star trek christmas quotes

14 Star Trek Episodes That Capture The Christmas Spirit

The "Star Trek" franchise has spanned more than fifty years, nine television series, thirteen feature films , and over 800 episodes — but, largely thanks to creator Gene Roddenberry's secular attitudes, has never produced a single Christmas episode. Outside of a few off-hand mentions, Earth religions have never had a big part in the franchise, so you're not going to find an episode where the crew gathers for Christmas dinner or exchanges gifts beneath a lit tree.

But despite never having had a celebratory Christmas episode, the franchise has had plenty of stories that capture the meaning of the holiday just the same. While the show has waded into darker territory and featured stories of all kinds, it's always been at its best projecting hope and positivity. It's the franchise's uplifting, inspirational values that have helped it resonate for more than half a century, with episodes built on messages of hope and love, charity and good deeds, more like the best Christmas stories have to offer than dystopian science fiction. 

This Christmas season, rather than compile a list of "Star Trek" episodes that mention the Holy Spirit, Santa Claus, or Ebenezer Scrooge, here are specific episodes from nearly every series that embody the Christmas spirit.

14. Journey to Babel (Star Trek, Season 2, Episode 10)

The Enterprise is on its way to a peace conference on Babel when they stop to pick up an Ambassador — a sagely Vulcan named Sarek  — who is revealed to be none other than Spock's own father. Everyone is surprised but Spock, and it soon becomes clear there's bad blood between the father and son. It's the first episode to delve into the heritage of Spock, a man torn between his human and Vulcan sides, never fully welcomed by either culture. 

Kirk's peace mission to Babel is derailed when the delegates refuse to get along, seemingly at odds over the admission of the Coridan to the Federation. There have always been tensions between these groups, and Sarek is distrustful of the Tellarites' motives. When the Tellarite ambassador Gav turns up dead, Sarek is implicated in the murder. Sarek however falls suddenly ill, and only the aggrieved Spock can save him. 

Amidst this family crisis, there's an assassination attempt on Captain Kirk just as a mysterious ship attacks, and it's clear not all is as it seems. Someone is intent on disrupting the peace conference, and saving Sarek and the Enterprise will require everyone to put aside their distrust and work together. There may not be any tinsel or sleigh bells, but "Journey To Babel" captures the spirit of Christmas with themes of love, family, and charity, and looking past our differences to work together in friendship. 

13. Transfigurations (Star Trek TNG, Season 3, Episode 25)

In one of many under-appreciated episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation,"  "Transfigurations" sees the crew take in an alien refugee, a man with amnesia they call John Doe, who seems to be in some sort of danger and is exhibiting strange abilities. He can heal others with a touch, and his mere presence seems to bring joy and happiness to everyone around him.

But an alien ship comes looking for him, calling him a dangerous escaped criminal, and demands his return — for an execution. The crew of the Enterprise, including Dr. Crusher (who has fallen in love with him), can't reconcile that description with the man they've come to know. He saved Worf's life, helped Geordi become a happier, more confident version of himself, and has done nothing but bring positivity and good spirits to the Enterprise. In the end we learn that his race is slowly undergoing an evolution into a new form of life, one that carries with it incredible insight and enlightenment. John Doe's people fear those who have undergone this change, and want them eliminated.

It certainly isn't mentioned among anybody's rankings of the best "Star Trek" stories, but "Transfigurations" is a strong episode nonetheless, one that deserves recognition. It deals with themes of rebirth, and the power of love and light, making it perhaps the truest expression of the Christmas spirit in "Trek" history.

12. The Inner Light (Star Trek TNG, Season 5, Episode 25)

Frequently cited as one of the best "Star Trek" episodes ever, "The Inner Light" tells a heartwarming family tale that begins with the Enterprise encountering a strange alien probe. Struck by a beam of energy from the craft, Picard is knocked unconscious, and wakes up on a strange planet in a new life. His name is Kamen, he is married and living on a far-off planet called Kataan — one he soon learns is slowly dying of some form of climate change.

Over the course of the story Picard lives an entire lifetime on Kataan as Kamen, fathering three children (even grandchildren), all the while trying to help his community find a solution to the planet's climate woes. He loses his best friend to illness, watches his wife die by his side as the planet withers, and he knows his grandchildren may not have a community left as they get older. But he learns the government is preparing a latch-ditch effort to save their species, a space-faring probe that will carry with it a sophisticated technology allowing others to experience life on their world.

When Picard wakes up, he struggles to remember he is Jean-Luc Picard, having just lived an entire lifetime in an instant. He was person their probe found, and he alone is left to carry the memory of their people. "The Inner Light" is a celebrated story with an important lesson at its core: Treasure those you love, because you never know when they might not be there anymore.

11. Tapestry (Star Trek TNG, Season 6, Episode 15)

Best described as a "Star Trek" version of "A Christmas Carol," Picard dies at the start of "Tapestry," only to be met by Q in the apparent afterlife. But he's not here to usher the captain to heaven, instead offering Picard the chance to change his past. Finding himself back in his early Starfleet days, he's aboard a space station with two fellow graduates, awaiting their first assignments. It's a period when Picard was more arrogant and reckless, and he's here to avoid a confrontation that would get him impaled through the back.

But while attempting to chart a more responsible course for himself, he becomes romantically linked with a young cadet he'd regretted never pursuing. Trying to play the role of mature, responsible officer, Picard succeeds in alienating his best friend. Having made the changes he wanted, Q snaps him back to the present, where he's no longer dead — and no longer Captain Picard — but a low level crewman aboard the Enterprise. Picard now realizes that the mistakes he made in his youth helped him become the man he was.

Putting aside an uncomfortable scene where 52-year-old Patrick Stewart gets physical with the 18-year old actress playing his old flame, it's one of the series' best installments  — a story of life, love, and regret where every moment is shown to be precious.

10. In The Cards (Deep Space Nine, Season 5, Episode 25)

Perhaps the closest  "Deep Space Nine" ever came to a Christmas special , "In the Cards" presented Jake Sisko, who was looking to cheer up his father when he noticed the war taking its toll on the Captain. 

The Dominion War, of course, hasn't been good for anyone on the station. But Jake thinks by helping his father it will help everyone, since the elder Sisko is both the station's commander and the Emissary of the Prophets. When an auction at Quark's bar reveals a vintage 20th century baseball card for sale, Jake sets out to acquire it as a gift, but it falls into the possession of a mysterious visitor instead.

The visitor turns out to be a scientist studying the nature of death, demanding a collection of strange items in exchange for the card — items needed to complete his latest experiment. To acquire what he's asking for, Jake — aided by his friend Nog — must do a series of favors for a number of people on the station. In getting the card for his father, they end up lifting the spirits of everyone involved, including the Federation's most vile enemies. In the middle of the Dominion War, "In the Cards" proves to be an uplifting, inspiring series entry that shows not just the importance of family, but of how far one charitable deed can go, and the effect a little joy can have on people.

9. The Visitor (Deep Space Nine, Season 4, Episode 2)

Along with "The Inner Light," the "Deep Space Nine" episode "The Visitor" is often voted  among the best  —  or at least the most powerful  — episodes of the franchise, and for good reason. Its message of love and family will speak to anyone with a parent or child in their life.

"The Visitor" sees the apparent death of Captain Sisko in the episode's opening scene, when after a crisis aboard the Defiant he is attempting to syphon energy from the warp core. This devastating loss happens right before the eyes of his teenage son Jake.

The younger Sisko struggles to deal with his father's death, falling into a deep depression. One night, however, Jake is thrown for a loop when his father materializes in front him, lost and confused by what has happened. But just as soon as he appears, he vanishes again. 

The crew soon discover that Captain Sisko isn't dead, but lost in a layer of space that sees him reappear during a rare cosmic cycle, and it is tied to the presence of his son. Over the next sixty years, Jake Sisko abandons his wife and career and devotes his entire life to bringing his father back. It all ends with time being reset, and the father and son getting a fresh start. But "The Visitor" is more than a mind-bending time travel tale — it's a story of family, of second chances, and how the bond between loved ones cannot be bound by space or time.

8. The Sound of Her Voice (Deep Space Nine, Season 6, Episode 25)

Perhaps overshadowed by the season finale that followed it, "The Sound of Her Voice" dealt with the effects the war was taking on the station's crew. A distress call from the U.S.S. Olympia reveals that its captain, Lisa Cusak, is the sole survivor of an accident that left her stranded on an inhospitable planet. Her situation is dire, her food and medical rations running low, and the Defiant is days away at maximum warp. Sisko immediately changes course, but the clock is ticking as Cusak is suffering from a rapidly deteriorating illness.

The crew takes turns over the next three days keeping the stranded officer company over subspace radio, and their discussions become therapy sessions, with Captain Cusak helping them understand the heavy toll the war is taking on them. Emphasizing that the burden need not be shouldered alone, and to hold on to dear friendships in times of need, the Defiant's crew take her words to heart.

As the crew adopts this newfound vow not to let the war pull them apart, and to cherish their time together, it becomes especially poignant given that the series was entering its final season. Though the episode would conclude on a more somber note than most on this list (including a twist ending), it leaves the audience with a message of love and hope, of family and friendship that resonates more loudly during the Christmas season. 

7. 11:59 (Voyager, Season 5, Episode 22)

Take away the opening and closing scenes set aboard Voyager and you might mistake this one for a genuine Hallmark Christmas special. Essentially one long flashback, the episode has Janeway telling the story of her ancestor Shannon O'Donnel, who reportedly helped build a historic Earth monument more than 300 years prior (at the dawn of the 21st century), something the Captain takes great family pride in.

Flashback to just after Christmas in the year 2000 when we meet Henry Janeway, a disgruntled book shop owner refusing to sell his store and home to a corporate bigwig who wants to build a massive "self-sustaining civic environment" that Janeway sees as little more than a glorified shopping mall. Along comes a stranger — Shannon O'Donnel — a down-on-her-luck passerby who Janeway gives accommodations. Over the course of the story, O'Donnel is determined to convince Janeway there is value in selling his home, and that this "Millennium Gate" may be for the best interests of the community. Along the way, Shannon and Henry fall in love, and the rest is history.

As the episode closes, Captain Janeway realizes that family stories through the years have exaggerated O'Donnel's role in the project, but she takes pride nonetheless. It's a holiday story of love, heritage, starting over, and accepting people for who they are rather than what we may want them to be. If it hadn't been an episode of "Star Trek," it just might have become a '90s TV Christmas classic.

6. The Gift (Voyager, Season 4, Episode 2)

Following on the heels of "Scorpion," Borg drone Seven of Nine is left aboard Voyager. Isolated from the hive mind but still brainwashed by the Borg and uninterested in what Voyager has to offer, Seven demands to be returned to the collective. Janeway is unwilling to give up on the lost soul Seven, but just when they think they've found a way to bring back her humanity, her cybernetic implants start killing her. With little knowledge of Borg physiology, The Doctor is at a loss, and unless the problem is corrected, they may lose their newest friend. 

