The Emperor Ming Quotes in Flash Gordon (1980)

Zogi, the High Priest: Do you, Ming the Merciless, Ruler of the Universe, take this Earthling Dale Arden, to be your Empress of the Hour?

The Emperor Ming: Of the hour, yes.

Zogi, the High Priest: Do you promise to use her as you will?

The Emperor Ming: Certainly!

Zogi, the High Priest: Not to blast her into space?

[Ming glares at Zogi]

Zogi, the High Priest: Uh, until such time as you grow weary of her.

The Emperor Ming: I do.

Dale Arden: I do NOT!

[first lines]

The Emperor Ming: Klytus, I'm bored. What play thing can you offer me today?

Klytus: An obscure body in the S-K System, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet... Earth.

The Emperor Ming: How peaceful it looks.

[He activates a console, and watches as earthquakes, floods, etc. start to occur. They both get a good laugh out of it]

Klytus: Most effective, Your Majesty! Will you destroy this, er, Earth?

The Emperor Ming: Later. I like to play with thing a while... before annihilation.

[laughs evilly]

Princess Aura: Look! Water is leaking from her eyes.

The Emperor Ming: It's what they call tears, it's a sign of their weakness.

Dr. Hans Zarkov: We are only interested in friendship. Why do you attack us?

The Emperor Ming: Why not? Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out here. If you had known anything about the true nature of the universe, anything at all, you would've hidden from it in terror.

The Emperor Ming: Klytus! Are your men on the right pills? Maybe you should execute their trainer!

Klytus: Should we stop the torture?

The Emperor Ming: No.

Princess Aura: Father! Damn you, Father!

The Emperor Ming: Every thousand years, I test each life system in the Universe. I visit it with mysteries, earthquakes, unpredicted eclipses, strange craters in the wilderness... If these are taken as natural, I judge that system ignorant and harmless - I spare it. But if the Hand of Ming is recognized in these events, I judge that system dangerous to us. I call upon the great god Dyzan, and for his greater glory...

[leans forward, smiling]

The Emperor Ming: ... and for our mutual pleasure...

[leans back again]

The Emperor Ming: ... I destroy it utterly.

Doctor Hans Zarkov: You're saying... it's my fault the Earth is being destroyed?

The Emperor Ming: [grinning] Precisely... Doctor!

[Flash is using football moves to fight Ming's soldiers]

The Emperor Ming: Klytus! What is he doing?

Klytus: I don't know, sir! It looks like some kind of barbaric sport!

Klytus: Now the tributes from Ardentia.

Prince Thun: Your Majesty, we, the people of Ardentia, we have suffered since you blasted our kingdom. I can offer you nothing this year, except my loyalty.

Klytus: Prince Thun, we prize nothing more highly. And tell us, how great is this loyalty to your emperor?

Prince Thun: Without measure.

The Emperor Ming: We are delighted to hear it; fall on your sword.

The Emperor Ming: Show us this loyalty, throw yourself onto your sword.

Prince Thun: [Prince Thun unsheathes his sword] May this deed of Prince Thun be an example to all the kingdoms of Mongo; death to Ming!

[Prince Thun is stopped by a freeze beam from Ming's servant]

Prince Thun: [Ming disembowels and slays Prince Thun with his own sword]

Dale Arden: Ugh!

The Emperor Ming: I'd much rather see you on my side, than scattered into... atoms.

The Emperor Ming: Did you enjoy yourselves in Sibaria? I understand you flew the doctor there last week. Klytus kindly fed me the information.

Princess Aura: Klytus? He wants me himself. His agents are always making up lies about me.

Flash Gordon: The game's lost, Ming! Stop your attack on Earth and I'll spare your life!

The Emperor Ming: You pitiful fool! My life is not for any Earthling to give or take!

[Ming attempts to hold back Flash with the power of his ring. Flash approaches unaffected and menaces Ming with his sword. Ming cowers]

Flash Gordon: Your power is fading, Ming!