That’s Going In The Quote Book #54

Huh.

I have no fucking clue how today’s quote made it into the book.

Seriously. No. fucking. clue.

It’s from the movie Star Trek: Nemesis, widely considered by many Trekkies to be the worst Trek film ever.

I am a Trekkie who shares that view. I didn’t even go see it in the theatre, it looked so bad, instead renting it one night when there was absolutely nothing else appealing after browsing the shelves at Blockbuster for far too long.

And it was awful.

I remember it was awful for many, many reasons, but nineteen years later, the only specific one I can remember is that Riker shaved off his beard.

And then, while researching this article, I discovered that Riker does not, in fact, shave his beard off in Star Trek: Nemesis at all, but rather in Star Trek: Insurrection.

Which kind of makes the quote itself more … apt, maybe?

It’s something said to Picard (Patrick Stewart) by his clone, Shinzon (Tom Hardy).

I’m afraid you won’t survive to witness the victory
of the echo over the voice.

It’s essentially a death threat. I found the scene online, in which a captive Picard and Shinzon are arguing about identity and whether or not being clones means they’re the ‘same’ person. When Picard makes a point that Shinzon doesn’t like, he throws out that line and, in true super villain fashion, stalks out of the room.

Over the years of flipping through my quote book, I’ve always been a bit confused as to why I wrote this one down. I think it’s likely that it had been a while since I’d found a quote, and wanted a new one. I think it’s more likely that I was smitten with young Tom Hardy. I think it’s most likely that there was liquor involved in the decision.

Whatever the reason, today it seems like the quote is getting back at me for never taking it seriously. The characters might have been discussing identity and what makes a person who they are, but to me the quote could just as easily be about how we perceive the past. Considering how my entire perception of the past shifted when I learned one simple little fact about a completely inconsequential subject – Riker’s facial hair – it could be a commentary on how fragile one’s view of the world can be.

Or, more likely, I could be reaching in an attempt make the quote more than it is.

Yeah, that’s probably it.

To see previous posts in my Quotes series, click here.