- Carl Sagan voice over.: [From the trailer, Carl Sagan voice over.] Home. Everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, lived out their lives on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. In our obscurity, there is no hint that help will come from somewhere else to save us from ourselves. The Earth is where we make our stand, It underscores our responsibility to preserve and cherish the only home we've ever known.
- Secretary of Defense Reid Baker: [On learning the interceptors only have a 61% success rate] So it's a fucking coin toss? This is what we get for fifty billion dollars?
- SAIC Ken Cho: [Talking to Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves, the carrier of "the football" that holds the nuclear launch codes, about how many presidents he's worked for and about the current serving president, portrayed by Idris Elba.] I've worked for three. They're all chronically late narcissists. At least this one reads the newspaper.
- POTUS: [after Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves makes the sign of the cross.] God give you an answer?
- General Anthony Brady: We've already lost one American city, sir. How many more do you want to risk?
- POTUS: What kind of fucking question is that? That's insanity, okay?
- General Anthony Brady: No, Mister President. That's reality.
- Sergeant Mary Nolan: [On realizing the missile is not going to immediately come back to Earth as a test launch would.] The inclination is flattening.
- General Anthony Brady: Mister President, we're going to need your decision. Lieutenant Commander Reeves is your strike advisor and can walk you through the authentication process. Then you'll need to read aloud an attack option designation.
- POTUS: Yeah, look, I understand all that. Reid, I'll need you... What do you think, Reid?
- Helicopter Pilot: [over shared intercom] We're a little too close to that for a takeoff.
- POTUS: What, did we lose him?
- Helicopter Pilot: [over shared intercom] Oh, no, no, no, no. Holy shit!
- POTUS: What was that?
- General Anthony Brady: All right, it's all right.
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: Mister President?
- General Anthony Brady: No, no, keep your seats, keep your seats.
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: It's Jake again, sir.
- General Anthony Brady: Keep your seats!
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: [voiced over shared intercom] Ehm, Baerington.
- [regular voice]
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: I just spoke to the Russian Foreign Minister. He denies their responsibility for the launch. He said he spoke to Beijing, and he thinks it wasn't them either.
- Admiral Mark Miller: [nodds "yes"]
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: I believed him, sir.
- POTUS: You did? Are they gonna back down?
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: Sir, I think that they want to. And if we can guarantee that we will not retaliate, I think I can, uh
- [sighs and slaps his hands on the desk]
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: , we can convince them.
- POTUS: What? What does that mean?
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: That we don't launch... against anyone... for now, at least.
- POTUS: While we just sit back and watch Chicago incinerate. Are you fucking kidding me? Do, do you think the American people are gonna go for that?
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: Sir, the warhead, it might still malfunction. They do that sometimes.
- POTUS: Did he agree to these terms? All right, if we do nothing, they back off for certain?
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: More or less.
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: More or less? Jake,...
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: Yes sir?
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: I'm gonna need you to breathe.
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: I'm breathing just fine, sir.
- POTUS: Good, 'cause I've gotta make this decision... I wish it weren't. And your job is to tell me exactly what he agreed to; no bullshit. Can you do that?
- Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington: He didn't agree to anything, sir. He said he needed to speak with his president.
