Star Trek is one of the biggest franchises on the planet, and has been since its debut all the way back in 1966. Predating the likes of Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even the series' biggest competition, Star Wars, Star Trek was the very definition of groundbreaking, and influenced just about any piece of Sci-Fi media that's come since. As is the case with all long-running, popular properties, there's bound to be some video game adaptations.
The Star Trek franchise currently has over 100 video game tie-ins. While franchises like Star Wars give it a run for its money, having over 100 titles under Star Trek's belt is impressive, as is the sheer breadth of experiences on offer. Fans have been able to enjoy first-person shooters, strategy games, management sims, and more, all set in the beloved Star Trek universe.
A Brief History Of Star Trek Video Games
The very first Star Trek game released all the way back in 1971. Simply titled Star Trek, this text-based adventure let players control the USS Enterprise through a series of written prompts. It's a pretty basic game by today's standards, but its turn-based battles and wealth of branching choices makes it a pretty fun one to revisit today.
In later years, Star Trek games came in fast, but none really grabbed any significant amount of attention, aside from Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator, an arcade game that uses vector graphics. This game is the first real action-focused Star Trek game, seeing players directly control the Enterprise as they blast down waves of oncoming Klingon Birds of Prey.
One of the most popular early Star Trek titles is 1992's Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, which offers some truly impressive visuals and engaging gameplay. Split into two distinct gameplay sections, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary sees players control Captain Kirk as he commands the Enterprise via a bridge view, or on a planet's surface via a third-person perspective. The ability to command each crew member was a great inclusion, and would go on to be a staple of future Star Trek games.
In 1998, Activision made a deal with Viacom to secure the rights to Star Trek. In the years that followed, some of the most beloved Star Trek video games would be produced. Star Trek: Armada released in 2000, and delivered the biggest real-time strategy title of the series thus far. In the same year, Raven Software released Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force, a game that's still regarded as being the best first-person shooter in the franchise. And rounding things off in 2002, Totally Games and Activision released Star Trek: Bridge Commander, the first game that truly put the player in the captain's seat of their very own starship, capable of commanding each of their bridge crew in a variety of authentic Star Trek scenarios.
However, Activision's deal with Viacom would fall through in 2003, leaving the license on unsteady ground for a few years. While a few solid Star Trek titles were released in the following years, like the impressive portable strategy game Star Trek: Tactical Assault, the license wasn't used quite as prolifically as before. In 2010, though, Star Trek Online was released, bringing the franchise into the realm of modern day MMOs. The new Star Trek reboot movie series also brought a new wave of excitement to the franchise, and Bandai Namco capitalized on that with the 2013 game, Star Trek, a third-person co-op shooter that had some disappointing flaws.
In recent years, the Star Trek license has barely been used for video games, aside from the constant onslaught of deck-building mobile games. The last big Star Trek video game release was 2017's Star Trek: Bridge Crew, a VR title heavily inspired by Bridge Commander. Right now, there's only one Star Trek game on the horizon: Star Trek: Resurgence, a narrative adventure game centered around making tough choices. Hopefully it can live up to its name and breathe new life into Star Trek video games.