the structure of a headline or story more easily and can be used to draw attention to certain points.

Dr McCoy’s Nickname for Spock

Dr McCoy calls Spock a “hobgoblin” in 2268. This was an expression of appreciation and gratitude for Spock’s heroic actions in saving McCoy’s life during their mission to 892-IV. A hobgoblin is an imaginary creature in folklore that is mischievous but often helpful to humans. By calling Spock a hobgoblin, McCoy was conveying his admiration for Spock’s bravery and loyalty.

Rank of Spock in Star Trek

In the original Star Trek series, Spock’s rank is Commander. This is indicated by the two full bars of his rank insignia which he wears on his uniform. Spock has held this rank throughout the entire series and is usually addressed as “Commander Spock” or just “Spock”. In addition to his Starfleet rank, he also holds the Vulcan title of Ambassador, a position with considerable diplomatic power.

What Does ‘I’m the Real McCoy’ Mean?

The phrase “the real McCoy” is an idiom that means something is genuine, authentic and not a copy or imitation. It originates from the late 1800s, when an American inventor called Elijah McCoy patented a device for lubricating steam engines. His invention was so successful that it became the standard for quality and other inventors tried to imitate it. The phrase “the real McCoy” became popular to refer to something that was the original and not an imitation.

Kirk’s Pre-Warp Command

When Captain Kirk gives the command to initiate warp speed, he typically says “Engage,” or “Warp factor [number], engage.” This phrase is used to indicate that the Enterprise is entering warp speed and traveling faster than the speed of light. The phrase has become so iconic that it has been featured in many other sci-fi shows and movies, often used as a call to arms or a sign of imminent adventure.

Khan’s Words to Kirk

Khan is telling Kirk that he has inflicted pain upon him in the past and that he intends to continue doing so. He is essentially saying that he will leave Kirk stranded in an isolated, desolate location, never to be able to escape or return. This is a reference to the punishment Khan received in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, where he was left on a barren planet with his crew.

The Origin of the Term ‘Sawbones’ for Doctors

The term ‘Sawbones’ is an old slang term used to refer to a medical doctor, particularly those who performed amputations during the wars of centuries past. This term originated from the fact that doctors had to use saws and other sharp instruments to amputate limbs from injured soldiers in order to save their lives during battle. The term was likely chosen as a reference to the saw-like instruments that were used in these surgeries. The use of such tools, combined with the sheer number of amputations taking place in a short period of time, gave surgeons the nickname ‘Sawbones’.

Dr McCoy’s Diagnosed Disease

Dr McCoy was suffering from a rare condition known as xenopolycythemia, an inherited form of hemolytic anemia. It is caused by a mutation in the EPOR gene which codes for erythropoietin receptor, leading to excessive red blood cell production and resulting in thickening of the blood. Symptoms may include fatigue, headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal pain and jaundice. Treatment typically involves phlebotomy (bloodletting) to reduce the number of red cells. In more severe cases, medications or chemotherapy may be used to help reduce the red cell count.

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The Significance of Dr McCoy’s Pinky Ring

Dr. Leonard McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley on the original Star Trek series, wears a pinky ring for a very special reason. The ring was originally owned by his mother, Clora Kelley, and was a cherished possession of hers. Her brother had won the ring in a card game while he was in France and it became her most prized possession. After Clora passed away from cancer in 1957, DeForest Kelley decided to honor his beloved mother by wearing the pinky ring as a reminder of her life and legacy. To this day, Dr. McCoy sill wears the ring as a tribute to his mother and the loving memory she left behind.

The Oldest Living Star Trek Actor

The oldest living Star Trek actor is Marsha Hunt, who made her only appearance in the series in the 1988 episode “Too Short A Season” of Star Trek: The Next Generation. As Anne Jameson, a former Starfleet captain and now a diplomat, Hunt embodied the values of Starfleet in the face of opposition. Born on October 17, 1917, she is currently 104 years old.

Hunt has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an actress. She began her career in film in 1936 and continued to appear in theatre and television productions up until 2009. Hunt has appeared in numerous films over her decades-long career, including Easter Parade (1948), Pinky (1949), The Damned Don’t Cry (1950), A Star Is Born (1954) and TV shows such as Bonanza (1959).

In addition to her acting work, Hunt has been involved with various charitable organizations thrughout her life. She founded several charities to help children suffering from poverty and homelessness, including the Marsha Hunt Home for Children and the Helpers of LA Homeless Children Foundation. She also received an honorary Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2014 for her humanitarian efforts.

The Oldest Race in Star Trek

The Vedala are the oldest known race in Star Trek, having been around since before the Federation was established. They were first encountered by Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in 2269 (stardate: 5683.1). The Vedala are an ancient and mysterious race, whose technology is far beyond that of any other known civilization. They possess powerful psionic abilities which alow them to manipulate matter and energy, as well as traverse time and space with ease. Their knowledge of the universe is vast, and their ability to shape reality is said to be unmatched. It is believed that they have existed for millions of years, but their true origins remain a mystery.

The Age Difference Between Uhura and Kirk

Uhura is approximately four years younger than Kirk. She entered Starfleet Academy in 2253 when she was 19, while Kirk entered in 2254 at the age of 20. She is currently serving her fifth year of field assignment on the USS Enterprise in 2258, meaning she is now 24, while Kirk is 28.

In conclusion, the phrase “Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a…” has beome an integral part of the Star Trek franchise. It was first uttered by Dr. Leonard McCoy in the original series and became a catchphrase for DeForest Kelley throughout the show. The phrase has been misquoted in media but was eventually used by the alternate reality Leonard McCoy. Karl Urban continued this tradition in the three Kelvin Timeline films and even said it to Kirk in the final one. The nickname “Bones” is also a play on sawbones, which is a 19th century epithet for a surgeon. Though Bones says “He’s dead Jim” approximately 20 times, it is this phrase that has become iconic and will continue to live on as a reminder of Star Trek’s legacy.

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William Armstrong

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  • Whether the character is a trained physician
  • Whether the character is supernatural
  • Whether the character doing the checking is even human
  • Whether the character being checked is even human

Rarely is anyone ever just unconscious or in a coma , unless they're recurring and merely Left for Dead by the bad guy, supernatural , about to be Waking Up at the Morgue , or in some cases, someone deliberately faked someone else's death by lying to the others.

This, of course, is a reference to Leonard "Bones" McCoy's frequent (and frequently parodied) line in Star Trek , although it could debatably be justified by various types of Applied Phlebotinum .

  • other characters attempting to rouse the "sleeping" character , with no effect
  • an arm dropping/ hand falling open (for added pathos, letting go of something significant the character was holding)
  • Eye Lights Out , if they had Glowing Eyes of Doom
  • Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Death means we may see rain falling into the victim's open eyes
  • Related: Medical Drama shows will use pupillary reaction to light note  Pupils are supposed to constrict when exposed to brighter light as a gauge of brain function. "Pupils fixed and dilated", especially if said patient is being resuscitated, often means they're dead.
  • a struggling character's limbs slowing down and eventually stopping, especially if the person had been fighting to survive/escape whatever was killing them
  • no visible breathing or heartbeat (at least in non-supernatural situations)
  • Blood from the Mouth is another common sign
  • The skin of the victim going cold.
  • The victim's skin, especially the face, turning pale.
  • lividity (the skin takes on a reddish-purple coloration as the blood settles in the lowest place on the body).
  • comically, their souls visibly depart their bodies , or their eyes turn to x's.
  • a light begins to blink and fizzle. If it stays on when all is said and done, the character will survive. If it goes out, he's a goner .
  • if the character's vehicle was in a crash, a single wheel may remain in motion. If that wheel stops spinning, the character has died.
  • the EKG in the hospital flatlines , leaving the dull tone.
  • a flower loses a petal and the camera tracks its fall to the tabletop.
  • something important to the character falls to the ground, possibly breaking. They may drop it themselves.
  • The sun goes behind a cloud . Or the scene dissolves to clouds, invoking Fluffy Cloud Heaven .

Compare Mistaken Death Confirmation , where a character's death is apparently confirmed by examination of the body or evidence such as an obviously fatal injury, but the character somehow either isn't dead or comes back to life.

As this is a Death Trope , unmarked spoilers abound . Beware .

