Armor-Piercing Question/Quotes

""Tell me, Light, from the moment you were born, has there ever been a time where you've actually told the truth?""

- L, Death Note

""What can change the nature of a man?""

- Ravel Puzzlewell, Planescape: Torment

"Nia: So does this mean you hate me too Adiane? Adiane: Hate you? I really couldn't care less about you. I was told to kill you, so that's precisely what I'm going to do! Whether I hate you or not is irrelevant. Nia: So you're saying that you're willing to kill me simply because you were ordered to do so? Adiane: Of course I am, what of it? Nia: If my father ordered you to take your own life, would you do that too?"

- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

"Tony: I wanted to meet you. You've been making your investigative films for what, twenty years now? I wanted to ask: Have you changed anything? You've been uncovering disturbing things all over the world for twenty years now. Have you changed anything? You've worked very hard. Most people have no idea of the kind of work you've done. Intellectuals, critics, and activists follow your films closely, but culturally you're almost invisible, Mr. Pillinger. Have you changed anything?"

- "Extremis", Iron Man

"Morden: What do you want? G'Kar: What do you mean, what do I want? Morden: What do you want? G'Kar: What do I want for supper? What do I want to do this evening? What do I-- Morden: What do you want? G'Kar: This is pointless. What I want is for you to go away and leave me in peace. Morden: As you say. G'Kar: Wait. What do I want? The Centauri stripped my world. I want justice. Morden: But what do you want? G'Kar: To suck the marrow from their bones and grind their skulls into powder. Morden: What do you want? G'Kar: To tear down their cities, blacken their sky, sow the ground with salt...to completely, utterly erase them. Morden And Then What? (Dramatic Pause) G'Kar: ...I don't know. As long as my homeworld's safety is guaranteed, I don't know that it matters. Morden (disappointed): I see. Thank you for your time, Ambassador. Good day."

- Babylon 5, "Signs and Portents"

"Hanna: We couldn't keep everyone. There wasn't room. Judge: No, but what I'm saying -- let me rephrase -- to make room, you were picking women out and saying "You you and you have to be sent back to be killed." Hanna: Well, what would you have done?"

- The Reader

"Galloway: So let me ask, if we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully? Optimus Prime: Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your president decides, please ask him this: What if we leave and you're wrong? Lennox (to Galloway): That's a good question."

- Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

"Morden: What do you want? Londo: This is a silly conversation. Morden: Yes, it is. What do you want? Londo: To be left alone! Morden: Is that it? Is that really all, Ambassador? [Dramatic Pause] Londo: ...All right. Fine. You really want to know what I want? You really want to know the truth? I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy! I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars! I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power! I want to stop running through life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back, or to look forward! I want us to be what we used to be. I want... I want it all back, the way that it was! Does that answer your question? Morden: Yes. Yes, it does. Thank you, Ambassador."

- Babylon 5, "Signs and Portents"

"Inquisitor: Who are you? Delenn: I am Delenn. Inquisitor: Unacceptable answer. I already know your name. Who are you? Delenn: Delenn! [shocked] Inquisitor: If you repeat an unacceptable answer, the penalty will be increased. Who are you? Delenn: I...I am the ambassador for Minbar. Inquisitor: Unacceptable. That is only your title. What other people call you when you choose to hide behind formalities. Who are you? Delenn: I, uh...I'm the daughter of...[shocked] Inquisitor: Unacceptable. What a sad thing you are. Unable to answer even such a simple question without falling back on references and genealogies and what other people call you. Have you nothing of your own? Nothing to stand on that is not provided, defined, delineated, stamped, sanctioned, numbered and approved by others? How can you be expected to fight for someone else when you haven't the fairest idea who you are?"

- Babylon 5, "Comes the Inquisitor"

"Man: By reading all these books I learned who were the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Incas, Mayas... Boy: And we grandpa? Who are we? (a moment later) Mom: Where's your grandpa? Boy: In the library, crying."

- Quino

"The Doctor: The concept is simply staggering! Pointless, but staggering! The Captain: I'm gratified that you appreciate it. The Doctor: Appreciate it? Appreciate it? But you commit mass destruction and murder on a scale that's almost inconceivable and you ask me to appreciate it? Just because you happen to have made a brilliantly conceived toy out of the mummified remains of planets! The Captain: Devil storms, Doctor! It is not a toy! The Doctor: THEN WHAT'S IT FOR?! What are you doing? What could possibly be worth all this?"

- Doctor Who, "The Pirate Planet"

"Sayid (to Juliette): You said earlier that if you told me everything you knew, I'd kill you. I'm going to test the validity of that statement. Sawyer: He means "talk". Juliette: We don't have time for this. Sawyer: We cleared our schedules. We got all the time in the world. Juliette: You know it's interesting... that you two are now the camp's moral police. I'm curious Sayid, how long was it before you told everyone on that beach exactly how many people you've tortured in your life? Do they know about Basra? And I'm sure the first thing you did when you got here, James, was to gather everyone in a circle and tell them about the man you shot in cold blood the night before you got on the plane. So why don't we just skip the part where you two pretend to be righteous? I'm taking that medicine back to Claire, and you're going to let me. Because if she doesn't get it, she's going to die. And the last thing either of you need right now... is more blood on your hands."

