How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Quote #4
KHAN: Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us "Revenge is a dish that is best served cold?" It is very cold...in space.
This is a great line. It's intended to convey the notion that the best revenge is one you take your time with: where you think it through and plan it out with preparation and care instead of rushing off half-cocked in a blind rage. The odd thing is, that doesn't sound very Klingon, since they're a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of species.
The phrase itself can be traced back centuries, but the first actual appearance of it was in the 1885 play Prince Bismark, which reads "we did not
act like drunken demagogues, but like responsible politicians who saw the
wisdom of eating cold the dish of their revenge." (Source)
It's also been attributed to the Mafia, and a number of other sources. But if we're being frank, it was Khan that really brought the statement into the popular front… so much so that Quentin Tarantino cited it as an "old Klingon proverb" at the start of his revenge epic Kill Bill.
Quote #5
KIRK: Khan!
KHAN: You still remember, Admiral. I cannot help but be touched. Of course, I remember you.
KIRK: What is the meaning of this attack? Where is the crew of the Reliant?
KHAN: Surely I have made my meaning plain. I mean to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I've deprived your ship of power and when I swing round I mean to deprive you of your life. But I wanted you to know first who it was who had beaten you.
See, there's the ego again. Had Khan just opened fire, the Enterprise would have gone down in a hail of blazing visual effects, and vengeance would be satisfied. But Khan just has to rub Kirk's nose in it, and in the process undoes the immense tactical advantage he had. Way to go, Captain Narcissist!
Quote #6
KIRK: You were going to kill me, Khan. You're going to have to come down here! You're going to have to come down here!
KHAN: I've done far worse than kill you. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on... hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me. As you left her. Marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet...buried alive…buried alive!
KIRK: KHHHAANNN!!!
Here we get Khan's first, best reason for revenge: his wife, who died on Ceti Alpha Five and who he clearly loved like nobody's business. He rarely allows himself to express that pain, but when it comes out…man does it send chills down the spine. (Also, KHHHAANNN!!! is still just so epic.)