  • Full Metal Panic! ! The Second Raid uses the arm-drop with Yu Lan, one of the Creepy Twins .
  • When Asuma dies, one of the flowers Kurenai is watering back in Konoha falls off its stem.
  • Other examples in earlier arcs include breaking pottery and the Hokage statues cracking. Among the fandom, flashbacks are also widely interpreted as very dangerous symptoms.
  • Played straight in the Mitsuba arc, where Mitsuba's hand falls from Sougo's face when she dies. Cue Tearjerker scene where Sougo grabs her limp hand and puts it back on his face.
  • In Death Note , not one second after his initial onset of heart attack, the stirring spoon L always holds falls down. L: "Everyone, the Shiniga..." — *heartbeat*
  • In Noir after Chloe dies, one of Altena's three candles representing the three Noir "saplings" goes out, and she seems to instantly know what it means.
  • Happens in Dragon Ball Z , particularly during the Saiyan saga. The one closest to the letter of this trope is Krillin listening for Yamucha's heartbeat after he was killed by a saibaman.
  • When Portgas D. Ace bites the big magma fist in One Piece , his "vivrecard" (a paper imbued with his life force) burns to ashes.
  • They even played this up, having a signal monitoring Kotetsu's vitals disappear. Turns out, Kotetsu's vitals were fine, but the suit transmitting the signal was destroyed.
  • Done briefly in Puella Magi Madoka Magica and later taken back when Madoka throws Sayaka's soul gem away, causing Sayaka to lose control of her body until the gem was retrieved.
  • Towards the end of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster World arc, Bakura pulls off a Heroic Sacrifice , and Yami Yugi determines that he is dead by putting his hands on him. Or Only Mostly Dead , anyway. He's quickly brought back to life thanks to a part of his soul having been conveniently in a Tabletop RPG game piece.
  • In an interesting nod to this trope, in The Ronless Factor , Doctor James Possible is the one who actually tells Kim that Ron is dead when she wakes up after the accident.
  • The Candlemaker shows Manolo's candle, snuffed too early.
  • Carlos' candle is blown out on screen to avoid a Family-Unfriendly Death when he takes on Chakal and his banditos by himself.
  • Parodied The Little Mermaid (1989) when Scuttle believes Eric was dead because after checking Eric's foot and finding no heartbeat. 'Course Scuttle is a Know-Nothing Know-It-All and Ariel finds Eric to be breathing.
  • In Beauty and the Beast when the Beast dies, it cuts to a shot of the final petal falling off Beast's enchanted rose. Naturally it's a Disney Death and he lives due to the curse finally breaking.
  • In The Princess and the Frog , Ray the firefly's light goes out when he dies. As with Mufasa, he is dead for real , averting Disney Death .
  • In Tangled , Eugene slumps in Rapunzel 's arms.
  • Hercules : The trope is lampshaded for the audience. When someone is about to die we see the Fates cut the thread of their life. But Meg, once her thread is cut, fades to grey. When Hercules restores her soul, her colors restore.
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 : Happens with Stoick . Head to the chest to listen for the heart (through fur and armor), check. Lifeless hand dropping when raised, check. Justified since he has just taken a point-blank plasma blast from the Brainwashed and Crazy Toothless meant for his son . Viking Funeral follows.
  • In the dramedy Angry Indian Goddesses , this trope is subverted when a woman is found unconscious on the beach, apparently raped. Her friends are irritated when the doctor who examines her doesn't rush her to the hospital, and only when he spells out the fact that she's dead does her death become clear to the audience.
  • Anon (2018) takes place in a world where Everything Is Online . After a policeman is shot, the detective protagonist just glances at him and continues his pursuit of the killer, as the victim's vital signs are online and displayed in the detective's P.O.V. Cam . NO VITAL SIGNS DETECTED. PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL 1/10.000-0. BRAIN ACTIVITY CEASED.
  • Black Hawk Down : Delta Force veteran Hoot is able to tell at a single glance that the head-shot Sgt. Pilla is dead, while the rest of the Rangers in the Humvee are still struggling with the fact when Lt. Col. McKnight inquires on their status. Although, this has more to do with Hoot's professionalism and experience than with medical confusion, since Pilla's head wound is gruesome. There's more of a struggle involved in Mark Bowden's book, where the Hoot-equivalent was not riding in the Humvee, and the Rangers struggle for a while (the words "how can you tell? Are you a medic?" are mentioned).
  • In Carry On Behind , this is played for laughs when Fred Ramsden and Ernie Bragg are somewhat drunk and investigate Professor Crump lying unconscious in his caravan bed, supposedly with a bleeding head. Ernie : Is he dead? Fred : 'COURSE HE'S DEAD! Ernie : So, erm, what's the mirror for? Fred : I want a second opinion. Go on. Ernie : Right. Fred : 'Ave a look. Ernie : He's still there . Fred : Is the glass misted over? Ernie : No. Fred : He's dead. Professor Crump : Argh! No, I'm not! I'm not! Am I? Fred : He must have been holding his breath!
  • In Carry On Up the Khyber one of the Privates, Ginger Hale, appears to be dead so Private Widdle and Sergeant Major MacNutt pull a sheet over his face. He then sits up and goes, "That's right! Bleedin' well suffocate me!", then dies for real.
  • In The Cider House Rules , Dr. Larch's ether bottle shatters when he dies from overdose, and the liquid is tinted pink with his blood. Earlier, Fuzzy's death has him go still in a Big Sleep .
  • Clue : When Mr Boddy is lying face down on the floor of the study, Professor Plum pronounces him dead after a brief examination, with great certainty. Soon afterwards, Mr Boddy mysteriously disappears, implying that he was not dead, and has escaped. In the third ending, Professor Plum knew he was alive, but pretended he was dead, so that he could quietly murder him later.
  • Constantine (2005) : Chaz Kramer is slammed up against the ceiling and down to the floor a few times, leaving him severely injured. He talks with John Constantine for a few seconds, then stops and lies with his eyes open. John turns away and leaves him for dead without even checking his pulse.
  • When Micheal is making his way through Yorga's manor, he comes across a dark room where a hand grabs his leg and trips him. When he recovers he sees it's his friend Paul who's been mutilated (likely by Yorga or his brides). Paul's arm then falls to the ground, his head rolls to the side and he goes lifeless.
  • Yorga decides to humor Hayes that he really is a vampire by allowing him into his throne room where his three brides sleep. Among them is his friend Erica who had went missing the previous night. Hayes goes to her and checks her pulse and heartbeat, but finds nothing. Of course this is zig-zagged by the fact that Erica is indeed dead but soon rises as a vampire i.e an undead.
  • Micheal manages to reach the throne room but finds a bloodied Hayes dying after having been fed on by the brides. Hayes informs him of where Donna is before his hand falls to the floor. After Micheal fends off Erica and the red headed bride, the camera lingers on Hayes's corpse after he leaves the room.
  • When Micheal confronts Yorga and his blonde bride. Yorga pushes her into the stake he was holding out and runs off. We see said bride fall over and when Micheal kills Yorga and goes to collect Donna. The camera pans down to the bride's body which still has a bit of the stake in her, indicating she's truly dead this time.
  • When Yorga is staked, we get multiple camera shots of him writing in pain before finally dropping to the ground. When Michael and Donna later look him over. He's withered into a dusty skeleton.
  • And finally the final shot of the movie which ends on a shot of Micheal's bloodied face after the newly vampirized Donna attacks him.
  • Used in the movie version of Clue when the guests discover the missing Mr. Boddy, who is now officially dead - Wadsworth picks up one of his arms, lets it drop, and comments "Well, he's certainly dead now ."
  • In Dead Man Walking , the titular dead man walking flatlines and his eyes drop open when he is executed.
  • The overly brief examination of the hero's body in D.O.A. .
  • Subverted in Exam . Blonde assumes Black is dead after being shot in the upper chest, but he is very much alive.
  • Rather egregious at the end of Green Street , since it's averted another time in the same film: one character gets glassed in the throat, and his mates drag him out of the fight and speed to the hospital, y'know, like you would - but another one, at the climax, gets beaten to a bloody pulp, and those very same mates stand around grieving while he's still breathing . Maybe the accent annoyed them too .
  • The Guilty : When officer Tim tells Asger that Oliver is dead, Asger asks Tim how he knows. Tim replies that he could tell. Asger demands that Tim check if Oliver is breathing, causing Tim to snap that Oliver has been cut open.
  • In The Hobbit , Bilbo's sword glows blue whenever there are orcs or goblins nearby. When Gollum drags away a wounded goblin and starts bashing its head in with a rock, the sword's glow becomes dimmer and eventually flickers out.
  • A subversion happens in Hot Fuzz : Danny takes a bullet for Nick, and then gets caught in an explosion. Nicholas murmurs repeated reassurances to his friend, only for the scene to dissolve to fluffy clouds and a Time Skip to One Year Later. Nick brings flowers to the cemetery but they're for the gravestone of Danny's long-dead mother. Danny's fully recovered and ready to rock.
  • Invoked in House of Games , when during The Con , the fake mark fakes his death and one of the cons declares him dead after checking the pulse for five seconds.
  • I'm Gonna Git You Sucka . After a man is shot multiple times, sad music starts to play. When the heroes ask his girlfriend how he is, she says "He's dead! Can't you hear the music? "
  • In Like Flint . Flint can tell whether a man is dead just by holding and looking at his face briefly.
  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World begins with ex-convict Jimmy Durante careening down a desert highway and flying off a cliff. A number of fellow motorists run down to aid him, but he's clearly dying. As he gasps his last breaths, he tells them the location of a large sum of stolen money he's buried, then fades out...and sits up deliriously shouting at Sid Caesar 'Tell me it don't make no difference, Aunt Belle!'. He's reassured and dies...kicking a bucket downhill. Truck driver Jonathan Winters declares "That guy's dead . You better believe it!"
  • In the James Bond film Thunderball , Fiona Volpe says, "He's dead alright" after Major Derval is sprayed with a faceful of Deadly Gas . This is more to establish her ruthless nature as a SPECTRE operative, given that we saw her smooching with Derval moments before.
  • In Keep an Eye Out! : Officer Buron asks Fugain, who has found a dead body, how he knew he was dead. Fugain says he looked exactly as in a novel.
  • The falling-and-shattering-object version was used twice— with the same object —in The Lord of the Rings films. Except that neither of the characters involved actually dies...they're just trying to make you nervous.
  • The Matrix . After Neo has apparently been shot to death, Agent Smith tells another Agent to "Check him." The other Agent puts a finger to Neo's neck (apparently checking his pulse), then immediately says "He's gone."
  • The "arm falling" version occurs in The Matrix Reloaded when the Keymaker dies. Somewhat justified in that his chest was full of Agent Smith's bullets at the time.
  • Nayak : Shankar, Arindam's mentor in the theater, falls over. Arindam shouts his name, and someone else, about three seconds after Arindam hit the ground, says "No point calling him, he's gone." RIP Arindam. No one checks him at all!
  • When the bodies of the two Z.O.W.I.E. guards are found, Flint briefly examines one of them and says "This one's gone."
  • After Flint appears to have asphyxiated in the sealed vault, Rodney briefly checks his body and decides that he's dead. It turns out that Flint is actually in suspended animation and is still alive.
  • In Peter Rabbit , immediately after capturing the titular protagonist, Old Man McGregor suffers a Hollywood Heart Attack and dies with his eyes open and unblinking , Peter confirming his death by touching his cornea.
  • Played in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . Barbossa, as he is shot through the chest, says "I feel... cold." and collapses.
  • Could have been checking for rigor mortis, which a real corpse would have had by that point.
  • Subverted in The Quick and the Dead . Spotted Horse boasts that he's Immune to Bullets and has the scars to prove it. The male protagonist Cort takes him down with a single bullet (he's only allowed one) during their Quick Draw competition. The doctor without even approaching the body says casually, "He's dead." Cort turns to walk away... Spotted Horse: Spotted Horse...cannot...be killed... (staggers to his feet) ...by a bullet... Cort: Give me another bullet!
  • Robocop 2 . After Hob is seriously wounded Robocop takes his hand. Finally Hob's grip relaxes and his hand falls open, so Robocop knows he's dead and leaves him.