Elsewhere, Kes is undergoing a strange and sudden biological change, with her telepathic abilities becoming more and more powerful. With Seven in danger, it's Kes who uses her new and improved insight and telekinesis to locate the problem and correct the fault in her implants, saving the ex-Borg. But when Kes's telepathic powers get out of control, she begins posing a danger to the entire ship, and realizes her time on Voyager is coming to an end.

Undergoing a remarkable transformation, Kes leaves the ship — and the series. But out of gratitude for having welcomed her into their family and guiding her to adulthood, she gives Voyager one final gift, using her newfound power to catapult Voyager ten years closer to home. Touching on themes of gratitude, charity, and faith, "The Gift" also teaches us never to give up on those in need.

5. Barge Of The Dead (Voyager, Season 6, Episode 3)

You might not expect an episode titled "Barge of The Dead" to be an uplifting one, but it's as close to a Klingon Kristmas Special as you will get on "Star Trek," as the ship's resident half-Klingon struggles with matters of faith and family. In the episode, Torres (who has always resented her Klingon side) begins to have visions of the Klingon Barge of The Dead, a mythical vessel said to ferry the souls of dishonored Klingons to the netherworld Gre'thor. But aboard the barge she meets her mother Miral, on her way to Klingon hell ... and it's her fault.

According to the barge's captain Kortar, Miral's dishonor came from her daughter's rejection of the Klingon faith; to save her, B'elanna must finally embrace her heritage. Realizing that to save her mother, she herself may have to go Gre'thor in Miral's place, she at first tries to use Voyager's technology to cheat fate and save her mother. Kortar sees through her ruse, but Miral helps her understand the real solution: live as an honorable Klingon, believe and have faith. When she reawakens on Voyager, B'elanna is left to wonder if it was all a dream, or perhaps something more? In the end it doesn't matter, it's her belief that means the most.

4. Terra Nova (Star Trek: Enterprise, Season 1, Episode 6)

A fascinating tale of family and acceptance begins with Archer and the Enterprise visiting a lost colony called Terra Nova, settled by humans almost 75 years earlier, but which lost contact with Earth shortly after its founding. 

Here to solve the mystery of what happened to them, the crew finds no trace of the colonists, but instead encounter a violent, primitive race of subterranean aliens ready to kill them on sight. These barbarians believe Archer and his crew are the same people who "gutted" their people once before.

But Enterprise learns that these "aliens" are no aliens at all, but descendants of the original Novan colonists, whose settlement fled underground after a meteor strike. When radiation poisoning killed all of the adults, only the youngest children were left to fend for themselves. Archer tries to convince them they are the same race, but the Novans are steadfast in their hatred of humans and refusal to make peace. After helping cure one of the Novans of cancer aboard the ship, trust slowly develops, and Archer wants to return them to Earth to start over. 

But the Novans have no interest in going, and so the crew must find a way to help without destroying their newfound culture. Archer must accept that the Novans may be part of the great human family, but they have found their own path that they must walk alone.

3. Carbon Creek (Star Trek: Enterprise, Season 2, Episode 2)

"Carbon Creek" touches on themes of understanding, tolerance, acceptance and keeping an open mind to those who are different. Recalling the "Voyager" episode "11:59," we're once again taken into the past with a series star playing their own ancestor, this time Jolene Blalock as T'Mir, the great-grandmother to T'Pol. The year is 1957, and T'Mir is aboard a Vulcan survey ship when they detect Earth's first artificial satellite. Investigating this new human space technology, they divert to Earth, crash landing in Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania.

Realizing their wait for rescue may be long, the Vulcans make a life for themselves in the rural town. While T'Mir wants the team to keep their distance from humans (harshly judging them for their backwards ways), officer Mestral grows a fondness for the people he meets — fascinated by their world, even forming friendships with them (much to T'Mir's dismay). 

But T'Mir doesn't understand Earthlings, and is skeptical of human nature and the vast differences between their cultures. She eventually does form a bond with a local boy struggling to get into college, and leaves him a parting gift before her return to Vulcan. In the end, however, it's Mestral who gets the happy ending, as his affection for humanity causes him to remain on Earth, building a new life in Carbon Creek. 

2. New Eden (Star Trek: Discovery, Season 2, Episode 2)

This episode has Burnham wrestling with her vision of an angel, as Stamets grapples with his own visions of his dead husband. Meanwhile, on the search for a mysterious signal, the U.S.S. Discovery — under command of the Enterprise's Captain Pike  — investigates a world known as New Eden. 

This far-off planet on the other side of the galaxy is inhabited by humans who were mysteriously transported there by an angelic being some 200 years before. Their society has evolved independent of Earth, Starfleet, and the Federation, and they have created a mono-theistic belief system that appears to be a homogenized blending of all Earth's religions.

One of the few episodes to directly confront issues of religion, "New Eden" explores faith, tolerance, acceptance, and rebirth, and even touches on matters of family as Burnham reconnects with her estranged foster brother Spock. While the season-long mystery of the Red Angel would have no ties to Earthly theology, its visual symbolism and role in "New Eden" is rife with religious significance that's given more meaning at the holiday season.

1. Et in Arcadia Ego (Star Trek: Picard, Season 1, Episode 10)

Though it might be hard to watch as a standalone episode, given the single-story nature of "Star Trek: Picard," this double-length final episode of the show's first season saw a bitter sweet end to the story, as Picard fought to save a colony of artificial life forms from extinction at the hands of the Romulans. 

Over the first half of the series, audiences saw how Federation and Starfleet had lost their way, and Picard had come out of retirement to try to set things right. In the finale, the former captain of the Enterprise risks everything to save the wayward androids, getting a little help from Starfleet (and his former first officer) along the way.

In another bittersweet but inspirational ending, we say a final goodbye to a beloved member of the "Star Trek" family in what ranks among the franchise's most touching, emotional moments. At the same time, we see the renewed spirit of Jean-Luc Picard — both literally and figuratively — and see the Federation returned to its former glory as protectors of the less fortunate. While the debut season of "Star Trek: Picard" had its flaws, this episode established that it is ultimately a tale about beginnings and endings, life, death, and rebirth, with messages of charity and selflessness — and what's more Christmas than that?

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Holodeck the Halls With These 10 Classic Christmas Episodes

| December 22, 2014 | By: Jared Whitley 20 comments so far

Christmas is this week, meaning there will be plenty of time with friends and loved ones to binge on episodes of Star Trek. But what might be the most appropriate for the season? Well just as we did for Halloween , we at TrekMovie have got you covered.

10. Dagger of the Mind (TOS) The question as to whether or not humans of the future celebrate Christmas is answered in this episode, as we meet a comely young scientist who hooked up with Kirk after the “science lab Christmas party.” Best of all the character’s name is Dr. Noel .

I love the image of a Christmas party for just one science lab that Kirk hears about and stumbles into, hoping to score some Saurian brandy off of his junior officers. Also it’s the first episode to feature the Vulcan mind-meld – and isn’t that what Christmas is really all about?

9. Good Shepherd (VOY) Because Gene’s vision of the future was pretty secular-humanist, there aren’t many oblique references to religion in the whole franchise. The only Trek episode with an explicitly Christian title, this engaging episode of Voyager features Captain Janeway tending to three losers (though she more generously refers to them as “lost sheep”).

8. The Child (TNG) OK this might be a little sacrilegious, but “The Child” does technically feature an immaculate conception as an energy being quickens Troi’s womb:

This episode is also remarkable as the first appearance of Guinan. With those crazy hats of hers, they kind of look like an angel’s halo, right?

7. Bread and Circuses (TOS) Along the lines of Good Shepherd, “Bread and Circuses” is one of the few Trek episodes with an explicit Christian theme. Set on a Roman-like planet, Lt. Uhura teaches our Holy Trinity the difference between “sun” and “son” worshippers:

6. Once More Unto The Breach (DS9) Though the name comes from a Shakespearean call to battle, the theme of this episode – a Klingon general learning the value of forgiveness – is perfectly appropriate for Christmas time. Also if you aren’t singing this warrior chant with your egg nog or other seasonal beverage, I hope you choke on your gagh .

If this episode isn’t your speed, but you still want to get your Kling on, then try “Rightful Heir” (TNG) which features the second coming of the Klingon Messiah.

5. Death Wish (VOY) Through the magic of the Q, Voyager is literally transformed into a Hallmark Christmas ornament – proving that while the Trek creative staff may have been cautious about the religious aspect of the holiday, the marketing folks were only too happy to capitalize on the commercial part of it.

4. Silicon Avatar (TNG) We’re stretching here, but the antagonist of this episode is described as a “giant snowflake,” and what would Christmas be without a little snow?

3. Generations While not one of the more celebrated entries in the film franchise, Generations features the only instance in Trek canon of people actually celebrating Christmas:

Just try not to remember that Picard is celebrating Christmas while mourning the death of his brother and nephew. Also shouldn’t his fantasy family have been the same one from The Inner Light ?

2. Devil’s Due (TNG) You probably saw this one coming. “Devil’s Due” starts with Data playing Scrooge on the holodeck in a re-creation of A Christmas Carol . As an allegory for the rest of the episode – overcoming superstition – it doesn’t really work, but it is a charming scene:

If you want more of a Judeo-Christian devil, may I suggest this entry from The Animated Series .

1. A Christmas Carol If that Data scene is the figgy pudding for fans of both Trek and Charles Dickens, the roast beast would be the USA version starring Patrick Stewart. Magnificently produced, this is definitely worth watching (and rewatching).

Honorable Mention: Xmas Story (Futurama) There are enough Trek jokes in Futurama to make any fan happy, so the episode  Xmas Story , where the crew of Planet Express fight Robot Santa, is definitely a “must see.”

Merry Christmas, Trek fans! May all the good tidings of the season energize into your celebrations, and may you warp into a happy new year.

*Header image is a real gingerbread Enterprise made by Blackmarket Bakery in California.

UPDATE: Thanks to commenter Corylea who linked us to this imgur album of more pictures of the incredible gingerbread Enterprise and it’s pepperminty beam of destruction.

Gingerbread USS Enterprise

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Trek the Halls, everyone!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, my fellow Trekkers.

I would also recommend Patrick Stewart’s reading of A Christmas Carol from Simon & Schuster Audio. It’s based on his award-winning one man show and is quite charming.

Fun article – Happy Holidays, everybody.

Great work, Jared.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

And Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Whitley, and to everyone at TrekMovie!

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff199/Bloodhnd/Star%20Trek%20Screenshots/SantaHatSpock_zps999d6bb5.jpg

Those three guys “the three wise men”? Ha? LOL

Cool stuff.

RE: 8. Aren’t all Jedi conceived this way, or just the chosen ones?

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good Trek.

So, only 9 then?

Maybe the next BR film will give us a real “Christmas” moment, with the crew celebrating Christmas together for the first time in deep space away from their families. Maybe we can finally find out what Orci contemplated for Kirk’s upbringing and whereabouts of his mom.

