- Bones: [to himself] If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd end up talking to myself.
- Capt. Kirk: This is the Captain of the Enterprise. Our respect for other life forms requires that we give you this... warning. One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as... corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying -...
- Balok (voice): You now have two minutes.
- Capt. Kirk: - -DESTROYING the attacker. It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two of our centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has... little meaning to us. If it has none to you then attack us now. We grow annoyed at your foolishness.
- Capt. Kirk: There's no such thing as the unknown- only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.
- Lieutenant Dave Bailey: It's blocking the way!
- Mr. Spock: Quite unnecessary to raise your voice, Mr. Bailey.
- Mr. Spock: Has it occurred to you that there is a certain... inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about?
- Capt. Kirk: It gives me emotional security.
- Capt. Kirk: There must be SOMETHING to do. Something I've overlooked.
- Mr. Spock: Chess: When one is outmatched the game is over. Checkmate.
- Capt. Kirk: Is that your BEST recommendation?
- Mr. Spock: I'm s... I regret that I can find no other logical alternative.
- Mr. Spock: I regret not having learned more about this Balok. In some manner, he was reminiscent of my father.
- Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott: Then may Heaven have helped your mother.
- Lieutenant Dave Bailey: Raising my voice back there doesn't mean I was scared or couldn't do my job, it means I happen to have a human thing called an adrenalin gland.
- Mr. Spock: That sounds most inconvenient, however. Have you considered having it removed?
- Lieutenant Dave Bailey: [sees Sulu quietly laughing at him] Very funny.
- Sulu: Try and cross brains with Spock, he'll cut you to pieces every time.
- Capt. Kirk: When I get my hands on the headquarters genius that assigned me a female yeoman...
- Dr. McCoy: What's the matter, Jim, don't you trust yourself?
- Capt. Kirk: [Kirk suppresses a smile] I've already got a female to worry about. Her name's the Enterprise.
- Dr. McCoy: [Rand enters the bridge carrying a tray] I thought the power was off in the galley?
- Yeoman Rand: I used a hand phaser, and zap! Hot coffee.
- Dr. McCoy: Balok's message - it was heard all over the ship.
- Capt. Kirk: [on ship-wide speakers] Captain to crew: Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien life-forms. You know the greatest danger facing us is... ourselves, and irrational fear of the unknown. There's no such thing as 'the unknown,' only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.
- Lieutenant Dave Bailey: Are you all out of your minds? End of watch? It's the end of everything. What are you, robots? Wound-up toy soldiers? Don't you know when you're dying? Watch and regulations and orders... What do they mean?
- Capt. Kirk: Bailey, you're relieved! Escort him to his quarters, Doctor.
- Capt. Kirk: Scotty?
- Scott: Mode of power? Beats me what makes it go.
- Capt. Kirk: I'll buy speculation.
- Scott: I'd sell it if I had any.
- Balok (voice): [over intercom] Your recorder marker has been destroyed. You have been examined. Your ship must be destroyed. We make assumption you have a deity, or deities, or some such beliefs which comfort you. We therefore grant you ten Earth time periods known as minutes to make preparations.
- Lieutenant Dave Bailey: Sir, we gonna just let it hold us here? We got phaser weapons. I vote we blast it.
- Capt. Kirk: I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Bailey, when this becomes a democracy.
- Mr. Spock: A very interesting game, this poker.
- Capt. Kirk: It does have advantages over chess.
- Dr. McCoy: Love to teach it to ya.
- Scott: [about to beam onto the small First Federation craft] Bend low, gentlemen. It reads pretty cramped over there.
- Mr. Spock: I believe it adds up to either one of two possibilities: First, a space buoy of some kind.
- Capt. Kirk: Second?
- Mr. Spock: Flypaper.
- Capt. Kirk: Doc. Sorry.
- Dr. McCoy: Oh, you had other things on your mind. My fault. I don't know how y'ever kept from punching me in the face.
- [last lines]
- Balok: Now, before I bring back the Fesarius, let me show you my vessel. It is not ofen that I have this pleasure. Yes, we're very much alike, captain. Both proud of our ships.
- Capt. Kirk: This is the Captain speaking. First Federation vessel is in distress. We're preparing to board it. There are lives at stake, by our standards Alien life, but lives nevertheless. Captain out.