15 Best Star Trek Movie Quotes

The Star Trek movies are endlessly quotable, with many famous words, passages, and phrases working their way into regular use. With thirteen entertaining and varied movies to select from, we’re looking at fifteen of the best quotations – the most meaningful, significant, and recognized. From funny to sentimental, tragic to terrifying, witty to wily to wise, there’s a wealth of delectable dialogue from a range of unique and extraordinary characters. From the first Star Trek movie in 1979 to the most recent in 2016, there have been many adventures, pitfalls, triumphs, friendships, foes, and memorable mumbles. Let’s look at 15 of the best.

Several honorable mentions that also deserve praise include “What you had to do. What you always do: turn death into a fighting chance to live,” Star Trek IV (McCoy, DeForest Kelley), “I am not pleading for my life. I am pleading for yours,” Star Trek: Insurrection (Picard, Patrick Stewart), “Like you always say, if something’s important, you make time,” Star Trek: Generations (Scotty, James Doohan), and “Please Captain, not in front of the Klingons,” Star Trek: The Final Frontier (Spock, Leonard Nimoy). Each line invokes a sense of memory and meaning, adding to Star Treks rich tapesty. Without further ado, here are the 15 best Star Trek movie quotes.

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15 “Out there… thataway.”

Admiral James T. Kirk – Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the first of the franchise’s many movies, reuniting the iconic Original Series cast. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), now promoted to Admiral, takes temporary command of the USS Enterprise to investigate the mysterious and powerful V’Ger. Stylish, artistic, and visually magnificent, The Motion Picture teams outward interstellar exploration with inward, emotional development, pairing linear travel with relational distance. Kirk’s final line in the movie, delivered with warmth and fulfillment alongside an aimless gesture towards space, is a nostalgic nod to past adventures and hints at voyages yet to come. It’s the suggestion that, with those we love, we can take on the universe.

14 “Well, a double dumbass on you!”

Admiral James T. Kirk – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (the one with the whales) pairs many warm comedy moments with adventure, action, and an exciting, dramatic pace. With the Enterprise destroyed, the Star Trek crew travels back in time with a Klingon ship to alleviate issues caused by an alien probe attempting to communicate with Earth. In 1986 San Francisco, Kirk and his friends must adapt to 20th-century technology and avoid drawing attention. Almost immediately, a car nearly runs the Admiral over, and Kirk fires this hilarious insult straight back at the driver. He explains to the others that the past’s language was more colorful, leading to an increasingly (however mild) foul-mouthed Spock in an awkward attempt to blend.

13 “Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence.”

Dr. Leonard McCoy – Star Trek (2009)

This solid introduction for the character of Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) in J.J. Abram’s Kelvin-verse Star Trek (2009) effortlessly presents the complexities of the beloved irascible medic alongside the impressive acting chops of DeForest Kelley’s McCoy successor. Urban’s experience in this scene is impressively understated – simultaneously dismissive, cantankerous, vulnerable, and friendly, it’s a strong performance for the actor and character alike. Here, the audience glimpses McCoy’s motivation and weaknesses while setting up a nickname and a life-long friend. After McCoy is removed from the Academy shuttle’s tiny stall with no windows, he sits next to James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and promptly explains that *space is bad*.

12 “KHAAANNNN!”

Admiral James T. Kirk – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan & Spock – Star Trek Into Darkness

The foreboding return of Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan led to some of the darkest moments in the franchise’s movie history. Having experienced hardship and a destroyed ecosystem since the neighboring planet Ceti Alpha VI exploded, a vengeful Khan blames Kirk for the death of his wife. Later, believing Kirk is stranded on Regula I, Khan torments Kirk with threats of abandoning him on the empty planet. Kirk’s frustrated shout is mirrored in Star Trek Into Darkness, when upon witnessing Kirk’s death, Spock yells out Khan’s name, no longer in control of his emotions.

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11 “To absent friends.”

Admiral James T. Kirk – Star Trek III: The Search For Spock & Kirk – Star Trek Beyond & Picard – Star Trek: Nemesis

Among the most bittersweet of Star Trek‘s best lines, “To absent friends” first appeared in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock following the death of Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in the franchise’s previous movie. A grieving Admiral Kirk toasts Spock’s memory, also feeling the absence of Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley). A similar toast in Star Trek Beyond by Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) initially referenced the sad loss of Leonard Nimoy. With the tragic death of Anton Yelchin, the line became even more poignant. In Star Trek: Nemesis, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) toasts Data (Brent Spiner) following the heroic sacrifice that saved the Captain’s life.

10 “If I were human, I believe my response would be, ‘Go to Hell.’ If I were human.”

Spock – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country is a tale of hurt, discrimination, betrayal, and forgiveness. Two months after an incident on the Klingon moon Praxis, the Klingons formally request Federation aid. But the path to lasting peace is uncertain, with personal grudges and agendas muddying the prospect. Also notable as The Original Series‘ final movie (despite overlap in Star Trek Generations), the final scene sees orders to return to Earth for decommissioning. After an emotional pause, Spock voices his opinion of those orders. It’s all over with the knowledge that “everything ends” set against the camaraderie, the success of their critical mission, and the many remembered missions that went before.

9 “My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?”