  • Lampshaded when Mills complains about the patrolman who found the Gluttony victim not checking that he was actually dead. This goes with the theme of apathy in the movie.
  • In Silver Lode , Johnson is lying motionless on the ground after being shot. Ballard says to ask Johnson who shot him, to which he is told "This man is dead."
  • Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow . Dr. Jennings slumps and his hand opens, spilling two metal vials. Polly tells Sky Captain "He's dead" and pulls a blanket over his head without checking his life signs.
  • In Smilin' Through , Dr. Owen doesn't even examine poor Moonyeen, shot in the stomach at her wedding. He takes one look at her and shakes his head negatively when Sir John asks for his help.
  • Spider-Man 2 : Doctor Octavius is proven to die when the lights in his Doc Ock arms go out and don't try to get him to safety.
  • Averted in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when Spock dies . McCoy is present and is one of the two major characters tackling Kirk to stop him from opening the radiation shield doors to reach a dying Spock . The original script had McCoy saying "He's Dead, Jim" but DeForest Kelley refused to say the line, knowing it would cause audiences to laugh instead of cry . It's left to Scotty to tell Kirk "Sir, he's dead already!" McCoy instead speaks Scotty's line "NO, you'll flood the whole compartment!"
  • Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope : When Vader is choking the Rebel , we see a close-up of his feet, but it's only to establish that Vader is holding him up in the air; his legs are never kicking even when he dies (well, at least we don't see it). The bones in his neck being crushed sorta drove the point home.
  • ¡Three Amigos! . After Dusty Bottoms negligently shoots the Invisible Swordsman, the Swordsman falls to the ground. Ned Nederlander picks up the Swordsman's arm by the wrist, then lets it fall to the ground and says "He's dead". It's possible that Ned was checking the Swordsman's pulse, but it was only done for a second, not enough to be sure the Swordsman is dead.
  • Transformers (2007) : After the US Army has little to no effect at bringing down the Decepticon Brawl, Bumblebee pelts him with shots from his own weapon, eventually scoring a direct hit on his spark, killing him and having his dead body collapse and crash through a wall next to where the soldiers were taking cover. One of the lines that follow from the soldiers: "OK, the tank is definitely dead now ."
  • When Clark is pulled over by a highwayman. Clark at first has no clue why the officer is being hostile until he's shown the empty dog leash on the bumper of the car. Realizing he had forgotten he tied up Aunt Edna's dog to it when they had stopped at a park, got distracted as they were leaving and well—you get the idea. Clark tries to downplay it to his family until the officer hands him the dog leash and comments that he'll pick up the carcass down the road.
  • Later as the family are set for a lunch break, Ellen tries to get the kids to wake up Edna. When they can't seem to rouse her, Clark just passes it off as her being old and letting her rest. Least till Ellen checks Edna herself and announces that she's dead.
  • The Walden Media The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film plays with this trope, as many of the lords they encounter are pretty obviously dead (skeletal remains and such). The hilarious thing is that Caspian can recognize all of them immediately , even though some of them have no features left to recognize them. Either the guy really did his homework, or he ought to be the lead in CSI: Narnia .
  • Witness for the Prosecution ends with a nurse feeling the male victim's pulse for nine seconds upon which she declares him dead.
  • Early in The Wrong Box , bedridden old Masterman Finsbury receives word that he and his brother Joseph are the last two members of a tontine (a contract where a large sum of money is awarded to the last survivor) - he weakly tells grandson Michael "I believe the time...has come...at last." and placidly drifts into unconsciousness. Michael solemnly draws a sheet over the old man's head...and a beat later the old man swats it off and angrily chides Michael for his poor observation (and Michael is a medical student.) He meant it was time to do in his brother Joseph and collect the money.
  • Parodied in Pyramids where the doctor insists that all medical tests prove Teppic " mortis portulis tackulatum " (dead as a doornail), and obstinately explains confusing signs, such as the patient sitting up and walking away, as "reflex actions".
  • In Hogfather , assassin Mr Teatime ( that's Te-AH-tim-EH ) insists that he checked the client for life signs thoroughly, checking his breathing with a mirror... and is told that might have been unnecessary given the unnatural distance at the time between said corpse's mouth and its lungs.
  • And then referenced in Wintersmith , for exactly — well, almost exactly — the same situation. Whether or not this was the incident that the governing council of the Guild of Assassins is mentioned as having voted to expel him for a few paragraphs early is unclear, but this conversation tells the reader almost everything they need to know about Mr Teatime .
  • Used in The Fifth Elephant when Carrot rescues a wolf from a mob by having Gaspode talk it into collapsing. It yelps a little when Carrot throws it on his horse, but Carrot dismisses it as the air leaving its lungs. The mob is about to press the issue, before the thought occurs to them that this is a man who obviously has a lot of experience with freshly-killed bodies, not helped by the fact that he's six feet tall, holding a sword, and a very strained smile.
  • In Dan Abnett 's Gaunt's Ghosts novel Only In Death , after Hark kills Soric, the body is not described at all, but the psionically sent music stops: "The sound of pipes ended, forever." Shortly thereafter, Hark finds a brass messenger container, of the sort in which Soric had received warnings; it is empty.
  • Played with in Agatha Christie 's And Then There Were None , wherein the Judge and the Doctor conspire to fake the Judge's death. Only the Doctor examines the Judge's "corpse" closely, and hastily pronounces him dead, lest anyone take a closer look .
  • Justified in Percy Jackson and the Olympians , where Nico di Angelo can tell if people are dead because he's the son of Hades.
  • In Relentless , the trope is subverted. Daniel tells Grant to stop freaking and grieving for the Genius Loci group because dead bodies do not bruise .
  • A sinister example in H. P. Lovecraft 's The Statement Of Randolph Carter . Carter is on the phone to his friend Harley Warren, who is investigating an underground tomb and has brought a portable phone down there with him (physically connected to Carter's phone by a wire, as the technology of the day would require). Warren's side of the conversation becomes increasingly panicked before going utterly silent , not responding to Carter's voice... until an unidentified voice on the line taunts "You fool, Warren is dead!"
  • Blackadder : In "The Archbishop" from the first series, it happens twice that the King is trying to persuade a dying nobleman to leave his lands to the Crown, at the same time as a bishop is trying to persuade him to leave his lands to the Church. In each case, the nobleman signs a prepared will, and then dies with a final groan, closing his eyes, and dropping the quill, making it certain that he will not be able to change his mind. (The nobleman leaves his lands to the Church) King: You will change your mind later, I know it. (Nobleman groans and drops the quill) Bishop: I think not.
  • Star Trek: The Original Series is the Trope Namer , as it's a line commonly spoken by Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy , often regarding the poor Red Shirt who just bit it. He often has help from his Tricorder , which may be more accurate, but Bones didn't always use it before declaring, " He's Dead, Jim ". On occasion, Bones would give a more detailed description, such as "his neck was broken" and "every cell in his body's been disrupted". He also has a couple of instances where he says " You're dead, Jim" and even " I'm dead, Jim," but they obviously don't take . Amusingly, Bones' very first use of the line (Episode 5, "The Enemy Within") was in reference to a dog-like alien creature rather than a crewmember.
  • Deep Space Nine : In "Starship Down", the Defiant is hit badly, and everyone is tossed around. One of the bridge crew looks at two unconscious people for a moment, then declares them to be dead. No one questions this, even though this is a few episodes after Dr. Bashir criticised the Tricorder as not very good at identifying deadness. Only the captain gets any medical attention.
  • Star Trek: Voyager : While visiting a planet, Neelix finds a native woman who's been struck down, bends over her, and declares her dead — despite not being a doctor or having a Tricorder. He's also not native to that world (although he is native to the quadrant and might have encountered that species before), so he has no reason to even be certain of her physiology . This might be the most egregious use of the trope across all of Star Trek .
  • Invoked Trope in "The Big Bang", where the Doctor meets a future version of himself, obviously unable to stand. The future Doctor falls down, whispers something in the present Doctor's ear and collapses. The Doctor declares him "dead", our group goes off, and the future Doctor proceeds to (off camera) wake up and fix things when no one is looking. Just as planned.
  • Firefly subverted this in the pilot. Kaylee's arm drops, Mal tells Simon she's dead, and she turns out to be just fine.
  • Wash is pretty clearly dead (alive people have less harpoon in their chests) but Zoe snaps and refuses to believe it momentarily .
  • Simon arrives as Mal is holding the dying Book , but slows down after seeing the expression on Mal's face, and then goes to check him. It's easy to miss as the camera focus is on Mal and Simon's just working in the background.
  • The villain in the Season 2 opener for Chuck holds Sarah up by the neck. The viewer sees legs kick for a minute, and then they stop.
  • The overwhelming majority of Sylar victims suffer the obvious grievous injury either via Sylar's Signature Style , or some other violent means.
  • Claire has personally exhibited the grievous injury indicator, the glassy eyes indicator, and the no pulse/heartbeat indicator, sufficiently that she woke up on the autopsy table once, thanks to her power.
  • Peter has personally exhibited the glassy eyed stare, and thanks to his power, he got better.
  • Maya's victims suffered obvious grievous bodily injury.
  • Mr. Linderman suffered obvious grievous bodily injury.
  • Hiro's father suffered grievous bodily injury.
  • So did his wife, Niki.
  • HRG had the glassy stare after Mohinder shot him. Thanks to a transfusion of Claire's blood, he gets better.
  • Tracy caused a case of glassy stare and unmistakably grievous bodily injury. That one didn't take either.
  • Adam suffered the case of turning into dust.
  • Arthur Petrelli is shot in the head, but no one thinks to make sure he's dead, even though he absorbed all of Peter's powers, including the Healing Factor .
  • True Blood another which likely will use this trope liberally, has the glassy-eyed stare and/or grievous bodily injury methods so far.
  • Dexter tends to use the grievous bodily injury method and the glassy eyed stare. But it also subverts the trope because the titular Anti-Hero is meticulous in his methods.
  • In an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun , Officer Don found Harry asleep and solemnly declared him dead.
  • Subverted in the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ; a vampire (a crazy one, to be sure) bashes a civilian's head against a hard metal surface and declares him dead, but he's only stunned. Also, in season three, Cordelia gets impaled by rebar, sad music is played and we cut to a funeral. Then Buffy and Willow walk by talking about how Cordelia will be fine.
  • Kai from Lexx claimed to be "good at determining the state of death. It was a required function for assassins of the Divine Order."
  • The Resident : Series protagonist Conrad Hawkins, senior resident at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, has become close with Lily Kendall, a 21-year-old cancer patient who has been undergoing experimental therapy. In the series ninth episode, Lily, having been given a dose of potassium, collapses to the ground and loses consciousness. Conrad witnesses this and, after summoning assistance, begins rendering aid. When defibrillator shocks and other conventional methods are unsuccessful, Conrad proceeds to attempt CPR on Lily for a [full 20 minutes . At that point, with Lily still non-responsive, one of the other doctors tells Conrad that he can stop now ... and after holding back tears to call the time, tearfully concedes defeat.
  • The X-Files : Though Agent Scully is a physician, she seldom tries to resuscitate any victims of the Monster of the Week even if they were conscious only seconds before. For example, in " Fresh Bones ", the episode ends with a would-be zombie master waking up in his coffin, after succumbing to his own poison that simulated death. Scully knew about this poison .