Surprised that Voyager’s fourth season episode “Mortal Coil” wasn’t included. It’s the Talaxian festival of Prixin and all Neelix wants to do is kill himself after learning there is no afterlife.

The Wait Is Over… Justin Lin Will Direct ‘Star Trek 3′ http://www.slashfilm.com/justin-lin-star-trek-3-director/

The search for a Star Trek 3 director is over. Justin Lin, director of multiple Fast and Furious films as well as True Detective season 2, will helm the sci-fi sequel, tentatively set for release in 2016. He replaces Roberto Orci, who remains attached as a producer. Read more about Justin Lin Star Trek 3 below.

Troi’s child in “The Child” was a virginal birth, not an immaculate conception.

In Catholic doctrine, the immaculate conception refers to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, being conceived without the stain of original sin on her soul. But from the physical standpoint, she was conceived in the normal way.

What about the Star Trek TOS episode Friday’s Child?

Thank you for NOT repeating the blunder TV Guide did with its online site earlier this month by including item #3 at this list — which somehow STILL remains uncorrected on TV Guide’s website: http://www.tvguide.com/PhotoGallery/Craziest-Christmas-Specials-1089530#1089535

Where did TV Guide’s “A Most Illogical Holiday” episode of “Star Trek” come from? The TV Guide “reporter” who did the research for that list went to — and got completely bamboozled by — this 10-year-old Internet satire that was used as the source (and, come one, NOBODY at TV Guide is even a casual enough of a “Trek” fan to have caught this?): http://whatever.scalzi.com/2004/12/01/the-10-least-successful-holiday-specials-of-all-time/

More pictures of the fabulous gingerbread Enterprise made by Blackmarket Bakery can be seen at http://imgur.com/a/pvtYQ

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The closest ENT had to to a “Christmas moment” was when Captain Archer stated December 25th as the date in a log entry. (The rest of the entry had nothing to do with Christmas though.) Oh, and Phlox mentions that he once has attended a mass at St. Peter’s Square in Rome – but that might just as well have been the Easter mass.

Thanks, Corylea! Added the imgur album to the story and gave you credit for pointing us to it.

Troi was not a physical virgin when she conceived “the child”. She had had a relationship with Riker. However, the conception was not brought about through the full physical sexual union of a man and woman. Nor was it the result of artificial insemination or IVF.

I see Mary’s conception of Jesus as being like that of Troi’s. Mary was supposed to be a virgin (not ever having had relations with a man). Catholic doctrine may or may not correct as to Mary’s true spiritual status. Similar beliefs surround the status of the Buddha’s mother…bear in mind, the one who became known as the Buddha was born 500 years before the one they call Jesus.

The baby that the pregnant woman carried in Friday’s Child was conceived in the usual way. She had been recently widowed.

I’m surprised with all the discussion of Dickens, no mention was made of “All Good Things” which was essentially “A Christmas Carol”

Tisk, Tisk. Kirk did not hookup with Dr. Noel. The idea that he did was planted in his mind by Dr. Adams. Kirk clearly had a passing attraction to her, but he’s too much of a professional to hookup with one of his own underlings.

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Warp Speed Your Inspiration: 55 Iconic Star Trek Quotes for Fans

Last Updated on February 25, 2024

The Star Trek universe is full of wisdom and brilliant one-liners that are impressive for learning and food for thought. There are bound to be hundreds of amazing quotes to choose from with so many seasons, both new and old, to watch! Everyone has their favorites, so there is a classic quote here for you somewhere, whether it be Spock, Jean Luc Picard, Leonard McCoy, Scotty, or James T Kirk.

You could almost say it would be “highly illogical” not to read on! (If you know, you know). Before we give you 55 Quotes that will be sure to keep you wanting more Star Trek, let’s quickly discuss what Star Trek is (for those that have been living under a rock for 40 years!)

What is Star Trek?

Star Trek is an American science fiction program that Gene Roddenberry created. The very first series debuted over 50 years ago in 1966! Since then, a host of different spin-offs, mini-series, animated movies, cartoons, toys, games, and books/comics have been released. A cult following has developed around the movie, and many fans dress up as characters for conventions and even go as far as to do a V-shaped hand sign, whilst saying the classic catchphrase “live long and prosper”. Ironically, the Star Trek series continues to prosper, even 50+ years after its debut, long may it continue!

• “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.” — Spock
• “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
• “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
• “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
• “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
• “Live long and prosper!” — Spock
• “What does God need with a starship?” — Captain Kirk
• “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
• “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

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Igor is an SEO specialist, designer, photographer, writer and music producer. He believes that knowledge can change the world and be used to inspire and empower young people to build the life of their dreams. When he is not writing in his favorite coffee shop, Igor spends most of his time reading books, taking photos, producing house music, and learning about cinematography. He is a sucker for good coffee, Indian food, and video games.

The Collected Star Trek Christmas Carols

We all know that, every year, Trekkies gather around the yule log to hear Captain Picard sing "Let It Snow ." But they also enjoy other traditional Trekmas carols remixed by John C. Worsley, such as "Enterprise Rock", a take on Bobby Helms's " Jingle Bell Rock " by the crew of the Enterprise NX-01 . . .

. . . "Wonderful Deep Space Nine," inspired by Paul McCartney's " Wonderful Christmas Time " . . . 

. . . and "Happy Trekmas," which is Worsley's take on John Lennon's " So This Is Christmas ."

For those who can't sing, there is the instrumental (or instrument panel) version of "Jingle Bells."

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Passion doesn’t always come easily. Discover your inner drive and find your true purpose in life.

From learning how to be your best self to navigating life’s everyday challenges.

Discover peace within today’s chaos. Take a moment to notice what’s happening now.

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Sleep may be the most powerful tool in our well-being arsenal. So why is it so difficult?

Challenges can stem from distractions, lack of focus, or unclear goals. These strategies can help overcome daily obstacles.

Unlocking your creativity can help every aspect of your life, from innovation to problem-solving to personal growth.

How do you view wealth? Learn new insights, tools and strategies for a better relationship with your money.

22 Famous Star Trek Quotes that Will Live Forever

If you haven’t watched Star Trek , you’ve at least heard about it. The sci-fi television series created by Gene Roddenberry has earned millions of fans over the years.

Roddenberry was allegedly inspired by Gulliver's Travels and a TV series called Wagon Train to create Star Trek.  Each episode of the series is built as an incredible adventure, but also as a morality tale, considering that the episodes depict cultural realities and conflicts like war and peace, sexism, human rights, religion, economics, loyalty, racism and technology.

RELATED:  19 Yoda Quotes to Keep You Away From the Dark Side and Awaken the Greatness Within

Due to this approach, Star Trek is not only about space adventure and exploration. The franchise is also recognized for being one of the first TV series with a multiracial cast and applauded for its attitude toward civil rights.

The Star Trek world was full of wisdom and great lines, but here are 22 of the most meaningful quotes from its characters . 

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

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end. -- Spock

You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true. -- Spock

Live now ; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again. -- Jean-Luc Picard

Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on. -- Captain Kirk

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

The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other. -- Captain Kirk

If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are. -- Jean-Luc Picard

Insufficient facts always invite danger. -- Spock

Perhaps man wasn't meant for paradise. Maybe he was meant to claw, to scratch all the way. -- Captain Kirk

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

Change is the essential process of all existence. -- Spock

Without followers, evil cannot spread. -- Spock

Our species can only survive if we have obstacles to overcome . You remove those obstacles. Without them to strengthen us, we will weaken and die. -- Captain Kirk

Curious, how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want. -- Spock

One man cannot summon the future. But one man can change the present! -- Spock

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

You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, and irrational fear of the unknown. There is no such thing as the unknown. Only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood. -- Captain Kirk

A species that enslaves other beings is hardly superior -- mentally or otherwise. -- Captain Kirk

Now, I don't pretend to tell you how to find happiness and love, when every day is a struggle to survive. But I do insist that you do survive, because the days and the years ahead are worth living for! -- Edith Keeler

Live long and prosper! -- Spock

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Surprised Mom Finds Random Note at Kmat From Love Island Australia Star

It's another afternoon in the outback for Australian native Katherine. She's at the Queensland Kmart department store shopping for candles.

That's when her 12-year-old daughter shows her something she's found on one of the shelves. Well, two things, one of which that sends this story on a wild ride.

Kmart Surprise

After composing herself, Katherine takes to Facebook to share her daughter's discovery. It's not long before it catches fire, getting over 5,000 likes and hundreds of comments.

"What a beautiful thing to do! I'd be so overwhelmed if this happened to me," writes one.

"The domino effect of it is truly so amazing and humbling," adds another.

Here is that first 'domino' that Katherine's daughter found that day: Along with a $20 on the shelf is a note that reads:

If you found this, it’s yours. Please keep it as a reminder of your abundance! Money is energy & there’s an infinite supply available.

That's when Katherine posts the sweet note on Facebook, saying that it inspired her daughter.

"'My daughter is 12 years old and keeping the money and we will be adding more to it each week and hoping by December we saved enough to do the same as pay it forward," she writes.

She ends her post with, "Whomever you are who shared your wealth to people, may God bless you and your family. Sharing is caring."

As it turns out, the author -- and their story -- proves to be a smashing sequel.

A Celebrity Scribe Revealed

After a little sleuthing, the internet discovers the mystery writer to be Love Island Australia reality star Isabelle Green. She posts to her Instagram , where she posts herself writing and leaving notes in several Kmart Stores (four in all).

She explains to 7News.com.au that she credits a random act of kindness she'd received years ago as the motivation behind her sweet scribbles.

“Many, many years ago I found a little card that said ‘Expect a miracle,'" she says. "And it’s actually a business, it’s a company. And he leaves these little cards everywhere and it kind of got me inspired to start doing little things for people where they can expect a miracle."

Despite the fanfare her gesture generated, Green says that she only cares about one person and that's her daughter, Dakota.

"Even though she can’t really understand right now, even her coming along with me she would still be picking up the vibrations of those acts of kindness, the energy of it."

The Importance of Spreading Kindness

"That's a lovely gesture. Hope you found your abundance, I feel it doesn't have to always be money," another commenter added.

Among the quotes on kindness , one by Claire Strandberg reads, "Teaching kids good manners is teaching them about kindness, consideration, and respect."

It's funny because while they might not share the same social status, Katherine and Green are both rich. Each with a lovely daughter, they each have the kind of abundance a mansion of money can't buy. And now because of one kind gesture, those two girls will inherit it as well.

Now that's generational wealth.

*Featured image contains photo by Gustavo Fring and Yan Krukau

Stranger Insults Middle School Teacher Online — But Her Clapback Was A+

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Back To The Futur II Movie Still

You've probably heard the old saying, "promises were made to be broken." How many of us have pinky swore with a childhood friend that we'll always be besties no matter what? Only to grow up and grow apart.

