How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Quote #4
CAROL: The reformed moon simulated here represents the merest fraction of the Genesis potential, should the Federation wish to fund these experiments to their logical conclusion. When we consider the cosmic problems of population and food supply, the usefulness of this process becomes clear. This concludes our proposal. Thank you for your attention.
SPOCK: It literally is Genesis.
KIRK: The power of creation.
There's a fairly big literary precedent for this kind of musing. It comes from Frankenstein, the story of a man who sought to take the power of creation for himself only to see it all go pear-shaped. Considering what Genesis is capable of here, it's actually a very apt comparison.
Quote #5
McCOY: But, dear Lord, do you think we're intelligent enough to... Suppose, what if this thing were used where life already exists?
SPOCK: It would destroy such life in favor of its new matrix.
McCOY: It's new matrix? Do you have you any idea what you're saying?
SPOCK: I was not attempting to evaluate its moral implications, Doctor. As a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create.
McCOY: Not anymore! Now we can do both at the same time!
Well said, McCoy. The Genesis device can be seen as a metaphor for the atomic bomb, but with an added twist: genuine creation attached to all the destruction.
Quote #6
SPOCK: Don't grieve, Admiral... it is logical. The needs of the many... outweigh…
KIRK: ...the needs of the few.
SPOCK: Or the one.
This is Spock's reason for doing what he does, a tenet of logic that he accepts as an absolute good, and which he gives his life to fulfill. Suddenly, dying for that doesn't seem so bad.