Look, it's a well documented fact on the internet that I am a Trekkie. Big fan of Star Trek, though generally speaking that's because Star Trek has, for many years, been the poster-child for the particular brand of optimistic sci-fi that I really enjoy. It's debatable whether or not that's still true, but I haven't really had much interest in any of the new Trek shows so I haven't bothered watching them. Therefore I will not be having that debate, completely uninformed as I am.
That said, I have watched basically everything that featured Leonard Nimoy's Spock (save a few episodes from season 3 of TOS), so I feel pretty well informed when I say that, of all the amazing lines Spock was given and all the amazing deliveries Nimoy gave us, this is what I consider to be categorically the best.
"I've been dead before."
Now, some context; this line is uttered toward the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the very last feature film that Spock ever appeared in as portrayed by Nimoy. The Enterprise has just successfully broken Kirk and Bones out of prison on the penal asteroid of Rura Penthe, and uncovered the participation of Lt. Valeris in the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon. Spock interrogates Valeris with what seems to be a particularly forceful mind meld, and discovers that she does not know the location of the upcoming peace talks where another assassination is planned to ensure that peace doesn't accidentally break out between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Without that location the Enterprise won't be able to intervene, and war will surely follow.
In response to the declaration re: Valeris that "She does not know", Scotty observes in tones of defeat, "Then we're dead." A moment passes in silence. Spock visibly recovers from his psychic interrogation, and turns away from the traitor.
"I've been dead before. Contact Excelsior, she'll have the coordinates."
Now, let's unpack that. Despite appearances to the contrary, this is a perfectly Vulcan way to respond. Spock has been dead before. After sacrificing his life to save the crew of cadets intended to be under his command, his body was revitalized by the genesis effect present around his casket and his mind returned to it after a brief stay inside of Bones'. Scotty's observation suggests that they're at the end because of this new information, and Spock is merely observing that death is not always the end of something, given that it wasn't for him.
But look just a bit closer. Spock delivers that line with the barest hint of what you might term a melodramatic flair. It has been well established by episodes and movies up to this point that Spock chooses to embrace his Vulcan heritage and cultural emphasis on logic over emotion, but he's also half Human. In his own experience when recovering from... well, death, the computer program intended to test his mental recovery deigns to ask him how he is feeling. In response to his confusion over that question, Spock's mother simply suggests that the computer knows he is half Human, knows that he will have emotional responses however he represses them, and that it is important to gauge that half of his psyche as well.
Spock spends quite a bit of time thereafter coming to terms with his Human tendencies, ostensibly to control them. And I would challenge anyone to suggest that he was not perfectly in control of his Human sense of humor when he responded to such a dire situation by joking about death. It was perhaps a logical attempt to break the tension using humor, a time-honored technique among humans, but his own sense of humor was apparent in the delivery.
And now look even closer. Perhaps there was even more depth to the statement than just that. Spock is a captain, equal in rank to Kirk, though to all appearances he has been flying a desk in association with the Vulcan representatives on the Federation Council for some time now, and he does not have a ship. Kirk, despite his upcoming retirement, is still the captain of the Enterprise. Perhaps not so laudy a title as it once was, given that the Enterprise was no longer the flagship of the fleet, but when on the bridge of the Enterprise, Kirk out-ranks Spock.
Now, Spock has been in command for a large chunk of the movie leading up to this point, given Kirk was on trial or in prison at the time. And technically Spock would probably still retain command in the eyes of Starfleet since Kirk is technically a fugitive from justice. But in the eyes of the crew, Kirk is back in the big chair, and that means Kirk is in command. Spock knows this, and he knows Kirk. More specifically he knows that Kirk definitely thinks of himself as in command now that he's back. But Spock also has an answer to their predicament, and he needs to deliver one more order without worrying about debate.
So he deadpans a reminder of several things. First of all, that he's faced the ultimate no-win-scenario and beaten it. This is for the crew. It doubles as a reminder to Kirk that he didn't cheat in order to win the way his old friend had. But it's also a reminder to Kirk of the things that Kirk personally had to go through to make sure Spock was present to save his life earlier that day. With four words he essentially said "Listen to me, I've faced impossible odds before and beaten them. You, Kirk, you know I know what I'm talking about, and we both know that we've beaten odds like this before. So I've got one last order to give, now listen up."
All of that while simultaneously breaking the tension, with nothing but a simple statement of fact. It's excellent characterization of Spock, of Kirk, of the history of the Enterprise and her crew, as well as the Trek universe, all in four perfectly written and delivered words.
Easily the best line the man ever uttered.
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