One of the primary roles in Star Trek is that of the Chief Medical Officer, and Doctors hold a crucial place in the franchise. From Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) comprising one third of the lead characters in Star Trek: The Original Series, to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) bringing a more compassionate presence to sickbay, and into more modern and holistic approaches to medicine in Star Trek: Discovery's medical staff and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' complex characterizations of legacy characters, the final frontier has always been in need of those willing to put their own lives on the line to save others.

Being an excellent physician is first and foremost a requirement, but a good CMO must possess inherent traits in addition to the skills acquired through their years of service as a medical professional. Remarkable doctors in Star Trek are often well known for their ability to improvise in the far reaches of unexplored space, for their boundless compassion and dedication to ethics, or for their persistence in discovering new medical treatments for the maladies afflicting the crew members in their care. The best Star Trek doctors combine all of these qualities as interesting characters with compelling storylines.

Related: Every Doctor On The Enterprise In Star Trek Ranked

16 Dr. Sarah April (Nichelle Nichols) - Star Trek: The Animated Series

In Star Trek: The Animated Series season 2, episode 6, "The Counter-Clock Incident", Dr. Sarah April has retired from service and visits the USS Enterprise with her husband, Commodore Robert April (James Doohan), the Enterprise's first captain. As the Enterprise's first CMO, Dr. April explains that she often needed to develop medical technology on the fly, including some of the instruments common to McCoy's sickbay, and Captain Kirk himself calls her "a medical pioneer." After entering the reverse universe causes people to age backwards, the aging Dr. April resumes her former position and assists with restoring the crew to their proper ages.

15 Dr. Phil Boyce (John Hoyt) - Star Trek: The Original Series

Dr. Phil Boyce was the Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series' first pilot, "The Cage", and he served under Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter). Dr. Boyce's approach to medicine could be considered unusually holistic for the time of production, considering his medical kit includes a portable martini kit with the intent of treating his captain's spirit in addition to his physical ailments, but the actual implementation of the technique leaves a lot to be desired when Pike has genuine complaints.

14 Dr. Mark Piper (Paul Fix) - Star Trek: The Original Series

In Star Trek: The Original Series second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", Dr. Mark Piper is intended to be a precursor to Dr. Leonard McCoy, with a similar characterization, but less effective execution. In his single outing, he serves as Chief Medical Officer under the command of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), and is responsible for both research and care in the cases of Lt. Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman) after strange energies from the Galatic Barrier imbue them with terrifying psychic abilities.

13 Dr. Ohk (Tiffany Shepis) - Star Trek: Picard

Dr. Ohk serves on the USS Titan-A in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Like her commanding officer, Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), Dr. Ohk demonstrates a commitment to by-the-book practices in her line of work, preferring to err on the side of caution with her patients. She believes that Dr. Beverly Crusher's absence from Starfleet duty means her knowledge and methods are outdated, so is reluctant to trust Crusher at all, or defer to her as erstwhile head of Starfleet Medical. Eventually, Dr. Ohk's able to come around to working with Crusher and the rest of the Titan's crew, but it takes a while.

12 Dr. T'Ana (Gillian Vigman) - Star Trek: Lower Decks

The Caitian CMO of the USS Cerritos in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Dr. T'Ana is something of a blunt instrument as far as medical professionals go. T'Ana is more often than not boldly honest, as evidenced by her straightforward delivery with patients and mentee Lt. D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), and lack of secrecy around her rowdy romantic exploits with security chief Lt. Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore). She has a seemingly abrasive bedside manner characterized by casual expletives, and she's not immune to being driven by her own instincts, but she always gets the job done and doesn't give a bleep what anyone thinks of her.

11 Dr. Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) - Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Better known as a nurse aboard the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series, Dr. Christine Chapel returns in Star Trek: The Motion Picture after earning her MD. She has the prestigious role of the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer, but when Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) returns, Chapel falls back into her familiar role as McCoy's head nurse. It's consistent with Chapel's deferential TOS characterization, but McCoy and Chapel have built up trust in their working relationship over the years, so they know they can count on each other in a crisis such as the one in The Motion Picture.

10 Dr. Tracy Pollard (Raven Dauda) - Star Trek: Discovery

Dr. Tracy Pollard is a recurring medical professional on Star Trek: Discovery, but not one of the main characters, so much like the bridge crew in Discovery, little is known about her personality. Notably, she works to uncover the medical mystery surrounding Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) in Discovery season 1, and treats Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) after his resurrection in Discovery season 2. Dr. Pollard does elect to stay with Discovery upon their jump to the 32nd century to escape Control at the end of Star Trek: Discovery's season 2, proving her dedication to her profession, and she continues to be a competent physician.

