50 Best Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 3, Episode 26 Quotes

Capt. Picard: Mister Worf, dispatch a subspace message to Admiral Hanson. We have engaged the Borg.

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: [after Wesley has been out-bluffed by Riker despite having a winning hand] Wesley, you may get straight A's in school, but there's a lot you need to learn about poker.

- Mr. O'brien.
- Verify these are accurate coordinates for the new Providence colony.
- Coordinates verified, sir.
- You're at the center of town.

- I'm sorry she troubled you, sir.
- I have already informed her...
- Yes, I entirely agree with you, number one. It's not the time.
- But the time may come when we will be required to take greater risks.
- I want you to consider her plan as a fallback position.
- Make the necessary preparations.
- Very good, sir.

- Worf: Tricorder functions minimal.
- Any signs of human life?
- Inconclusive.

- Troi: Commander riker.
- It is inappropriate for you to lead the away team.
- Until the return of captain picard, you are in command of the enterprise.
- We are in a state of war and your place is on the bridge.
- Commander Shelby, you'll lead the away team.
- Make it so.

- Not necessarily. Commander riker may be bluffing, Wesley.
- I don't think so. Fold.
- With three Jacks?
- What, are you kidding?
- Wesley, you may get straight a's in school, but there's a lot you need to learn about poker.
- Well, I've only got two pair, but I've got to see your hole card.

[after the Borg have abducted Picard]
Lieutenant: Sir, the coordinates they have set - they're on a direct course to sector 001. The Terran system.
Commander William T. Riker: Earth.

- At the same time, we'll be retuning phasers to higher em base-emitting frequencies, try to disrupt their subspace field.
- What's your assessment of our potential effectiveness?
- It's a shot in the dark, captain.
- But for now, it's the best we can do.
- Dismissed.

- La forge: You got him.
- Mr. Data and our guest appear to be tardy.
- Sir, commander Shelby and data beamed down to the planet surface an hour ago.
- On whose authority?
- On hers, sir.

- We don't have the time.
- Prepare to fire.
- At least consult with starfleet command.
- Get admiral hanson on subspace.
- Belay that order, lieutenant.
- There's no time.
- Sir, we are being hailed by the borg.
- On-screen.

Commander William T. Riker: [on reasons why he has declined the command of another starship] Maybe I'm just afraid of the big chair.

- Sir, the vessel has already changed course to intercept us.
- Approaching at warp 9.3.
- Entering visual range.
- On-screen.
- Magnify.
- Mr. Worf, dispatch a subspace message to admiral hanson.
- We have engaged the borg.

[after an attempt to rescue Picard has failed]
Commander William T. Riker: The Captain?
Lt. Commander Data: We were unable to retrieve him, sir. The Captain has been altered by the Borg.
Commander William T. Riker: Altered?
Lieutenant: He IS a Borg.

Commander William T. Riker: [the Borg want Captain Picard] What the hell do they want with you?
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: I thought they weren't interested in human life forms. Only our technology.
Capt. Picard: That priority seems to have changed.

Commander William T. Riker: [Riker's about to turn down a ship of his own to command for the third time and he doesn't even know why] What am I still doing here? Deanna, I pushed myself hard to get this far. I... I sacrificed a lot. I always said I wanted my own command and yet... something's holding me back. Is it wrong for me to want to stay?
Counselor: [a typical psychologist's response - answering a question with a question] What do you think?
Commander William T. Riker: [musing it over] Maybe I'm just afraid of the big chair?
Counselor: I don't think so.
Commander William T. Riker: [he doesn't think so either] The Captain says Shelby reminds him of the way that I used to be... and he's right. She comes in here full of drive and ambition... impatient... taking risks. I look at her and I wonder what happened to those things in me. I liked those things about me. I've lost something.
Counselor: You mean you're older... more experienced...
[chooses her next words with care]
Counselor: ... a little more... seasoned.
Commander William T. Riker: [but not careful enough for Riker's taste] Seasoned? That's a horrible thing to say to a man.
Counselor: I don't think you've lost a thing, and I think you've gained more than you realise. You're much more comfortable with yourself than you used to be.
Commander William T. Riker: [she may have hit on something there] Maybe that's the problem. I'm too comfortable here.
Counselor: I'm not sure I know what that means. You're happy here... happier then I've ever known you to be. So, it comes down to a simple question... what do you want Will Riker?
[what indeed?]

