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58 Years Later, Kirk’s Best Line Is Still The Greatest Quote In Star Trek History

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58 Years Later, Kirk’s Best Line Is Still The Greatest Quote In Star Trek History

58 years later, Captain Kirk’s best line remains the greatest quote in Star Trek history. As the commanding officer of the Enterprise, Kirk faces down everyone from Klingons to ancient gods. These...

Maria Nushi
June 30, 2026 9 Mins Read
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58 years later, Captain Kirk’s best line remains the greatest quote in Star Trek history. As the commanding officer of the Enterprise, Kirk faces down everyone from Klingons to ancient gods. These victories were decisive, and more often than not, were the result of Kirk’s winning combination of intelligence and empathy. Kirk always sought a diplomatic, peaceful solution before resorting to violence.

As a Starfleet captain, Kirk embodied the organization’s mission of boldly going where no one had gone before. In the annals of Starfleet history, Kirk’s first five-year mission is legendary, and established a legacy that, as seen in IDW’s Star Trek: The Last Starship comic, lives on into the 3rd millennium. Kirk spearheaded a number of first contacts, and fought in a number of major battles, which only further contributed to his legend. While not everyone was a fan of Kirk, particularly Starfleet’s top brass, he became a beacon, and a symbol of hope.




















Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment
The Final Frontier
Trivia Challenge

🚀ShipsEnterprise!

⭐CrewMake it so

☠EnemiesResistance is…

⚡TechWarp speed!

📖LoreLive long…

01

The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?




✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.

✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.

02

Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?




✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.

03

Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?




✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.

✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.

04

“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?




✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”

✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”

05

Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?




✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.

06

Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?




✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.

07

At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?




✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.

08

In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?




✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.

Mission Complete
Your Starfleet Record

/ 8

Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?

Captain Kirk also delivered a number of great lines, some of which continue to resonate with Star Trek fans, decades after they debuted. Star Trek is a franchise known for its deft and insightful writing, and that’s certainly true of the original series. These quotes showed just how intelligent and perceptive Kirk was, and further cemented his status as a Star Trek icon. Yet one quote in particular stands head and shoulders above the rest. Not only does it paint Kirk in a good light, but also perfectly articulates a key aspect of the franchise.

Kirk Delivered an All-Time Great Star Trek Quote in the Show’s Second Season

Star Trek: The Original Series, "Return To Tomorrow" - William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, DeForest Kelley as Dr Leonard Bones McCoy, Diana Muldaur as Dr Ann Mulhaul, Leonard Nimoy as Spock
Star Trek: The Original Series, “Return To Tomorrow” – William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, DeForest Kelley as Dr Leonard Bones McCoy, Diana Muldaur as Dr Ann Mulhaul, Leonard Nimoy as Spock

In the second season Star Trek episode “Return to Tomorrow,” Captain Kirk found himself at the mercy of god-like aliens. These aliens, under the leadership of Sargon, possessed Kirk, Spock, and another Enterprise crew member’s bodies. Sargon wanted to use them to further his goals of conquest, yet he underestimated Kirk and his crew, and the aliens were vanquished.

Star Trek 2×20 “Return to Tomorrow”

Air Date

Written By:

Directed By:

Febuary 9, 1968

John T. Dugan

Ralph Senesky

While “Return to Tomorrow” may not place in any fan’s top 10 episodes of Star Trek, it still managed to stimulate the mind and encourage discussion. During a conference on the Enterprise with his senior officers, Kirk begins talking about the dangers inherent in Starfleet’s mission of seeking out new life and new civilizations. Kirk acknowledges how deadly their jobs are, but he also invokes famous risk-takers in history, such as the Apollo astronauts. Alongside the risks, Kirk argues, come great rewards and the potential for advancement. And it is then that Kirk delivers Star Trek’s greatest line. After his impassioned monologue, Kirk concludes:

Risk. Risk is our business. That’s what this starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her.

Never has Star Trek’s philosophy been summed up so succinctly.

Star Trek Has Had Many Great Quotes in Its 60 Years

Janeway, Picard and Sisko Lived Kirk’s Quote

There have been many great quotes in Star Trek’s 60-year history, but few carry the weight that Kirk’s “risk” speech has for all this time. Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek to function as a commentary on humanity, dressed up as an “alien of the week” science fiction show. Roddenberry was also a humanist who believed in humanity’s potential to put aside their differences and do great things together, such as explore the galaxy. These ideals have been the backbone of Star Trek since its inception.


Star Trek Captains-1


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It’s Star Trek, Jim, but not as we know it. After a period of uncertainty, Star Trek will officially return this year.

And Kirk’s “risk is our business” speech drives it home. In “Return to Tomorrow,” Kirk knew he and his friends were outclassed. Sargon and his associates had powers and technology the Federation could only dream about. Yet Kirk and the Enterprise pressed on anyway, ultimately beating Sargon. The philosophy Kirk articulated is infused in every Star Trek episode, show and movie, ranging from Voyager’s journey through the Delta Quadrant to Discovery liberating the galaxy from the Emerald Chain.

Kirk’s speech has found echoes in other Star Trek captains as well. In The Next Generation pilot episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” Picard tells Q that the unknown was what brought Starfleet out in the first place. Captain Janeway, Voyager’s skipper, lived this quote every day in the Delta Quadrant. In some ways, Janeway embodied the philosophy the best: she was stranded 75,000 light-years from home, right at the edge of Borg space. Janeway guided her crew through the turbulence and brought them home.

Captain Kirk Also Had Many Great Lines, But This One Stands the Test of Time

“Risk is our business” is far from the only great Captain Kirk line in Star Trek history. Kirk’s infamous “I don’t believe in a no-win scenario” from The Wrath of Khan stands the test of time, but for vastly different, and darker, reasons. This line truly embodies Kirk as a character, cementing Kirk as the ultimate Starfleet captain and as the pinnacle of humanity’s drive to do the impossible. It’s an iconic quote that many Trek fans will happily cite as the franchise’s best.

Despite the strength of this and many other Kirk quotes, however, “risk is our business” is much more positive, nailing the Star Trek ethos in a minute and a half speech. It has stood the test of time, inspiring other generations as well, making it Captain Kirk’s best line, even after 58 years.

Star Trek Franchise Logo

Created by

Gene Roddenberry

First Film

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

First TV Show

Star Trek: The Original Series

First Episode Air Date

September 8, 1966

Cast

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh

TV Show(s)

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.


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