Spaceship Quotes

“Roughly translated into English I am Galactic Exploration and Research Intelligence number twenty-seven.” “The first letter of those words comes out G.E.R.I., so I’ll call you GERI if that’s okay.”
― C.A. Knutsen, Tom and G.E.R.I.

“You have just placed yourself in an untenable position, Mr. Mathews. You have made a threat that you cannot carry out. I’m not intimidated by your gun, so I won’t be going anywhere with you. I think you should re-read the book on successful information gathering techniques.”
― C.A. Knutsen, Tom and G.E.R.I.

“Every cell of my body says, ‘Oh god yes! Crime? I can do some crime!’ I want this ship like I’ve never wanted anything in my life. I had a poster of the first-ever Breakbolt model on my bedroom wall when I was nine. It’s like a manifestation of every dream I’ve ever had, everything I’ve ever wanted for myself: a piloting license, a beautiful ship under me, and stars out the viewport. Child Nax says, ‘Do it, do the crime!”
― M.K. England, The Disasters

“This was exactly what I experienced in space: immense gratitude for the opportunity to see Earth from this vantage, and for the gift of the planet we've been given.”
― Ron Garan, The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles

“At this point I thought 'We made it,' by which I meant 'We survived.' I also was acutely aware that my childhood dream of flying into space had just come true.”
― Ron Garan, The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles

“I turned completely around to make sure of what I was seeing. I needn’t have worried about getting the vehicle out of the hole. It had done that by itself.”
― C.A. Knutsen, Tom and G.E.R.I.

“Tom, does this activity that we are undertaking qualify for the moniker cloak-and-dagger?” GERI asked. “I think it does, but I don’t share your enthusiasm for it. I’m the agent on the ground and potentially the one in the line-of-fire.” “Do not worry, Tom. I have got your six,” GERI said, and laughed.”
― C.A. Knutsen, Tom and G.E.R.I.

“Looks like a fish, moves like a fish, steers like a cow.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

“Jasper set an intercepting course towards that Rhylonian Star Duster. Maybe we can catch them on their blind side.”
“Doesn’t this ship have a cloak?” Jaq asks.
“Miss Synergy, I don’t know what they teach now a’days at the Academy, but ships do not wear clothes.”
― Nathan Reese Maher

“I’ll ask you to look at the ships arrayed against you and consider what weaponry they might possess. Weaponry strong enough to crack your hulls? I know what weaponry you bring to bear, and I assure you it will not crack ours.

“Are you willing to risk the lives of thousands under your command to find out? Are you willing to risk your own life?”

The silence hung across space like a shroud.

“This is not over, Admiral Solovy.”

“That is the first true thing you’ve said today.”
― G.S. Jennsen, Abysm

“When we get down to the very basics of human life we find that we arrive to take a ride on spaceship Earth for several decades and then we leave.”
― Steven Magee

“We are in the process of finding out what filling the sky with hundreds of thousands of satellites does to all life on Earth.”
― Steven Magee

“I want my crew back.'
Arada's brows lifted, like she was relieved it wasn't something worse. "What happened to them?"
'The hostiles stole them, forced me to cooperate by threatening their welfare, infected my engines with interdicted alien remnant technology, installed adversarial software, and then deleted me.'
I was still mad, right? But there were a lot of keywords there that invoked involuntary responses.
Thiago kept his expression neutral. "Then how are you talking to us if--"
'I saved a backup copy and hid it where only a trusted friend could find it.'
I was looking at the wall, watching everyone and the display with Amena's drones. Trusted friend? "Oh, fuck you."
'That still counts as speaking.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“There is an object blocking my view of the Petrova line. It’s right next to my ship. Maybe a few hundred meters away. It’s roughly triangle-shaped and it has gable-like protrusions along its hull.

Yes. I said hull. It's not an asteroid- the lines are too smooth; too straight. This object was made. Fabricated. Constructed. Shapes like that don't occur in nature.

It's a ship.

Another ship.

There's another ship in this system with me. Those flashes of light- those were its engines. It's Astrophage-powered. Just like the Hail Mary. But the design, the shape- it's nothing like any spacecraft I've ever seen. The whole thing is made of huge, flat surfaces- the worst possible way to make a pressure vessel. No one in their right mind would make a ship that shape.

No one on Earth would, anyway.

I blink a few times at what I'm seeing. I gulp.

This... this is an alien spacecraft. Made by aliens. Aliens intelligent enough to make a spacecraft.

Humanity isn't alone in the universe. And I've just met our neighbours.

