The Core Quotes
The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again.
Col. Robert Iverson: Being a leader isn't about ability. It's about responsibility.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Got it, sir.
Col. Robert Iverson: No you don't, Beck. I mean, you're not just responsible for the good ones. You've got to be responsible for the bad ones. You've got to be ready to make the shitty call.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: What makes you think I'm not?
Col. Robert Iverson: Because you're so damn good. You haven't hit anything you couldn't beat. I mean, hell, you were the one who figured out how to save the space shuttle. You made me, you made the rest of NASA just look like an ass. It's just you're used to winning... and you're not really a leader until you've lost.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Got it, sir.
Col. Robert Iverson: No you don't, Beck. I mean, you're not just responsible for the good ones. You've got to be responsible for the bad ones. You've got to be ready to make the shitty call.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: What makes you think I'm not?
Col. Robert Iverson: Because you're so damn good. You haven't hit anything you couldn't beat. I mean, hell, you were the one who figured out how to save the space shuttle. You made me, you made the rest of NASA just look like an ass. It's just you're used to winning... and you're not really a leader until you've lost.
Taz 'Rat' Finch: How many languages do you speak?
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Five, actually.
Taz 'Rat' Finch: Well, I speak one... One Zero One Zero Zero. With that I could steal your money, your secrets, your sexual fantasies, your whole life. Any country, any place, any time I want. We multitask like you breathe. I couldn't think as slow as you if I tried.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Five, actually.
Taz 'Rat' Finch: Well, I speak one... One Zero One Zero Zero. With that I could steal your money, your secrets, your sexual fantasies, your whole life. Any country, any place, any time I want. We multitask like you breathe. I couldn't think as slow as you if I tried.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Oh, come on, you're a bunch of suicidal morons! What are you, crazy? Plan C? Restart the core "somehow"? Oh, that's a great idea! That's a brilliant idea! I can't believe I'm stuck in this floating septic tank with you lunatics! You may have nothing to lose. You may have nothing to lose! You may have nothing to lose, but I have my life to lose thank you very much while you're up! Now turn it around! He told us to go back and we're going back! Why? You want to be a hero? You want to be a martyr? What do you want to be? You're out of your mind! Thank you! Turn it around!
Dr. Josh Keyes: Why do you get dibs on being the hero?
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Because it's my damn ship.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Oh that makes perfect sense.
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Look, for twenty years I've done nothing but 'Virgil.' Twenty years. 'Virgil' belongs to me, and I will not let her fail. I will not. Now, if you want to know what's worth dying for: this ship. Building it instead of imagining it. If 'Virgil' needs more blood, it will be my blood.
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Because it's my damn ship.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Oh that makes perfect sense.
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Look, for twenty years I've done nothing but 'Virgil.' Twenty years. 'Virgil' belongs to me, and I will not let her fail. I will not. Now, if you want to know what's worth dying for: this ship. Building it instead of imagining it. If 'Virgil' needs more blood, it will be my blood.
Serge Leveque: Excuse me Dr. Brazzelton, when do you think the ship will be operational?
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: When I get my fabrication methods perfected, twelve... no, ten years. Ten years.
General Thomas Percell: What would it take to get it done in six months?
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Fifty billion dollars, I...
[laughing]
General Thomas Percell: [deadpan] Will you take a check?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Why don't you use a credit card? You get miles.
General Thomas Percell: Hmm.
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: When I get my fabrication methods perfected, twelve... no, ten years. Ten years.
General Thomas Percell: What would it take to get it done in six months?
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Fifty billion dollars, I...
[laughing]
General Thomas Percell: [deadpan] Will you take a check?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Why don't you use a credit card? You get miles.
General Thomas Percell: Hmm.
FBI Agent: Dr. Keyes, your presence is required in the Pentagon.
Dr. Josh Keyes: Aaah, it's my best buddies! Hey! Why don't you join us for a drink?
FBI Agent: We'd be grateful if you could join us - for a ride, sir.
Dr. Josh Keyes: And if I were to say no? I'm just asking.
FBI Agent: Well, we have no sense of humor.
Dr. Josh Keyes: That's true.
FBI Agent: And we're armed.
Dr. Josh Keyes: Aaah, it's my best buddies! Hey! Why don't you join us for a drink?
FBI Agent: We'd be grateful if you could join us - for a ride, sir.
Dr. Josh Keyes: And if I were to say no? I'm just asking.
FBI Agent: Well, we have no sense of humor.
Dr. Josh Keyes: That's true.
FBI Agent: And we're armed.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: So, you're really a college professor? You're not from the CIA, the NSA or any of those three letter places?
Dr. Josh Keyes: No, I am a boring college professor. Wrong place, wrong place.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: That was the bravest thing I've ever seen.
Dr. Josh Keyes: Well, I just... I just... Listen, the lack of oxygen kept me from weeping like a little girl, as is my custom in dangerous situations.