The: Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours.

- We've got 58 minutes before we have to power down and disengage.
- Shelby: Understood.
- Proceed.
- Commander, no unnecessary risks. Clear?
- Very clear, sir. Shelby out.
- We've matched warp velocity for transport, commander.
- Energize.

- Shelby: They're adapting to the frequencies.
- Jean-Luc.
- Captain.
- Enterprise, get us out of here.

Wesley: Got another king in the hole, eh, Data?
Lt. Commander Data: I am afraid I cannot answer that, Wesley - and as you are a newcomer to the game, may I say it is inappropriate for you to ask.

- then punch it up to warp 9.
- Ready phasers, load forward torpedo bays. Engage.
- Borg tractor beam is attempting to lock on.
- Fire at will.
- Continue rotating shield frequency.
- Shields failing.
- Tractor beam has locked on.

Guinan: Trouble sleeping?
Capt. Picard: It's something of a tradition, Guinan - Captain touring the ship before a battle.
Guinan: Hmm. Before a *hopeless* battle, if I remember the tradition correctly.
Capt. Picard: Not necessarily. Nelson toured the HMS Victory before Trafalgar.
Guinan: Yes, but Nelson never returned from Trafalgar, did he?
Capt. Picard: No, but the battle was won.
Guinan: Do you expect this battle to be won?
Capt. Picard: We may yet prevail. That's a... a conceit. But... it's a healthy one. I wonder if the Emperor Honorius watching the Visigoths coming over the seventh hill truly realized that the Roman Empire was about to fall. This is just another page in history, isn't it? Will this be the end of *our* civilization? Turn the page.

Admiral J. P. Hanson: [on Shelby] She'd make you one hell of a first officer.
Capt. Picard: I already have a hell of a first officer.

Commander William T. Riker: [in command of the Enterprise] Make it so.

- my people were scattered throughout the universe.
- We survived, as will humanity survive.
- As long as there's a handful of you to keep the spirit alive, you will prevail, even if it takes a millennium.
- Worf: Captain picard, report to the bridge.
- I'm on my way, lieutenant.

- Riker to o'brien.
- Can you get a fix on the captain?
- O'brien: Negative, sir.
- There's some kind of interference.
- I can't lock in on his signal.
- Senior officers, report to the bridge.
- Sir, the coordinates they have set, they are on a direct course to sector 001, the terran system.

Admiral J. P. Hanson: This is the third time we've pulled out the captain's chair for Riker. He just won't sit down.

- Shelby to enterprise.
- Encountering resistance.
- Prepare to beam us back on my signal.

- Picard: Space, the final frontier.
- These are the voyages of the starship enterprise.
- Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

The: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, you lead the strongest ship of the Federation fleet. You speak for your people.
Capt. Picard: I have nothing to say to you; and I will resist you with my last ounce of strength.
The: Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours.
Capt. Picard: Impossible. My culture is based on freedom and self-determination.
The: Freedom is irrelevant. Self-determination is irrelevant. You must comply.
Capt. Picard: We would rather die.
The: Death is irrelevant. Your archaic cultures are authority-driven. To facilitate our introduction into your societies, it has been decided that a human voice will speak for us in all communications. You have been chosen to be that voice.

- waiting for us to come out of hiding.
- I have no explanation for their special interest in me or this ship.
- We continue to prepare our defenses for the inevitable confrontation.
- But I must admit, on this night,
- I contemplate the distinct possibility that no defense may be adequate against this enemy.
- Captain?

Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: If you can't make the big decisions, Commander, I suggest you make room for someone who can.

- from one of the federation's outermost colonies.
- Riker: Anything from the surface?
- No, sir.
- There have been no communications from the colony for over 12 hours.
- Sensors picking up any signs of life?
- None.
- The surface environment is safe for transport, commander.

