#spoiler: he doesn't turn into a megalomaniac because he was never capable of it

[trek-tracks]

Do you ever think about how Kirk had a "best friend" on the ship before Bones in Gary Mitchell, a man who:

a) deviously manipulates him into heartbreak for Mitchell's benefit,

b) shames him for not being "fun" enough when he's in a position of power,

c) openly insults intelligent and powerful women,

d) treats everyone cruelly as soon as he gets power and tries to seize everything for himself,

e) finds it fascinating that he can stop a person's heart for fun, and

f) tries to murder Kirk instead of admitting that he's a danger to the universe,

and then chooses to replace him with Bones, a man who:

a) tries to save Kirk from heartbreak at every opportunity,

b) gets him to smile and relax by being genuinely interested in how he's doing and telling him that he's great and respected just as he is,

c) openly toasts intelligent and powerful women,

d) treats everyone kindly as soon as he gets power and tries to use it to help as many people as he can,

e) cries about how people suffered when medical treatments were less advanced, and

f) says, "Jim, I can't destroy life, even if it's to save my own. I can't."

because I do

#star trek #star trek tos #jim kirk #leonard mccoy #mckirk #gary mitchell #where no man has gone before #the empath #the ultimate computer #is there in truth no beauty? #for the world is hollow and i have touched the sky #city on the edge of forever #bones mccoy #that's growth baybee #it's what jim deserves #i think jim should maybe appreciate the difference a little more but that's just me #your local bones defender #prairiedawn has a great fic on ao3 about what would have happened if bones had gotten gary's powers instead #spoiler: he doesn't turn into a megalomaniac because he was never capable of it #day 2 of covid ughhh save me