What's the greatest line from the whole DS9 series? Be prepared to justify your answer to a horde of nitpickers <grin>...

Along the lines of Adam Howarter's nomination of "The Jem'Haddar" as the best DS9 episode because it's a metaphor for the whole series, I nominate the following as the best DS9 line. (please forgive, I'm working from memory here). Unfortunately, I can't remember the whole line, so I will give the gist... If anyone has the tape, let me know what it is:

Past Tense, Part I
Bashir to Sisko, talking about what would the Federation do if it were truly desparate, and is the Federation so different from what they were seeing in the Sanctuary.

It neatly sums up in one line all of seasons 5, 6, and 7.

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE someone find me the exact quote.

I've always liked Sisko's "But I can live with it" speech from In the Pale Moonlight and Benny Russell's "You can't kill an idea" from FBTS. And the "I've eaten her!" exchange from The Sound of Her Voice was priceless!

Oh, and Sloane's "I'll spare you the 'ends justify the means' speech if you spare me the 'we have to do what's right' speech." in Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges. Realy masty guy. Really good line.

From "In the Pale MoonLight"

While trying to persuade the Senator, (cant remember the exact words)

"and when the war is all over and all your enemys are defeated. And instead of Klingons on one side and Federation on the other all you will have is the Dominion. There is a word for this Senator, its called surrounded!"


I loved that line, I just wish I could quote it exactly.

My nomination for best line is Bashir's during the wake in "Sound Of Her Voice", when he says something like 'One day we're all going to be stood here, and one of us will be missing.'

Shame it came true in such a way as it did!

I *loved* the speech at the end of "In the Pale Moonlight". For those who need to be reminded, here it is, as well as I can remember:

"So I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all is that I think I can live with it. And if I had it to do again, I would. Because I can live with it. ... I *can* live with it. ... Computer, erase that entire personal log."

Along the same lines, there's Sisko's other little speech in "For the Uniform" (another great morally ambiguous DS9 episode):

"The problem is Earth. On Earth there is no poverty, no [some other stuff]...you look out the window of Starfleet Command and you see paradise. Well, it's easy to be a saint in paradise. But these people aren't in paradise."

On a less serious note I really loved when Worf first met Kira and Dax.

Worf: Nice hat.
Kira: I don't usually dress like this. We were on the holosuite.
Worf: So I gathered.
Bashir (laughing): This is our first officer Major Kira Nerys and our science officer Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax.
Worf: You used to be Curzon Dax. His name is an honored one among my people.
Jadzia (in Klingon): Yeah, but I'm a lot better looking.
Worf (in English): I suppose so.

Can't anyone find that line for me from Past Tense?

The lines immediately preceding the Kira/Dax/Worf exchange earlier were great too:

Dax: I can't believe you did that.
(someone): What did she do?
Dax: She knocked out Lancelot.
Kira: Well, he kissed me.
Dax: He's supposed to kiss you.
Kira: But I was playing a married woman.

Hey!, how did you know that is what she said, she says it in Klingon and when asked to translate says, "it loses something in the translation.". It makes perfect sense but I am interested to know how you came up with it...just a logical assumption?

Aloha

I think Mark Wells was talking about the lines BEFORE the Klingon lines. In Diane Carey's novelizations of the episode she wrote that the line was, "Yes, but I'm better looking."

Garak:

"Truth is actually an excuse for a lack of imagination."

I'm not sure i have the first part of this right, but it's the last line that matters.It's from "In The Pale Moonlight", when Vreenek meets Sisko.

Vreenek: "Captain Sisko....decorated starfleet officer, Emmissary to the prophets and oh yes...the man who brought the Dominion to the alpha quadrant.Somehow I thought you'd be taller."

Garak in "In The Pale Moonlight":

That's why you came to me, isn't it Captain. Because you knew I could do those things you weren't capable of doing. Well it worked, and you'll get what you wanted: a war between the dominion and the romulans and if your conscience is bothering you, you should shoothe with the knowledge that you may just have saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it costed was the life of one romulan senator, one criminal and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you but I'll call that a bargain!