- Lost Season 3.

"Rose: You don't have to do this anymore. There must be something else - not just killing. What else is there? What do you want? Dalek: (Silence. Turns back to van Statten, and then back to Rose) I want... freedom."

- Doctor Who, "Dalek"

"Data: Sir, Lt. La Forge's eyes are far superior to human biological eyes true? Then why are not all human officers required to have their eyes replaced with cybernetic implants? [Picard is at a loss for words and turns away] Data: I see, it is precisely because I am not human. Picard: [shaken] That will be all Mr. Data."

- Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "The Measure of a Man,"

"Yuthura: I wanted to use the Force to free the other slaves I knew, to fight for what I knew was right. The Jedi restrained me until I couldn't stand it any more. They claim the dark side is evil, but that isn't so. Sometimes anger and hatred are deserved and right. Sometimes things change because of it. Player Character: But not always. Mostly it makes things worse. Yuthura: Any failure to get the results I want is due to a lack of power on my part. That can change, in time. As a Sith, my mettle is tested far more than when I was a Padawan. I know this may sound strange, but only my compassion stands in my way, now. Once that is gone, let the slavers beware. Player Character: But...if you lose your compassion, will you still care about those slaves? Yuthura: [sounding unsure] I...yes, of course. I--I mean...losing my compassion as in...holding back..."

- Knights of the Old Republic

""Tell me, Dr. Freeman. If you can. You have destroyed so much. What is it exactly that you have created? Can you name even one thing?""

- Doctor Breen,at the beginning of Half-Life 2: Episode 1

"Amy: Save him. You can save him, you always save everyone. That's what you do. The Doctor: Not all the time. I'm sorry. Amy: ...then what is the point of you?"

- Doctor Who, "Amy's Choice"

"Picard: A single Data, and forgive me, Commander, is a curiosity: a wonder, even. But thousands of Datas, isn't that becoming a race? And won't we be judged by how we treat that race?" Now tell me, Commander, what is Data? Maddox: I don't understand. Picard: What is he?? Maddox: A machine! Picard: Is he? Are you sure? Maddox: Yes! Picard: You see he's met two of your three criteria for sentience, [intelligence and self-awareness,] so what if he meets the third, consciousness, in even the smallest degree? What is he then? I don't know, do you? (to Riker, who'd been forced to argue for Maddox's side) Do you? (to the judge) Do you? Are you prepared to condemn him and all who come after him to servitude and slavery?"

- Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "The Measure of a Man,"

"Zuko: You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer. Aang: It never is. Zuko: Then there's one thing I have to ask... What are going to do when you face my father?"

- Avatar: The Last Airbender, "The Southern Raiders"

"Iroh: What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him? Zuko: First I have to get it out of here. Iroh: [losing his composure for probably the first time ever] AND THEN WHAT?! This is exactly -what happened back at the north pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!! Zuko: I would have figured something out. Iroh: NO! If his friends hadn't of found you YOU WOULD HAVE FROZEN TO DEATH! Zuko: I know my own destiny Uncle! Iroh: Is it your own destiny or one that someone is trying to force on you? Zuko: Stop it Uncle! I have to do this! Iroh: I'M BEGGING YOU, PRINCE ZUKO! It's time for you to look inward and start asking yourself the big question: who are you and what do YOU want? Zuko: *yells in frustration and slams his swords on the ground*"

- Avatar: The Last Airbender, Lake Laogai

"Homer: Let me ask you something; does your money cheer you up when you're feeling blue? Mr. Burns: Yes. Homer: Okay, bad example... So let me ask you this! Does your money ever hug you when you come home at night? Mr. Burns: Why, no... Homer: And does it ever say, "I love you?" Mr. Burns: No... it doesn't..."

- The Simpsons, Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk

"Tucker wanted some details. How much difference do humans make? After all, Nye had said this was settled science. Tucker just wanted to know what that settled science said. Nye didn’t know. And by not knowing that simple answer about the percentage of human contribution to warming – the only issue that really mattered to the topic – he proved in public that his opinions on science are not based on facts or knowledge. Nye tried and tried to dodge the question, but Tucker was relentless. That was the trigger. Nye could plainly see, thanks to Tucker’s simple question, that his belief in science was just a belief, because he didn’t actually know the science. [...] To be fair, spotting cognitive dissonance is more like bird-watching than science. Sometimes you misidentify a bird. But this example is like an ostrich sitting on your lap. Hard to miss. Enjoy."

- Tucker Carlson Induces Cognitive Dissonance in Bill Nye the Science Guy over Climate Change on Scott Adams' Blog