Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had a lot of good lines but a few stand out majorly for fans!
From the start, DS9 had a different edge than The Next Generation. It would address the issues of the Federation, embrace a darker side, and become epic with the Dominion War. It also showcased some good scripts, with every character getting off some memorable quotes, especially Garak and Quark.
Narrowing it down to the ones that stick with fans is tough, as so many great lines abound and folks have their favorites. But these twenty lines can stay in the minds of many Star Trek fans and be a reminder of how this series broke the rules of the franchise.
“You hit me! Picard never hit me." “I'm not Picard.”
It seems surprising that Q only made one appearance on DS9. Yet “Q-Less” does provide an early moment that sets the show apart from TNG. Q pops in to do his usual games and banter, only to be annoyed that Sisko isn’t interested in his repartee.
Q tries to bring him down by turning Quark’s bar into an old-fashioned boxing circle. He’s stunned when Sisko actually decks him and Sisko’s “I’m not Picard” makes it clear he won’t treat Q the same way. It's funny to think that this is why Q didn’t come back to DS9, as he realized it wasn’t as fun playing with Sisko.
“What you call genocide, I call a day's work."
“Duet” was the first truly great episode of DS9. It’s a fantastic story as Kira believes a recently arrested Cardassian (Harris Yulin) is an infamous war criminal. He denies it at first before coming clean and bragging about his work and mocking Bajor. That includes the sharp line on how genocide meant nothing to him.
That makes the twist more striking as he’s not a war criminal but a clerk overwhelmed by guilt over his part in all of this and wanting to publicize it. It remains one of the show’s strongest ever episodes, which gives the Cardassian view of the occupation.
“My Dear Doctor, they’re all true.” “Even the lies?” “Especially the lies.”
“The Wire” was the first real focus on Garak as he suddenly takes ill. As Bashir tends to him, it’s finally confirmed that Garak was once a member of the Cardassian Obsidian Order, and the hints of his dark past are revealed. Even when near death, Garak still has to play his games, giving different takes on his past and his crimes, often contradicting himself too.
After being cured, Garak and Bashir have lunch together, with Garak still refusing to give any straight answers. The above exchange sums up Garak nicely as a man who adores keeping everyone guessing about his true nature.
“Never tell the same lie twice.”
Another Garak gem comes from the two-parter “Improbable Cause.” After his shop is blown up, Garak is hesitant to admit someone might want him dead. Bashir tries to get through to him by telling Garak the classic story of the boy who cried wolf. Garak’s summation that the boy’s only mistake was repeating the same lie shows he doesn’t quite grasp the point and why we love him.
The Root Beer discussion
The Garak/Quark chemistry was always great, as they were the outsiders to most of the action. Nothing summed it up better than in “The Way of the Warrior” when DS9 is facing a Klingon attack. The pair sardonically agree that the worst part is having to depend on the Federation to save them.
Quark gives Garak a glass of root beer, which Garak declares vile. Quark intones that “It's so bubbly, and cloying, and happy,” with Garak replying, “Just like the Federation.” Quark then adds that “If you drink enough of it, you begin to like it.” Garak says, "It's insidious,” and Quark sums up, “just like the Federation.” It’s a wonderful moment that shows how the Federation is seen by other eyes.
"The way I see it, hew-mons used to be a lot like Ferengi: greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We're a constant reminder of a part of your past you'd like to forget. .... But you're overlooking something: Hew-mons used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi. Slavery. Concentration camps. Interstellar wars. We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We're nothing like you. We're better.”
The Ferengi are seen as greedy, conniving, few scruples and all around not nice guys. However, they still have some pride. In "The Jem'Hadar" Quark tags along with Sisko, Jake and Nog on a field trip with Sisko getting in a few jabs at the Ferengi. That has Quark erupting in a strong speech that, as bad as the Ferengi are, at least they haven’t spent centuries indulging in utter atrocities. It’s a bold statement against the Federation that makes some sharp points on humanity.
“Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. They're a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people... will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don't believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes."
Another unique take on humanity from Ferengi is Quark in “Siege of AR-558.” As the crew handles a Dominion attack on an outpost, Rom is worried about their chances. Quark delivers the above speech to point out how, at their core, humans are ruthless animals when pressed too hard. He’s proven true with the crew fighting back hard, another showcase of how the Dominion War pushed the Federation to the edge.
“It’s a fake!”
“In the Pale Moonlight” is one of the darkest episodes of the series as Sisko relates to his log how he plotted to trick the Romulans into entering the war with the Dominion. He hires a forget to create a hologram of the Dominion plotting to invade Romulus and has it delivered to a Romulan ambassador. The man sees through it, and his delivery of the line has become a meme.
A bonus is the ending of the episode, as Garak blew up the senator’s ship to push the Romulans into the war. Sisko closes it out by noting all the crimes he took part in to make it happen and “the worst part is..I can live with it.” It’s a chilling look at how Sisko wasn’t afraid to cross the line to save the day.
“The law? Commander, laws change, depending on who's making them. Cardassians one day, Federation the next. But justice is justice.”
“A Man Alone” was the fourth episode of the series and the first to focus on Odo. He’s upset when a known killer arrives at the station, wanting to bring him in. Sisko reminds Odo he’s operating under Federation rules and laws, with Odo firing off the above line. That does come back to haunt him when he’s framed for the killer’s death, the first showcase of Odo’s obsession with justice being a key character trait.
“Everyone has their reasons. That’s what's so frightening. People can find a way to justify any action, no matter how evil. You can’t judge people by what they think or say, only by what they do.”
Gul Dukat was the best villain of the series by far. What made him so chilling wasn’t his brutal actions, but the fact that Dukat really and truly believed his own words on how justified his actions were and refused to accept himself as evil. His own daughter couldn’t understand it, which was in “By Inferno’s Light.” Kira delivers the speech on how monsters can justify themselves in any way and sums up Dukat perfectly.
“Worried? I'm scared to death! But I'll be damned if I let them change the way I live my life!”
“Homefront” is a different tale for DS9, as most of it takes place on Earth. After a Dominion attack, Earth has to face the possibility of changelings infiltrating and soon imposing tougher laws. The paranoia is high to the point that Sisko worries his own dad has been replaced by a shapeshifter.
We see where Sisko got his strength from his dad putting him in his place. When Sisko asks if his dad isn’t nervous about the war and Dominion attacks, his father makes the quote about how living in fear is letting the enemy win. It’s a great line that fits for those feeling under siege in various ways of life, but have to keep going.
“Death to the opposition!”
DS9 had some fun comedy episodes, and “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” is one of the best. A Vulcan rival of Sisko challenges the crew to a baseball game. Sisko accepts before discovering that his crew are horrible ballplayers. He tries to push them, which gives us another of those moments where Worf’s dead-serious barking of a line makes it even funnier. It’s caught on with real baseball fans as a popular quote.
“Look kid, I don't know what's going to happen to you out there. All I can tell you is that you've got to play the cards life deals you. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but at least you're in the game."
Shifting from comedy to drama, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” tackled the issues of PTSD head-on. After losing a leg in an earlier episode, Nog retreats to the popular holosuite program of Vic Fontaine.
Nog takes it a step further by deciding to live in the suite’s 1960s world. Vic has to give him tough love, shutting down the program while encouraging Nog that hiding from the world is no way to live, an inspirational message perfect for Star Trek.
“What kind of state tolerates the murder of innocent women and children? What kind of people give those orders?” “Yes, Damar. What kind of people?”
Damar ended up becoming an unlikely hero for the show when he turned on the Dominion to lead a Cardassian revolution. That had him allied with the Federation in “Tacking Against the Wind.” Damar is hit hard when he learns that, as punishment for his defection, the Dominion has killed his entire family, down to his cousins.
