"Bones" is a great nickname by any standards, but Star Trek's Dr. Leonard McCoy was called a much funnier moniker first. As one side of Star Trek's Kirk-Spock-McCoy triumvirate, DeForest Kelley's chief medical officer was a pivotal figure during the early voyages of the Enterprise. One of McCoy's most memorable character traits was the nickname "Bones," predominantly used by Captain Kirk. As well as sounding effortlessly cool, the idea of a ship's doctor going by the name "Bones" struck a chord, and it remains inextricably woven in the fabric of McCoy's character.

Dr. McCoy did not appear in Star Trek: The Original Series' pilot, "The Cage," with medical duties instead performed by John Hoyt's Dr. Boyce. Kelley was one of the many new faces who joined Star Trek's cast after the trip to Talos IV. Calling into action immediately, McCoy enjoys a prominent role in "The Man Trap," the episode that would ultimately provide the world with its very first taste of Gene Roddenberry's creation. Curiously, "The Man Trap" gives McCoy a very different nickname before the character ever gets called "Bones."