The Best Dejah Thoris Quotes

Dejah: You mad fool! You're not from Earth! There are no Gates of Iss! I only told you what you wanted to hear so you'd get us out! Stop! I can't! I cannot marry him!
John: Can't marry who?
Dejah: The Zodanga Jeddak you fought. Sab Than. He offered a truce to my father in exchange for my hand.
John: Your father?
Dejah: Tardos Mors.
Sola: The Jeddak of Helium. She is a princess.
John: A princess of Mars. How about that? A princess who didn't wanna get married, so she ran away.
Dejah: No.
John: Is that all there is to this story?
Dejah: No! I didn't run away! I escaped!
John: From what? His breath? So marry the guy and save your people.
Dejah: A life of oppression, that's not living!
[as she runs to follow them Dejah falls, Carter suddenly turns back and offers to help her up]
Dejah: If you had the means to save others, would you not take any action possible to make it so?
John: No good will come out of me fightin' your war.
Dejah: I would lay down my life for Helium. Yes, I ran away. I was... afraid, weak. Maybe I should have married, but I so feared that it would somehow be the end of Barsoom. I tell you truly, John Carter of Earth, there are no Gates of Iss. They are not real.
John: I'm sorry, princess. But this...
John: [he shows her the medallion that brought him to Barsoom]
John: This is real. And so is my cave of gold.
[he offers his hand to Dejah to help her up which she reluctantly takes]

Sola: Where are you going?
Dejah: To your temple.
Sola: No! No, you cannot enter here! It is forbidden! You are not Thark!
[Dejah and John enter so she follows]
Sola: Dotar Sojat, it is forbidden. It is forbidden!
Dejah: Well, you speak for the goddess. What does she say?
John: [Seeing the engraving on the temple's wall] You called me a thern. Is that what she is?
Sola: No! She is Issus. Therns are holy messengers of the goddess. In the time of oceans they walked among us, guiding us. We must not offend. Let us go!

John: Stand behind me, this might get dangerous.
[John fights the Zodangans. When he loses his sword, Dejah takes it and kills the remaining enemies]
John: Or maybe I ought to get behind you...
Dejah: [Cleans the blood off the sword with John's clothes] You let me know when it gets dangerous.

Tardos: [In Zodanga the wedding procession is taking place, Dejah walks towards her father] I know that this is not the fate you'd have chosen for yourself, or for Helium. But choice is a luxury, even for a Jeddak of Barsoom. Even if in your heart...
Dejah: The heart is a luxury.
[Tardos starts walking Dejah down the isle towards Sab Than]
Tardos: Steady.
Matai: [Matai Shang is next to Sab Than as they watch Dejah and her father walk towards them] Remember, she is not the prize. The prize is Barsoom.

John: [as the trio arrive the Gates of Iss which looks like a giant umbrella-like rock formation] Professor.
Dejah: Impossible! I've never seen this kind of structure before.
John: I wanna get a better look.
[suddenly Carter grabs Dejah and leaps to the top of the rock formation]
Dejah: Carter, your feet!
[the medallion Carter carries lights up blue and as they look down they notice the center of the rock begins to lower and a set of stairs emerges, the stairs lead into a cave where the walls form blue webbed material]
Dejah: This is not the work of Gods. These are machines. Your medallion.
John: [Carter gives her the medallion and Dejah places it on the glowing spider carving on the cave ground] The spider.
Dejah: [nine blue glowing rays suddenly appear out of the spider symbol] Nine. Nine rays. Nine! The Ninth Ray is real! It can be harnessed, do you see? This entire structure runs on Ninth Ray isolates. The Iss is such power, and somehow Zodanga has it. The Therns, they must be real. And you, you are John Carter of Earth?
John: Yes, ma'am.
Dejah: And the ships that sail on the sea, you've seen them?
[Carter nods his head]
Dejah: That must be a beautiful sight.
John: It truly is.
[as Carter steps on the blue ray light suddenly the set of symbols connects and the solar system appears on the ground]
Dejah: It's our solar system!
John: [Carter steps on the symbol of Earth and a set of symbols connects the planet to Barsoom] What's it saying?
Dejah: I'm not sure.
John: Okay. What do you think it says?
Dejah: It appears to be... a kind of technical diagram. Here is Barsoom, there is Jasoom. This bit here, it's like our symbol for a transcription. A copy, sent along these lines here, between the worlds. Like...
John: A telegram. You're saying I was telegraphed here. I'm a copy of myself.
Dejah: Possibly. Making these words here, the command for travel.
Dejah: [referring to the symbols they've just discovered] I don't like guessing. I need more information, I need charts, codices.
[Carter looks at Dejah with suspicion]
John: Right. And where might we find those?

