Seldriss wrote:

60.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate
All those moments will be lost in time
Like tears in rain
Time to die"

I cannot watch this scene without crying.
I can't even listen to these lines without dropping a tear.

Ok. I give. What is this from? It sounds very familiar.

"He say you Brade Runner."

71. Pohl's "The Day the Icicle Works Closed," where planetary colonists "loan" their bodies to off-world day-trippers (kinda like virtual reality visors, only not virtual) while their minds power robots who do menial labor....or so they think!

72. "Soylent Green is people!"

73. {Mathenauts-‘Convergent Series’, Rudy Rucker} Protagonist paints the pentagram on the time-frozen demon’s belly. When time starts again, the demon re-enters our dimension only to find the pentagram has moved – it is on his belly. Each time the demon tries to re-enter it gets smaller and smaller in the limit.

73. {Mathenauts-‘Convergent Series’, Rudy Rucker} Protagonist paints the pentagram on the time-frozen demon’s belly. When time starts again, the demon re-enters our dimension only to find the pentagram has moved – it is on his belly. Each time the demon tries to re-enter it gets smaller and smaller in the limit.

That is so COOL!

72. "Soylent Green is people!"

Word!

Actually I think it's "You are in Command now, Admiral Piett."

Sorry. Guess I lack the full magnitude of your geek cred. ;)

74: Gil 'The Arm' Hamilton.

75. In Serenity, when Serenity flies through the cloud towards the Alliance Fleet … followed by the Reaver Fleet. “Somebody shoot something!” The subsequent space battle and Wash’s flying “I am a leaf on the wind.”

76. (Blake's 7: Cygnus Alpha) Vila: "The Architectual Style is early Maniac." Arko: "We need food and shelter." Vila: "I know! But do we need them that badly."

77. (Blake's 7: City on the edge of Forever)

Baban: "Baban."
Vila: Still doesnt recognise him.
Baban: "Baban the Beserker."
Vila: still no clue...
Baban: "Baban the Butcher."
Vila: "Oh no. You're Baban the Butcher."
Baban: Smiles that he has been suitably recognised by the man now cowering in fear in front of him.

78. (Blake's 7: Blake) Avon shoots Blake

79. Crusade by David Weber and Steve White: A misinformed and misled alien culture tries to bring down the holy inquisition on Terra. Contains lots of awesome ideas. Of course, the best moment is when the reader realizes that the holy inquisition is carried out by aliens.

80. Antares Series from Michael McCollum: Imagine mankind encounters an hostile xenophobic alien race. One of the best moments is when even the hardcore 'we-can-all-live-in-peace-if-we-just-try' realize that this is the ultimate them-or-us conflict.

81. The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin: A heart breaking short story that, unlike most other Godwin stories, has no happy end.

62. From Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven: As the giant meteor plunges into the Pacific a surfer dude decides to spend his last minutes riding the biggest wave in history. He manages to get up and ride the thousand ft. tsunami halfway over Los Angeles before he's smacked into the side of a skyscraper.

Gods, I'd forgotten that book. Now I'll have to find a copy. A bit out of date, but still a good read.

74: Gil 'The Arm' Hamilton.

LOVED these. Cigarette in the eye, baby!

Mothman wrote:

Actually I think it's "You are in Command now, Admiral Piett."

Sorry. Guess I lack the full magnitude of your geek cred. ;)

Heh. I watched it a couple of weeks ago ... and I do love that line.

Dick Seaton staring out of his shattered lab window as his analysis equipment flies off in a perfectly straight line: E. E. "Doc" Smith, Skylark of Space.

83. The “negotiation” scene in The Fifth Element.

84. Forty Two

85. The Fuzzy's are declared Sapient.

86. The inhabitants of the moon slam a large rock into the earth, thus bringing about a successful end to their revolution.

87. A river of dragons save F'Nor and Canth as they plummet towards the ground.

81. The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin: A heart breaking short story that, unlike most other Godwin stories, has no happy end.

Yes, this one still makes me pause and ponder -- a most powerful yarn.

88. The Galactica jumps into New Caprica's atmosphere; launches it's attack vipers; then jumps out again before smacking into the ground.

Edit: it's too bad the whale in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy didn't come ready evolved with jump capability.

As a science fiction publisher, I must say it's a little depressing to see how many of these "moments" come from TV and movies.