I would say the best line was from "Rocks and Shoals" when Sisko asks the Jem-Haddar leader if he was willing to sacrifice his life for "the order of things" and the Jem-haddar says;

"Its not my life to give Captain, and it never was"

"HMPH!" Odo...any episode

"I always investigate Quark" Odo..."Visionary"

Sisko: "I'm not Picard."

though I also like...

I don't believe it... I ripped my pants!

Oh, and someone please find ScottN his line!!! He's been waiting for over 6 years now!!!

I found the line, it's on another board here somewhere. Thanks, Anon.

it was actually polls voice...

*looks down at feet*

I was just feeling lazy...

"I think I'm going to enjoy history" - Bashir after seeing Dax in the TOS micro-miniskirt in "Trials & Tribble-ations" (My feelings exactly)

Odo tries to stop his friends from joining the fight on board K-7

Eddie Paskey never got his credit in Trials either

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the baseball game show where they try to understand the rules of baseball

Neither of those are lines.

Kira to Kai Winn in the episode: Rapture

"looks can be deceiving, but you don't need me to tell you that..."

"Hi Mom it's me Curzon!" Ezri Dax in the hospital on Trill after the joining.

"I'm going to drink a whole pitcher of Ickleberry juice." Jadzia Dax
"You are allergic to Ickleberry juice. It makes you're spots itch" Worf
"But I like Ickleberry juice" Jadzia Dax
"Fine, do whatever you want. I do not care. But do not complain to me later" Worf on Risa

"Dad, remember to duck." Older Jake Sisko to Captain Sisko in his house on Earth.

Probably something Garak said.

Bashir: If you lie all the time, no one is going to believe you, even when you're telling the truth.
Garak: Are you sure that's the point, Doctor?
Bashir: Of course. What else would it be?
Garak: That you should never tell the same lie twice.


Bashir: They broke seven of your transverse ribs and fractured your clavicle!
Garak: Ah, but I got off several cutting remarks which no doubt did serious damage to their egos.

We can easily file just about all of Garak's dialogue here. Here's the rest of that scene:

Bashir: I can't believe you're not pressing charges.
Garak: Constable Odo and Captain Sisko expressed a similar concern, but really doctor, there was no harm done.
Bashir: They broke seven of your transverse ribs and fractured your clavical.
Garak: Ah, but I got off several cutting remarks which no doubt did serious damage to their egos.
Bashir: Garak, this isn't funny.
Garak: I'm serious, doctor! Thanks to your administrations I'm almost completely healed but the damage I did to them will last a lifetime.

And here's some amusing snarkiness from the Chief:

Bashir: What a lovely place. Smells like a garbage dump.
O'Brien: I'm sorry I couldn't find a nicer place to crash-land. Should we try again?

Odo: You'd shoot a man in the back?
Garak: Well it's the safest way isn't it?

Past Tense, Part I
Bashir to Sisko, talking about what would the Federation do if it were truly desparate, and is the Federation so different from what they were seeing in the Sanctuary.

It neatly sums up in one line all of seasons 5, 6, and 7.

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE someone find me the exact quote.

I looked it up on TwizTV.com .

Sisko: It's not that they don't give a ••••, Doctor. It's that they've given up. The social problems facing them seem too enormous to deal with.

Bashir: That only makes it worse. Causing people to suffer because you hate them is terrible... but causing them to suffer because you've forgotten how to care... that's even harder to understand.

Sisko: They'll remember. It'll take time, and it won't be easy, but eventually people in this century will remember how to care.

Bashir: But it makes you wonder, doesn't it? Are humans really any different than Cardassians... or Romulans? If push came to shove, if something disastrous happened to the Federation, and we got frightened enough, or desperate enough, how would we react? Would we stay true to our ideals... or would we just end up... here... right back where we started?

Sisko: I don't know. But as a Starfleet officer, it's my job to make sure we never have to find out.