I'm a doctor, not a...
I'm a doctor, not a... is a famous  and  used in Star Trek. Originally used by Dr. Leonard McCoy in , 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 .

Usage

Dr. Leonard McCoy 
"What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?" ()
"My dear girl, I'm a doctor. When I peek, it is in the line of duty." ()
"I don't know, Jim. This is a big ship. I'm just a country doctor." ()
"Me, I'm a doctor. If I were an officer of the line…" ()
"What do you mean what sort of work? I'm a doctor." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer." ()
…to which Kirk replies, "You're a healer, there's a patient. That's an order."
"I'm a surgeon, not a psychiatrist." ()
"I'm not a scientist or a physicist, Mr. Spock…" ()
"Look, I'm a doctor, not an escalator." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a mechanic." ()
"I'm a doctor, not an engineer." ()
…to which Montgomery Scott immediately replied, "Now, you're an engineer."
"I'm not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor." ()
"I will not peddle flesh! I'm a physician." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a coal miner." ()
"I'm not a mechanic, Spock…" ()
"I'm a doctor, Spock … a doctor! Get us beamed aboard!" ()

Dr. Leonard McCoy (alternate reality)
"I don't need a doctor, damn it, I am a doctor!" ()
"I'm a doctor, , I'm busy!" ()
"Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" ()
"Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!" ()
"Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a fu –" (beamed out) ()

Dr. Julian Bashir 
"Garak, I'm a doctor, not…" meaning a spy or an investigator, but Garak interrupted him. () 
Garak says "I'm no more a spy than you are…" Bashir interrupts, saying "A doctor." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a botanist." ()
"I'm a doctor, not an historian." ()
Variation as Julius Eaton: "We're writers, not vikings." ()

The Doctor 
"I'm a doctor, Mr. Neelix, not a decorator." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a bartender." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a voyeur." ()
"I shouldn't have to remind you: I'm a doctor…"
…interrupted by Torres: "…not an engineer. Right, but…" ()
"I'm a doctor, not a performer." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a counterinsurgent." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a database." 
…to which Henry Starling responds: "I'd say you're a little bit of both." ()
"I am a doctor, not a peeping Tom, there's nothing I haven't seen before." (when catching Torres in the sonic shower) ()
"I'm a doctor, not a battery." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a dragonslayer." ()
"I'm a doctor, not a zookeeper." ()
"I'm a doctor, not an engineer." ()

Dr. Phlox 
"I'm a physician, not an engineer." ()

Starfleet EMHs 
 EMH Mark I: "I'm a doctor, not a doorstop." ()
 EMH Mark II: "I am a doctor, not a commando." ()

Variants

The Original Series 
James T. Kirk "That's a supposition, Doctor, not a fact." ()"I'm a soldier, not a diplomat." ()
"You keep saying that. Are you a doctor, or aren't you?" ()
"These are people, not robots." ()
Carl Jaeger "I'm a scientist, not a military man." ()

The Next Generation 
William T. Riker "This is geology, not malevolence." ()
 Katherine Pulaski "He is a boy, not a sword." (referring to Wesley Crusher) ()
K'Vada "This is a military vessel, not a pleasure craft." (regarding his Bird of Prey in )
V'Sal "I'm just a barber, not a miracle worker!" ()

Deep Space Nine 
 "I'm a weapons dealer, not a soldier." ()
Cardassian security officer "This is a jail, not a hotel." ()
Dukat "That's justice, not malevolence." ()
Julian Bashir "I'm going to a medical conference, not on vacation." ()
Crewman  "I'm sorry Captain, but I'm an engineer, not a magician." ()
Gilora Rejal "We're scientists, not diplomats." ()
Martok "Why? You're a bartender, not a warrior." (, to Quark)
Miles O'Brien "I'm an engineer, not a philosopher." ()(Garak:) "Maybe you're not a soldier anymore." (O'Brien:) "You're right. I'm an engineer." (his jury-rigged explosive detonates) ()
Odo "I'm a security chief, not a combat pilot." ()"This is work, not recreation." ()"I'm a changeling, not a solid." ()"I'm not a God, I'm a security officer." ()
Benjamin Sisko "This is not a request, it's an order." ()"He's not a detective, he's an engineer." (, about Miles O'Brien)
Douglas Pabst "I'm a magazine editor, not a crusader." ()
Julius Eaton "Calm down dear boy. We're writers, not Vikings." ()
Worf "I am a warrior, not a murderer." ()
Quark "You're asking me? You're the terrorist, I'm just a bartender." (, to Major Kira)