  • Nobody ever checks for vitals in any of the Stargate shows, unless a qualified medical specialist is available on-hand. This includes the Quick Draw between Sheppard and Kolya. No one bothers to make sure Kolya is really dead. They assume Sheppard is that good a shot.
  • This makes a little sense in the "Proving Ground" episode of Stargate SG-1 , when one of the rookies shoots a guard at the SGC, as the four are scared, thinking that the base has been overrun. Had they checked his vitals, they would've figured out that he's only pretending, given away that the whole thing is a test (all bullets have been replaced with blanks).
  • Neither SG-1 nor Sheppard's team normally travel with a medical expert. While each member has, presumably, received first aid training, this may not qualify them to declare someone dead unless it's obvious from injuries.
  • Anybody designated Category 1 would have died before "the miracle" that has prevented people from dying when they ordinarily would have, so we have lots of people with grievous bodily injuries who aren't dead
  • Captain Jack Harkness, who was, until "the miracle", temporally locked, has a flashback to his time in the 1920s during which he is repeatedly shot, stabbed, and beaten to death just to see him revive again.
  • As Coroner Steiner dies in The Mentalist , Jane eases his passing by having him focus on a coin trick. As his life slips away, Jane vanishes the coin.
  • Lampshaded in Psych . Shawn and Gus are standing over the one-shot character who just saved their lives giving an impromptu eulogy. The "dead" guy then reaches out for them, asking "Doesn't anyone check for a pulse anymore?"
  • The Walking Dead (2010) has a variation on the metaphorical indicator. A shower head continues to spray after the person using it has fallen. The spray diminishes to a trickle, then a drip. The dripping stops, indicating the person died.
  • UFO (1970) : In the episode "Sub Smash", after a Skydiver officer is injured during an attack, he goes berserk and falls to the deck. Commander Straker (possibly) checks his pulse, puts his ear to the man's chest and says "He's out of it".
  • In Bones episode "The Hole in the Heart", Booth is applying pressure to Vincent's bullet wound after he is shot. When he lets go, Bones tries to put his hands back and says "You have to keep applying pressure". Booth responds with "No I don't" and we see Vincent's eyes have gone blank.
  • In the Supernatural episode " All Hell Breaks Loose, Part One ", Dean assumes slashed throats and open eyes equals death, as he does not check a pulse or perform any first aid for the humans left behind in the Sunnyside Diner.
  • Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries : In the Christmas episode, Phryne and the gang find a woman who has been bashed on the head with a statuette. Phryne touches her shoulder, looks up and announces, "She's gone."
  • In an episode of CSI , an exhibitor at a science-fiction fans' convention is murdered; Hodges-from-Trace is on the scene and calls Captain James Brass to tell him, "I'm at the convention, there's a problem with one of the exhibitors"; when Brass asks, "What's wrong with him?", Hodges replies, "HE'S DEAD, JIM"; the world reverberated to the sound of millions of viewers groaning; it got progressively worse as the cliches flew thick and fast thereafter.
  • The Twilight Zone (1959) : In " Perchance to Dream ", a psychiatrist (who is therefore a medical doctor) interviews a new patient. At the end of the episode, the man screams while he's asleep. The psychiatrist checks his pulse and immediately pronounces him dead. He doesn't even bother to apply first aid or call for an ambulance.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus : The pet shop customer uses a non-stop stream of synonyms to insist the parrot he bought is dead when the pet shop owner keeps claiming otherwise. The Live at City Center album adds even more: He's snapped the twig. He's kicked the bucket. He's curled up his tootsies and shuffled off this mortal coil. He fucking snuffed it!
  • The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin : Reggie steals a truckload of loganberry essence and sends a note to CJ saying "Blood Will Flow"; he then dumps the essence in CJ's favourite trout stream where CJ is hosting a fishing party of Sunshine Desserts executives; thinking the water has turned to blood, CJ collapses and falls into the river, unconscious; Doc Morrissey pulls him out, and says "My God, he's dead!" At which point CJ opens his eyes and replies, "You're fired!"
  • In Dino Attack RPG , especially in PeabodySam 's writing, a sure way to instantly tell if a character was Killed Off for Real is if that character coughs up blood , goes limp (especially if that character's hand is held by another character), and/or stares off into oblivion .
  • Chagal in Tanz Der Vampire is rather disappointed when his beautiful victim Magda goes limp and doesn't move right after he's bitten her. Then again, he had just bitten her; if anybody'd realize instantly that she was dead, it'd be him.
  • Subversion: Mimi in RENT goes limp with her eyes open after Roger plays his song for her; however, she's Not Quite Dead , Jim. Played straight in the Dutch production, where she dies for real , just like in the original opera .
  • The theatre adaptation of War Horse : All the horses in the play are controlled by three puppeteers each. When a horse dies on stage, the puppeteers leave it there and exit the stage themselves, making it rather obvious what happened. What makes it striking is that after having watched the play for so long, the audience has completely forgotten about the puppeteers despite them being in plain sight, until they suddenly leave.
  • Psychonauts uses the "body going" limp variant... comically. The matador Dingo Inflagrante in Edgar Teglee's psyche dies while giving a speech to his beloved, and his entire body goes limp. She starts to cry... and Edgar looks relieved (and dumps both the girl and the body of Dingo into a pit), because his death symbolizes Edgar letting go of his grudges and getting over his anger issues.
  • Beyond Good & Evil uses the "no heartbeat" variant. When Jade and Double H find Pey'j's body, Double H checks him for a heartbeat. When he finds none, he shakes his head and mouths the word "no."
  • Wing Commander IV , with Vagabond's death.
  • Halo 3 used the "body goes limp" method for the death of Miranda Keyes. And Sgt. Johnson.
  • Subverted in Fate/stay night . We never really learn what it was Caster did to Kotomine, but she's obviously certain he died. But then Tohsaka doesn't buy her story at all and asks if she really did a thorough check to see if Kotomine was dead. Caster's composure and assurance crumble and the subject gets dropped quickly after. Apart from obviously still being alive, we see why Tohsaka is so sure he's alive in HF: He lived for two days without his heart and could still fight, though he died of it before he could win.
  • If you have Elanee in your party during the scene in Jerro's Haven in Neverwinter Nights 2 , she can tell that Shandra is dead from across the room. Despite the fact that this is a universe where Death Is Cheap and you should logically be able to just resurrect her.
  • In The Journeyman Project , once you hear a flatline-like tone, You're Dead, Gage.
  • At the end of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots , when Big Boss drops his cigar in the cemetery.
  • At the end of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , the Triforce mark fades from Ganondorf's hand when he is impaled, signifying that he has been Killed Off for Real .
  • In the intro to Banjo-Tooie , Banjo tells Mumbo that Bottles is not merely "unwell" at the very moment the mole's ghost can be seen (by the player, at least) departing his body.
  • Sometimes averted in World of Warcraft because of glitches. Normally, when you or your target die, the health bar changes from (say) "42/1337 Health" to "Dead". But sometimes a packet drops and you'll see a dead monster as alive, or yourself as dead after being resurrected. In the former case, you can't loot the corpse; in the latter case, you can't attack or cast spells.
  • At the beginning of Ori and the Blind Forest , Naru is shown to be dead by falling back limp when Ori tries to rouse her .
  • Dead units in Starcraft II tend to explode, fall apart, or Dissapear into light, making it quite clear that they are dead. Nevertheless, after he helps take out a monstrous Zerg queen, Stenmann feels the need to inform James Raynor that " She's dead, Jim. "
  • Justified in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 . The game features a race of beings called “blades” that are effectively immortal, but their life is tied to whoever awakened them; their “driver”. When a driver dies, any blade they have awakened will lose their memories and return to their core crystal (a small gem in their bodies that contains all their genetic data) until someone else awakens them. Since drivers and blades tend to stick close together, you can tell a driver is dead by the disappearance of their blades.
  • Done from at least a kilometre away in The Order of the Stick , thanks to the comic's art style . "Does he... does he have the X's in his eyes?"
  • In Homestuck the auto responder knows that everyone's dead, and tells this to Jake in an attempt to make him kiss Dirk. There is also the DEAD Unsound Effect .
  • The series, never having been shy about a Shout-Out to Star Trek , uses this trope often. The two most common characters to say it are Fry and Zoidberg — except Fry is The Ditz , and Zoidberg is a doctor but not a very good one , so neither of them are right most of the time. Fry even has a bit of a Running Gag where he would announce, "He's dead," whenever the cast came across a body, much in the spirit of this trope.
  • In "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", the cast of the original Star Trek explains how the show became a religion so vast and influential, the Powers That Be saw it as a threat and executed its adherents — in "the manner most befitting virgins ". Cue a line of Trekkies being tossed into a volcano . Each time someone is tossed in, the men doing the tossing would say, "He's dead, Jim."
  • In "Bend Her", Bender (in disguise as "Coilette" ) has to fake his/her death to get out of marrying Calculon. Zoidberg pronounces him/her dead — while at the buffet table yards away, barely paying attention. Zoidberg: I'm a doctor, she's dead.
  • In "When Aliens Attack", the crew is attempting to recreate the final episode of " Single Female Lawyer ", but they can't act for the life of them : Farnsworth: Cough, then fall over dead. Zoidberg: (nonplussed) My god, he's dead.
  • Subverted in Into the Wild Green Yonder , after an unsuspecting Fry is struck on the head by a feminist who fell from the sky : Zoidberg: I... I'm not quite sure how to say this... Fry is dead ! (starts crying) Fry: (groans and starts moving) Zoidberg: No, wait. Not dead. The other thing.
  • Other than the debates if Starscream turns grey or not before crumbling to ash, no one else that dies in the movie changes color. So only important or extremely popular Transformers go monochrome apparently.
  • Transformers: Animated shows dead Transformers grayed out as well.
  • This is also shown with Hot Shot in the alternate past scene in Transformers: Armada : "Drift". Earlier, after sacrificing himself to block the Hydra Cannon blast, Optimus turns white (along with Eye Lights Out ) before crumbling into dust. In the penultimate episode, Sideways also experiences Eye Lights Out .
  • In Family Guy , Glenn Quagmire fakes a heart attack to escape his marriage. After he collapses, Joe Swanson (who had been in on the whole plan) declares, "He's dead. I know, I'm a cop."
  • Wildfire : Used in the intro of a Saturday morning cartoon . The ailing queen's arm flops right down before Sara is sent off to Montana.
  • Averted in many jurisdictions in Real Life . Many do not allow first responders to declare someone dead unless it's blatantly obvious, like decapitation or decomposition . note  A patient in such a state is euphemistically said to have "a condition incompatible with life". Otherwise, the responder has to do the standard lifesaving procedures (CPR and the like) until a certified doctor can declare the person dead. Even then in this case, protocol is for the patient to have no heart beat or respiration for at least a full minute - and to be at close to or above normal body temperature.
  • Even with modern standards of medicine, it is still a black joke among doctors that the only way to be 100% certain of death is to leave the corpse in a warm place and see if decomposition starts to happen. Declaring death is still largely a matter of observation of cessation of vital signs backed by medical experience and common sense. There is at least one attested experience from a British hospital of a presumed corpse in a mortuary, whose kidneys had just been harvested for transplant, beginning to come round on the slab. The then-junior doctor assisting noted, with horror, that his superior swiftly administered a painless lethal injection of morphine and said the best thing to do was to pretend it had never happened. Practically adding that it wasn't as if they could put the kidneys back , there'd be a difficult inquiry, and the resultant publicity would deter people from bequeathing their organs for transplant.
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Every "He's Dead, Jim" Line from Classic Star Trek