Sometimes our promises may be ever sillier. Like the good old "wedding pact." You know, when two friends promise each other: "If we're not married in 30 years, we'll get married"? How many times has that happened? Probably never (but if it has happened, please submit your story to [email protected])!!

But sometimes, it really is the strangest promises that come true. And for science teacher Patrick Moriarty, when he made this bizarre promise to his class of 1978, he was going to make damn sure it came true.

He Made Them an Offer They Couldn’t Refuse... But May Just Forget

Nearly 50 years ago, in Upstate New York, Patrick Moriarty was only beginning his teaching career. He was just 22 years old and he was all hands on deck when it came to shaping the leaders of tomorrow. In fact, "looking into the future" was something Mr. Moriarty was pretty good at.

As the story goes, one day the science teacher handed his class a worksheet which outlined the earth's solar system, demonstrating to his students how all the complicated stars and constellations and planets in the sky are miraculously connected. Of course, his students were fascinated by the wonder of the great unknown. I mean, what kid doesn't love space — or at least, Star Wars? Then, in the middle of his lesson, Mr. Moriarty had a passing observation...that would shockingly come full circle nearly half a century later — literally.

"I said to the kids, 'Hey, why don't you just go ahead and circle that eclipse and we'll get together,' and after I did that, I did that for the next 16 years with all of my classes that I taught Earth science to." - Patrick Moriarty

One of the worksheets he handed out showed that in April 2024 (almost 50 years into the future), a once-in-a-lifetime scientific event would take place. There would be a solar eclipse passing over their small town. It was right then and there Mr. Moriarty had a passing thought, that turned into a long con plan. He swore that in 50 years, they would all get together again, and watch the spectacular solar eclipse, side by side.

His junior high students were convinced he was joking. They played along letting him know they "couldn't wait." Then as it does, time passed. The school year ended. His students grew up. And the world changed drastically, but what was written in the stars never changed.

But Mr. Moriarty was no ordinary teacher. He was a man with a plan, armed with a passion for science and a heart of gold. He distributed worksheets showing the paths of upcoming eclipses, circling the one they'd see in 2024.

Decades later, Mr. Moriarty's promise seemed like a distant memory, an old story that might never see the light of day again. After all, his former students had scattered far and wide, building careers, families, and lives that were miles away from their junior high classroom. Yet, despite the distance, the spirit of the original promise lingered in the back of Moriarty's mind.

In the age of social media, he had a new tool to track down his former students. With a single Facebook post, Mr. Moriarty invited his old class to a gathering at his Rochester, New York, home to watch the eclipse. It was a long shot — who would remember a promise made so long ago?

But to his surprise, the notifications began to pour in. Former students from across the country responded with excitement. A simple Facebook event, born from a half-century-old worksheet, had the power to rekindle the sense of wonder that once filled his classroom.

Over 100 Students Showed up to Complete the “Longest Homework Assignment in History”

When the big day finally arrived, Mr. Moriarty's driveway was buzzing with energy. Former students, some now in their 50s and 60s, gathered together to keep the promise alive. They came with their families, their stories, and even their yearbooks, ready to catch up and reminisce about the good old days.

“When teachers go into education, they hope that they can be that kind of teacher that would have an impact on people and make a difference for people. And this event right here just firmed it up for me that I guess I did okay.” - Patrick Moriarty, The Washington Post

Mr. Moriarty, now in his late 60s, could hardly believe his eyes. Over 100 people showed up, eager to complete what they jokingly called "the longest homework assignment in history." For some, it was a trip down memory lane, while for others, it was a chance to reconnect with friends they hadn't seen in decades.

As the sky darkened and the eclipse reached its peak, everyone grew quiet, lost in the moment. Even though clouds obscured the eclipse, it didn't matter. What mattered was that they were together, keeping the promise alive.

The Real Lesson Could Never Be “Eclipsed”

The eclipse itself was incredible, but it was just the backdrop for something far more meaningful. For Mr. Moriarty, the real magic was in the connections made that day — the stories shared, the laughs had, and the memories relived. It was a reminder that a simple promise made in a junior high classroom could bring people together decades later.

The gathering proved that a teacher's influence can last a lifetime. The bond between Mr. Moriarty and his students was stronger than the sun, moon, and stars combined. It was a celebration of friendship, loyalty, and the enduring impact a teacher can have on the lives of their students.

"The eclipse itself … took a back seat to what this was all about. The eclipse was my catalyst more than anything.” - Patrick Moriarty

As the day came to a close, Mr. Moriarty couldn't help but feel grateful. Not just for the eclipse, but for the people who made it all worthwhile. It was a lesson that even the biggest promises can be kept if you believe in them enough. This was one promise that could never be eclipsed.

Copyright © 2024 Goalcast

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The greatest Star Trek quotes of all time

By charles evans | jan 13, 2018.

Our collection of the greatest Star Trek quotes of all time.

Star Trek has produced some of the most memorable television and movie lines of all time. From “live long and prosper” to “…second star to the right – and straight on ’til morning.” Star Trek is the greatest science fiction franchise of all time after all, so it shouldn’t come as surprise that it has produced so many wonderful lines.

In honor of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary we’ve been featuring Star Trek quotes each day on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook page.  If you missed one of our great Star Trek quotes posts though don’t worry, because we will be keeping them all right here in our Star Trek quotes library.

It’s not just quotes from the show though, some of the Star Trek writers and actors have also had some incredible quotes from their real lives, and we will be sure to feature those as well.

Enjoy the best Star Trek quotes of all time.

Just hit the button below each quote to browse through the collection.

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  75 of the Most Inspiring Star Trek Quotes

  Fans have always known that Star Trek is an amazing show. The rest of us would do well to get on board. The series is actually full of timeless and universal wisdom.

  The fascinating characters in the Star Trek series offer insights about ourselves and others, and encourage us all to live well. Here are 75 of the most inspiring Star Trek quotes.

  Our Favorite Star Trek Quotes

  • “Evil does seek to maintain power by suppressing the truth.” “Or by misleading the inoccent.” Spock and Dr. McCoy
  • “Improve a mechanical device and you may double productivity. But improve man, you gain a thousandfold.” Khan Noonien Singh
  • “Compassion: that’s the one thing no machine ever had. Maybe it’s the one thing that keeps men ahead of them.” Dr. McCoy
  • “It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “You can use logic to justify almost anything. That’s its power. And its flaw.” Captain Cathryn Janeway
  • “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.” Spock
  • “Things are only impossible until they’re not.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “I am pleased to see that we have differences. May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.” Surak
  • “Without followers, evil cannot spread.” Spock
  • “The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Time is fluid…like a river with currents, eddies, backwash.” Spock
  • “A library serves no purpose unless someone is using it.” Mr. Atoz
  • “Humans do have an amazing capacity for believing what they choose — and excluding that which is painful.” Spock
  • “Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “Change is the essential process of all existence.” Spock
  • “Without freedom of choice there is no creativity.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “Live long, and prosper.” Spock
  • “If we’re going to be damned, let’s be damned for what we really are.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “Human beings do not survive on bread alone … but on the nourishments of liberty. For what indeed is a man without freedom … naught but a mechanism, trapped in the cogwheels of eternity.” Harry Mudd
  • “Your will to survive, your love of life, your passion to know … Everything that is truest and best in all species of beings has been revealed to you. Those are the qualities that make a civilization worthy to survive.” Lai the Vian
  • “There is a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle; it’s just a matter of finding it.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true.” Spock
  • “Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on.” CaptainJames T. Kirk
  • “I speak of rights! A machine has none; a man must. If you do not grant him that right, you have brought us down to the level of the machine; indeed, you have elevated that machine above us!” Samuel T. Cogley
  • “When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Spock
  • “Those who want war will find causes, no matter how many of them you take away.” Diane Duane
  • “A little suffering is good for the soul.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “The heart is not a logical organ.” Dr. Janet Wallace
  • “Pain is a thing of the mind. The mind can be controlled.” Spock
  • “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
  • “It can be argued that a human is ultimately the sum of his experiences.” Benjamin Sisko
  • “It would seem that evil retreats when forcibly confronted.” Yarnek of Excalbia
  • “When a child is taught, it’s programmed with simple instructions, and at some point, if its mind develops properly, it exceeds the sum of what it was taught, thinks independently.” Dr. Daystrom
  • “When governments murder those who speak the truth, it is time to get new governments.” Diane Duane
  • “Believing oneself to be perfect is often the sign of a delusional mind.” Data
  • “I would be delighted to offer any advice I can on understanding women. When I have some, I’ll let you know.” Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “Intuition, however illogical, is recognized as a command prerogative.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Violence in reality is quite different from theory.” Spock
  • “I object to intellect without discipline; I object to power without constructive purpose.” Spock
  • “It’s hard to believe that something which is neither seen nor felt can do so much harm.” “That’s true. But an idea can’t be seen or felt.” Vanna and Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Time is the fire in which we burn.” Malcolm McDowell
  • “Men don’t talk peace unless they’re ready to back it up with war.” Col. Green
  • “It’s time you learned that freedom is never a gift. It has to be earned.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “May I point out that I have gotten a chance to examine your counterparts closely. They are brutal, savage, uncivilized and illogical. They are in every way examples of Homo sapiens, the very flower of humanity.” Spock
  • “There’s only one kind of woman …” “Or man, for that matter. You either believe in yourself or you don’t.” Captain James T. Kirk and Harry Mudd
  • “Life and death are seldom logical.” “But attaining a desired goal always is.” Dr. McCoy and Spock
  • “This is why one must be careful with life,” her father had said, in very controlled wrath. “Death is the most hateful thing. Don’t allow the destruction of what you can never restore.” Diane Duane
  • “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.” Dr. Roger Corby and Captain James. T Kirk
  • “I fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. I have simply made the logical deduction that you are a liar.” Spock
  • “Many Myths are based on truth.” Spock
  • “To be human is to be complex. You can’t avoid a little ugliness – from within – and from without.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Every living thing wants to survive.” Spock
  • “Superior ability breeds superior ambition.” Spock
  • “Look at these three words written larger than all the rest, and with special pride never written before or since — tall words, proudly saying, “We the people” … these words and the words that follow … must apply to everyone or they mean nothing.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “A lie is a very poor way to say hello.” Edith Keeler
  • “To boldly go where no man has gone before.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “It is necessary to have purpose.” Alice #1
  • “Madness has no purpose. Or reason. But it may have a goal.” Spock
  • “When the personality of a human is involved, exact predictions are hazardous.” Dr. McCoy
  • “If I can have honesty, it’s easier to overlook mistakes.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “A father doesn’t destroy his children.” Lt. Carolyn Palamas
  • “Our species can only survive if we have obstacles to overcome. You remove those obstacles. Without them to strengthen us, we will weaken and die.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Behind every great man, there is a woman — urging him on.” Harry Mudd
  • “Another dream that failed. There’s nothing sadder.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “We’re a most promising species, Mr. Spock, as predators go. Did you know that? I frequently have my doubts. I don’t. Not any more. And maybe in a thousand years or so, we’ll be able to prove it.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “One man cannot summon the future. But one man can change the present!” Alternate Mr. Spock
  • “Curious, how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want.” Spock
  • “We prefer to help ourselves. We make mistakes, but we’re human — and maybe that’s the word that best explains us.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Now, I don’t pretend to tell you how to find happiness and love, when every day is a struggle to survive. But I do insist that you do survive, because the days and the years ahead are worth living for!” Edith Keeler
  • “Leave bigotry in your quarters; there’s no room for it on the bridge.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “The release of emotion is what keeps us healthy. Emotionally healthy.” “That may be, Doctor. However, I have noted that the healthy release of emotion is frequently unhealthy for those closest to you.” Dr. McCoy and Spock
  • “How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life.” Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Insults are effective only where emotion is present.” Spock
  • “Too much of anything, even love, isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Captain James T. Kirk

  Related: Ron Swanson Quotes

  These quotes from Star Trek offer encouragement and inspiration. And if you are a huge Star Trek fan they will bring you back to an episode of the TV show or a specific Star Trek Movie. In either case, they will bring a smile to your face. They help us remember that, regardless of the place, time, or situation we find ourselves in, living well is important. Yes, we are complex. But then, we are human.

