8 quotes
The Balance of Justice and Humanity
James T. Kirk
There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are... When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship, he had me recite the Captain's Oath. Words I didn't appreciate at the time. But now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were and who we must be again. And those words: Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Her five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Awakening of a Genetically Engineered Leader
Kirk
Why is there a man in that torpedo?
John Harrison
There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there.
Kirk
Who the hell are you?
John Harrison
A remnant of the time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war. We were condemned as criminals; forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space; my ship was found adrift, I, alone, was revived.
Kirk
I looked up John Harrison. Until a year ago, he didn't exist.
John Harrison
John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smokescreen to conceal my true identity. My name is...Khan.
Kirk
Why would a Starfleet admiral ask a 300-year-old frozen man for help?
Khan
Because I am ... better.
Kirk
At what?
Khan
Everything. Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, and for that, he needed a warrior's mind. My mind. To design weapons and warships.
Spock
You are suggesting the admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect?
Khan
He wanted to exploit my savagery! Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. You, you can't even break a rule, how would you be expected to break bone? Marcus used me to design weapons to help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet, and then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons would come searching for whomever was responsible and you would have no chance at escape. Marcus would finally have the war he talked about, the war he always wanted.
Kirk
No. No. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers. You killed them in cold blood!
Khan
Marcus took my crew from me...
[turns back away from Kirk]
Kirk
You are a murderer!
Khan
He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed, but I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone and when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So, I responded in kind. My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?
[sheds a tear; turns to face Kirk]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Crew Safety Achieved Through Leadership and Action
Kirk
How's our ship?
Spock
Out of danger.
Kirk
Good...
Spock
You saved the crew.
Kirk
You used what he wanted against him. That's a nice move.
Spock
It is what you would have done.
Kirk
And this... this is what you would have done. It was only logical. I'm scared, Spock. Help me not be. How do you choose not to feel?
Spock
I do not know. Right now, I am failing.
[tears fall]
Kirk
I want you to know why I couldn't let you die... why I went back for you...
[Scotty looks on mournfully]
Spock
Because you are my friend. KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
[Kirk places his hand against the glass and gives the Vulcan Salute as he dies]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Consequences of Waking a Sleeping Giant
John Harrison / Khan Noonien Singh
You…you should have LET ME SLEEP!
[crushes Admiral Marcus' skull]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Trade Offer Between Crews
Khan
I'm going to make this very simple for you. Your crew for my crew.
Spock
You betrayed us.
Khan
Oh, you are smart, Mr. Spock.
Kirk
Spock, don't-
Khan
Mr. Spock, give me my crew.
[beats Kirk to the floor]
Spock
What will you do when you get them?
Khan
Continue the work we were doing before we were banished.
Spock
Which, as I would understand it, involves the mass genocide of any being you find to be less than superior.
Khan
Shall I destroy you, Mr. Spock? Or will you give me what I want?
Spock
We have no transporter capabilities.
Khan
Fortunately, mine are perfectly functional. Drop your shields.
Spock
If I do so, I have no guarantee that you will not destroy the Enterprise.
Khan
Well, let's play this out logically then, Mr. Spock. Firstly, I will kill your captain to demonstrate my resolve. Then, if yours holds, I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew.
Spock
If you destroy our ship, you will also destroy your own people.
Khan
Your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not. I will target your life support systems, located behind the aft nacelle. And after every single person aboard your ship suffocates, I will walk over your cold corpses to recover my people. Now, shall we begin?
Spock
Lower shields.
Khan
A wise choice, Mr. Spock. I see all 72 torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they're not mine, Commander, I will know it.
[sees torpedoes beamed to the Vengeance as he kicks Kirk]
Spock
Vulcans do not lie. The torpedoes are yours.
Khan
Thank you, Mr Spock.
Spock
I have fulfilled your terms. Now fulfill mine.
Khan
Well Kirk, it seems apt to return you to your crew. After all…'…no ship should go down without her captain.
[beams away Kirk, Scott, and Dr. Marcus]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Dangers of Khan
Spock Prime
Mr. Spock.
Spock
Mr. Spock. I will be brief. In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Khan?
Spock Prime
As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk, and yours alone. That being said, ] is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you.
[[w:Khan Noonien Singh|Khan Noonien Singh]
Spock
Did you defeat him?
Spock Prime
].
[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|At great cost, yes]
Spock
How?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Value of Sacrifice in Leadership
Spock
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Kirk
Spock, we're talking about your life!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Illusion of Safety Before Vengeance Strikes
John Harrison / Khan Noonien Singh
You think your world is safe? It is an illusion, a comforting lie told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace, for I have returned, to have my vengeance.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.