55 'Star Trek' Quotes To Channel Those Vulcan 'Live Long And Prosper' Vibes
“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
- “Live long and prosper!” — Spock
- “What does God need with a starship?” — Captain Kirk
- “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.” — Spock
- “Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” — Jean-Luc Picard
- “Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.” — Data
- “You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true.” — Spock
- “Please, Mrs. Troi! … and it’s Worf, not Woof.” — Lt. Worf
- “Insufficient facts always invite danger.” — Spock
- “I am a doctor, not a bricklayer.” — Dr. McCoy
- “Make it so!” — Jean-Luc Picard
- “Perhaps man wasn’t meant for paradise. Maybe he was meant to claw, to scratch all the way.” — Captain Kirk
- “Well, I know this much: We can’t avoid the future.” — William T. Riker
- “Respect is earned, not bestowed.” — Deanna Troi
- “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
- “I’m a doctor, not an escalator.” — Dr. McCoy
- “Yes, sir. I am attempting to fill a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.” — Data
- “Flair is what marks the difference between artistry and mere competence.” — William T. Riker
- “The only person you’re truly competing against is yourself.” — Jean-Luc Picard
- “Dammit, Jim!” — Dr. McCoy
- “I am not a merry man.” — Lt. Worf
- “Emotions are alien to me. I’m a scientist.” — Spock
- “Fear is the true enemy. The only enemy.” — William T. Riker
- “In critical moments, men sometimes see exactly what they wish to see.” — Spock
- “Compassion: That’s the one thing no machine ever had. Maybe it’s the one thing that keeps men ahead of them.” — Dr. McCoy
- “Sharing an orbit with God is no small experience.” — Deanna Troi
- “I would gladly risk feeling bad at times if it also meant that I could taste my dessert. — Data
- “I have been told that patience is sometimes a more effective weapon than the sword.” — Lt. Worf
- “Change is the essential process of all existence.” — Spock
- “Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on.” — Captain Kirk
- “I cannae change the laws of physics! I’ve got to have thirty minutes!” — Scotty
- “If we’re going to be damned, let’s be damned for what we really are.” — Jean-Luc Picard
- “Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them.” — Spock
- “Leave bigotry in your quarters; there’s no room for it on the bridge.” — Captain Kirk
- “Baby needs a new pair of shoes.” — Data
- “The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other.” — Captain Kirk
- “Things are only impossible until they are not.” — Jean-Luc Picard
- “I’m a doctor, not a mechanic.” — Dr. McCoy
- “If we resist, we die. If we don’t resist… we die.” — William T. Riker
- “Madness has no purpose. Or reason. But it may have a goal.” — Spock
- “You mind your place, mister, or you’ll be wearing concrete galoshes.” — Scotty
- “Confidence is faith in oneself. It can’t easily be given by another.” — Deanna Troi
- “Engage!” — Jean-Luc Picard
- “I have been and always shall be your friend.” — Spock
- “A lie is a very poor way to say hello.” — Edith Keeler
- “A species that enslaves other beings is hardly superior, mentally or otherwise.” — Captain Kirk
- “Curious, how often you humans manage that which you do not want.” — Spock
- “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
- “Humans do have an amazing capacity for believing what they choose — and excluding that which is painful.” — Spock
- “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
- “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
- “You can use logic to justify almost anything. That’s its power. And its flaw.” — Captain Cathryn Janeway
- “Without followers, evil cannot spread.” — Spock
- “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
- “When governments murder those who speak the truth, it is time to get new governments.” — Diane Duane
- “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
