Favorite phrase of the
Rangers, an elite
interstellar military force featured on the television show
Babylon 5. Often uttered when a Ranger is about to
die tragically.
If you haven't seen the show and don't want to spoil any surprises, please give this writeup a miss.
The role of the Rangers changes throughout the show, but their core purpose stays the same: "We live for the one, we die for the one."
There is much initital speculation as to who "the one" is, with initital guesses leaning towards Valen, a major Minbari spiritual figure from 1,000 years before. That guess is largely correct. However, it eventually is revealed that "the one" is actually three people:
Thus, the Rangers do not serve one person, but instead three people who prove to be central players in the battle against evil, oppression, war, and chaos in the galaxy. They stand for peace and understanding between all races, not for any specific cause or government.