#trek meta

But Kirk chose to accept the promotion into the Admiralty*, a position that takes him off of a starship and out of the conn, and that decision breaks their friendship. McCoy was against the whole idea from the start, and the novel describes that his own psychological profile of Kirk found that Kirk's psyche was best suited to the demands and lifestyle of a starship captain. Anything else wouldn't fit Kirk. McCoy is even described as going so far as to have other medical professionals sign a petition against Kirk's promotion. When all of this fails—even what surely had to be pleading on McCoy's part—McCoy resigns from Starfleet under protest and returns to Earth as a civilian doctor. And Kirk goes ahead with the promotion and finds himself landlocked on Earth and miserable in the process.

*I will forever ignore Roddenberry's own decision to frame it as manipulation via Nogura and Ciana. The only way I'll accept the manipulation angle is how Judith Gran developed it in Terminus, and even then she made it clear that it was still Kirk's own choice, albeit as a result of exhausted options and the resulting grief at Spock's decision to remain on Vulcan. He was broken down into accepting it rather than tricked into it.

When they reunite for the Enterprise's new mission, Kirk either hides the fact that it was himself who drafted McCoy back into the service until they meet face to face or McCoy is in such lingering denial that Kirk became an admiral that he ignores the name on his orders.

Their reunion above is tense despite the humor McCoy brings. He refers to Kirk as "Captain-sir" and one wonders if it is done so as a joke rather than out of true respect (McCoy never was one for the Starfleet hierarchy, choosing to enlist as a civilian doctor rather than as someone trained under their medical department). Still, the use of that title denotes a distance between two men who once called each other by nicknames.

If Kirk was enjoying putting McCoy into this position (McCoy cannot refuse his order to appear on the Enterprise! Kirk is pulling rank here), it quickly dies when McCoy realizes what was done. Kirk doesn't try to explain himself beyond "I need you" and McCoy starts ever so slightly, as if there's something he would say if the words could get to him. But McCoy softens at the first "I need you", making one wonder if their past fight had included their inverse—"I don't need you." Kirk goes so far as to repeat himself in his plea to have McCoy stay—"Damn it, Bones. I need you. Badly."—so it seems likely these words are acting as a long awaited apology and an outright admittance that Kirk cannot do any of this without McCoy at his side.

And Kirk's phrasing follows what has been established for his character in the past, the use of absolutes rather than phrasing it as a request that can be accepted or rejected (i.e. "I want your help"). He has told Spock the same words ("I need you") before in Operation: Annihilate when standard procedure would have it that Spock's positions as First Officer and Science Officer are replaceable (it was even established in The Devil in the Dark how the chain of command goes should something befall the high-ranking officers during a mission). Even McCoy's old position is currently held by Chapel at this point (now a doctor rather than a nurse), yet just anyone cannot do for Kirk in either scenario. He must have these specific people at his side. (There's a lot of joking about how Kirk wants a Vulcan as his science officer and how that shows a latent desire to have Spock back, and it does fit with this pattern. Whereas Kirk could get McCoy back himself, he can hardly go to Vulcan to request Spock's return to the service, not especially with Spock's own rank close enough to match Kirk's and the politics behind the Federation impacting deals with Vulcan.)

By McCoy's response and his return to humor—although the words are still not said! There is no outright "all is forgiven" from either of them outside of the returned reach turned handshake (and notice how Kirk pulls McCoy towards him! Auugh)—suggests that they are back to normal. McCoy now calls Kirk "Jim" like old times, so they can relax again, right?

KIRK: Aren't you getting a little out of line, Mister Spock? My personal business,   SPOCK: Is my personal business when it might interfere with the smooth operation of this ship.   KIRK: You think that happened?    SPOCK: It could happen.    KIRK: I don't like anyone meddling in my private affairs. Not even my second in command.    MCCOY: Jim, Spock's simply trying— KIRK: I know what he's doing, and I don't like it.    MCCOY: It's his job, and you know it.

Kirk and McCoy go from the above from The Conscience of the King to the below from TMP:

KIRK: Programming ready?    DECKER: Program set for standard warp entry, Captain, …but I still recommend further simulation study. KIRK: Mister Decker, every minute brings that object closer to Earth! Engineering! Stand by for warp drive.    SCOTT: We need further warp simulation on the flow sensors. KIRK: Engineer, we need warp speed now!   MCCOY: Jim, you're pushing. Your people know their jobs.

Perhaps too much like old times... Kirk can leave active service but this still holds true across time. It isn't just a need for privacy that causes Kirk to push Spock and McCoy away in The Conscience of the King but the unspoken challenge to his authority via questioning his ability to command. Kirk cannot trust that his crew knows best in times of stress and desires to solve issues (especially issues that he alone feels responsible for) himself, something that TOS revisits again in other episodes such as Obsession and The Deadly Years.

McCoy observes this discussion after the wormhole incident that was caused by Kirk's push to use warp drive before further testing deemed it safe. It is obviously the bucking of two heads, the old versus the new, but for McCoy it offers a peek into how far Kirk can fall into his selfishness, if he is handling the stress of the captaincy well, and how he reacts poorly to obvious ribbing*, especially in coming off of yet another stressful situation. In other words, Kirk shouldn't be cracking like this, not so soon into the mission.

*I still argue that Decker is hardly being gracious in his responses to Kirk. He specifically looks at him for a response after the "I'm aware of that, sir" line. It's a rather juvenile testing of the boundaries, even if Kirk ought to be the bigger person and ignore it. He's also cracking here and showing the doubt under the myth, so it's hardly any wonder that he snaps, and it does go back to Kirk's established history of wanting to maintain control rather than take orders from someone else on the Enterprise, no matter who is talking to him, be they a friend or a commissioner.

The conversation above might as well be a replay of an earlier conversation in Obsession, right down to McCoy's professional concern in Kirk's capacity to lead:

In both cases, McCoy ultimately does not follow through with what protocol demands of him, to intercede as the Chief Medical Officer and declare the Captain unfit owing to a growing blind spot in judgement, a lack of flexibility in thinking, caving to pressure under stress, etc.

But what makes TMP's discussion sting even more (yes, even more than, "Don't push our friendship past the point where I have to take—" and how that thought was probably finished during their last argument!) is how it places McCoy in such a difficult position. Remember, it was McCoy who declared the position of starship captain was the best possible fit for Kirk's psyche, that Kirk thrives in that lifestyle and work. To declare Kirk unfit for command would be to take him from the very life he needs. McCoy couldn't do it during the Five Year Mission and this emergency is revealed to be no different. His words to Kirk "That depends on you" is a threat but it's empty in the end. Or, to phrase another way, it becomes empty once Spock joins the crew. From that time on, McCoy and Kirk are able to place the pressing question of command fitness aside to focus on their friend who appears physically the same but regards them as if they were all strangers. But had Spock not returned, who knows how things would have gone for Kirk.

I mean, as a Captain of the Enterprise he is responsible for the safety of his crew and by extension the crew member’s families as well. So if anything should happen to any of his crew during a mission, until the Enterprise could return back home to Earth... he’d be the one to shoulder the responsibility to take care of the surviving family. And that’s certainly not a light burden. Which probably plays a factor as to how differently he acted while on Enterprise-D as compared to Enterprise-E. 

And I love the fact that Deanna also mentioned Wesley in this discussion, like yeah in a way this related also with Jean-luc’s feelings about not being able to save Jack.