Parenting

55 'Star Trek' Quotes To Channel Those Vulcan 'Live Long And Prosper' Vibes

by Brianne Hogan
Scene From 'Star Trek: The Next Generation': Star Trek Quotes
Paramount Pictures

“Space, the final frontier…” Even if you’re not a Trekkie, you’ve definitely heard a Star Trek quote or two. The original TV show about space exploration with men in bright colored shirts aired back in 1966 and grew into a massive franchise — from movies to huge conventions, an animated series, and five TV spin-offs, including the equally popular Star Trek: The Next Generation. The series introduced us to memorable characters like Captain Kirk, Spock, and the oh-so-sexy Jean-Luc Picard, along with many others. One thing most of them had in common? They were pretty darn philosophical (not to mention hilariously droll), which has created an impressive legacy of Star Trek quotes you’ll likely hear around the watercooler at some point in your life.

How much you own your nerd status probably determines how many lines from the iconic series you’ve memorized. Or how many you admit to knowing, anyway. But keeping a few Star Trek quotes in your back pocket to break out in casual conversation can have quite a few benefits. The words of Spock and company might give you a boost of confidence, help you gain a little clarity, or (dare we say?) inspire you to reach for the stars. At the very least, they’ll likely lead to some pretty cool new friends. And if you have a kid who proudly proclaims the Trekkie title, well, you can use these quotes to earn a little extra cool mom cred.

So, to boldly go only where diehard Trekkies go, here are the Star Trek quotes you need to know.

Best Star Trek Quotes

  1. “Live long and prosper!” — Spock
  2. “What does God need with a starship?” — Captain Kirk
  3. “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.” — Spock
  4. “Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” — Jean-Luc Picard
  5. “Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.” — Data
  6. “You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true.” — Spock
  7. “Please, Mrs. Troi! … and it’s Worf, not Woof.” — Lt. Worf
  8. “Insufficient facts always invite danger.” — Spock
  9. “I am a doctor, not a bricklayer.” — Dr. McCoy
  10. “Make it so!” — Jean-Luc Picard
  11. “Perhaps man wasn’t meant for paradise. Maybe he was meant to claw, to scratch all the way.” — Captain Kirk
  12. “Well, I know this much: We can’t avoid the future.” — William T. Riker
  13. “Respect is earned, not bestowed.” — Deanna Troi
  14. “Just before they went into warp, I beamed the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room, where they’ll be no tribble at all.” — Scotty
  15. “I’m a doctor, not an escalator.” — Dr. McCoy
  16. “Yes, sir. I am attempting to fill a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.” — Data
  17. “Flair is what marks the difference between artistry and mere competence.” — William T. Riker
  18. “The only person you’re truly competing against is yourself.” — Jean-Luc Picard
  19. “Dammit, Jim!” — Dr. McCoy
  20. “I am not a merry man.” — Lt. Worf
  21. “Emotions are alien to me. I’m a scientist.” — Spock
  22. “Fear is the true enemy. The only enemy.” — William T. Riker
  23. “In critical moments, men sometimes see exactly what they wish to see.” — Spock
  24. “Compassion: That’s the one thing no machine ever had. Maybe it’s the one thing that keeps men ahead of them.” — Dr. McCoy
  25. “Sharing an orbit with God is no small experience.” — Deanna Troi
  26. “I would gladly risk feeling bad at times if it also meant that I could taste my dessert. — Data
  27. “I have been told that patience is sometimes a more effective weapon than the sword.” — Lt. Worf
  28. “Change is the essential process of all existence.” — Spock
  29. “Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on.” — Captain Kirk
  30. “I cannae change the laws of physics! I’ve got to have thirty minutes!” — Scotty
  31. “If we’re going to be damned, let’s be damned for what we really are.” — Jean-Luc Picard
  32. “Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them.” — Spock
  33. “Leave bigotry in your quarters; there’s no room for it on the bridge.” — Captain Kirk
  34. “Baby needs a new pair of shoes.” — Data
  35. “The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other.” — Captain Kirk
  36. “Things are only impossible until they are not.” — Jean-Luc Picard
  37. “I’m a doctor, not a mechanic.” — Dr. McCoy
  38. “If we resist, we die. If we don’t resist… we die.” — William T. Riker
  39. “Madness has no purpose. Or reason. But it may have a goal.” — Spock
  40. “You mind your place, mister, or you’ll be wearing concrete galoshes.” — Scotty
  41. “Confidence is faith in oneself. It can’t easily be given by another.” — Deanna Troi
  42. “Engage!” — Jean-Luc Picard
  43. “I have been and always shall be your friend.” — Spock
  44. “A lie is a very poor way to say hello.” — Edith Keeler
  45. “A species that enslaves other beings is hardly superior, mentally or otherwise.” — Captain Kirk
  46. “Curious, how often you humans manage that which you do not want.” — Spock
  47. “A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away.” — Dr. Boyce
  48. “Humans do have an amazing capacity for believing what they choose — and excluding that which is painful.” — Spock
  49. “It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it’s not for the timid.” — Q
  50. “With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.” — Jean-Luc Picard
  51. “You can use logic to justify almost anything. That’s its power. And its flaw.” — Captain Cathryn Janeway
  52. “Without followers, evil cannot spread.” — Spock
  53. “They used to say that if man was meant to fly, he’d have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to.” — Captain Kirk
  54. “When governments murder those who speak the truth, it is time to get new governments.” — Diane Duane
  55. “To all mankind: May we never find space so vast, planets so cold, heart and mind so empty, that we cannot fill them with love and warmth.” — Garth