Charles Vernon Gridley

Charles Vernon Gridley (November 24, 1844 – June 5, 1898) was a human who lived on Earth during the 19th century. He served in United States Navy. During one battle, he was given the command, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," which became a popular phrase.

In 2268, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) participated in war games with the USS Exeter (NCC-1672) and the USS Farragut (NCC-1729), which were given the nicknames "Gridley One" and "Gridley Two". Captain James T. Kirk gave them the order "You may fire when ready, Gridleys." 

In 2269, upon learning that Montgomery Scott had figured out what had happened to Organia and how Spock's duplicate became reversed, Captain James T. Kirk told him "Fire away, Gridley." 

In 2278, when Spock suggested proceeding in an exploration of a Romulan space station, Leonard McCoy replied "Ready when you are, Gridley."