Khan – Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness introduces the Kelvin-universe Khan Noonien-Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch). Fleeing to the Klingon homeworld after a deliberate attack on Starfleet’s Kelvin Memorial Archive (a secret Section 31 facility), Khan surrenders to Kirk upon learning about the 72 advanced torpedoes in his possession and is brought to the Enterprise’s brig. Questioned about his actions, Khan tells Kirk to open one of the torpedoes. Used by Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) for nefarious purposes, Khan had concealed 72 of his augment siblings inside the torpedo tubes and initiated a campaign against Section 31. Seeing a similar loyalty in Kirk, Khan pointedly drives home the message of ‘because family’.

8 “Don’t let them promote you. Don’t let them transfer you. Don’t let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you’re there… you can make a difference.”

Captain James T. Kirk – Star Trek Generations

Star Trek Generations is notable as the movie that saw the on-screen meeting of the franchise’s two most iconic captains and also as Kirk’s last hurrah. Caught in the Nexus through a hull breach while modifying a deflector during the Enterprise-B’s maiden voyage, Kirk is assumed killed. Seventy-eight years later, Picard seeks Kirk’s help to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) and save the Veridian system. During their ensemble, Kirk reflects on his career and, realizing the limits and discomfort of his admiralty position, advises Picard to maintain a command role. Their mission is ultimately successful, but Kirk loses his life when a bridge collapses on top of him.

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7 “We will find hope in the impossible.”

Spock – Star Trek Beyond

When the Enterprise is ambushed and destroyed by aggressive hive ships during a rescue mission to Altamid in Star Trek Beyond, the crew is stranded on the planet or rounded up and taken captive. With Captain Kirk and Commander Spock separately struggling with private doubts over their respective roles in Starfleet, they are drawn together with their friends to rescue the crew and overcome Krall (Idris Elba) and his “bees.” When Kirk questions how they will resolve the situation, an injured Spock responds, “We will find hope in the impossible,” succinctly summarizing the franchise’s warmest foundation.

6 “The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they have done.”

Captain Jean-Luc Picard – Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact sees Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E traveling back in time to prevent the Borg from changing Earth’s future. Six years on, Picard is still haunted by his assimilation into the Borg’s Collective and frustrated by the Federation’s “too many compromises […] too many retreats.” In a private but destructive moment with Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard), Picard refuses to sacrifice the USS Enterprise-E for their cause and draws a metaphorical line in the sand. It’s a decisive, rageful juncture that aligns history with the future and counters past victimhood with individuality, fortitude, and moral courage.

5 “In his quest to be more like us, he helped show us what it means to be human.”

Captain Jean-Luc Picard – Star Trek: Nemesis

In Star Trek: Nemesis, Data saves Captain Jean-Luc Picard and sacrifices himself to destroy the Romulan and Reman threat. Speaking later with B-4 (Brent Spiner), an earlier android prototype found on Kolarus III, Picard explains that he “wanted you to know what kind of man he was.” This best-quote entry alludes to the profound emotional impact Data had on the lives of the Enterprise-D/E crew and the weighty absence his loss would create. It’s a meaningful and fitting tribute. For an android whose greatest dream was to become more human, Picard’s warm words credit Data as humanity’s example.

4 “I don’t believe in a no-win scenario.”

Admiral/Captain James T. Kirk – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan & Star Trek (2009)

The only Starfleet cadet to ever beat the infamous Kobayashi Maru training simulation, designed as a no-win scenario to test the skill and nerve of command track cadets in critical conditions, Kirk received a commendation for Original Thinking. Asked about his solution to the test on Regulus I in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk explains that he doesn’t believe in no-win scenarios. Also, explaining that “I don’t like to lose,” Kirk sets up a tragic context for the terrible loss he later faces. In Star Trek (2009), Kirk’s Kelvin-universe counterpart employs a similar solution, reprogramming the simulation’s coding to allow for a successful outcome.

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3 “Better to die saving lives than to live with taking them. That’s what I was born into.”

Captain James T. Kirk – Star Trek Beyond

In Star Trek Beyond, Chris Pine’s Captain James T. Kirk comes full circle, having made some semblance of peace with his late father’s memory and sacrifice and succeeded him in age and rank. In the movie’s showdown with Krall, aka Balthazar Edison (Idris Elba), Kirk refutes Krall’s “Peace… is not what I was born into,” with a self-awareness and acceptance that completes the three-movie familial arc, develops Kirk’s character growth, and amplifies Starfleet’s core values. It’s a powerful line, skillfully delivered with an understanding of the multi-layered levels of its meaning.

2 “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

Spock – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan & Star Trek Into Darkness

Initiating a running theme in Star Trek‘s second and third movies, Spock’s “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” is punctuated with Kirk’s, “or the one,” and pays off as deeply meaningful in Spock’s pivotal and distressing death scene in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (and later resurrection in ST3). The quote originates from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, a birthday present to Kirk from Spock at the film’s beginning. Spock in Star Trek Into Darkness repeats the line, believing he will perish in Nibiru’s volcano. Significantly, the sentiment meaningfully channels Star Trek‘s three respected words: “Let me help.”

1 “I have been and always shall be your friend.”

Spock – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan & Star Trek (2009)

Perhaps the most tragic moment in the Star Trek movies comes at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with the death of Captain Spock. Sacrificing himself to restore the warp drive and save the crew, Spock is subjected to a lethal level of radiation and sadly perishes after a heartwrenching goodbye. Spock tells Kirk not to grieve and that his choice is logical, adding this meaningful tribute to their long friendship. In Star Trek (2009), when (Prime) Spock encounters the young James T. Kirk in the Kelvin universe, he explains that he knows the cadet’s identity as they had always been friends.