Dr. Josh Keyes: No, I am a boring college professor. Wrong place, wrong place.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: That was the bravest thing I've ever seen.
Dr. Josh Keyes: Well, I just... I just... Listen, the lack of oxygen kept me from weeping like a little girl, as is my custom in dangerous situations.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: [trapped in a compartment of Virgil with a nuclear bomb set to detonate; recording himself for posterity] For here, in the great unknowable, man can come to know the most important thing of all - himself. He can understand...
[trails off]
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: What the fuck am I doing?
[begins laughing hysterically; the nuclear bomb explodes]
[trails off]
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: What the fuck am I doing?
[begins laughing hysterically; the nuclear bomb explodes]
Dr. Josh Keyes: Did you reset the overrides?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: I never pushed them
Dr. Josh Keyes: You let him die.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Actually, you really want to know? I killed him twice. First when I hit the diamond and then when I didn't hit the override. You want me to feel any worse about that than I already do? That's not possible...
Dr. Josh Keyes: Why are you being so smug about that?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Could you have made the decision?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yes.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Could you?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yes I could've. If you would have hit that switch I could've got him outta there. I was yelling for you!
[holds up Serge's notebook with a picture of his family]
Dr. Josh Keyes: Take it and look at it! I was two inches from him. I was two inches and I told you to put up the door and you didn't! I was screaming for you! Why didn't you do it?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Because I had to make that decision. Fate or God...
Dr. Josh Keyes: No! You - damn it, you leave God out of this!
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Serge died so we could complete our job.
Dr. Josh Keyes: [sarcastically] Oh, that's right, the job of saving the world
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Not the whole world Josh! Just three of them.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: I never pushed them
Dr. Josh Keyes: You let him die.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Actually, you really want to know? I killed him twice. First when I hit the diamond and then when I didn't hit the override. You want me to feel any worse about that than I already do? That's not possible...
Dr. Josh Keyes: Why are you being so smug about that?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Could you have made the decision?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yes.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Could you?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yes I could've. If you would have hit that switch I could've got him outta there. I was yelling for you!
[holds up Serge's notebook with a picture of his family]
Dr. Josh Keyes: Take it and look at it! I was two inches from him. I was two inches and I told you to put up the door and you didn't! I was screaming for you! Why didn't you do it?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Because I had to make that decision. Fate or God...
Dr. Josh Keyes: No! You - damn it, you leave God out of this!
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Serge died so we could complete our job.
Dr. Josh Keyes: [sarcastically] Oh, that's right, the job of saving the world
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Not the whole world Josh! Just three of them.
Col. Robert Iverson: Forgive me, but, you know I'm not the expert here, but what if the core is thicker or thinner? I mean, what if it's not what you think it is? Isn't that going to affect the way the explosions are...
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Yes, yes, yes, yes, and what if the core is made of cheese? This is all best guess commander. That's all science is, is best guess.
Col. Robert Iverson: So my best guess is you don't know.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Yes, yes, yes, yes, and what if the core is made of cheese? This is all best guess commander. That's all science is, is best guess.
Col. Robert Iverson: So my best guess is you don't know.
Dr. Josh Keyes: As the EM field becomes more and more unstable, we'll start seeing isolated incidents - one plane will fall from the sky, then two, then, in a few month, anything, everything electronic will be fried.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Static discharges in the atmosphere will create superstorms with hundreds of lightning strikes per square mile.
Dr. Josh Keyes: After that, it gets bad.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Static discharges in the atmosphere will create superstorms with hundreds of lightning strikes per square mile.
Dr. Josh Keyes: After that, it gets bad.
Dr. Josh Keyes: I told you pulsing the ultrasonics would work.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Do you ever get tired of being right?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yes. So what's next for you?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: A shower. Then back to NASA, I guess. You?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Deep-dish pepperoni pizza, green peppers, onions, extra mushrooms - then a shower and then back to the classroom.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: NASA could use a few good men, you know.
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yeah. Unfortunately, so could my freshmen geophysics students.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Do you ever get tired of being right?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yes. So what's next for you?
Maj. Rebecca Childs: A shower. Then back to NASA, I guess. You?
Dr. Josh Keyes: Deep-dish pepperoni pizza, green peppers, onions, extra mushrooms - then a shower and then back to the classroom.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: NASA could use a few good men, you know.
Dr. Josh Keyes: Yeah. Unfortunately, so could my freshmen geophysics students.
Dr. Josh Keyes: So, we hotwire the nukes, as one does. We seed them through the core at locations that have to be accurate to the inch. We detonate them in a sequence that has to be accurate to the millisecond. Then we outrun the biggest nuclear shockwave in history.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Right.
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Yeah.
Dr. Josh Keyes: I mean, that should be fairly simple.
Dr. Conrad Zimsky: Right.
Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzelton: Yeah.
Dr. Josh Keyes: I mean, that should be fairly simple.
