James T. Kirk

"You? Spinoza?"

"Once you get into him, he's rather simple though. Childish, almost. I don't agree with him at all."

"Did you hear him joke about compassion? Above all else a 'god' needs compassion!"

"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's five year mission : to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

"Has it occurred to you that there's a certain... inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about?"

"It gives me emotional security."

"A very interesting game, this poker."

"It does have advantages over chess."

"This vessel. I give, she takes. She won't permit me my life. I've got to live hers."

"Never lose you. Never."

"No beach to walk on."

"Charlie, there are a million things in this universe you can have and there are a million things you can't have. It's no fun facing that, but that's the way things are."

"Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the bridge."

"I wish I were on a long sea voyage somewhere. Not too much deck tennis, no frantic dancing. And no responsibility."

"Can you imagine how life could be improved if we could do away with jealousy, greed, hate?"

"It can also be improved by eliminating love, tenderness, sentiment. The other side of the coin, doctor."

"One of the advantages of being a captain, doctor, is being able to ask for advice without necessarily having to take it."

"Can you imagine the mind, emptied by that thing? Without even a tormentor for company?"

"I never get involved with older women, Yeoman."

"Do you play God? Carry his head through the corridors in triumph? That won't bring back the dead, Jim."

"No. But they may rest easier."

"You are like your ship. Powerful, and not human. There is no mercy in you."

"If he is Kodos, then I've shown him more mercy than he deserves."

"We've armed man with tools. Striving for greatness continues."

"The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play."

"We're a most promising species, mister Spock, as predators go. Did you know that?"

"Sometimes pain can drive a man harder than pleasure."

"Well, gentlemen, we all have to take a chance. Especially if one is all you have."

"You said you wanted freedom. It's time you learned that freedom is never a gift. It has to be earned."

"Without freedom of choice, there is no creativity. Without creativity, there is no life."

"How often mankind has wished for a world as peaceful and secure as the one Landru provided."

"Yes. And we never got it. Just lucky, I guess."

"This is the captain. Condition... yellow alert. Phaser crews stand by. Deflector shields up. We're going in... peacefully, I hope. But, peacefully or not... we're going in."

"Death, destruction, disease, horror. That's what war is all about, Anan. That's what makes it a thing to be avoided. You've made it neat and painless, so neat and painless you've had no reason to stop it!"

"We're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands, but we can stop it! We can admit that we're killers, but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes... knowing that we won't kill today."

"If I can have honesty, it's easier to overlook mistakes."

"You have a tendency to express ideas in military terms, Mr. Khan. This is a social occasion."

"It has been said that social occasions are only warfare concealed. Many prefer it more honest, more open."

"We offered the world order!"

"'We'?"

"Maybe we weren't meant for Paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through, struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can't stroll to music of the lute, we must march to the sound of drums."

"Gentlemen, I have no great love for you, your planet, your culture. Despite that Mister Spock and I are going to go out there and quite probably die, in an attempt to show you that there are some things worth dying for."

"We have the right -"

"To wage war, Captain? To kill millions of innocent people? To destroy life on a planetary scale? Is that what you're defending?"

"Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires. All the crystalline forms that you cherish above all things! A fortune of them for each of you if you leave here without further inquiry."

"We could manufacture a ton of these on our ship. They mean nothing to us."

"We're on a thousand planets and spreading out. We cross fantastic distances and everything's alive, Cochrane. Life everywhere. We estimate there are millions of planets with intelligent life. We haven't begun to map them."

"Our species can only survive if we have obstacles to overcome."

"Human flesh against human flesh. We're the same! We share the same history, the same heritage, the same lives. We're tied together beyond any untie. Man or woman, it makes no difference, we're Human! We couldn't escape each other, even if we wanted to. That's how you do it, Lieutenant. By remembering who and what you are, a bit of flesh and blood afloat in a universe without end. The only thing that's truly yours is the rest of humanity. That's where our duty lies."

"We've outgrown you. You asked for something we can no longer give."

"Would you beam down to the planet's surface and stand with me? There is a brief ceremony."

"Is it permitted?"

"It is my right. By tradition the male is accompanied by his closest friends."

"Thank you Mister Spock."

"I also request McCoy accompany me."

"I shall be honoured, sir."

"That's T'Pau, of Vulcan. All of Vulcan in one package. How can I back out in front of her?"

"Gentlemen, I suggest you beam me aboard."

"He gave his life in an attempt to save others. Not the worst way to go."

"Indeed, Captain. I presume your log will show Commodore Decker died in the line of duty."

"Indeed it shall, Mr. Spock."

