James T. Kirk: Who the hell are you?
John Harrison: A remnant of a race long forgot. A race of listeners, superior so as to lead others to peace. But we were attacked by a cybernetic race and forced into exile. For years we travelled, hoping things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift. I alone was captured
James T. Kirk: I looked up John Harrison. Until a year ago he didn't exist.
John Harrison: John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was taken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause, a smokescreen to conceal my true identity. My name is... SORAN.
James T. Kirk: Why would a Starfleet admiral ask you for help?
Soran: Because I am better.
James T. Kirk: At what?
Soran: Everything. Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, and for that, he needed an El-Aurians mind - my mind - to design weapons and warships.
Spock: You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold, simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect.
Soran: He wanted to exploit my knowledge of what is to come! Of what might have been in another reality! Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. Marcus used me to design weapons. I helped him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on a star that would cause it to collapse, and then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome: the Klingons would come searching for whoever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war he talked about, the war he always wanted.
James T. Kirk: No, I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers! You killed them in cold blood!
Soran: Marcus took my people from me!
James T. Kirk: You are a murderer!
Soran: He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I have designed. But I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My people are my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?
_________
Spock: Mr Spock.
Spock Prime: Mr Spock.
Spock: I will be brief. In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Soran?
Spock Prime: As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk, and yours alone. That being said, Doctor Tolian Soran is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you.
Spock: Did you defeat him?
Spock Prime: At great cost, yes.
John Harrison: A remnant of a race long forgot. A race of listeners, superior so as to lead others to peace. But we were attacked by a cybernetic race and forced into exile. For years we travelled, hoping things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift. I alone was captured
James T. Kirk: I looked up John Harrison. Until a year ago he didn't exist.
John Harrison: John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was taken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause, a smokescreen to conceal my true identity. My name is... SORAN.
James T. Kirk: Why would a Starfleet admiral ask you for help?
Soran: Because I am better.
James T. Kirk: At what?
Soran: Everything. Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, and for that, he needed an El-Aurians mind - my mind - to design weapons and warships.
Spock: You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold, simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect.
Soran: He wanted to exploit my knowledge of what is to come! Of what might have been in another reality! Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. Marcus used me to design weapons. I helped him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on a star that would cause it to collapse, and then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome: the Klingons would come searching for whoever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war he talked about, the war he always wanted.
James T. Kirk: No, I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers! You killed them in cold blood!
Soran: Marcus took my people from me!
James T. Kirk: You are a murderer!
Soran: He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I have designed. But I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My people are my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?
_________
Spock: Mr Spock.
Spock Prime: Mr Spock.
Spock: I will be brief. In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Soran?
Spock Prime: As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk, and yours alone. That being said, Doctor Tolian Soran is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you.
Spock: Did you defeat him?
Spock Prime: At great cost, yes.
) That's one of the things I didn't "get" about the film - it actually made Khan care about people. His appearance in TOS made it clear that Khan cares nothing for anyone other than Khan. (Don't believe me? Look how he treated Marla McGivers.) Soran, for his part, would not have had this problem. But Khan would, since he was an Augment, and it's pretty much built-in that Augments have no compassion.