'Holy fucking shit!”
― Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary

“She points to where he went and looks to the neutral Baumen. “He—he did that to me on purpose! He’s insane. Literally, insane!”
The munchkin just shrugs. “Welcome aboard!” and returns unconcerned to his work.”
― Nathan Reese Maher, Rubberband Lazer - Or, The Adventures of Casey Norider and Jaq Synergy

“Your fancy alien train is broken?"
"My fancy alien material transfer system has been sitting unused for over a billion years and half the planet just exploded. Your ship was built less than a decade ago and you can barely keep the coffee pot running.”
“You are a sad, bitter little man.”
― James S.A. Corey, Cibola Burn

“You're a smart one. You know as good as me and as Flick that there is no Promised Land. Matilda's an orphan, a daughter of dead gods. But Ancestors is real and their spirits are at work. Baby sun giving out is how they making a fuss.”
― Rivers Solomon, An Unkindness of Ghosts

“☹️ -Gregorovich”
― Christopher Paolini, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

“Knock-knock-knock.
No, that's not creepy at all. Being in a spaceship twelve light-years from home and having someone knock on the door is totally normal.”
― Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary

“The structure echoed the greatest cathedrals of Earth and Mars, rising up through empty air and giving both thrust-gravity stability and glory to God.”
― James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes

“I’m not getting much penetration here!” Gibbs yelled.
“Aim for an open mouth!” Walsh barked. “It’s their weakest point! When you empty the cartridge, load armour piercing rounds!”
Alan shouted, “For the record, I’m very uncomfortable firing ballistics inside a space ship!”
― Jennifer Foehner Wells, Fluency

“In that moment, she hated his quiet patient tone, hated the stench of the incense, and hated the beauteous pity painted on the faces of the women on the walls. Their expressions contained serene understanding; their eyes seemed able to peer into her soul. She found their forgiveness suffocating. And above all, she hated the tiny niggling thing in her that wanted to know more.”
― Amy J. Murphy, Fallen

“Grand Turk Island is so named because it is the largest island in the Turks Islands, which is the smaller of the two archipelagos that make up the island nation. Grand Turk was first settled in 1681 by Bermudians, who started a salt industry. In 1766, the Island became the territory's capitol, Cockburn Town. It has the second largest population of the archipelago with 3,720 people. There are those that believe that it was here that Columbus first set foot in the America’s, and although San Salvador is still accepted as being the actual island where he landed, there is convincing evidence that this may not be so. For years Grand Turk was frequently referred to as Grand Cay. Grand Turk gained attention in 1962, when John Glenn's Friendship 7 splashed into the Atlantic Ocean, off the southeast shoreline of the Grand Turk Island. A replica of the Friendship 7 is on display in Grand Turk at the entrance to the Grand Turk Island International Airport.”
― Captain Hank Bracker

“And suddenly it knew what it had to do.
It de-coupled its engine fields from the energy grid and plunged those vortices of pure energy deep into the fabric of its own mind, tearing its intellect apart in a supernova of sentient agony.”
― Iain M. Banks, Excession

“She’d never been on board a ship like this one. A real starship worthy of the name, where everything from the reinforced hull to the sophisticated instrumentation created a sense of presence, of consequentiality. When a vessel of this ilk cut a swath through the void, the void noticed.

But Nicolette Hinotori had once commanded a generation ship, which meant buried in Nika’s core operating system was knowledge about the operation of such vessels.

She stood in the center of the bridge, closed her eyes and asked herself a question. Results flooded her mind, and she hurriedly initiated a sort-and-prioritize algorithm to impose order on them.

Then she gazed around the bridge with new eyes.”
― G.S. Jennsen, Of A Darker Void

“The shell, it looks alive…” Zara stands awestruck, admiring the seamless shape of the gravity-defying vessel. “Classic flying saucer look, no seams, as if it was moulded into shape,” she touches the shell, it recoils away from her hand, “it feels alive.”
A metallic voice sounds, reverberating around the vessel. A feminine voice.
“Assertion. I am alive and right here in front of you—who pray tell are you?”
― J.L. Haynes, Zara Hanson & The Mystery of the Painted Symbol

“We aren’t workin’ the ship for money, or because a government drafted us. We’re here because we want to be. That’s all you’ve got over us. We believe in the cause, and we want to be part of what you’re doing. The minute we lose that, we might as well take a real payin’ job.”
― James S.A. Corey, Caliban’s War

“The USA can land a spaceship almost anywhere, but cannot look after their sick and disabled.”
― Steven Magee

“Imagination is my rocket to outer Space!”
― Steven Magee

“Didn’t I say don’t go poking in the sky?”
― Rita Williams-Garcia, Gone Crazy in Alabama