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  Dagger of the Mind (episode)

  • View history

  A new treatment for the criminally insane has deadly results.

  • 1.2 Act One
  • 1.3 Act Two
  • 1.4 Act Three
  • 1.5 Act Four
  • 2 Log entries
  • 3 Memorable quotes
  • 4.1 Production timeline
  • 4.2 Production
  • 4.4 Sets and props
  • 4.5 Costumes
  • 4.6 Continuity
  • 4.7 Preview
  • 4.8 Syndication cuts
  • 4.9 Video and DVD releases
  • 5.1 Starring
  • 5.2 Also starring
  • 5.3 Guest star
  • 5.4 Co-starring
  • 5.5 Featuring
  • 5.6 Uncredited co-stars
  • 5.7 Stand-ins
  • 5.8.1 Unreferenced materials
  • 5.9 External links
  

  Summary [ ]

  The USS Enterprise is on a routine cargo drop to the Tantalus Penal Colony on the planet Tantalus V , beaming down cylinders containing infra-sensory drugs and other supplies. Lieutenant Berkley , in charge of the transporter , tries to beam the cargo down, but is having trouble doing so. Captain Kirk enters the transporter room seeing this and jokingly chides Berkley over the fact that the colony has not yet deactivated its security force field . After contacting the colony, it does so and the cargo is beamed down. The colony sends up a large cargo case to the Enterprise , which is research supplies for the Central Bureau of Penology at Stockholm . After Kirk and Berkley leave, the case opens slowly, revealing a gray-haired, wild-eyed man, clearly mentally ill. He carefully makes his way towards the distracted assistant transporter operator , knocking him out.

  Act One [ ]

  On the bridge , Kirk talks to Dr. McCoy , telling him that he wishes he could have had the time to meet Dr. Tristan Adams , and asks McCoy if he has visited a penal colony since they have started following his theories. " A cage is a cage, Jim, " he remarks. Kirk tells McCoy he is behind the times, as the captain considers them to be more like resorts now. Just then, the Tantalus Penal Colony hails the Enterprise , informing the starship that an inmate is missing, and possibly hid in the case they had sent up. They also inform them that the missing patient is a potentially violent case.

  Meanwhile, the mysterious stowaway has exchanged his pale blue prison uniform jumpsuit for the transporter operator's red operations utility uniform. He makes his way out into the Enterprise 's corridors , where he is immediately spotted by Fields , who alerts the bridge through an intercom that he is on deck fourteen. Spock reports that deck fourteen is being closed off and a search is in progress.

  Security is then alerted to the stowaway and he ambushes one of the guards looking for him, overpowers him, and takes his phaser . He then heads to the bridge where he easily dispatches the bridge guard and then reveals his name is Simon Van Gelder and he demands asylum from Kirk. After Van Gelder is incapacitated by Spock using a Vulcan nerve pinch , he is captured and restrained in sickbay . Later, Kirk attempts to get answers out of Van Gelder, but he seems to struggle enormously when he tries to confirm his name and that he was a director at the Tantalus colony. McCoy then has him sedated with a hypospray . Later on the bridge, Spock determines that Van Gelder is indeed a former associate of Tantalus administrator Dr. Tristan Adams, assigned to the colony only six months prior.

  Required by regulations as quoted by McCoy to investigate Van Gelder's injury, Kirk decides to visit the penal colony with someone who has psychiatric experience.

  Act Two [ ]

  

  " I wouldn't recommend it for weak hearts. "

  The Enterprise has returned to Tantalus V and assumed standard orbit. Kirk enters the transporter room with Spock and is surprised to discover that he is beaming down to Tantalus V with Dr. Helen Noel , a psychiatrist with whom he's been previously acquainted. In the transporter room, she tries to remind Kirk about their previous encounter, but he cuts her off. Spock asks if the Captain has a problem, to which Kirk replies, telling Spock to let Dr. McCoy know that Dr. Noel better be his best technical aide. After beaming down, Kirk and Noel take a very fast turbolift down to the colony. Adams meets with the two immediately after the doors open. After exchanging pleasantries with both Kirk and Noel, Adams shares a toast in his office with them. Just then, Lethe , an emotionally detached former patient at the colony and now therapist enters. " I love my work, " she says unenthusiastically. Adams raises his glass to Kirk and Noel for the toast. " To all mankind. May we never find space so vast, planets so cold, heart and mind so empty that – that we cannot fill them with love and warmth. "

  

  " And now, to the toast, hmm? You'll forgive us, Lethe. "

  Later, walking through the corridors of the colony, Dr. Adams informs Kirk and Noel that Van Gelder injured his mind by testing an experimental therapy device on himself, the neural neutralizer . Adams shows the device in operation, with the controls being manned by a therapist named Eli for use on a patient, but he insists that it is of limited therapeutic value. Kirk asks Adams where Van Gelder's injury occurred and he says it happened in the very room in which they are standing in. He says that Van Gelder was a stubborn man and could have sat in the room for years with beam from the neural neutralizer at the same level as on the patient. Unfortunately, he did not have anyone at the controls to turn it off and tried it alone and at full volume. After the group leaves, Eli tells the patient sitting in the chair that he will forget everything he had heard and that he will feel intense pain if he recalls anything or fights to remember.

  

  The entry to the penal colony

  On board the Enterprise , Spock and Dr. McCoy continue to investigate Van Gelder, whose ravings are difficult to decipher. Spock contacts Kirk and reports that Van Gelder is highly agitated and has warned them that Kirk and Noel are in danger. Noel insists that they are not and Kirk relays what Adams told him – that Van Gelder had caused his own suffering. Noel adds that Van Gelder is suffering from neuro-synapse damage, which causes delusions. McCoy tells Kirk that they still have doubts and asks if they can provide any more information. Kirk says they cannot and announces that he and Noel plan to spend the night on the surface. Upon hearing this, Van Gelder begins shouting. Before ceasing communication, Spock reminds Kirk to continue to check in every four hours. Van Gelder continues to yell hysterically and McCoy begins to use a sedative on him through a hypospray . At this, Van Gelder begins to calm down, asks not to be put under, and tells Spock and McCoy that he will try not to fight. As calmly as he can, he claims Dr. Adams will destroy "like death".

  Act Three [ ]

  

  Spock performs a mind meld on Dr. Simon Van Gelder

  In sickbay, Spock decides to employ an ancient technique, the Vulcan mind meld , to learn the truth that Van Gelder cannot speak aloud. Although Spock had never previously performed a mind meld on a Human, the procedure meets with some success. He learns that Adams has been experimenting on various individuals, including Van Gelder, using the neural neutralizer.

  

  Dr. Adams shows Kirk and Noel the neural neutralizer

  At the colony, Kirk and Noel investigate the neural neutralizer privately. Kirk wants first-hand experience with the device. After Noel provides assurance that an experiment can be done safely with her supervision, Kirk sits in the treatment chair. Using a very low setting, she suggests to Kirk that he is hungry. A few seconds later, unaware of the suggestion, Kirk does in fact suggest they find a kitchen to raid. Then, at Kirk's request, Noel begins with a more elaborate suggestion; that Kirk and Noel went back to Kirk's quarters for a romantic evening after a meeting at the previous year 's science lab 's Christmas party , which didn't really occur. Suddenly, Adams surprises them, has his assistant Eli restrain Noel, and begins using the device to condition Kirk, including the suggestion that he is desperately in love with Noel, and using very high settings that are obviously causing Kirk great distress.

  Act Four [ ]

  Fighting off the suggestions placed in his mind by Adams, Kirk dispatches Noel through the air conditioning ducts, in the hope she can find the power controls and deactivate the security force field. That field protects the facility, and prevents transporters from operating in it. After crawling through the duct, Noel manages to locate the power control room for the colony. She takes care of the guard in the power control room and deactivates the field long enough for Kirk to escape the torture, and Spock and a security force to beam down and secure the colony.

  In an ironic twist, Dr. Adams dies of exposure to the neural neutralizer after Kirk knocks him down and leaves him near it when Spock restored the power. However, Dr. Noel notes the neutralizer was not on high enough to kill Adams. Kirk says he died because he was alone, his mind emptied by it, " without even a tormentor for company. " Dr. Van Gelder is cured, and resumes his responsibilities at the colony. He also dismantles and destroys the neural neutralizer equipment. Before the Enterprise heads away from Tantalus V, McCoy says, " It's hard to believe that a man could die of loneliness. " Kirk tells him, " Not when you've sat in that room. " He then instructs Spock to break orbit and proceed away at warp factor one.

  Log entries [ ]

  • Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2266
  • Ship's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

  Memorable quotes [ ]

  " A cage is a cage, Jim. "

  " Interesting. Your Earth people glorify organized violence for forty centuries, but you imprison those who employ it privately. "

  " Where there is no emotion, there is no motive for violence. "

  " It appears we may have an inmate of yours aboard the ship. " " Transporter crewman found unconscious, Captain. Cargo case open and empty. " " Make that definite, Doctor. He's aboard. "

  " I want asylum. " " At gunpoint? "

  " You smart, button-pushing brass hat! Wash your hands of it! Is that your system? "

  " May we never find space so vast, planets so cold, heart and mind so empty that, that we cannot fill them with love and warmth. "

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

  " You begin to feel a strange euphoria. Your body floats. "

  " I have no desire to damage my brain. Can this be handled with reasonable safety – yes or no? "

  " It's hard to believe that a man could die of loneliness. " " Not when you've sat in that room. "

  Background information [ ]

  Production timeline [ ].