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The Origins of 11 Famous Star Trek Lines

By rick marshall | nov 6, 2015.

CBS

Few franchises have had the cultural impact of the various Star Trek television series and movies, and nowhere is that more evident than in the snippets of dialogue that have become a part of the American vernacular—and in some cases, found their way abroad, too. Here are 11 of the most notable Star Trek catchphrases, as well as a little more information about their origins.

1. "Live Long and Prosper"

The Vulcan greeting and the finger-separating hand gesture that accompanies it first appeared in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series , during an episode titled “Amok Time.” Spock himself (actor Leonard Nimoy) has made no secret of the fact that the gesture and phrase were his idea, and that he based them on Orthodox Jewish blessings he remembered from his childhood. In the Jewish blessing, the position of the fingers forms the Hebrew letter “Shin,” which represents the name “Shaddai” (Almighty God). Nimoy put his own spin on the traditional gesture by holding up just one hand (instead of both) and changing up the verbal blessing slightly.

2. "Highly Illogical..."

While Spock never shied away from questioning the logic of those around him—usually Kirk—it wasn't until the second season that he took things up a notch and deemed the actions of the native inhabitants of planet Omega IV “highly illogical” in the episode titled “The Omega Glory.” Previously, it had always just been “illogical” or, in rare cases, “most illogical,” but it took a pair of natives attacking Kirk in a jail cell for Spock to pair his trademark raised-eyebrow reaction with the term “highly illogical.” The phrase would then be repeated in several more episodes, as well as the subsequent films and J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise.

Bonus: “Highly Illogical” was also the name of Leonard Nimoy's 1993 music album featuring several songs he recorded in the 1960s (including “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”) as well as a few new tunes.

3. "Beam Me Up, Scotty"

One of the most interesting aspects of this phrase—a request directed at Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott for transport back to the USS Enterprise—is that it was never actually uttered in any of the Star Trek television series or movies. More often than not, the command was akin to “Three to beam up” or more directly, “Beam them up,” with the closest approximation being “Beam us up, Scotty” in a few episodes of the Star Trek animated series. However, William Shatner did say this line while reading the audio version of his novel Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden .

4. "I'm A Doctor, Not A..."

Everyone knows that Dr. Leonard McCoy is not an engineer, a coal miner, or an escalator, but that never stopped him from reminding his fellow crew members. The first time DeForest Kelley uttered his famous catchphrase as we know it was in a first-season episode titled “The Devil in the Dark.” In that episode, McCoy saw fit to let Kirk know that he was a doctor, not a brick-layer. It's worth noting that an earlier episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver," had him asking Capt. Kirk, “What am I, a doctor or a moon-shuttle conductor?” but it wasn't until much later in the season that we got the full line that would later be heard in just about every subsequent series, as well as the Star Trek films. The line even made it into J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot, with Karl Urban (as McCoy) exclaiming, “I'm a doctor, not a physicist!”

5. "Make It So"

Captain Jean-Luc Picard's signature line was a part of Star Trek: The Next Generation from the very start, with actor Patrick Stewart uttering what would become his character's most memorable catchphrase in the pilot episode, “Encounter at Farpoint.” The episode was written by Gene Roddenberry himself, so it's likely that he wrote the line for Picard, though the phrase has been in use for quite a while in military circles as a way to tell someone to proceed with a command.

6. "To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before..."

The infinitive-splitting opening narration for each episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (with the exception of the pilot episodes) was famously recited by William Shatner, but the actual origins of the line are uncertain at best. Some reports suggest that it was inspired by a 1958 White House press booklet promoting the space program, though some have speculated that it came from a statement made by explorer James Cook following an expedition to Newfoundland. Writer Samuel Peeples, who authored the pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” is often credited with the decision to make the phrase such a significant part of the series. The line was eventually repeated—with a few minor tweaks—in each iteration of the series and films.

7. "Khaaannnn!"

Possibly the most meme-friendly line of dialogue ever to come out of the Star Trek universe, this scream of rage originated in (no surprise here) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Left marooned on a dead planet by the evil villain Khan then taunted about his predicament, Kirk let loose with a primal roar—and the rest was viral-video history.

8. "I'm Givin' Her All She's Got, Captain!"

Much like “Beam me up, Scotty,” this famous catchphrase often associated with USS Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek: The Original Series was never said in this exact form by actor James Doohan in the series or subsequent films. The closest approximation is a line in the second-season episode “The Changeling,” when Kirk asks Scotty to divert more power to the ship's shields. Scotty responds with, “Giving them all we got.” However, Doohan did utter every word of the famous line as part of a cameo in 1993's Loaded Weapon , in which he turns up as a panicky police officer trying to fix a coffee machine. Similarly, Simon Pegg used the same line “I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain!” in 2009's Star Trek reboot, in which he plays a young Montgomery Scott.

9. "Nuclear Wessels"

Russian crew member Pavel Andreievich Chekov's inability to pronounce the letter “V” became a recurring joke after the character was introduced in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series as the ship's navigator. While it made for some funny moments throughout the series and subsequent movies, one of the most memorable pronunciation gaffes occurred during Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , when Chekov begins asking passers-by in 1980s San Francisco where he can find “nuclear wessels.” Even though Walter Koenig had been playing the character for almost 20 years before The Voyage Home hit theaters, the two-word line soon became indelibly connected with his portrayal of the character.

