 | |
| Philip Boyce | |
| Continuity: | Star Trek |
| Type: | Physician |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | USS Enterprise NCC-1701 |
| Status: | Alive |
| Born: | 2203 (approx) [1] |
| First: | Star Trek: The Cage |
| Actor: | John Hoyt |
Philip Boyce was a fictional military officer featured in the Star Trek television franchise. Played by actor John Hoyt, he appeared in the original unaired pilot episode of the first Star Trek series "The Cage".
Biography[]
Doctor Philip Boyce was a member of the Starfleet Medical division of the Federation Starfleet and the Chief Medical Officer serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike in the mid 23rd century. Boyce shared a close relationship with Captain Pike and regarded him as more than simply a patient or his commanding officer. Following the massacre on Rigel VII in which several crew members had been killed and injured, Captain Pike summoned Doctor Boyce to his quarters. Understanding the burden of Captain Pike's position, he ignored his traditional medical disciplines in favor of mixing Pike a Martini, citing that some people were more willing to tell things to their bartender than to their doctor. Pike expressed his frustration over the Rigel VII incident, declaring that he was tired of being responsible for 203 lives.
Shortly thereafter, the ship picked up a distress signal originating from the Talos Star Group. It was believed that they might have found signs of survivors from a ship that went missing eighteen years earlier, the SS Columbia. Pike assigned Doctor Boyce as a member of the six-man landing party to beam down to the surface of the planet Talos IV. They encountered a group of eleven survivors from the Columbia mission including Doctor Theodore Haskins and a young woman named Vina. Boyce analyzed them and was surprised by how remarkably fit and healthy they were in lieu of having lived in such a harsh environment for the past eighteen years. Boyce soon discovered that the encampment and the people living there was just a ruse. The native populace of the planet, the Talosians, had used their mastery of telepathy to create the illusion of the expedition survivors in order to bait the Enterprise crew into a trap. At this time, the Talosians managed to capture Captain Pike and the crew was unable to rescue him.
Doctor Boyce returned to the Enterprise where he attended a meeting to determine the crew's next course of action. Along with Science Officer Spock, he concluded that the Talosians were able to warp an individual's perceptions, making them see and feel whatever sensation they wanted.
Boyce returned to Talos IV with another landing party armed with a laser cannon. They attempted to blast their way through the cavern walls where Pike had disappeared, but their weapon had no effect. Boyce reminded First Officer Number One that they have no true way of knowing if their efforts are having any effect or not since the Talosians are manipulating their perceptions. Ultimately, Captain Pike was freed and returned to the Enterprise. [2]
By the year 2264, Philip Boyce was no longer serving aboard the Enterprise. His position was succeeded by a new Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Mark Piper under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. [3]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Philip Boyce was created by Gene Roddenberry.
- Archival footage of Philip Boyce from "The Cage" was inserted into scenes from the season one Star Trek episodes "The Menagerie (Part 1)" and "The Menagerie (Part 2)".
- In the original script treatment by Gene Roddenberry, Philip Boyce is said to be 51-years old during the events of this episode, which would place his date of birth in the year 2203. This was written in prior to casting John Hoyt in the role of Boyce. Hoyt was 61-years-old at the time of filming.
- Doctor Boyce's role and personality were retooled for DeForest Kelley who played Doctor Leonard McCoy in subsequent episodes of the series.
- A profile of Philip Boyce was included on page 7 of Who's Who in Star Trek #1. An accompanying illustration was provided by Jonathan Peterson and Greg Theakston.
See also[]
Media
The World of Star Trek
Star Trek miscellaneous
External Links[]
- Philip Boyce at IMDB
- Philip Boyce at Wikipedia
- Philip Boyce at Memory Beta
- Philip Boyce at Memory Alpha
- Philip Boyce at the Star Trek Database
References[]
- ↑ Star Trek: "The Cage" original script teleplay; Gene Roddenberry; 1966
- ↑ Star Trek: The Cage
- ↑ Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before