"Ironic, isn't it? Way back in the 20th century, the H-Bomb was the ultimate weapon, their doomsday machine. We used something like it to destroy another doomsday machine. Probably the first time such a weapon has ever been used for constructive purposes."

"You're a man of integrity in both universes, Mr. Spock."

"I submit to you that your Empire is illogical because it cannot endure. I submit that you are illogical to be a willing part of it."

"What is man but that lofty spirit, that sense of ... enterprise. That devotion to something that cannot be sensed, cannot be realized, but only dreamed. The highest reality"

"I have never questioned the orders or the intelligence of any representative of the Federation. Until now."

"In my opinion, you have taken this important project far too lightly."

"On the contrary, sir. I think of this project as very important. It is you I take lightly."

"My world, Proconsul, is my vessel, my oath, my crew."

"We once were as you are, spears, arrows. There came a time when our weapons grew faster than our wisdom, and we almost destroyed ourselves. We learned from this to make a rule during all our travels; never to cause the same to happen to other worlds."

"Bones, do you remember the 20th century brush wars on the Asian continent? Two giant powers involved, much like the Klingons and ourselves. Neither side could pull out."

"Yes. It went on bloody year after bloody year!"

"What would you have suggested, that one side arm its friends with an overpowering weapon? Mankind would never have lived to travel space if they had! No. The only solution is what happened back then. Balance of power."

"And if the Klingons give their side even more?"

"Then we arm our side with exactly that much more. A balance of power, the trickiest, most difficult, dirtiest game of them all. But the only one that preserves both sides."

"You are here because I wished you here."

"Oh? I thought it was my idea."

"Yes. They always believe they come of free will."

"Tomorrow... in the palm of her hands."

"Well, you got what you wanted."

"Not what I wanted, Bones. What had to be."

"Spock, ask Scotty how long it would take him to reproduce a hundred flintlocks."

"I didn't get that exactly, Captain. A hundred what?"

"A hundred... serpents. Serpents for the garden of Eden. We're very tired, Mr. Spock. Beam us up home."

"A species that enslaves other beings is hardly superior, mentally or otherwise."

"Intuition, however illogical, Mister Spock, is recognized as a command prerogative."

"We're on a difficult mission, but it's not the first time. Our orders do not say 'stay alive' or 'retreat'. Our mission is to investigate."

"No, I don't think you're stupid, Mister Krako. I just think your behavior is arrested."

"I haven't been arrested in my whole life!"

"These are lovely. Captain Kirk, what is it you call them?"

"Flowers. I don't know the variety."

"Our memory tapes tell us of such things on Kelvan. Crystals that form with such rapidity, they seem to grow. They look like this fragile thing somewhat. We call them Sahsheer."

"A rose by any other name."

"Captain?"

"A quote from a great human poet, Shakespeare. That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

"Look what's happened in the short time you've been exposed to us. What do you think will happen in three centuries? When this ship gets to Kelva, the people on it will be human. They'll be aliens. Enemies!"

"You would really do that? You would extend welcome to invaders?"

"No, but we would welcome friends."

"They used to say if man could fly he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the moon? Or that we hadn't gone on to Mars and then to the nearest star? That's like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels, and sewed your patients up with catgut like your great great great great grandfather used to. I'm in command. I could order this... but I'm not. Because Doctor McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this. But I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement is equally great. Risk! Risk is our business, that's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her!"

"There are certain things men must do to remain men."

"All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. You could feel the wind at your back in those days. The sounds of the sea beneath you. And even if you take away the wind and the water, it's still the same. The ship is yours. You can feel her. And the stars are still there, Bones."

"A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive."

"...Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words."

"Mister Spock, the women on your planet are logical. That's the only planet in this galaxy that can make that claim."

"Courtesy. Remember?"

"Courtesy is not for inferiors."

"Courtesy is for everyone around here, and you'll find you won't be able to exist on Troyius without it. Mister Scott, our Chief Engineer, has shown you his engineering department. That's a courtesy. You respond by saying thank you."

It's been my experience that the prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other.

"I have a plan. With this ship, you could completely obliterate Troyius. Then there will be no need for the marriage. And in gratitude, my people will give you the complete rule of this system."

"What kind of a mind could think of such a thing?"

"I love you. I have chosen you, and still I don't understand why you didn't fight the Klingon."

"If I can accomplish my mission by turning tail and running, I'll gladly do that."

"Are those Romulan officers still aboard the ship?"

"They're in the brig, sir."

"I'll need a Romulan uniform."

Smiling broadly... "Aye. It'll be a pleasure!"

"We have you under our weapons, Enterprise. You cannot escape."

"This is Captain Kirk. Hold your fire. We have your commander aboard."