Tardos: Dejah, ever since you were a little girl, you've always met the expectations placed on you. It's Sab's terms.
Dejah: What are they?
Tardos: He will spare Helium, if you accept his hand in marriage.
Dejah: No! He is a monster! You must refuse him!
Tardos: He's already on his way here.
Dejah: But all of my work! I just need a little more time!
Tardos: Dejah.
Dejah: How can you...? You can't just bow down to Zodanga!
Tardos: A wedding will save the city!
Dejah: Perhaps! But it could lose you Barsoom!
Tardos: Dejah!
Dejah: With no one to stop Zodanga it will be the beginning of the end!
Tardos: We do not... we do not have the luxury.
Dejah: [shouting] You are the Jeddak of Helium! You must find another way!
Tardos: [shouting] There is no other way!
[Dejah looks away from Tardos]
Tardos: If there were, I would risk anything to cease it. This is the chance we have been given. Perhaps it is the will of the Goddess.
Dejah: No. It is your will. When I was little and we would look up at the stars, and you would tell me of the heroes whose glory was written in the sky. How there was a star up there for me. Is this what you imagined would be written on it?
Tardos: [before Tardos answers her Kantos enters with his men]
Kantos: My Jeddak, Sab Than's Corsair approaches the city. They signal for permission to land.
Tardos: Grant it.
[Dejah turns away from Tardos in disappointment and sadness]
Tardos: And let us prepare ourselves for a wedding.

Tardos: Dejah, ever since you were a little girl you've always met the expectations placed on you...
[Dejah gently places her hand on his]
Tardos: It's Sab's terms.
Dejah: What are they?
Tardos: He will spare Helium if you accept his hand in marriage.
[Places his hand upon hers but Dejah quickly takes it away]
Dejah: No. He is a monster! You must refuse him!
Tardos: He's already on his way here.
Dejah: But all of my work... I just need a little more time.
Tardos: Dejah.
Dejah: How can you... You can't just bow down to Zodanga!
Tardos: A wedding will save the city!
Dejah: Perhaps but it could lose you Barsoom!
Tardos: Dejah.
Dejah: With no one to stop Zodanga will be the beginning of the end! You are a Jeddak of Helium! You must find another way!
Tardos: There is not another way!

John: [as they are pursued by the Thark tribe, Carter touches Dejah's hand and has flashback to coming home after the war to find his home burned with his wife and his daughter inside]
Sola: Dotar Sojat!
Dejah: What are you doing?
John: [he jumps off the lizard-horse creature] Sola, get her out of here.
Dejah: No! Carter!
John: I was too late once. I won't be again.
Dejah: No! No! No! No!
[Carter tries to force Woola to flee with the women, but Woola remains, as the Thark tribe reach him, Carter leaps in the air and onto the warriors, with each slash of his sword he flashbacks to burying his wife and daughter and placing his wife's wedding ring on his hand, then the Tharks begin to overwhelm him and Carter disappears under a pile of Thark warriors]

John: War's a shameful thing.
Dejah: Not when a noble cause is taken by those who can make a difference. You made a difference today, Virginia.
John: Okay. See, my name is John Carter. Virginia is where I'm from.
Dejah: Where did you learn to jump that way?
John: I don't know. How'd you learn to fly?
Dejah: Your ships cannot sail on light in Virginia?
John: No, professor. See, our ships sail on the seas. Endless water everywhere.
Dejah: [Stares at him then begins to walk around him] Skeleton structure normal...
John: What are you doing?
Dejah: [Continues to study him] It must be the density of your bones.
[Spanks him]
Dejah: Jump for me!
Sola: Enough! There will be time for playfulness later!
Dejah: I want no playfulness from him. I want his help. Explain to me how you do it. If it's a skill, teach it to Helium. Name your price.
John: I'm not for hire. I've got a cave of gold of my own. Somewhere
[Begins to walk away]
Dejah: Only a madman would rave about the times of oceans!
John: Is that your expert's view? I'm mad?
Dejah: Or a liar.
Sola: She's a good match for you, Dotar Sojat.
John: Don't call me that.
Dejah: There are no seas on the planet.
John: You said planet...

Sola: [as they follow Dejah who is supposed to be taking them to the river Iss] Dotar Sojat. Carter! I do not think she leads us to the Iss.
John: Alright then, Sola. Just play along.
John: [Carter rides his lizard-horse creature closer to Dejah and suddenly grabs her rains] What do you think I'd do once I saw your city and not some river?
Dejah: What do you mean?
Sola: Cloras Anthorea, they should be at our backs by now. You lead us toward Helium!
Dejah: Once we reach there, you would see for yourself the virtue of our cause.
Dejah: Everyone thinks their cause is virtuous, professor.
[suddenly he grabs her stuff and throws her off her lizard-horse creature and he and Sola take off leaving her behind]
Dejah: What are you doing? No! John Carter! You can't!
Sola: [as they pretend to leave her] I like this plan better.
John: Just wait. She'll come around.