  • Story outline by Shimon Wincelberg : mid- March 1966
  • Revised story outline: 30 March 1966
  • Second revised story outline: 25 April 1966
  • Third revised story outline: 2 May 1966
  • Fourth revised story outline: 9 May 1966
  • First draft teleplay: early- June 1966
  • Second draft teleplay: 23 June 1966
  • Revised second draft teleplay: 27 June 1966
  • Revised teleplay by John D.F. Black : 6 July 1966
  • Revised teleplay by Gene Roddenberry : 22 July 1966
  • Additional revisions: 30 July 1966
  • Final draft teleplay by Roddenberry: 31 July 1966
  • Additional revisions: 2 August 1966
  • Revised final draft teleplay: 5 August 1966
  • Additional revisions: 6 August 1966 , 8 August 1966 , 9 August 1966
  • Day 1 – 9 August 1966 , Tuesday (Half Day) – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge
  • Day 2 – 10 August 1966 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Transporter room
  • Day 3 – 11 August 1966 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Transporter room , Corridors , Kirk's quarters , Sickbay
  • Day 4 – 12 August 1966 , Friday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Sickbay , Tantalus Colony Main power chamber
  • Day 5 – 15 August 1966 , Monday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Dr. Adams' office , Kirk's guestroom , Dr. Noel's guestroom , Air vents
  • Day 6 – 16 August 1966 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Tantalus colony corridors , Treatment room
  • Day 7 – 17 August 1966 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Treatment room
  • Extra pickup shots filmed – 6 October 1966 , Thursday
  • Original airdate: 3 November 1966
  • First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 11 October 1969
  • First UK airdate (on ITV ): 1 November 1981
  • Remastered airdate: 13 October 2007

  Production [ ]

  • Writer S. Bar-David is a pen name for Shimon Wincelberg . He incorporated several references to Jewish parables into the screenplay.
  • The part of Helen Noel was originally written for Grace Lee Whitney 's character Janice Rand ; however, producers wanted to avoid showing Kirk becoming involved with her, and Whitney was already on the verge of leaving the show due to personal problems on the set. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p.41)
  • The title of this episode is taken from a line of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth . This is the first of a great many episodes in the franchise to take its title from a quotation from Shakespeare. In the context of this quotation, Macbeth is preparing to murder Duncan, the King of Scotland, and sees a dagger that he attempts to grasp, only to discover it is a figment of his imagination. The relevant passage from the soliloquy reads: Is this a dagger which I see before me The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?
  • The name "Lethe" is a reference to the River of Forgetfulness in Greek mythology . ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 234)
  • The name of the colony, Tantalus, is also a reference to Greek mythology. Tantalus was a former king imprisoned in Tartarus for various evil deeds. Tantalus was forever chin deep in water, and fruit-laden branches hung within easy reach. But when he tried to eat or drink the fruit and water receded from him so that he could not. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 234)
  • The shot of the Enterprise miniature heading back to Tantalus at the beginning of Act Two does not appear in any other episode. The ship shifts slightly before veering out of frame; when this shot is used in other episodes, the model merely veers off.
  • The producers still hadn't settled on background sound effects for the bridge when this episode was produced. Both the older bridge sound effect (first heard in " The Cage ") and the familiar whirring sound that eventually would became standard were used in this episode. ( citation needed • edit )
  • James Doohan ( Scott ) and George Takei ( Sulu ) do not appear in this episode.
  • Scott appeared in the original script, operating the transporter in the first scene, when Van Gelder is beamed aboard. His appearance was nixed by Robert H. Justman , who saw this as a way of saving costs by eliminating Doohan – who would have been paid US$890 for the episode – and replacing him with a random performer ( Larry Anthony , playing Lieutenant Berkley), hired for a much lower salary. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 237)
  • After finishing this episode, Morgan Woodward (playing the emotionally and physically intense role of Van Gelder ) reportedly went home and took a rest for four days. [1]

  Sets and props [ ]

  • The chair used in the neural neutralizer room was later re-used by Garth in " Whom Gods Destroy ".
  • Albert Whitlock 's matte painting for " Where No Man Has Gone Before " is recycled here, with the towers on the fuel bins painted out and a different doorway added to match with the live-action footage filmed of Kirk and Noel entering the surface shaft. This was made as a compromise between Gene Roddenberry and Robert H. Justman . Roddenberry wanted Kirk and Noel to arrive on the surface, then go underground via the elevator, while Justman urged him to eliminate this scene, and let them beam down directly into Dr. Adams's office – therefore saving the costs of creating a matte painting and some extra sets. Roddenberry kept the surface scene in, but reused the old matte painting created for the second pilot. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 241)
  • Some of the colony interiors are reused (and redressed) sets left over from the previous episode, " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ". ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 242)

  Costumes [ ]

  • The treatment smocks worn by Adams and Eli have the same insignia as Dr. Cory in " Whom Gods Destroy ".

  Continuity [ ]

  • This episode is mentioned as taking place after a Christmas party in the science labs. This is one of the few times a religious holiday is mentioned in the Star Trek future, and Christmas in particular was not mentioned again until Star Trek Generations . Similarly, " Charlie X " references Thanksgiving, and " Catspaw " references Halloween.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of the Vulcan mind meld . The final shooting draft of this script had Spock placing his hands on Van Gelder's abdomen while performing the mind meld. According to The Making of Star Trek (p.297), the mind meld was developed as an alternative to the script's use of hypnosis to stabilize Van Gelder. They did not want to inaccurately depict hypnosis as a medical technique, nor did they want to shoehorn into the script a pretext that Spock was qualified to act as a hypnotist in a medical capacity. Lastly, they did not want to risk accidentally hypnotizing viewers at home.
  • A shipping label produced for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine shows that a (now elderly) Dr. Van Gelder is still in charge of the Tantalus Penal Colony in the 2370s.
  • The name of the penal colony in this episode, "Tantalus," was reused in Season 2 for the episode " Mirror, Mirror " for a surveillance and killing device known as the Tantalus field .

  Preview [ ]

  • The preview contains a truncated Captain's Log from the finished episode: " Captain's log, stardate 2715.1. Exchanged cargo with penal colony on Tantalus 5. "

  Syndication cuts [ ]

  During the syndication run of Star Trek , the following scenes were typically cut from broadcast

  • A log entry by Kirk in which he recaps the situation of Van Gelder's escape and then states that he (Kirk) will get to meet Dr. Adams after all.
  • A log entry by Spock where he explains the Vulcan mind meld in some detail. While the mind meld later became a common plot device, at this early stage of Star Trek production, the viewing audience had not yet seen the meld on camera, leading to Spock's need to explain the nature of the meld. When the episode was syndicated, this scene was frequently cut, since it was assumed that most viewers already knew what the mind meld was.
  • A more lengthy recovery scene by Kirk after his first neural neutralizer session.

  Video and DVD releases [ ]

  • Original US Betamax release: 1985
  • Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 6 , catalog number VHR 2253, release date unknown
  • US VHS release: 15 April 1994
  • UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.4, 5 August 1996
  • Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 5, 23 November 1999
  • As part of the TOS Season 1 DVD collection
  • As part of the TOS Season 1 HD DVD collection
  • As part of the TOS Season 1 Blu-ray collection

  Links and references [ ]

  Starring [ ].

  • William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

  Also starring [ ]

  • Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock

  Guest star [ ]

  • James Gregory as Tristan Adams

  Co-starring [ ]

  • DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy
  • Morgan Woodward as Simon Van Gelder
  • Marianna Hill as Helen Noel

  Featuring [ ]

  • Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
  • Susanne Wasson as Lethe
  • John Arndt as First Crewman
  • Larry Anthony as Transportation Man
  • Ed McCready as Inmate
  • Eli Behar as Therapist

  Uncredited co-stars [ ]

  • Frank da Vinci as Vinci
  • Lou Elias as Therapist
  • Ron Kinwald as Inmate
  • Jeannie Malone as Inmate
  • John Hugh McKnight as Therapist
  • Eddie Paskey as Leslie
  • Security Crewman 1
  • Security Crewman 3
  • Transporter Crewman
  • Inmates 4, 5, 6 & 7
  • Therapist 1 & 2

  Stand-ins [ ]

  • William Blackburn as the stand-in for DeForest Kelley
  • Frank da Vinci as the stand-in for Leonard Nimoy
  • Jeannie Malone as the stand-in for Marianna Hill
  • Eddie Paskey as the stand-in for William Shatner

  References [ ]

  2nd millennium BC ; 2220s ; 2246 ; 2265 ; 2266 ; acting captain ; adjustment ; advice ; afternoon ; agitation ; agony ; air conditioning ; answer ; area ; assignment ; assistant ; associate ; assumption ; asylum ; ball ; beam neutralizing ; bloodstream ; blood vessel ; body ; body function panel ; " Bones "; box ; brain neutralizing beam ; brain wave ; brass hat ; briefing room ; button ; cabin ; cage ; captain's log ; career ; cargo ; cargo case ; case ; casualty ; Central Bureau of Penology ; chance ; chair ; Chamber of Horrors ; Christmas ; Christmas party ; Christmas present ; colony ; Constitition -class decks ; contact ; control panel ; coordinates ; course ; crime ; criminal ; cure ; damage ; dancing ; danger ; day ; death ; delusions ; demonstration ; department ; desire ; destination ; device ; Devil's Island ; director ; door ; dose ; duct ; Earth ; effect ; electronic clipboard ; elevator ; Emergency Channel D ; emotion ; engineering uniform ; estimate ; euphoria ; Eurasia ; experiment ; face ; fact ; failure ; floor ; foot (appendage); foot (unit); force field ; general quarters ; general quarters 3 ; hailing frequency ; hand ; happy ; hate ; heart ; honesty ; hope ; hospital facility ; hour ; Human ; hunger ; hyper-power circuit ; hypnosis ; hypo ; identification tape (aka ID tape ); infra-sensory drugs ; injury ; instruction ; intruder ; intruder alert ; investigation ; kitchen ; knee ; library ; lie ; light ; location ; loneliness ; love ; machine ; Manual on Penal Colony procedures ; medical log ; medikit ; megavoltage ; memory ; memory patterns ; " Merry Christmas "; mind ; mind meld ; minute ; mission ; mistake ; month ; morning ; motive ; naked ; name ; nerve ; neural neutralizer ; neuro-synapse ; night ; off-on switch ; " on the nose "; over-changer ; oxygen mask ; pain ; party ; patient ; penal colony (aka rehab colony ); penology ; person ; personnel director ; phaser weapon ; place ; planet ; power ; power supply ; prisoner (aka inmate); problem ; profession ; promise ; psychiatrist ; psychiatry ; psychotherapy ; quarters ; question ; rehabilitative therapy ; report ; reputation ; resort colony ; room ; sage ; sage and skeptic ; science lab ; Science Library ; schizophrenia ; search ; second ; second-in-command ; secrecy ; section ; security alert (aka security alert 3 / security alert, condition three / alert condition three ); security screen (aka security cover / security force field ); sedative ; sharing ; ship's library ; ship surgeon / ship's surgeon ; short circuit ; skeptic ; sobbing ; space ; speaker ; specimen ; sponge ; standard orbit ; " stand by "; star ; starship regulation ; Stockholm ; stubborn ; study ; suggestion ; Tantalus V ; Tantalus Penal Colony (aka Tantalus Penal Colony ); technical aide (aka technical expert ); theory ; therapist ; thing ; thought ; tissue ; title ; toast ; towel ; tranquilizers ; treatment ; treatment room ; truth ; tunnel ; unscientific‎ ; vault ; violence ; Vulcan ; Vulcan neck pinch ; wisdom ; word ; wrap

  Unreferenced materials [ ]

  amen ; brain pattern ; brandy ; cat ; delta waves ; Feinberg ; Finnerman ; Merhoff ; scimitar ; small white pill ; stencil ; Voice-O-Graph projections

  External links [ ]

  • " Dagger of the Mind " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • " Dagger of the Mind " at Wikipedia
  • " Dagger of the Mind " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
  • " Dagger of the Mind " at the Internet Movie Database
  • 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

  Christmas Star Trek Quotes & Sayings

  

  Screen Rant

  A christmas carol taught star trek’s data what it means to be human.

