The ship's irascible doctor, whose friendship with Kirk and Spock anchors the series.
Leonard McCoy, known as Bones, is the chief medical officer of the Enterprise in the original series. Cantankerous and compassionate, he is a country doctor in space who distrusts technology such as the transporter and often declares he is a doctor, not an engineer or a miracle worker.
His friendship with Kirk is deep, and his banter with Spock forms the emotional and philosophical heart of the show: McCoy argues for feeling and humanity while Spock argues for logic. He appears in the original films, where he carries Spock's mind for a time, and he returns in an early scene of The Next Generation as an elderly admiral. A reimagined version features in the rebooted film timeline.
McCoy's legacy is one of empathy and plain speaking, and his rivalry and friendship with Spock remain one of the most beloved pairings in science fiction.