Voyager 
The Doctor  "This is a sickbay, not a conference room." ()
 "They're Klingons, not kittens." ()
 "This is sickbay, not an arsenal." ()
 "She's a counselor, lieutenant, not an engineer." referring to Deanna Troi ()
 "This is a sickbay, not a dormitory." ()
 "But, this isn't just sickbay, it's my residence." ()
 "This is a Federation starship, not the Barge of the Dead!" ()
 "It's not justice, it's revenge." ()

Diagnostic hologram 
"I'm a diagnostic tool, not an engineer." ()
(said of The Doctor): "It wasn't programmed to be a tenor, it was programmed to be a physician." ()
Tom Paris  "I'm a pilot, Harry, not a doctor!" ()
B'Elanna Torres  "I'm an engineer, not a costume designer." ()
Harry Kim  "They're scientists, not soldiers." ()
Neelix  (Quoting Captain Janeway, referring to her as "the warden") "This is punishment, not shore leave." ()
Chellick  "We're healers, not killers." ()
Kathryn Janeway  "This is a starship, not a nature preserve." ()
Nechani magistrate  "I'm an official of the government, not a spiritual leader." ()
Kejal "I'm not a Cardassian, I'm a hologram." ()

 Enterprise 
Jonathan Archer  "We're visitors, not spies." ()
T'Pol  "This isn't shore leave, this is a research mission." ()
Phlox  "I need to think like an engineer, not a physician." ()
John Frederick Paxton  "I need a scalpel, not a bludgeon." ()
T'Pau  "He doesn't need a physician, he needs a priest." ()

 Discovery 
Danby Connor  "We're explorers, not soldiers." ()
Nhan  "You're an engineer, not a surgeon." ()
Jett Reno  "I'm just a gearhead, not a farmer." ()
 "I'm an engineer, not a poet." ()

 Lower Decks 
D'Vana Tendi  "It's a starship, not heaven!" ()
T'Ana "You want me to see a doctor? I AM the doctor!" ()

 Apocrypha 
DeForest Kelley "I'm an actor, not a doctor." (used in a 1992 commercial for Trivial Pursuit 10th Anniversary Edition, in which the question is asked, "How many chambers are there in a human heart?")
Quark "You're a doctor, not a gambler." (The Big Game)
Kira  "I thought you were a doctor, not a hacker." (Proud Helios, p. 260)
Miles O'Brien  "Dr. Bashir, you're a doctor, not a first-contact specialist." (, p. 19)
McCoy  "You're a doctor, not a Horta." (The Return, p. 268) talking to Bashir.
EMH  "I'm a doctor, not a computer." (Avenger, p. 350)
EMH as McCoy  "I'm a doctor, not an interior designer." (Avenger, p. 351)
McCoy  "I'm a doctor, not a target." (Star Trek: Judgment Rites)
McCoy  "I'm a doctor, not a sideshow." (Avenger, p. 354)
McCoy  "I'm a doctor, not an engineer!" (Star Trek Online) Series 2 – Episode 4 : Everything Old Is New Again
EMH
"I'm a doctor, not a doorstop."
EMH "I'm a doctor, not an archaeologist." (War Stories, Book 1, p. 17)
EMH "I'm a doctor, not a concierge." (A Time to Sow, p. 135)
EMH "I'm a doctor, not a space marine!" (Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force)
EMH "I'm a doctor, not a bullseye!" (Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force)
EMH "I am an Emergency Medical Hologram, not a miracle worker!" (Star Trek Online) During Khitomer Crisis Mission after character creation
EMH Mark II "I'm a doctor, not a quantum mechanic!" (Spectre, p. 212)
Marcus Refelian "I'm a command officer, not an engineer." (Star Trek: Away Team)
Brex "Damn it Jim, I'm an engineer, not a conversationalist!" (Star Trek: Bridge Commander)
Jean-Luc Picard"I'm an explorer, Donald, not a warrior." (The Buried Age, p. 97)
Q"Well, what did you expect? He's a doctor, not a security officer." (Star Trek: Borg) referring to Dr. Thaddeus Quint

 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 , 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 , in the 1949 version of . 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 
 
  - TV Tropes page showing the phrase's influence outside Star Trek''

cs:Jsem doktor, ne ...
de:Ich bin Arzt…
es:"Soy un doctor, no..."
ja:私は医者だ。～じゃない。
pl:Jestem lekarzem, nie...
it:Sono un dottore, non...
Star Trek and pop culture
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