  Picard and Data discussed A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scrooge in Star Trek: TNG, highlighting the link between Charles Dickens and Gene Roddenberry.

  • Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation learns a valuable lesson about humanity from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
  • Data seeks feedback from Captain Jean-Luc Picard on his performance as Scrooge, which teaches him about what it means to be human.
  • Patrick Stewart, who played Picard, also portrayed Scrooge and had a personal connection to the story, emphasizing the themes of kindness and compassion.

  Charles Dickens' enduring novella A Christmas Carol taught Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) a valuable lesson about humanity. TNG 's beloved android finally became human in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but Data was always one of the most human of souls aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Data's quest to understand more about humanity took in the great literary works of human history from Shakespeare to Dickens. Data was also keen to understand humanity through acting, and would regularly seek feedback from Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on his performances in Henry V and The Tempest .

  This was something of a Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in-joke, as Patrick Stewart was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before being cast as Picard. Data also sought feedback about his performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . This was another in-joke, as the role of Scrooge was another one close to the heart of Patrick Stewart. However, the advice that Picard gives Data about playing Scrooge was yet another vital lesson to TNG 's beloved android about what it means to be human.

  Star Trek Celebrates Christmas After All: See TNG Cast In 1987 Holiday Parade

  A christmas carol’s scrooge taught data how to be human.

  Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 13, "Devil's Due", opens with Data in full costume as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol . The scene Data is performing is the one in which Scrooge is first visited by Marley's ghost. Data notes the power of fear to compel Scrooge to change his ways, which effectively sets up the main plot of the episode, in which Picard is tasked with disproving the existence of the devil on the planet Ventax II. However, Scrooge plays an important role in Data's ongoing story, too, thanks to Picard's astute assessment of Data's performance.

  To play Scrooge effectively, Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Data was trying to trigger emotions of his own by re-enacting Ebenezer's haunting. Picard approves of this more method approach, after he had previously replicated historical performances of Shakespeare's Henry V .

  Data, the moment you decided to stop imitating other actors and create your own interpretation, you were already one step closer to understanding humanity.

  Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is still being performed nearly 200 years after it was first published, proving that it's one of humanity's enduring myths. So there could have been no better way for Data to learn about the complexities of the human experience than embodying the character of Ebenezer Scrooge.

  Patrick Stewart Played Ebenezer Scrooge After Star Trek: TNG

  Eight years later, Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Patrick Stewart played the role in a Hallmark TV movie adaptation of A Christmas Carol . The Scrooge that Patrick Stewart plays in the movie embodies Picard's advice to create one's own interpretation. Stewart's Scrooge is a fragile and regretful man, who is reconciling the generational trauma of Victorian masculinity and a society that places profit over people. Stewart's connection with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol went back much further than this, however.

  From 1988, Stewart had harbored an ambition to do his own small-scale stage show in tandem with Star Trek and had even performed a rough-and-ready one-man A Christmas Carol for the TNG cast to a warm response. In 1991, the same year that Data gave his Scrooge in "Devil's Due", Patrick Stewart performed his one-man A Christmas Carol at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York before touring it throughout the 1990s. Given that both Charles Dickens' Christmas classic and Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: The Next Generation have an overriding message of kindness and compassion, it's no surprise that Stewart felt an affinity with both Jean-Luc Picard and Ebenezer Scrooge.

  All episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation are available to stream on Paramount+.

  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

  Star Trek: The Original Series

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  30 Best Star Trek Quotes: Inspirational Sayings (2023)

  As we commemorate the historic flight of William Shatner, the legendary Captain Kirk himself, aboard the New Shepard spacecraft, we pay homage to the timeless wisdom and wit found in the iconic lines of Star Trek.

  To revisit this interstellar voyage, where the final frontier meets the human spirit, here are some of the best Star Trek quotes to inspire and entertain the fans.

  The vast expanse of the Star Trek universe features the thrilling adventures of Captain James T. Kirk, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and Spock to see strange new worlds and seek out new civilizations.

  Top 30 Quotes & Lines From Star Trek

  1. " We Work To Better Ourselves And The Rest Of Humanity ." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard

  

  Fans hail "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996) as the best standalone movie featuring the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" crew. Patrick Stewart, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, delivers memorable speeches.

  When he describes the 24th century to Lily (Alfre Woodard), he embodies Trek's ideals of selflessness and humanity's enrichment.

  2. " In his quest to be more like us, he helped show us what it means to be human ." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard

  In Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Data saves Captain Picard and sacrifices himself to stop the Romulan threat.

  Later, Picard talks to B-4, saying, " I wanted you to know what kind of man he was ." This quote shows Data's impact on the crew and honors his dream of the future and humanity.

  3. " Of All The Souls I've Encountered In My Travels, His Was The Most Human ." - Admiral James T. Kirk

  Spock's death in "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" deeply touches fans. Kirk praises the humanity of Spock despite his mistakes and being Vulcan.

  4. " Life Must Be Worn Gloriously ." - Captain Christopher Pike

  2022's "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" nails the essence of Star Trek [ 1 ], delving into humanity's depths.

  Facing an inevitable tragedy, he intervenes in a planetary conflict, advocating for life's value amid chaos.

  5. " Risk Is Our Business ." - Captain James T. Kirk

  1968's Star Trek: The Original Series showed the dangers of space exploration. In "Return to Tomorrow," Captain James Kirk lives life highlights the necessity of risk for growth.

  6. " Spock, You Want To Know Something? Everybody's Human ." - Captain James T. Kirk

  

  In 1991's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," the original Enterprise crew, led by Kirk (William Shatner), celebrated 25 years of exploration. Kirk and Spock shared moments amid thrills.

  Kirk reflects on age, and Spock understands the sentiment, highlighting Star Trek's theme of unity.

  7. " I Dare You To Do Better ." - Captain Christopher Pike

  When J.J. Abrams directed the 2009 Star Trek reboot [ 2 ], Star Trek fans doubted if the new Kirk and crew could match the original series.

  In a key scene, Captain Pike acknowledged this pressure while urging a hesitant James T. Kirk to join Starfleet. It challenged both Kirk and the franchise to uphold their ideals.

  8. " A Starship Also Runs On Loyalty ." - Spock 

  In the 1986 Star Trek series, "The Ultimate Computer," Captain James Kirk often risks himself for his crew's safety. Loyalty defines the USS Enterprise [ 3 ] crew.

  When Starfleet tests a computer to control all operations, Spock sees its potential. But Kirk values human loyalty over automation.

  9. " We Are Searching, Not Just For Answers To Our Questions. But For New Questions ." - Commander Benjamin Sisko

  In the beginning episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Emissary," the series stood out with fresh elements. However, its dedication to explore strange galaxies for new life remained unchanged.

  Commander Benjamin Sisko, facing the enigmatic Prophets, encapsulates Starfleet's mission: exploring for discovery, freedom, and understanding.

  10. " Let's Make Sure History Never Forgets The Name Enterprise ." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard

  In "Yesterday's Enterprise," episode, Captain Picard and the Enterprise-D are thrust into a timeline of a prolonged war with the Klingons.

  Picard warns his men head-on for the final battle, highlighting the significance of their iconic ship.

  11. " Logic Clearly Dictates That The Needs Of The Many Outweigh The Needs Of The Few ." - Spock

  

  Spock's famous line in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" highlights that prioritizing the needs of many over a few is a recurring theme in the franchise.

  Starfleet's goal to explore new space resonates with this nature, emphasizing loyalty, freedom, and sacrifice. This is one of the best quotes from Star Trek that echoes timeless moral dilemmas.

  12. " I don't believe in a no-win scenario ." - Captain James T. Kirk

  Kirk, the only cadet to beat the tough Kobayashi Maru simulation, earned praise for his clever approach.

  In "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," he rejects the idea of unwinnable situations, which sets the stage for future challenges.

  13. " Better to die saving lives than to live with taking them. That's what I was born into ." -  Captain James T. Kirk

  In "Star Trek Beyond" (2016), Chris Pine's Captain Kirk reaches a turning point. This moment includes a journey tied to his father's legacy. Pine delivers the line with depth, enriching the film's logic.

  14. " Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence ." - Dr. Leonard McCoy

  In J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" (2009), Karl Urban's performance captures McCoy's gruff yet warm personality.

  Sitting beside James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), McCoy reveals his discomfort with space, beginning their lifelong friendship.

  15. "I have been and always shall be your friend." - Spock

  "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" features Captain Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) death in a poignant moment.

  Despite James Kirk's grief, Spock's logic prevails, affirming their friendship. In "Star Trek (2009)," (Prime) Spock recognizes young Kirk, recalling their enduring friendship across universes.

  16. " 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" features Captain Jean returning with his crew in time to stop the Borg from altering Earth's future.

  Despite his past assimilation trauma, Jean-Luc refuses to sacrifice his ship, symbolizing a stand against compromise and embracing individuality and moral courage.

  17. "We will find hope in the impossible." - Spock

  In "Star Trek Beyond," the Enterprise crew faces danger when ambushed by hostile ships on Altamid.

  Stranded, they unite to save each other from Krall and his forces. Despite doubts, Kirk and Spock find strength together, believing in hope even in the toughest times.

  Other Notable Star Trek Quotes

  " Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them ." - Commander Spock

  “ I would gladly risk feeling bad at times if it also meant that I could taste my dessert . — Data

  " Change is the essential process of all existence .” – Spock

  " Improve a mechanical device, and you may double productivity. But improve man, you gain a thousandfold ." - Khan Noonien Singh

  " One man cannot summon the future ." - Spock

  " Compassion: that’s the one things no machine ever had. Maybe it’s the one thing that keeps men ahead of them .” – Dr. McCoy

  " But one man can change the present .” - Kirk

  “ It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That's not a weakness. That's life .” – Captain Jean-Luc Picard

  " Insufficient facts always invite danger .” – Spock

  " You can use logic to justify almost anything. That’s its power. And its flaw .” – Captain Cathryn Janeway

  " Confidence is faith in oneself. It can’t easily be given by another .” — Deanna Troi

  " A lie is a very poor way to say hello .” — Edith Keeler

  " When governments murder those who speak the truth, it is time to get new governments .” — Diane Duane

  What is Captain Kirk's famous saying?