10. "Resistance Is Futile"

This famous line was first uttered by robotic aliens The Borg in the epic third-season finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation , titled “Best of Both Worlds, Part 1.” Not only did the 1990 episode offer up one of the greatest cliffhangers in television history, but it also coined a phrase that would live forever in the nightmares of fans—mainly because it was recycled for use in countless other series and films down the road.

11. "Set Phasers To Stun"

It was established early on in Star Trek: The Original Series that the phasers used by the crew of USS Enterprise had a “stun” setting (as mentioned in “The Man Trap” episode), and both Kirk and Spock often found themselves instructing their crewmates to use the non-lethal capabilities of their standard-issue weapons. However, it wasn't until the second season of Star Trek: The Animated Series that we first heard Kirk issue the command “Set phasers to stun.” The line eventually became an oft-repeated order in subsequent series, turning up in both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation , as well as many of the movies (including 2009's reboot).

This article originally appeared in 2013.

Memory Alpha

I'm a doctor, not a...

  • View history

McCoy helps Eleen climb

"Look, I'm a doctor, not an escalator. "

I'm a doctor, not a... is a famous catch phrase and snowclone used in Star Trek . Originally used by Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek: The Original Series , the phrase lived on in various other incarnations of Star Trek and was used by both Julian Bashir and The Doctor , among others. Dr. McCoy's original delivery of the phrase varied with emotional intensity, from extreme frustration to lighthearted sarcasm. Subsequent uses in later series also mirrored this performance. This iconic phrase has also appeared in other media as both a parody and homage to the show. Very often, it was just the way of Dr. McCoy and subsequent characters to prevent criticism in case of failure, but also often, the "not a…" ability was successful, especially in dire needs.

The line has been misquoted in media as " Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor… " although McCoy never used this expletive in the series. However, this version of the line was eventually used by the alternate reality Leonard McCoy .

  • 1.1 Dr. Leonard McCoy
  • 1.2 Dr. Leonard McCoy (alternate reality)
  • 1.3 Dr. Julian Bashir
  • 1.4 The Doctor
  • 1.5 Dr. Phlox
  • 1.6 Starfleet EMHs
  • 1.7.1 The Original Series
  • 1.7.2 The Next Generation
  • 1.7.3 Deep Space Nine
  • 1.7.4 Voyager
  • 1.7.5 Enterprise
  • 1.7.6 Discovery
  • 1.7.7 Lower Decks
  • 1.7.8 Prodigy
  • 1.7.9 Picard
  • 2 Apocrypha
  • 3 Prior art
  • 4 Related topics
  • 5 External links

Dr. Leonard McCoy [ ]

  • " What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor ? " ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")
  • " My dear girl, I'm a doctor. When I peek, it is in the line of duty. " ( TOS : " Shore Leave ")
  • " I don't know, Jim. This is a big ship. I'm just a country doctor. " ( TOS : " The Alternative Factor ")
  • " Me, I'm a doctor. If I were an officer of the line… " ( TOS : " A Taste of Armageddon ")
  • " What do you mean what sort of work? I'm a doctor. " ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer . " ( TOS : " The Devil in the Dark ")
  • " I'm a surgeon, not a psychiatrist . " ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever ")
  • " I'm not a scientist or a physicist , Mr. Spock … " ( TOS : " Metamorphosis ")
  • " Look, I'm a doctor, not an escalator . " ( TOS : " Friday's Child ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a mechanic . " ( TOS : " The Doomsday Machine ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not an engineer . " ( TOS : " Mirror, Mirror ")
  • " I'm not a magician , Spock, just an old country doctor. " ( TOS : " The Deadly Years ")
  • " I will not peddle flesh! I'm a physician. " ( TOS : " Return to Tomorrow ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a coal miner. " ( TOS : " The Empath ")
  • " I'm not a mechanic, Spock… " ( TOS : " The Empath ")
  • " I'm a doctor, Spock … a doctor! Get us beamed aboard! " ( TAS : " Albatross ")

Dr. Leonard McCoy (alternate reality) [ ]

  • " I don't need a doctor, damn it, I am a doctor! " ( Star Trek )
  • " I'm a doctor, Jim , I'm busy! " ( Star Trek )
  • " Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist! " ( Star Trek )
  • " Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician! " ( Star Trek Into Darkness )
  • " Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a fu – " (beamed out) ( Star Trek Beyond )

Dr. Julian Bashir [ ]

  • " Garak, I'm a doctor, not… " meaning a spy or an investigator , but Garak interrupted him. ( DS9 : " Past Prologue ")
  • Garak says " I'm no more a spy than you are… " Bashir interrupts, saying " A doctor. " ( DS9 : " Cardassians ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a botanist . " ( DS9 : " The Wire ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not an historian . " ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")
  • Variation as Julius Eaton : " We're writers , not vikings . " ( DS9 : " Far Beyond the Stars ")

The Doctor [ ]

  • " I'm a doctor, Mr. Neelix , not a decorator. " ( VOY : " Phage ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a bartender . " ( VOY : " Twisted ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a voyeur . " ( VOY : " Parturition ")
  • " I shouldn't have to remind you: I'm a doctor… "
  • " I'm a doctor, not a performer . " ( VOY : " Investigations ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a counterinsurgent . " ( VOY : " Basics, Part II ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a database . "
  • " I am a doctor, not a peeping Tom , there's nothing I haven't seen before. " (when catching Torres in the sonic shower ) ( VOY : " Drone ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a battery . " ( VOY : " Gravity ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a dragonslayer . " ( VOY : " Bliss ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not a zookeeper . " ( VOY : " Life Line ")
  • " I'm a doctor, not an engineer. " ( VOY : " Flesh and Blood ")

Dr. Phlox [ ]

  • " I'm a physician, not an engineer. " ( ENT : " Doctor's Orders ")

Starfleet EMHs [ ]

  • USS Enterprise -E EMH Mark I : " I'm a doctor, not a doorstop . " ( Star Trek: First Contact )
  • USS Prometheus EMH Mark II : " I am a doctor, not a commando . " ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ")

Variants [ ]

The original series [ ], the next generation [ ], deep space nine [ ], voyager [ ], enterprise [ ], discovery [ ], lower decks [ ], prodigy [ ], apocrypha [ ], prior art [ ].

While the character of Dr. McCoy arguably made the phrase "I'm a doctor …" part of the common lexicon, he was not the first fictional doctor, or even the first character on the big screen, to use the phrase. In the 1933 American film The Kennel Murder Case , Dr. Doremus, the coroner at the scene of the titular crime, states " I'm a doctor, not a magician " and " I'm a doctor, not a detective " within five minutes of his first appearance. The latter line was also uttered by Dr. Fortescue, played by George Zucco , in the 1949 version of The Secret Garden . It is unclear whether these particular dialogue artifacts were progenitors of McCoy's famous phrase.

" I'm a [whatever] not a [whatever] " is also a Yiddish idiom, most commonly " I'm a [whatever,] not a rabbi. "

Related topics [ ]

  • 47 references
  • Star Trek parodies
  • He's dead, Jim

External links [ ]

  • I'm a doctor, not a...  at YouTube
  • I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder - TV Tropes page showing the phrase's influence outside Star Trek
  • 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Screen Rant

Strange new worlds just set up spock & bones’ best star trek line.

In Strange New Worlds, Sam Kirk's banter with Spock lays the groundwork for Spock's future arguments with Dr. McCoy in Star Trek: The Original Series.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 9 - "All Those Who Wander"

The tension in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode 9 as the crew of the USS Enterprise are stalked by baby Gorn also previewed the classic interplay between Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Star Trek: The Original Series . In Strange New Worlds episode 9, "All Those Who Wander," Captain Christopher Pike's landing party on Valeo Beta V, which includes Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), actually exhibit the familiar dialogue and behavior that will later define Spock and Bones McCoy's banter in TOS .

Spock and Dr. McCoy's bickering is one of the most beloved aspects of Star Trek: The Original Series . Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) relies on his two best friends to offer their opposing perspectives on each important command decision. As a Vulcan and USS Enterprise's First Officer and Science Officer, Spock always argues for the logical course of action, and this invariably infuriates Dr. McCoy, who represents the humanistic and emotional side of each argument. Naturally, Spock's Vulcan logic irritates Bones to no end, and he often resorts to calling Spock names, referring to him as "green-blooded..." in a derogatory way and so forth. Spock hides his own annoyance better than McCoy, but he does enjoy needling the Doctor over how irrational and overly emotional Bones can be while Kirk looks on with bemusement.

Related: Strange New Worlds' Major Death Sets Up Scotty For Season 2

On Captain Pike's Starship Enterprise , Spock's relationships with his crewmates are different, but Sam Kirk showed flashes of what the Vulcan will one day deal with from Dr. McCoy in Strange New Worlds episode 9. When the landing party learns that they're trapped aboard the abandoned USS Peregrine with murderous, newborn Gorn, the tension naturally increases. After Lt. Duke (Ted Kellogg) and Cadet Chia (Jessica Danecker) are killed by the Gorn, fear grips the rest of the landing party. Lt. Kirk is understandably terrified but he takes it out on Spock, whose logical approach unnerves him even more. Sam lambasts Spock similarly to how Bones will in TOS , which sets up how the Vulcan will one day tolerate McCoy's emotional outbursts. Amusingly, Spock's verbal abuse in Strange New Worlds is coming from a Kirk, which is a novel spin on TOS 's classic banter.

