We're with the Starquest!
"We're with the StarQuest!." -- unknown Khai Tam crewperson
Usage
Whenever a member of the USS Khai Tam performed an action of dubious merit, one or another witnessing member would loudly proclaim, "We're with the Starquest!" in an effort to divert blame.
Origin
During Star Trek's heyday, Star Trek conventions were cropping up everywhere. The members of the USS Khai Tam favored the conventions called Vulkons, held in Orlando and Tampa, Florida. At any Star Trek convention, there were hoards of representatives of the various nearby chapters of Starfleet: The International Star Trek Fan Association, of which the USS Khai Tam was a member. There was usually a table in a hallway at the convention for information on the Starfleet, and all Fleet members were encouraged to sign in at this table, as a gauge for how many members were in attendance. At this one particular convention, then Commander Ro Reddick, who was helping out at the table, witnessed the captain of the USS Starquest signing in his members. He was unfriendly, cocky, and downright rude. She reported this back to her shipmates in their room who joined in her disdain for conduct so unbecoming an officer of the Fleet.
On the last day of the convention, just prior to departing, the crew of the USS Khai Tam was sitting in the lobby, when member Ed Lamb, a tall and rather large young man, playfully swiped the cigarettes of Denise Duggan. A tussle ensued, and Ed broke into a run for the automatic sliding doors to get outside with Denise in hot pursuit. The automatic doors did not open fast enough for Ed's liking, and he "helped" them by shoving them apart which made one of the doors actually come out of its track. The rest of the crew was aghast, as thoughts of "Oh, what will everyone think about the Khai Tam now?" ran through their heads. It was then that a quick-thinking crew member pipped up and shouted, "We're with the Starquest!" to which the rest of the crew burst into laughter.
While this action of itself was of dubious merit, once the story spread among the attendees and the rest of the crew, "We're with the Starquest!" became a catchphrase as the prepared excuse when considering or performing dubious actions at conventions.