  Captain Kirk's (William Shatner) famous saying is, "Beam me up, Scotty!" It has become an iconic line associated with the character and the Star Trek franchise [ 4 ].

  What is the Star Trek motto?

  The Star Trek motto is "To boldly go where no one has gone before." This phrase embodies the spirit of deep space discovery and adventure that defines the series created by Gene Roddenberry.

  What phrase was made famous by Star Trek?

  The phrase "Live long and prosper" was made famous by Captain Spock of Star Trek. It has become a well-known greeting and symbol of goodwill.

  What was the last line of Star Trek?

  The last line of Star Trek: The Original Series is "To boldly go where no man has gone before." This line reflects the show's theme of exploration and uncovering an undiscovered country.

  What is Captain Picard's catchphrase?

  Captain Picard's catchphrase is "Make it so." He often uses this phrase to give orders and commands to his efficient servants aboarding the starship Enterprise.

  Final Thoughts

  One thing that makes Star Trek an iconic series? It's the iconic quotes, plus the memorable characters, giving color to the storytelling.

  From exploring strange new worlds to facing moral dilemmas, Star Trek quotes reflect the franchise's enduring themes of exploration, humanity, and loyalty.

  For fans looking to immerse themselves further in the Star Trek universe, Toynk offers a wide range of  Star Trek collectibles  and merchandise. Grab yours today!

  References :

  • https://www.britannica.com/topic/Star-Trek-series-1966-1969
  • https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/10-years-ago-jj-abrams-star-trek-reboot-fueled-the-modern-geek-universe
  • https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(NCC-1701-A)
  • https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Franchise/StarTrek

  Continue reading

  

  15 Best Zelda Games: Ranking the Adventures of Link

  

  10 Best Star Trek Episodes Ever: Our Top Picks (2024)

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  21 Star Trek quotes to help you boldly go through the workday

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  The Blue Origin flight crew aboard the New Shepard spacecraft included a Star Trek legend: actor William Shatner (aka Captain James T. Kirk). After today’s mission, the 90-year-old Shatner is now the oldest person to travel to space. In honor of Shatner’s historic flight, please enjoy this list of our favorite Star Trek quotes.

  • “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.”–Spock
  • “Highly illogical.”–Spock
  • “Live long, and prosper.”–Spock
  • “Things are only impossible until they’re not.”–Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “Insufficient facts always invite danger.”–Spock
  • “Compassion: that’s the one things no machine ever had. Maybe it’s the one thing that keeps men ahead of them.”–Dr. McCoy
  • “We prefer to help ourselves. We make mistakes, but we’re human–and maybe that’s the word that best explains us.”–Captain James T. Kirk
  • “Improve a mechanical device and you may double productivity. But improve man, you gain a thousandfold.”–Khan Noonien Singh
  • “I am pleased to see that we have differences. May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.”–Surak
  • “It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.”–Captain Jean-Luc Picard to Data
  • “I canna’ change the laws of physics.”–Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
  • “KHAAANNN!”–Captain James T. Kirk
  • “One man cannot summon the future.”–Spock
  • “But one man can change the present!”–Kirk
  • “Change is the essential process of all existence.”–Spock
  • “It is the lot of ‘man’ to strive no matter how content he is.”–Spock
  • “Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them.”–Spock
  • “Without freedom of choice there is no creativity.”–Captain James T. Kirk
  • “You can use logic to justify almost anything. That’s its power. And its flaw.”–Captain Cathryn Janeway
  • “There is a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle; it’s just a matter of finding it.”–Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”–Captain James T. Kirk
  

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  Published Mar 22, 2023

  Captain Kirk's Wisest Quotes

  The Enterprise captain shared plenty of words of wisdom across three seasons and seven movies.

  

  StarTrek.com

  To celebrate Star Trek legend William Shatner’s birthday, we thought today would be an excellent time to reflect on the many pieces of wisdom that his character Captain James T. Kirk delivered throughout Star Trek: The Original Series and over the course of seven films. Kirk conveyed his insight in many ways, ranging from clever quips and signature one-liners to profound statements and emotional pleas. The captain proved as unafraid to acknowledge his own failings as he was to challenge evils he encountered across the galaxy. Let’s wish Mr. Shatner the happiest of birthdays and absorb the lessons he delivered to us as Captain Kirk.

  12. “Your father called the future, ‘The Undiscovered Country.’ People can be very frightened of change.” - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

  

  Speaking to Klingon Chancellor Azetbur about her father Gorkon’s hope for better relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire, Captain Kirk astutely points to the hesitancy that many people feel toward change. Earlier in the film, Kirk expressed his lingering anger over the death of his son at the hands of Klingons, thus making this quote even more potent as an admission of his own personal fear of a new future.

  11. “Risk… risk is our business. That’s what this starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her.” - “Return to Tomorrow”

  

  When McCoy expresses misgivings about the notion of allowing Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch to temporarily inhabit the bodies of Kirk, Spock, and Mulhall, the captain calls upon the goals of exploration and scientific advancement as a way to rationalize the need to take risks in order to grow beyond ourselves. Kirk’s statement also summarizes the willingness to make sacrifices and the promise to pursue knowledge that every officer informally agrees to the moment they put on a Starfleet uniform.

  10. “Your planet is dead! There’s nobody alive on Cheron, because of hate. The cause you fought about no longer exists… give yourselves time to breathe, give up your hate!” - “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”

  

  The racism that fueled the strife between Lokai and Bele reflected the bigotry that their peoples expressed for one another on their homeworld Cheron, and that hatred eventually led to a civil war that eradicated the planet’s entire population. Kirk’s plea for cooler heads to prevail goes unheeded by the duo, yet his rational argument to pause the conflict and take time to reconsider their positions remains profound. Kirk exposes hate as a fault that can be avoided, so long as one chooses to put that hatred behind them.

  9. “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.” - Star Trek Generations

  

  What happens when two iconic captains meet? The elder, more experienced officer shares his knowledge with his counterpart, of course! Having gone through the process of being promoted to the rank of admiral and realizing how much he missed the bridge of a starship, Kirk implores Picard to recognize the positive change that he can effect for others while being out among the stars and leading his own ship through perilous rescues, consular duties, and humanitarian aid.

  8. “Excuse me, I’d just like to ask a question. What does God need with a starship?” - Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

  

  After reaching Sha Ka Ree and encountering the entity that claims to be the galaxy’s supreme deity, Kirk observes an oddity in God’s request to use the U.S.S. Enterprise-A as a means to carry his power throughout the heavens. As a result, Kirk questions the being’s divinity by delivering one of the most quotable lines in all of Star Trek . The captain’s ability to recognize the entity’s error and fearlessly present his query ultimately helps convince Sybok, Spock, and McCoy that the group is dealing with an alien presence rather than a supernatural deity.

  7. “I don't believe in a no-win scenario.” - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

  

  Trapped in the caverns of Regula I without any apparent hope for rescue, Saavik recoils when she learns that Kirk reprogrammed the Kobayashi Maru simulation so that he could rescue the ship. Saavik argues that the captain never truly faced the test’s “no-win scenario,” and Kirk calmly responds that he does not believe in such a situation. While some might see this as arrogance, Kirk knows that a captain must demonstrate confidence and strength to their crew. Of course, Kirk follows this discourse by contacting Spock and revealing that he had a plan of escape plotted out all along.

  6. “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’re not going to kill today.” - “A Taste of Armageddon”

  

  On Eminiar VII, where wars are fought with computers and citizens are willingly disintegrated as casualties, Kirk acknowledges humanity’s brutal past while also pointing out that we can better ourselves by choosing not to repeat our mistakes. We must decide to be better than our earlier selves and can move beyond our violent wrongs by accepting the conviction that we will cease those actions immediately.

  5. “The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many.” - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

  

  Having risked his career, endangered his crew, and lost his son and his starship on a quest to reunite Spock’s body with his katra, Kirk is rewarded with the apparent resurrection of his old friend. Still acclimating to his return, Spock questions why the captain would put so much on the line to come back for him. Kirk flips the popular Vulcan maxim around, illustrating that the plight of a single being can be just as important as the larger galactic picture. In a sense, Kirk posits that fighting for the many is fruitless without placing equal emphasis on the suffering of individuals, particularly those closest to us.

  4. “You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with the 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!” - Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

  

  After Sybok lets McCoy relive his father’s passing, the doctor implores Kirk to permit Spock’s half-brother to do the same for him and release his pain. The captain’s response evokes the hard-earned wisdom that many of our toughest trials and most unbearable losses teach us invaluable lessons that shape our personalities and guide us through life. Kirk speaks truth to the fact that our pain is an integral part of who we become.

  3. “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.” - “A Taste of Armageddon”

  

  In another ardent appeal on Eminiar VII, Kirk outlines the true tragedies of war to Anan 7. The planet’s search to create “humane” warfare has resulted in an endless cycle of death that consumes lives without any end in sight. Free of disease and collateral destruction, the two warring planets do not feel compelled to approach each other diplomatically and engage in peace talks. By explaining to Anan 7 the devastating results inherent in a real war, Kirk finally convinces the Eminian Union’s First Councilman to rethink his position and approach his counterpart with a peaceful overture.

  2. “Where I come from, size, shape, or color makes no difference… and nobody has the power.” - “Plato’s Stepchildren”

  

  Ridiculed by his fellow Platonians just because of his height and lack of psychokinetic powers, Alexander asks Kirk what society is like where he is from. The captain’s reply stands as a symbol of the equality that our planet still strives for and demonstrates the ideals of the utopia that Gene Roddenberry envisioned for humanity’s future. Embracing diversity continues to be a driving force behind the stories that Star Trek tells.

  1. “Well, here's one thing you can be sure of, Mister. Leave any bigotry in your quarters, there's no room for it on the bridge.” - “Balance of Terror”

  

  Blaming the Romulans for the death of his ancestors, Lieutenant Stiles openly displays distrust toward the alien species. Once the crew gets a glimpse of the Romulans and recognizes that they may be related to Vulcans, Stiles turns his ire against Spock and refers to the first officer with disdain. Kirk overhears the abusive tone and offers one of the most clear-cut rebukes of intolerance that the series ever produced. With the words “the bridge” acting as a metaphor for our society as a whole, Kirk pulls no punches when he declares that such bigotry does not belong in our civilization.

  This article was originally published on March 22, 2021.

  Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer who has contributed articles to the official Star Trek website and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and the official Star Wars website. Jay also serves as a part-time assistant and consultant advising many actors and creatives who work on his favorite sci-fi shows and films. He can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @StobiesGalaxy.

  Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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