- Neelix: [during a bumpy ride through a planet's atmosphere] I had a cousin who used to transport disulfides from a gas giant. He claimed to love the turbulence. Of course, disulfides are known to cause delusions.
- [Tom is trying to talk B'Elanna out of joining the away team]
- Tom Paris: There's a toxic atmosphere down there, and you're breathing for two.
- B'Elanna Torres: [sighs] All right, you win. But if we have another baby, you carry it, and I'll go on the away missions.
- Tom Paris: It's a deal.
- Seven of Nine: Human culture has evolved, learned from its mistakes. So can yours.
- Otrin: Even if I believed you, Verin never would.
- Seven of Nine: Then your people may need a change of leadership - someone more open to new ideas.
- Otrin: I'm not a leader.
- Seven of Nine: But you're a scientist - someone who can see a problem and envision a solution. The same definition could apply to a leader.
- Seven of Nine: If the Borg had intercepted this probe, Humanity would have been assimilated centuries ago.
- [first lines]
- Friendship 1 Recording: We, the people of Earth, greet you in a spirit of peace and humility. As we venture out of our solar system, we hope to earn the trust and friendship of other worlds.
- Admiral Hendricks: The Voth, the Kobali, the Vaadwaur. You've made first contact with more species than any captain since James Kirk.
- Captain Kathryn Janeway: It helps being the only Starfleet ship within 30,000 light years.
- Admiral Hendricks: You are being too humble. From the first time you spoke up in my classroom, I knew you'd go far.
- Captain Kathryn Janeway: A little farther than I expected, Professor.
- [the Doctor and Tom are giving inoculations against radiation to the away team when B'Elanna enters sickbay]
- The Doctor: If you're here for your fetal resonance scan, you're a day early.
- B'Elanna Torres: I'm here for my inoculation.
- Tom Paris: You are not going on this mission.
- B'Elanna Torres: Chakotay said he needed an engineer.
- Tom Paris: He's already got one.
- B'Elanna Torres: Now he's got two.
- Tom Paris: [to the Doctor] Will you excuse us?
- [Tom and B'Elanna go outside]
- Neelix: Any bets on this one?
- Chakotay: My money's on B'Elanna.
- Tom Paris: Maybe it's us. Something about fatherhood seems to regress the male psyche a few thousand years.
- Neelix: I thought these caves were naturally shielded.
- Tom Paris: They're no substitute for an environmental suit.
- Lieutenant Joe Carey: These people have lived here all their lives without environmental suits.
- Neelix: These people have lived here without much of anything.
- Neelix: Just between us, I understand why you don't trust Humans.
- Verin: Then why are you with them?
- Neelix: They're not so bad once you get to know them. When I first met them, I thought they were arrogant, self-righteous.
- Verin: I suppose you're gonna tell me you've changed your mind.
- Neelix: Well, not completely. I still think they take themselves far too seriously for my taste. But one thing they don't do is harm other people.
- [Otrin has surmised that Humanity has deliberately poisoned his planet]
- Otrin: It seems so obvious. You send us new technology, encourage us to use it, and then you wait for us to obliterate ourselves.
- Chakotay: Why would we do that?
- Otrin: Because it's easier than invading us.
- Captain Kathryn Janeway: Do you really believe we'd contaminate a world we intended to conquer?
- Otrin: I'm a scientist. I believe what I see. And today, I saw your people standing on our soil, just as you promised. And they were wearing equipment that protected them from the radiation, because they knew exactly what to expect. If you were in my position, what would you believe?
- Otrin: Nanoprobes, cybernetic implants... Are others on your crew like you?
- Seven of Nine: No, I'm... unique.
- Otrin: You certainly are.
- Neelix: I know what you've been through. My planet was destroyed by a weapon called a metreon cascade. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed - including my family.
- Verin: How did you survive?
- Neelix: I was on a neighboring planet when the weapon was detonated. I went back with a rescue team; but there was no one left.
- Verin: I'm sorry about what happened to your family. But don't compare your life to mine.
- Otrin: You can't deny your people sent the probe.
- Seven of Nine: They made an error in judgment. They failed to anticipate the consequences of their actions. But they never meant to destroy your world.
- [last lines]
- Captain Kathryn Janeway: I think about our ancestors. Thousands of years, wondering if they were alone in the universe. Finally discovering they weren't. You can't blame them for wanting to reach out, see how many other species were out there, asking the same questions.
- Chakotay: The urge to explore is pretty powerful.
- Captain Kathryn Janeway: But it can't justify the loss of lives - whether it's millions... or just one.