89. The Litany Against Fear

4-Man Kzin Wars-forgot exact author and story; K'zinti discover icecream from their human slaves; the humanoid hunting cats perfect "tuna flavored ice cream."

Larry Niven ftw!

71. Using Beer for Chemical Warfare in Ian Douglas Semper Mars: Book One of the Heratige trilogy...The panicked French Troops surrendered bc the foam looked like acid trying to eat through their suits since Co2 behaves quite differently in a Low Pressure enviroment.

72. Give them the Air Cohaagen, give them the Air.... Total Recall....Kuato Lives!

73. End scene of Planet of the Apes...the original.... They finally did it!

74. Adama's quote in the new BSG...before it went all emo... Sometimes you have to Roll the Hard Six

88. The Galactica jumps into New Caprica's atmosphere; launches it's attack vipers; then jumps out again before smacking into the ground.

Edit: it's too bad the whale in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy didn't come ready evolved with jump capability.

Oh yeah, that was cool.

95. The fight between the two terminators in the service corridor of the mall in T2.

96. Space: Above and Beyond {The Angriest Angel}
The fighter duel between Col. McQueen & Chigie Von Richthausen.

72. "Soylent Green is people!"

"You'll have to take my Soylent Green from my cold, dead hands, you damned dirty apes!"

97. Stargate Atlantis: McKay goes to a scientific symposium, and after the keynote speaker activates a subspace bridge that sucks heat from our space-time, McKay enlists the help of Bill Nye to collapse the bridge, and saves Dr. Keller from being frozen to death.

98. Watchmen (graphic novel): Adrian's deadpanned response to Dan's query: "I'm not a Republic serial villain. I did it thirty-five minutes ago."

99. {2001: A Space Odyssey} Hal-9000, an AI, commits murder.

100. {Wargames} "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?"

It is not over I have not participated yet...........

101. Of all my relations, I like sex the best and Eric the least.
Corwin of Amber - Nine Princes in Amber on hearing his Brother was alive.

102.If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family Anatidae on our hands. - Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy

103. Don't Panic _Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

104. 42 - 'Nuff said! Life the universe and everything

105.Rose: You're so different.
The Doctor: New-New Doctor.
Dr Who - when he changes from the 9th to the 10th Doctor

106. Bad wolf !!!!!
-Nuff said
all of series one of Doctor Who

107. Take the blue pill.

The Matrix

108 When Hell Tannen got his birth name in 'Damnation Ally' His mother dies the father walks in says one word , Hell and walks out never to be seen again and thats what the nurse puts down.

109: KHAN!!!!

110: Jelly Babies. mmm!

Here's a literary one for Mr. Mona:

111. Andrew "Ender" Wiggins passes his Command School final exam.

108 When Hell Tannen got his birth name in 'Damnation Ally' His mother dies the father walks in says one word , Hell and walks out never to be seen again and thats what the nurse puts down.

112 Hell Tanner's entire speech about why he doesn't shake hands (I'm left handed, I loved it).

112a When I read the book and went "Why couldn't they make a movie about this?"

113. Wilma Flintstone uses a washing machine powered by birds and a pulley system. (This foreshadows all biotech engineering.)

114. (Starship Troopers, movie) "Only way you'll see action is to be knocked down to private, Zim." ... "The brainbug has been captured by a private named Zim." (those quotes aren't probably exactly correct)

115. (Dr. Who) "Exterminate!"

Supreme Bashar Miles Teg, under mental torture, has his mind break open into wide-spectrum prescient awareness, and proceeds to kill all his tormentors as if they're in slow motion.

10 (The 5th Element) Crazy Hat Guy: "Gimme de caaaassssh!". That whole scene cracks me up.

HAH! me too!

"Nice hat..."

1XX. 5th element, whole movie...

1XX Silence in space...ala Firefly.

1XX Pre-Earth aliens giving Earth culture, ala Stargate.

1XX Tribles. plus Harcourt Fenton Mudd and his clone wives...

1XX River going all assassin crazy, Firefly...pick a scene.

Crimson Jester wrote:

108 When Hell Tannen got his birth name in 'Damnation Ally' His mother dies the father walks in says one word , Hell and walks out never to be seen again and thats what the nurse puts down.

112 Hell Tanner's entire speech about why he doesn't shake hands (I'm left handed, I loved it).

112a When I read the book and went "Why couldn't they make a movie about this?"