Strange New Worlds episode 9 also gave Dr. M'Benga one of Dr. McCoy's most famous lines. After the landing party works together to kill the remaining baby Gorn, M'Benga assures Captain Pike it's over by saying, "It's dead, Chris." This is a hilarious nod to how often in Star Trek: The Original Series Bones would examine a dead body and offer Captain Kirk his diagnosis, "He's dead, Jim."  Of course, in just a few years from Strange New Worlds ' 2259 timeframe, Dr. M'Benga (Booker Bradshaw) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) will work alongside Dr. McCoy in TOS . Meanwhile, the younger Nurse Chapel's (Jess Bush) relationship with Spock is more personal and intimate in Strange New Worlds than it seems when they're together on Kirk's Enterprise.

Sam Kirk essentially standing in for Dr. McCoy in Strange New Worlds is a clever inversion that differentiates Sam from his dynamic and authoritative younger brother, Jim. Sam joining Pike's Enterprise as a xenoanthropologist was a surprise to Trekkers, who are well aware that Jim's older brother dies in season 1 of Star Trek: The Original Series . It's also fascinating that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds set Sam Kirk up as a foil to Spock, and it seems the Vulcan's experiences dealing with Lt. Kirk will prepare him for his friendly banter and furious debates with Dr. Leonard McCoy when they both serve under Captain Kirk.

Next: Strange New Worlds Makes A Big Vulcan Change To Spock

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 finale streams Thursday, July 7, on Paramount+.

“___ dead, Jim” (much-parodied “Star Trek” line) Crossword Clue

dead Jim much parodied Star Trek line NYT Crossword Clue Answers are listed below. Did you came up with a solution that did not solve the clue? No worries we keep a close eye on all the clues and update them regularly with the correct answers.

DEAD JIM MUCH PARODIED STAR TREK LINE Crossword Answer

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“___ dead, Jim” (much-parodied “Star Trek” line) NYT Crossword

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DEAD JIM MUCH PARODIED STAR TREK LINE

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"___ dead, Jim" (much-parodied "Star Trek" line) Crossword Clue

"___ dead, jim" (much-parodied "star trek" line) answer is: hes.

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Saturday, May 19, 2012

He's dead jim..

star trek line dead jim

14 comments:

star trek line dead jim

He's dead jim...

star trek line dead jim

It was a person just don't remember who...

star trek line dead jim

It ends up being pretty absurd, watching that whole clip, and how many times McCoy's expert medical opinion was boiled down to determining that someone was dead. It's a pretty straightforward catchphrase, though.

star trek line dead jim

Great line. I'm guessing Sulu and lightning since I can't remember which episode that was.

star trek line dead jim

He really did say "He's dead..." quite a few times. Yikes.

star trek line dead jim

An alien unicorn creature played by DeForrest Kelley's dog is split into twins because the Enterprise's transporter is malfunctioning. One is kind and gentle and the other is evil, lol. The same happens to Captain Kirk except he doesn't die. The clues were in the image guys. Its always Dr McCoy picking up the pieces at the end with his good heart and best lines. Hes dead Jim makes an impression doesn't it?

star trek line dead jim

man i seriously have to start watching the Trek! Nutschell www.thewritingnut.com

Go for it Nutschell! You won't be disappointed. In Star Trek's episode of The Enemy Within, Spock's Vulcan Neck Pinch overpowers Kirk's alter ego.

Spacerguy, of course! It's obvious looking at it now. LOL PS. I sent you a Versatile Blogger Award! http://filmsketchr.blogspot.com/2012/05/versatile-blogger-award-from-madlab.html

Thanks for the blogger award Maurice, I'm really stoked! Heres another one to addle your sci fi brains: Why did Deforest Kelley refuse to say Dr McCoy's famous last words, 'He's dead Jim' in Star Trek's The Wrath of Khan?

Spacerguy, because he didn't deserve it. FYI I shared this in our link list! Geek Bits

Jimmy Doohan stepped in with 'He's dead already' because Dr McCoy was temporarily out for the count thanks to Mr Spock's little Katra trick. Rumor has it Kelley didn't like saying 'Hes dead Jim' but I reckon its just gossip. No you'll flood the whole compartment! He'll die. Hes dead already.

star trek line dead jim

I'm glad to told us it was the alien dog, because in all honesty I couldn't remember which episode it was. Thanks so much for the Versatile Blogger Award! It is an honor to receive from you!

star trek line dead jim

Thanks for the Versatile Blogger Award! I love your blog so much, so it's great to receive this award from you! And I love McCoy! McCoy-ism's are always great!

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star trek line dead jim

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Damn it, Jim: A brief history of swearing on Star Trek

The fifth episode of Star Trek: Discovery ventured into old territory and new, pairing the return of classic Trek character Harry Mudd (really just known as Mudd, and played here by Rainn Wilson) with a couple of firsts for the franchise. As promised , there was the sweet reveal of Discovery couple Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Culber (Wilson Cruz), who are the first openly gay characters in a Star Trek TV series. And though it wasn’t quite as progressive an occurrence, the word “fuck”—or rather, “fucking”—made its debut.

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The use of profanity was teased in the lead-up to Discovery’ s premiere, including in the TV-MA rating slapped onto one of the trailers. Co-executive producer Aaron Harberts also brought up swearing on the Discovery set visit ( which The A.V. Club attended ) as part of how the series intends to make use of its streaming home. He even alluded to the “fucking cool” exchange between Tilly and Stamets in “Choose Your Pain” in a previous interview with The A.V. Club .

Because we are streaming, so we could do whatever we want. It doesn’t all look good on Star Trek . Violence is violence. You know, okay, maybe we can show a Klingon bat’leth going into somebody, couldn’t do that on network. Sex on Star Trek , to a degree. Nudity on Star Trek , not really, it just doesn’t feel right. Language, there are a couple moments where we got a little creative with language, but again it was in the context of like three scientists having a victory and celebrating in a way that’s a little colorful. Which I loved, because it was sort of like nerds unite, they kicked ass, and dropped a few F-bombs, fine.

Although that no-nudity clause certainly puts a damper on the “sexy, vital Klingons,” swearing isn’t really new to Star Trek (and certainly not to “ Swear Trek ”). Oh sure, we’ve never heard an f-bomb before, let alone two, on any of the previous series, but the films boldly inched us closer to that all-purpose obscenity. Hell, The Original Series regularly featured Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) reminding Captain Jim Kirk (William Shatner) of his “damn” title. So here’s a quick trip down profanity lane in the Trek universe.

The Original Series/Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan Bones got to spit out most of the “damnits” and “hells” on TOS , a habit he kept up in the original film series. Here he is wishing Jim a “happy birthday,” goddamnit, in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home If you want to talk history, this Leonard Nimoy-directed entry in the film franchise revealed that “hell” and “damnit” survived the 20th century, but not “dumbass.” Witness Kirk’s hilariously incorrect use of the term while on the streets of San Francisco.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Although he didn’t develop a catchphrase from it, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) occasionally swore on TNG . But, like the sexy, shiny-pated polyglot he was, he always did it in a language other than English.

Star Trek: Generations Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) got his wish in this first film in the second Trek movie franchise: He “became” human and got to experience all kinds of emotions, including fear, which Generations writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga demonstrated by having him drop the first s-bomb in Trek history.

Star Trek (2009) And finally, we learned that bad words also exist in the Kelvin timeline, when a disbelieving Kirk (Chris Pine) calls “bullshit” on an older Spock’s (the late Leonard Nimoy) description of their future friendship.

Star Trek: Infinite reviews crater as Paradox announces it's dead, Jim

The company's stability crisis continues.

Image for Star Trek: Infinite reviews crater as Paradox announces it's dead, Jim

It was meant to go boldly where no man has gone before, but instead, Star Trek: Infinite is going quietly into that good night. The Paradox-published space 4X—developed by Nimble Giant—has announced that it will no longer be receiving updates (via RPS ).

Actually, it's been dead (Jim) for some time. The announcement came via a dev diary posted on the Paradox forums two weeks ago, on March 27, but it's taken a while for anyone but ardent fans of the game to notice. 

"Sadly, we must inform you that Star Trek: Infinite will not receive further updates," wrote a Paradox staff member on the game's forums, before going on to offer absolutely no explanation for that whatsoever. Instead, the bulk of the post is dedicated to thanking Paradox's business partners and the game's fans.

That it took so long for most of us to notice the game's passing probably goes some way to explaining why the game is being left behind, but it's still a kick in the teeth for those who hoped the Stellaris-y Star Trek 4X was set for a long tail of updates like most of Paradox's own self-developed strategy games. 

Alas, it's going the way of Imperator, Paradox's own antiquity-themed strategy game that's been quietly shuffled off to a latifundium upstate after a milquetoast response from players. The response has been pretty much what you'd expect: The recent reviews tab on Steam has turned an ugly shade of red as negative responses turn it "Overwhelmingly Negative" (the overall reviews are still "Mixed," for now). 

"What a colossal disappointment this game is," says the very first response to the announcement on the Paradox forums. "Announcing a new custodian team would have been better," reads another, "Not a great addition to the recent string of abandoned or troubled PDX related titles."

It's another misfire in a long line for Paradox, which has found itself in a bad state these past few years. On top of Star Trek's failure, it's dealing with the chaotic development of Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodines 2 , a split with Harebrained Schemes after Lamplighters League sold poorly, and the continuing fallout of a C-suite shuffle after former CEO Ebba Ljungerud resigned and was replaced with Fredrik Wester.

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Wester had been CEO prior to Ljungerud, but resigned in 2018. Less than two weeks after replacing Ljungerud in 2021, he apologised for " inappropriate behaviour " towards a colleague after the majority of women working at Paradox reported mistreatment at the studio . More and more, the company seems stuck in a time of troubles.

Joshua Wolens

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.

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Ken jeong is “at my most real and authentic” on ‘i can see your voice’ – contenders tv: doc + unscripted, breaking news.

