Words of wisdom from Star Trek

You know how I've been staying up too late at night recently, watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation? I stay up for the first five minutes and if it looks familiar or promising, I watch the whole thing.

Last night was a favorite first season episode in which Lt. Natasha Yar is killed randomly and unexpectedly by an alien life form. As I recall, actor Denise Crosby wanted to get out of the job, and the writers did a great job of giving her a typically Star Trek last moment.

At the end of the episode, after the Enterprise crew has (yet again) defeated the alien enemy, they hold a funeral for Tasha Yar. This being the 24th century, she has recorded a holodeck image of herself and so instead of someone else eulogizing her, she gives a message to her friends on the bridge crew.

I found this line particularly poignant:

"Death is that state in which one only exists in the memory of others; which is why it is not an end. No goodbyes, just good memories."