[the away team is considering ways to slow down the Borg vessel]
Doctor: What if we look at this from the mosquito's point of view?
Lt. Commander Data: Interesting metaphor, Doctor. What is your idea?
Doctor: If we sting them in a tender spot, they might stop for a minute to scratch.

Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: Data was available. I took him, we came.

Commander William T. Riker: You disagree with me, fine. You need to take it to the Captain, fine - through me. You do an end run around me again, I'll snap you back so hard you'll think you're a first-year cadet again.
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: May I speak frankly, sir?
Commander William T. Riker: By all means.
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: You're in my way.
Commander William T. Riker: Really? How terrible for you!
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: All you know how to do is play it safe. I suppose that's why someone like you sits in the shadow of a great man for as long as you have, passing up one command after another.

- which allow them to work collectively as they perform ship functions.
- There's no way to take out enough of these to disable them.
- What if we look at this from the mosquito's point of view?
- Interesting metaphor, doctor.
- What is your idea?
- If we sting them in a tender spot, they might stop for a minute to scratch.

- Shelby: Morning. Early bird gets the worm, eh?
- We've had some interesting results.
- Commander Shelby.
- Walk with me, commander.

- Data, fluctuate phaser resonance frequencies.
- Random settings, keep them changing.
- Don't give them time to adapt.
- The tractor beam has been released.
- Warp 9. Course 151, Mark 330.
- Engage.

- Commander Shelby.
- We have only 17 minutes of warp power left.
- Do whatever you can to get them out of warp.
- Acknowledged. Shelby out.
- Let's take out some of these distribution nodes and see what happens.

- for as long as you have, passing up one command after another.
- When it comes to this ship and this crew, you're damned right, I play it safe.
- If you can't make the big decisions, commander,
- I suggest you make room for someone who can.

- Eleven dead, eight more unaccounted for, captain.
- Repair teams to engineering, seal hull breach.
- They didn't get to the core.
- I can control functions from here.
- Now approaching the Paulson nebula, sir.
- Drop to impulse.
- Take us in, ensign.

Capt. Picard: [from his personal log] We continue to prepare our defenses for the inevitable confrontation, but... I must admit, on this night I contemplate the distinct possibility that no defense may be adequate against this enemy.

[Capt. Picard has been assimilated by the Borg]
Locutus: I am Locutus - of Borg. Resistance - is futile. Your life, as it has been - is over. From this time forward, you will service - us.

- Sir, if I may be allowed to continue with
- Mr. Data, who does not require rest.
- You need rest, commander.
- If we have a confrontation with the borg without improving our defense systems...
- If we have a confrontation,
- I don't want a crew fighting the borg at the same time they're fighting their own fatigue. Dismissed.

[Picard talks to Riker about taking the post as captain of another ship]
Commander William T. Riker: With all due respect, sir - you need me. Particularly now.
Capt. Picard: Indeed. Starfleet needs good captains, particularly now.

Guinan: This isn't the end.
Capt. Picard: You say that with remarkable assuredness.
Guinan: With experience. When the Borg destroyed my world, my people were scattered throughout the universe. We survived - as will humanity survive. As long as there's a handful of you to keep the spirit alive, you will prevail - even if it takes a millennium.

- The field's getting too dense, sir.
- Steady.
- Analysis of the nebula cloud, Mr. Data.
- Eighty-two percent dilithium hydroxyls, magnesium chromium.
- Should provide an effective screen against their sensors, captain.
- Mr. La forge, prepare to reverse engines, full stop.

Capt. Picard: What's your impression of Shelby?
Commander William T. Riker: She knows her stuff.
Capt. Picard: She has your full confidence?
Commander William T. Riker: Well, I think she needs supervision. She takes the initiative a little too easily, sometimes with risks.
Capt. Picard: [tuts] Sounds like a young Lieutenant Commander I recruited as a first officer.
Commander William T. Riker: Perhaps.

Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: Tell me, Commander, is serving aboard the Enterprise as extraordinary an experience as I've heard?
Commander William T. Riker: Every bit.
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: Good. Because I intend to convince Captain Picard that I'm the right choice for the job.
Commander William T. Riker: Job? Which job?
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby: Yours, of course.