Did someone say movie?

Tholas wrote:

81. The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin: A heart breaking short story that, unlike most other Godwin stories, has no happy end.

Yes, this one still makes me pause and ponder -- a most powerful yarn.

After I started doing safety engineering, the story lost a lot of its power. It still makes me pause and ponder, though, but now what I wonder is what sort of idiots run the interstellar ships in that world. See, e.g., the essay here.

Matthew Morris wrote:

Crimson Jester wrote:

108 When Hell Tannen got his birth name in 'Damnation Ally' His mother dies the father walks in says one word , Hell and walks out never to be seen again and thats what the nurse puts down.

112 Hell Tanner's entire speech about why he doesn't shake hands (I'm left handed, I loved it).

112a When I read the book and went "Why couldn't they make a movie about this?"

Did someone say movie?

That was my point. Read the book, then you go 'why couldn't someone make a movie about the book.' ;-)

116. Zed: May I ask you why you felt little Tiffany deserved to die?

Crimson Jester wrote:

Matthew Morris wrote:

Crimson Jester wrote:

108 When Hell Tannen got his birth name in 'Damnation Ally' His mother dies the father walks in says one word , Hell and walks out never to be seen again and thats what the nurse puts down.

112 Hell Tanner's entire speech about why he doesn't shake hands (I'm left handed, I loved it).

112a When I read the book and went "Why couldn't they make a movie about this?"

Did someone say movie?

That was my point. Read the book, then you go 'why couldn't someone make a movie about the book.' ;-)

yes and the sad thing is, that the actors in the movie were good actors. the movie just has nothing to do with the book and I think the director was on acid.

I love the book and own an autographed copy.

Come on, people. Space Opera. You cannot have a thread titled space opera and don't have quotes like this:

Sheridan "Now get the hell out of our galaxy!"

Drake: "Negative. We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ship."
Delenn: "Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else."

Sebastian: "Remembered not as a messenger, remembered not as a reformer, not as a prophet, not as a hero…not even as Sebastian. Remembered only…as Jack."

Londo Mollari: "But this…this, this, this is like… being nibbled to death by, uh…Pah! What are those Earth creatures called? Feathers, long bill, webbed feet…go "quack"."
Vir Cotto: "Cats."
Londo: "Cats! I'm being nibbled to death by cats."

And since Serenety's mentioned:

Jane: "I'll be in my Bunk"

Okay, since we've mentioned a few B5 moments now, I have to add one of my personal favorites. Vir looking up at Morden's head on a pike and doing that little smile and wave.

"Zathras, not ZAthras. Totally different."

Oh, B5 has so many great moments ...

G'Kar(Blood dripping from his hand): Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead! How do you apologize to them?
Vir [whimpering]: I can't!
G'Kar: Then I cannot forgive!

115. (Dr. Who) "Exterminate!"

115b. "There are five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

And, even better:

115c. "YOU WILL OBEY OR SHE WILL BE EXTERMINATED."
"No."
"EXPLAIN YOURSELF."
"I said, 'No.' "
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS NEGATIVE?"
"It means, 'No.' "
"BUT SHE WILL BE DESTROYED!"
"No! 'Cause this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rescue her. I'm going to save Rose Tyler from the middle of the dalek fleet, and then I'm going to save the Earth, and then - just to finish off - I'm going to wipe every last stinkin' dalek out of the sky!"
"BUT YOU HAVE NO WEAPONS. NO DEFENSES. NO PLAN."
"Yeah. And doesn't that scare you to death..."

"WE WOULD DESTROY THE CYBERMEN WITH ONE DALEK."

Kwll: "My brother and I have slain all of your gods of Chaos, and all of their minions."

Okay, since we've mentioned a few B5 moments now, I have to add one of my personal favorites. Vir looking up at Morden's head on a pike and doing that little smile and wave.

My absolute favorite pair of moments - with the payoff TWO SEASONS LATER - in the whole run of the show.

"What would I like, Mr. Morden? I'd like to see your head, on a pike, as a symbol for the next 10 generations that some favors come at too high a price. And I'd look up into your lifeless eyes, and I'd wave... like this [waggles fingers]. Do you think your 'associates' could arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

Love it. Love love love it. In fact, I just watched this clip on youtube like a day or two ago.