Dejah: [Pointing with a stick at the solar system she drew on the ground] Sun. Then Rasoom.
John: Mercury.
Dejah: [Points to the second planet] Then Cosoom.
John: Venus.
[Points to the third planet]
John: Then Earth. Us.
Dejah: That is Jasoom.
[Points to the next planet]
Dejah: You are on Barsoom, John Carter.
John: Mars? I'm on Mars...
[Gets up, shocked]
John: Good God, I'm on Mars.
Dejah: So your home is Jasoom? And you came on one of your sailing ships across millions of karads of empty space?
John: No. Not like that.
Dejah: Go on. Shock me. How?
John: [Points at the thern medallion kept by Tars Tarkas] That brought me here.
Dejah: Oh. Well, that explains everything then.
John: It does?
Dejah: Yes. You are a thern. And you simply wish to return to your rightful place, isn't that it?
John: Yes.
Dejah: [Begins to walk away] Then let's sort this out right now. Come along!
[John follows]

Dejah: In the Hall of Science.
John: And where's that?
Dejah: [chuckles, while smiling with her head down] Helium.
John: [Carter becomes angry, thinking that Dejah is still trying to convince him to go to Helium] Then quick! Let's just head on turn on back to Helium.
[Carter grabs Dejah's arm in anger]
John: What do you take me for?
Dejah: I take you for a man who's lost!
John: I won't be lost if you just tell me how to work this thing!
Dejah: I will! But everything I need to understand the medallion is in Helium. I'm trying to get you back to your cave of gold. Isn't that what you want?
John: Yes.
John: I won't be lost if you just tell me how to work this thing!
Dejah: No, I don't believe you. We may have been born worlds apart, but I know you, John Carter. From the moment you caught me in the sky, I knew. I felt the heart of a man willing to lay down his life for others. A man willing to fight for a cause, here, on Barsoom.
[Suddenly Carter kisses Dejah, but he has a flashback of his wife and daughter and pulls away from Dejah]
Dejah: Don't you see? Carter, I fled to find another way. You are the other way.
[suddenly they hear Sola calling out to Carter, as they leave the cave they see a tribe of Tharks, led by Matai Shang, shooting at Sola]

Dejah: Homesick for the Thark nursery?
John: I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep. I had that feeling you get suddenly that... you left a light burning or a door open.
John: Go back to bed. I won't be long.
[she kisses his hand and returns to their room and Carter takes Woola for a walk]

John: [Seeing the carvings in the temple of the Tharks] Can you read it?
Dejah: It's old scripture.
John: What's it mean?
Dejah: Don't rush me. "To those who seek the solace of eternity, may journey down the river through the sacred Gates of Iss and find everlasting peace in the bosom of Issus".
John: The Gates of Iss.
Dejah: What if I could take you there?
John: What if I didn't trust you?
Dejah: Then we'd be even. I can take you to the gates, to the answers that you seek. A way back to Jasoom.
John: Earth.
Dejah: Earth. So this I can to repay you from getting us out of here. Assuming that you can.
John: Deal.
[Places his hand in front of her. Dejah looks confused]
John: Go on. Shake it. It's a sign of trust.
[Dejah takes his thumb and gives his hand a light shake]
John: Good enough.

Dejah: [to Tars Tarkas] Jeddak of the Tharks. I am Dejah Thoris, regent of the Royal Helium Academy of Science. My research...
Tars: [Pushes her away to John] Your share of the spoils. Sola, tend to Virginia's property.
Sola: Yes, my Jeddak
[Holds Dejah's arms behind her back]
Dejah: [to Tars Tarkas] You know when Sab Than has conquered us, he will turn his weapon upon you!
Tars: I know that Zodanga has found a way to defeat you. And now you seek a mighty weapon of your own. But Virginia fights for us! He will fight the Torquas in the south. The Warhoons in the north! And he will be called Dotar Sojat! "My right arms"!
John: No. I don't fight for anyone.
Tars: [to John] Virginia. You reject this honor, then I can't guarantee you the safety of your red girl.
John: [Looks at Dejah being held captive by Sola] I am... Dotar Sojat.

Dejah: [to John, as Matai Shang disguised as Dejah is fleeing] I'm getting away!
[John and Dejah pursue the other Dejah]