"Commander?"

"Destroy this vessel! I gave you a direct command! Tal!"

"Most of us are attracted by beauty and repelled by ugliness. One of the last of our prejudices."

"Why is it forbidden?"

"I guess we weren't sufficiently... entertaining."

"What's the matter with you? Do you hear Spock, your planet's dead! There's no one alive on Cheron because of hate! Give yourselves time to grieve, give up your hate! You're welcome to live with us. Listen to me! You both must end up dead if you don't stop hating!"

"All that matters to them is their hate."

"Do you suppose that's all they ever had, sir?"

"No. But that's all they have left."

"Am I doing the right thing, Bones? Once I said that man rose above primitiveness by vowing, 'I will not kill today.'"

"Captain's log, supplemental. Our rescue effort has given us some knowledge of the new Klingon weapon, and the presence of Cyrano Jones, intergalactic trader and general nuisance."

"The first Klingon to step aboard this ship will be the last Klingon."

"We could always throw tribbles at them."

"I thought Vulcan's didn't have a sense of humor."

"We don't, Captain."

"Any chance of teaching me that body throw?"

"I don't know. It isn't just physical you know; you have to be inscrutable."

"Inscrutable? You're the most scrutable man I know!"

"Well, this is an Enterprise first. Doctor McCoy, Mister Spock, and Engineer Scott find themselves in complete agreement! Can I stand the strain?"

"How come we always end up like this?"

"They gave her back to me Scotty."

"Heading, sir?"

"Out there. Thataway!"

"I've done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her, marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet. Buried alive. Buried alive..."

"KHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!"

"There's a man ot there I haven't seen in fifteen years who's trying to kill me. You've shown me a son who would be happy to help him. What am I feeling? Old. Worn out."

"Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario."

"How?"

"I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship."

"What?"

"He cheated!"

"We tried it once your way Khan, are you game for a rematch? Khan... I'm laughing at the superior intellect."

"We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet, it should be noted that in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world. A world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this, of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... Human."

"You knew enough to tell Saavik that how we face death is at least as important as how we face life."

"Just words."

"But good words. That's where ideas begin. Maybe you should listen to them. I was wrong about you. And I'm sorry."

"Is that what you came here to say?"

"Mainly. And also that I'm proud... very proud... to be your son."

"There are always possibilities Spock said... and if Genesis is indeed life from death, I must return to this place again."

"He's really not dead, as long as we remember him."

"It's a far, far better thing I do than I have done before. A far better resting place I go to than I have ever known."

"Is that a poem?"

"No, something Spock was trying to tell me, on my birthday."

"Are you okay Jim? How do you feel?"

"Young. I feel young."

"Because, the needs of the one... outweigh the needs of the many."

"The word, sir?"

"The word is no. I am therefore going anyway."

"You're suffering from a Vulcan mind-meld, doctor."

"That green-blooded son of a bitch! It's his revenge for all those arguments he lost!"

"You Klingon bastard, you've killed my son!"

"My God, Bones, what have I done?"

"What you had to do. What you always do... turned death into a fighting chance to live."

"Commander Klingon vessel. This is Admiral Kirk, alive and well on the planet's surface. I know this will come as a pleasant surprise to you! Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, 'c'est la vie'."

"I... have had... enough of you!"

"Don't tell me, you're from outer space."

"No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space."

"Damn it, Bones, you're a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can't be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don't want my pain taken away. I need my pain!"

"What does God need with a Starship?"

"Spock... I thought I was going to die."

"Not possible captain, you were never alone."

"Please Captain, not in front of the Klingons."

"I've lost a brother."

"I lost a brother once. I was lucky, I got him back."

"They're animals!"

"Jim, there is an historic opportunity here."

"Don't believe them! Don't trust them!"

"They are dying."

"Let them die!"

"Captain's log, stardate 9522.6. I've never trusted Klingons, and I never will. I've never been able to forgive them for the death of my boy. It seems to me our mission to escort the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council to a peace summit is problematic at best. Spock says this could be an historic occasion, and I'd like to believe him. But how on earth can history get past people like me?"

"Captain's Log, stardate 9529.1. This is the final cruise of the Starship Enterprise under my command. This ship and her history will shortly become the care of a new generation. To them and their posterity will we commit our future. They will continue the voyages we have begun, and journey to all the undiscovered countries, boldly going where no man... where no one has gone before."

"Space, the final frontier these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's continuing mission..."

"...to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations..."

"...to boldly go where no man has gone before."

"Finding retirement a little lonely, are we?"

"You know, I'm glad you're an engineer. With tact like that, you'd make a lousy psychiatrist."

"It was... fun. Oh my..."