9 Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Dr. Katherine Pulaski replaces Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2. Pulaski is regarded as a throwback to Dr. McCoy, with a transporter phobia and a no-nonsense approach to medicine that blends modern and traditional techniques. Although she's remembered for disregarding Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Pulaski's dedication to the well-being of her human patients is matched only by her expertise. She will risk her own health to solve a medical mystery, proving her determination in investigative medicine, and shows respect for her patient's wishes even when she believes she knows best.

8 Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) - Star Trek Movies Kelvin Timeline

In the Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, Dr. Leonard McCoy joins Starfleet Academy at the same time as James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), and much of the medicine he practices is on Kirk himself. After Kirk is named Captain of the Enterprise, Bones becomes Chief Medical Officer. Dr. McCoy's most notable medical achievement (besides performing 'surgery' on a photon torpedo) is synthesizing the genetically engineered "super blood" of Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) to resurrect Kirk in Star Trek Into Darkness. Like his Prime Timeline counterpart, Bones is a fine physician but with a bedside manner that leaves something to be desired.

7 Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) - Star Trek: Enterprise

If a medical problem requires an unusual, out-of-the-box solution, you can trust Star Trek: Enterprise's Dr. Phlox to come up with it. As a Denobulan affiliated with the Interspecies Medical Exchange program, Phlox has the honor of being the Chief Medical Officer aboard Captain Jonathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) NX-01 Enterprise, where his vast knowledge of xenobiology contributes to his creative treatments. Driven primarily by his boundless curiosity, Phlox delights in discovering the unique characteristics of all living things, whether physiological or cultural, which makes him a great match for the pioneering 22nd-century Enterprise.

6 Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) - Star Trek: Discovery

Like many of the characters on Star Trek: Discovery, the service record of Dr. Hugh Culber is characterized by undue trauma. Culber is killed by Ash Tyler in Discovery season 1, but Culber's husband, Lt. Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) resurrect him from the mycelial network in Discovery season 2. After Discovery's jump to the 32nd century, Dr. Culber takes on the role of Counselor in addition to his job as physician, where Hugh's holistic approach to medicine can really shine, especially as he relates to the crew on a more personal level.

5 Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Booker Bradshaw/Babs Olusanmokun) - Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

In Star Trek: The Original Series Dr. Joseph M'Benga is introduced as an expert on Vulcan physiology and little more. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds reveals M'Benga is a far more complicated character than he seems, with his startlingly dark past as a former Starfleet special forces operative who served in the Klingon War prior to becoming the Enterprise's CMO. Dr. M'Benga is secretive about his use of the transporter buffer to suspend his daughter's debilitating illness, and he reluctantly takes on his wartime identity when it becomes necessary. Between his dubious lengths to ensure success, and the penance for his wartime contributions, M'Benga's dedication to healing in the present is unmatched.

4 Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Dr. Julian Bashir begins his run on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with youthful eagerness to prove himself as a pioneer in frontier medicine, but his arrogance becomes tempered when faced with the harsh reality of the Dominion War. Dr. Bashir learns in DS9 season 6 that he's a human augment with genetically modified intelligence, but the revelation doesn't halt Julian's desire to leave his mark on history, as he continues to insist that he's capable of solving any medical problem he's confronted with. Bashir possesses both determined persistence and moral compulsion to help anyone he can, even enemies of the Federation, whenever he can.

3 Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) - Star Trek: The Original Series

Often imitated but never duplicated, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a doctor before all else, as he frequently reminds Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Despite his frequent frustration, his medical practice is wholly patient-centered, with a focus on caring for each individual and doing his level best to treat them with the tools and knowledge at hand in situations that are often less than ideal. His traditional knowledge dovetails with his modern techniques to produce results, both in discovering what's wrong with the crew of the Enterprise and in curing them of it; at least in the cases where the crew member in the red shirt isn't already dead upon his arrival.

2 The Doctor (Robert Picardo) - Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Prodigy

The Emergency Medical Hologram on Star Trek: Voyager, also known as simply The Doctor, combines the knowledge and skills of every notable Starfleet doctor to precede him, making his expertise second to none from a purely practical standpoint. However, he becomes more than just his programming with the development of new medical techniques and continued improvisation in treating Delta Quadrant species not found in Starfleet records. The Doctor's career is marked by growth, both in the journey from simple program to complex individual, and as a medical professional that's worthy of being named one of Star Trek's best doctors.

1 Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard

As Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise-D, Dr. Beverly Crusher is an excellent general physician and leader of the medical staff, capable of handling both routine medical procedures and emergency situations with equal professionalism. Besides Beverly's comforting presence in sickbay, she's unafraid to stand by her convictions when confronted with ethical dilemmas, and Crusher's natural curiosity leads to the development of new cures and techniques. Most notably, Dr. Crusher becomes the head of Starfleet Medical at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3, and rose to the rank of Admiral and the status of the best Doctor in Star Trek.