Interesting thought about TOS episode "Shore Leave"

[Tricky]

So, I was watching Shore Leave today, and as Dr. McCoy showed up, good as new (he had been speared...lanced actually, by the Black Knight), explaining how the planet's mechanisms had healed him, I started to wonder: Is this REALLY Bones, or has this alien pleasure planet made a completly realistic duplicate, as it had with Finnagin, a bengal tiger and a Japonese Zero!

For those that don't know the story, the ENT picks a beautiful planet to use for shore leave. Then strange things from stories, people's pasts and so forth, start showing up. (No, this is not the first holodeck story...). Eventually, some Yeoman thinks of being a princess and being saved from the black knight. He shows up and skewers McCoy. Then Bones'es body disappers.

After the caretaker of the planet shows up, he explains that this was an alien species's pleasure planet. Anything you think of can be recreated. And on cue, McCoy shows up, good as new (with Rigellian showgirls!!! ) telling how the planets machines fixed him up good (oddly, I think another member of the Landing party didn't get fixed up).

How do we know that the McCoy that continued on with the ENT is the REAL McCoy (haha)? I'm sure that at least Capt. Kirk would have thought "I don't care if any fantasy I can imagine comes true....I want my Chief Surgon back!" Then the planet provides. I mean, maybe fixing McCoy would be easier then making a new one, but you never know. Of course, maybe I read too much into it. Or maybe I didn't pay attention to it enough.

Thoughts?

[WarriorKnight]

Angela Martine-Teller was shot by the Japanese Zero that straffed them.She showed up at the end.They never said she was shot & killed,but she suddenly disappered & then she reappers right after McCoy shows up.(She's satnding arm-in-arm w/Rodreguis & then again on the bridge at the end.I also just watched it the other day(I just finally picked up the 1st season of ST:TOS)

[black campbellq]

It was always my excuse for why McCoy was so long lived. They rebuilt him a bit too well.

[IceGiant]

That's a very interesting and cool take on it.

[Tricky]

That would make for an interesting plot twist for a show/movie/game: The crew is being affected by some force, and yet Dr. McCoy is unaffected! It's impossible for a living being to resist this force, so they are forced to accept that Bones is not Bones. So, they go back to find answers (and maybe McCoy's remains..). But after all they've been through, and since he is a perfect replica, how can they turns their back on their friend, but then again, what about the orginal?

Oh, and I wonder if any science teams came back here? Perhaps this is a key step to developing replicators.

[Owen E Oulton]

Only one problem - when they scanned the Black Knight, as well as the local plants, they were easily distinguishable from real living matter.

McCoy's longevity can more easily be accounted for by the healing effects of the spores in This Side of Paradise...

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Well... it could just be that the planet had safety mechanisms that a. knocked him out without killing him and b. maintained the illusion of deadness for the fun of it.

[black campbellq]

Only one problem - when they scanned the Black Knight, as well as the local plants, they were easily distinguishable from real living matter.

McCoy's longevity can more easily be accounted for by the healing effects of the spores in This Side of Paradise...

That too. He got rebuilt about every season.

[Tricky]

True, Owen. But look at the difference between the Black Knight and Finnagin: The Knight is obviously not real, but Finn acts just like he did during his SFA days.

Perhaps It makes things only as well as they are needed: The Black Knight was a basic model; he only needed to be able to wear armor and fight. Finn needed to be loud, obnoxious and be surrounded by cheesy Irish music. Same with the plants: most were simply scenery, but if you wanted "fresh delicious strawberries", then it would make strawberries, full of delicous strawberry flavor and vitamins and minerals.

Kirk wanted his Chief Surgon back. The Planet built one. Maybe.

Here's an even bigger stretch, off of TK's comment: The planet created a DEAD McCoy, and at the moment the Lance struck, transported it into the real McCoy's place. McCoy wakes up in the 'waiting room', remembers almost being struck down, and assumes he's been healed.

Hey, what ever happened to that planet? I didn't stay to see if they stayed, or if the quarentined it. Did it ever pop up in any of the novels?