- Lieutenant Worf: Captain! Request permission to be excused from Commander Hutchinson's reception.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Permission granted... I wish I could excuse myself as well.
- Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Er, Captain, permission to be...
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Mr. La Forge, I cannot excuse my entire senior staff! Mr. Worf beat you to it.
- Commander William T. Riker: [after having introduced non-stop small talkers Hutchinson and Data to one another] I'm not sure which one to feel sorry for.
- Counselor Deanna Troi: [about Data and "Hutch"] They're still at it.
- Commander William T. Riker: Non-stop. I have to admit, it has a sort of strange fascination. How long can two people talk about nothing?
- Lt. Commander Data: It has been quite a day. Has it not?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: [slightly surprised about the comment] Yes, it has.
- Lt. Commander Data: However, a change of routine is often invigorating, and can be a welcome diversion after a long assignment.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Exactly.
- Lt. Commander Data: [after a pause] I understand that Arkaria has some very interesting weather patterns.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: [bewildered] Mr. Data? Are you all right?
- Lt. Commander Data: Yes, sir. I am attempting to fill a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Ah. Small talk.
- Lt. Commander Data: Yes, sir. I have found that humans often use small talk during awkward moments. Therefore, I have written a new subroutine for that purpose. How did I do?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Perhaps it was a little... too non-relevant.
- Kelsey: If I were you, Mr. Mott, I'd be trying to find another way off this ship.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: I plan on leaving the same way you do. On your ship.
- Kelsey: What ship?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Come on, Kelsey. If you've been planning this so long, you must have a way of getting off the Enterprise and leaving this system. I think you have a ship coming for you. I plan to be on it.
- Kelsey: It's a small ship, Mott. I don't think there's gonna be room for both of us.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: I'm sorry to hear that. I'll send your regrets.
- [last lines]
- Lieutenant Worf: Captain - you keep a saddle on board?
- Commander William T. Riker: Mr. Worf, I'm surprised at you.
- Doctor Beverly Crusher: Anyone who is an experienced rider naturally has his own saddle.
- Counselor Deanna Troi: It's perfectly normal.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Actually it came in handy. I only wish I'd had the opportunity to use it on a horse.
- Lieutenant Worf: [confused] Of course...
- Counselor Deanna Troi: [nursing Riker's wound] I thought you were just going to talk to him.
- Commander William T. Riker: I did. He just didn't like what I had to say.
- Lt. Commander Data: [practicing small talk a la Hutchinson on Riker and Crusher] It is very good to see you both again! Beverly... May I call you Beverly? Beverly, have you noticed that the mean temperature here on Arkaria is slightly higher than normal for human comfort levels? I have found that humans prefer a body temperature of 21 degrees Celsius in order to operate most efficiently. However, there are several cultures who actually prefer that their body temperature is identical to the temperature of the room in which they are standing. The Sheliak for example...
- [Picard keeps Devor at bay with a laser welder]
- Devor: You're Starfleet. You won't kill me.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: You sure?
- [Devor starts to look doubtful when he is suddenly knocked out - with a hypospray]
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Seems you're right.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Mr. La Forge, how long before the baryon sweep begins on the Enterprise?
- Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: About 25 minutes, sir.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Then I have enough time to go back to the ship and get my saddle.
- Counselor Deanna Troi: Your saddle?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Yes, a saddle is a, a very... personal... thing. It has to be, er... broken in, used, cared for.
- Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: You keep a saddle on board the Enterprise?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Oh, yes. Yes, er, I never know when I will have the opportunity to ride.
- Counselor Deanna Troi: I see.
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: It's perfectly normal. You know, most, er, most serious riders do have their own saddles.
- Counselor Deanna Troi: Of course.
- Cmdr. Hutchinson: Absolutely!
- Orton: I am not interested in hearing your hostage negotiation tactics, Commander.
- Commander William T. Riker: Well, it can't hurt you to listen, can it?
- Orton: All right.
- Commander William T. Riker: Thank you. Now...
- [Riker turns away from Orton]
- Commander William T. Riker: ...the first thing I think we need to discuss is this:
- [Riker reels around and punches Orton in the face]
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Profit - this is all about profit?
- Kelsey: I prefer to think of it as commerce.
- [Kelsey snatches a container with highly explosive trilithium resin out of Neil's hands, who gasps in horror]
- Kelsey: Don't be so tense, Neil! Listen, if something goes wrong, you won't have time to worry about it.
- Lt. Commander Data: [Communicating with Capt. Picard as Kelsey, the thief Picard was fighting on board, is making her escape] Sir, an unidentified scout ship has just beamed someone off the Enterprise. Do you know anything about it?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: [Holding the stabilizing unit of the container of dangerously unstable material Kelsey was stealing that he managed to remove without her noticing] I know they won't get far.
- [Kelsey's departing ship soon explodes]
- [first lines]
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard: [voiceover] Captain's log, stardate 46682.4. The Enterprise is docked at the Remmler array, where it will undergo a routine procedure to eliminate accumulated baryon particles. In preparation for the sweep, we are evacuating the ship.