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DeForest Doggy (or "Bones" McCoy)


It’s not often you’re faced with the shocking realisation that the rescue dog you’ve taken on as a family pet is in fact Ricardo Montalbán’s Khan from the Star Trek episode ‘Space Seed’ and the second film in the iconic Sci-Fi franchise.



This type of event is very much a once in a lifetime experience and yet it happened to me; I knew, as I took my new pet Elwood for a walk to the nearby park and give him a Dentastix to prevent plaque build-up I was in fact strengthening the force of one of the most cunning villains to come face to face with James T Kirk and attempt to out bare-chest him; I don’t know why I didn't see it earlier when his hair's such a big giveaway: he looks like an evil genius painted using Tina Turner as the base-coat.

I’ve always found Montalbán a menacing presence and his performance in ‘The Wrath of Khan’ is no different; he may look a little like a shit Bonnie Tyler, but he’s not to be messed with, believe me: he has the strength of ten men and the pooing capabilities of a large lurcher. Now all I need it another dog with the personality of Montalbán’s guest character in Columbo for me to give up trying to train him to spend the rest of my life cowering in the corner of my flat.

One thing’s for certain: if Shatner shouted “KHAN!” at Elwood, he’d definitely come back.

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