When he asks what kind of government could murder innocents for no crime, Kira brutally points out it’s exactly what the Bajorans went through in the Cardassian occupation. Tellingly, Kira feels guilty over her words, but Garak assures her that Damar needed to hear that as a reminder of whose side he was really on.
“I know you. I was like you once, but then I opened my eyes. Open your eyes, Captain. Why is the Federation so obsessed with the Maquis? We've never harmed you. And yet we're constantly arrested and charged with terrorism. Starships chase us through the Badlands and our supporters are harassed and ridiculed. Why? Because we've left the Federation, and that's the one thing you can't accept. Nobody leaves paradise. Everyone should want to be in the Federation. Hell, you even want the Cardassians to join. You're only sending them replicators because one day they can take their "rightful place" on the Federation Council. You know In some ways you're even worse than the Borg. At least they tell you about their plans for assimilation. You're more insidious. You assimilate people and they don't even know it.”
DS9 was never afraid to call out the Federation’s tough side and how it could often be hypocritical to other cultures. Sisko once summed it up nicely with “it’s easy to be a saint in paradise.” The Maquis grew from Federation officers upset about partnering with the Cardassians and “For the Cause" has the turn of security officer Eddington joining the Maquis after betraying Sisko.
Eddington sends Sisko that message, his rant showing more emotion than he has before. Sisko still sees Eddington as a traitor to kick off a long conflict between the pair. Yet some fans feel Eddington made sharp points on the Federation thinking only they could dictate to the rest of the galaxy how to live.
“Even in the darkest moments, you can always find something that will make you smile."
“In the Cards” is an offbeat episode as the crew is down over the Dominion threat. Jake tries to cheer up his dad by finding a rare Willie Mays baseball card. He enlists Nog in a quest that endures several escapades, from insulting Kai Winn to crossing the Dominion. It comes together and Sikso’s fun line summarizes why Trek does these humor episodes as a reminder that laughs are always needed.
“It’s been my observation that one of the prices of giving people freedom of choice… is that sometimes they make the wrong choice.”
Leave it to Odo to sum up the double-edged sword of democracy. In “Shakaar,” Kira is jarred to learn that Kai Winn is the acting First Minister of Bajor. Kai wants Kira to get back some replicators from resistance leader Shakaar, and it leads to a larger conflict. When Kira rants on giving someone like Winn more power, Odo notes how it can be tricky to fully trust who people choose as leaders, a line many in our world can agree with.
"I'm no writer, but if I were, it seems to me I'd want to poke my head up every once in a while and take a look around; see what's going on. It's life, Jake. You can miss it if you don't open your eyes."
Among the best episodes of the series is "The Visitor,” as an aged Jake (a brilliant Tony Todd) talks of how he spent decades trying to rescue his father from a dimensional prison. He nearly does with Sisko more struck by how Jake has basically wasted his entire life on this quest. Sent back in time to stop the initial accident, Sisko later tells his son how life isn’t about one goal but rather enjoying what you can, which is advice anyone should take to heart.
“The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.”
Many of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition can count for this list, as they all provide some fun lines. One of the best comes in an episode named after the rules, as Quark mentors a younger Ferengi. The big twist is that “he” is a woman, a breaking of Ferengi law.
At one point, they quote Rule #48, which is often used by office workers and anyone in business can agree on this rule about never trusting anyone who tries too hard to look friendly.
"What if it wasn't a dream? What if this life we're leading - all of this, you and me, everything - what if all of this... is the illusion?"
Star Trek loves to do episodes blending reality with fiction and “Far Beyond the Stars” is one of the best. The cast takes dual roles with Sisko as Ben Russell, a 1950s science fiction writer who cooks up stories of the station. It addresses issues of bigotry in a powerful way, with Russell seemingly dying. Sisko believes this was a vision but his speech has him wondering if just maybe he exists in the mind of a dreamer as a testament to the power of storytelling.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine streaming on Paramount+.