Nacelle Company Unscripted Series ‘Billy Corgan’s Adventures In Carnyland’ Sets Premiere Date

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The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan

EXCLUSIVE : Brian Volk-Weiss’ Nacelle Company on Wednesday announced Billy Corgan ‘s Adventures in Carnyland , an eight-episode unscripted series that’s set to premiere on The CW  app and cwtv.com on May 14th.

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Volk-Weis and Ian Roumain exec produced the series alongside Corgan, Mendel, Cisco Henson, and Benjamin J. Frost, with Nacelle producing.

A Grammy winner and lifelong wrestling aficionado, Corgan’s band The Smashing Pumpkins has sold over 30 million albums worldwide since its founding in 1988 Chicago, most recently releasing the album Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts in three parts in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, Corgan has collaborated in studio with everyone from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Rick Ocasek, Cheap Trick, Ray Davies, New Order, Marianne Faithful and Scorpions to Korn, Phantogram, The Veronicas, and Code Orange. He also notably owns Madame ZuZu’s Tea House in Highland Park, a venue where Mendel serves as CEO and he often pops in to perform intimate surprise sets.

“Rebuilding the historic NWA brand has been both an honor and challenge, and this show opens the doors wide so to speak. To reveal the glory and the grit needed to thrive in a winner-take-all sport,” Corgan told Deadline. “It’s not always pretty, but I’m proud of what we have accomplished thus far.”

Stated Mendel, “I’m thrilled to share an inside look into our family’s wild life through the world of wrestling and rock n roll.”

Volk-Weiss, founder and CEO of Nacelle Company, added: “Getting to work with Chloe and Billy has been one of the highlights of my career, and I will be eternally grateful for letting us into their lives and businesses (which I know the world will enjoy watching).”

Established in 2017, The Nacelle Company is known for its work on Netflix’s Emmy-winning docuseries Down To Earth with Zac Efron and the NAACP Image award-nominated Kevin Hart’s Guide To Black History , as well as Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us , The Toys That Made Us , Behind the Attraction on Disney+, Sony’s Mad About You , Icons Unearthed on Vice TV, CW’s Discontinued , and History’s Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek . Then, there’s its comedy division, Comedy Dynamics, a worldwide leader in the stand-up space which has produced and distributed specials for Ali Wong, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Pete Davidson, Jim Gaffigan, Tiffany Haddish and Larry the Cable Guy, among many others.

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IMAGES

  1. "He's Dead Jim"

    star trek line dead jim

  2. Star Trek: He's dead, Jim!

    star trek line dead jim

  3. Star Trek

    star trek line dead jim

  4. You're Dead Jim

    star trek line dead jim

  5. It's Dead, Jim

    star trek line dead jim

  6. Star Trek GIFs, He´s dead, Jim. Part II of II

    star trek line dead jim

VIDEO

  1. Star Trek: Picard Kept Its TNG Crew Alive For One Bold Reason

  2. Star Trek TOS Recut : He's Dead JIM !

  3. DS9 Commander Sisko action figure

  4. PLAYMATES ENTERPRISE E AND THE PHOENIX

  5. They're Dead, Jim // Star Trek, Star Wars and Doctor Who

  6. They All Died In Terror

COMMENTS

  1. He's dead, Jim

    "He's dead, Jim" is a famous catch phrase and snowclone used in Star Trek. It is mostly used by Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek: The Original Series, typically after using his medical tricorder to confirm and report the death to Captain Kirk. While associated with the death of redshirts, the exact line "He's dead, Jim" was never used by Dr. McCoy to report the death of such a character in Star ...

  2. 'Dammit Jim'

    Bones' Use of 'I'm Dead Jim'. Dr. Leonard McCoy, more commonly known as "Bones", said the phrase "He's dead, Jim" a total of 20 times throughout the original Star Trek series. He sometimes varied the line to say "The man is dead!" instead. The phrase became a trademark expression for the character and has become an iconic ...

  3. He's Dead, Jim

    Star Trek: Star Trek: The Original Series is the Trope Namer, as it's a line commonly spoken by Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, often regarding the poor Red Shirt who just bit it. He often has help from his Tricorder, which may be more accurate, but Bones didn't always use it before declaring, "He's Dead, Jim". On occasion, Bones would give a more ...

  4. Dr. McCoy

    Dr. McCoy pronounced a lot of people dead during his time on the Enterprise.

  5. Star Trek: He's dead, Jim!

    As we could see in The Original Series, boldly going where no man has gone before can be very hazardous to your health. However, Doctor McCoy was never remis...

  6. Every "He's Dead, Jim" Line from Classic Star Trek

    Every "He's Dead, Jim" Line from Classic Star Trek. John Farrier • Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:29 AM. [Video Link] Dr. McCoy's classic line, plus a few contributions from Spock and Uhura. 41 seconds long.

  7. The Origins of 11 Famous 'Star Trek' Lines

    Here are 11 of the most notable Star Trek catchphrases, as well as a little more information about their origins. 1. "Live Long and Prosper". The Vulcan greeting and the finger-separating hand ...

  8. "He's Dead Jim"

    Delve into the dark side of Star Trek - The Original Series, in this fast paced but light hearted compilation of deathly moments, timed to music.McCoy is kep...

  9. You're Dead Jim

    You're Dead Jim! As Dr. McCoy tries to save Kirk's life, the crew of the USS Enterprise-A reminisces about the adventures of their captain. ... You're Dead Jim at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works; Previous issue: Series: Next issue: #52: "Hell in a Handbasket" DC TOS volume 1 #54: "Old Loyalties" Categories Categories: Comics ...

  10. I'm a doctor, not a...

    "Look, I'm a doctor, not an escalator. I'm a doctor, not a... is a famous catch phrase and snowclone used in Star Trek.Originally used by Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek: The Original Series, the phrase lived on in various other incarnations of Star Trek and was used by both Julian Bashir and The Doctor, among others.Dr. McCoy's original delivery of the phrase varied with emotional intensity ...

  11. dead Jim (Star Trek line) Crossword Clue

    The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "___ dead Jim (Star Trek line)", 3 letters crossword clue. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Enter the length or pattern for better results. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . Enter a Crossword Clue.

  12. Strange New Worlds Just Set Up Spock & Bones' Best Star Trek Line

    Amusingly, Spock's verbal abuse in Strange New Worlds is coming from a Kirk, which is a novel spin on TOS 's classic banter. Strange New Worlds episode 9 also gave Dr. M'Benga one of Dr. McCoy's most famous lines. After the landing party works together to kill the remaining baby Gorn, M'Benga assures Captain Pike it's over by saying, "It's dead ...

  13. dead, Jim" (much-parodied "Star Trek" line) Crossword Clue

    Search Clue: When facing difficulties with puzzles or our website in general, feel free to drop us a message at the contact page. We have 1 Answer for crossword clue Dead Jim Much Parodied Star Trek Line of NYT Crossword. The most recent answer we for this clue is 3 letters long and it is Hes.

  14. dead, Jim" (much-parodied "Star Trek" line) NYT Crossword

    dead Jim much parodied Star Trek line Crossword Clue NYT The NYTimes Crossword is a classic crossword puzzle. Both the main and the mini crosswords are published daily and published all the solutions of those puzzles for you. Two or more clue answers mean that the clue has appeared multiple times throughout the years.

  15. dead, Jim" (much-parodied "Star Trek" line) Crossword Clue

    We have got the solution for the "___ dead, Jim" (much-parodied "Star Trek" line) crossword clue right here. This particular clue, with just 3 letters, was most recently seen in the New York Times on August 16, 2021. And below are the possible answer from our database.

  16. Star Trek

    In Star Trek's 'The Enemy Within' its always fun warping back to that awesome moment when the chief Medical Officer Dr Leonard H. McCoy utters 'HE'S DEAD JIM' for the very first time. The good doctors emotional catchphrases have inevitably infected the timeline. "I'm a doctor not a bricklayer," "Do something, Spock!" "He's dead Jim."

  17. He's dead, Jim. He's dead, Jim. He's dead, Jim. He's dead, Jim. etc

    catchphrase on Star Trek: The Original Series is Bones's classic line "He's dead, Jim." According to Memory Alpha, "DeForest Kelley refused to say the line after Spock's sacrifice in Star Trek II ...

  18. Damn it, Jim: A brief history of swearing on Star Trek

    Here he is wishing Jim a "happy birthday," goddamnit, in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. If you want to talk history, this Leonard Nimoy-directed entry in the ...

  19. Star Trek Deaths He's Dead Jim Part 1

    All of the deaths in the Original Star Trek series are strung together here for your enjoyment. Not every episode had a death occur, but every episode gets a...

  20. Star Trek: Infinite reviews crater as Paradox announces it's dead, Jim

    The Paradox-published space 4X—developed by Nimble Giant—has announced that it will no longer be receiving updates (via RPS ). Actually, it's been dead (Jim) for some time. The announcement ...

  21. She's (most likely) dead Jim (Spoilers for episode 9) : r/startrek

    Odds are, she's about the same age as her actress making her 49 in 2366 and 84 in 2401 so she's likely retired. But given her penchant for action and not being afraid of danger, she died in the line of duty. Could imagine a retcon that she died between TNG Season 2 and 3.

  22. dead, Jim" (Star Trek line) Crossword Clue

    Answers for ___ dead, Jim%22 (Star Trek line) crossword clue, 3 letters. Search for crossword clues found in the Daily Celebrity, NY Times, Daily Mirror, Telegraph and major publications. Find clues for ___ dead, Jim%22 (Star Trek line) or most any crossword answer or clues for crossword answers.

  23. 'Billy Corgan's Adventures In Carnyland' Sets Premiere Date

    Volk-Weis and Ian Roumain exec produced the series alongside Corgan, Mendel, Cisco Henson, and Benjamin J. Frost, with Nacelle producing. A Grammy winner and lifelong wrestling aficionado, Corgan ...