Due to its debut sixty years ago, the Star Trek franchise was present in the early stages of video games. It was there that the concept of a video game based on a popular IP began to become a reality, and it has been a force in the industry for decades.
Perhaps more than any other franchise, the main concern of the Star Trek video games has always been to create situations where you feel like you are part of the action. Imitating the feeling that the shows and movies created seems to always be a priority with Star Trek games.
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Indeed, some of the best Star Trek games have focused on some of the industry’s biggest focuses. First-person Star Trek games are unfortunately rare, and really good ones are very hard to come by. If you’re ready to dive in, though, let’s take a look at the best first-person Star Trek games of all time.
7
Star Trek: The Bridge Crew
A Star Trek Fan’s Dream Come True
While the JJ Abrams-led Star Trek reboot film series wasn’t for everyone, including me, it led to the production of some of the most incredible games in the franchise’s history. Everyone who considers themselves a Star Trek fan has dreamed of being on a starship.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew lets you do just that, as this VR action adventure puts you and your three friends in the roles we all pretended to play when we were kids. Bridge Crew allows you to become a Captain, tactical officer, engineer or pilot.
I spent a fair amount of time with Bridge Crew back in the day, mostly because of how incredibly immersive the game is and how realistic it makes everything feel. I’ve played a few VR games, but Bridge Crew is one I’d love to see given new life with the main line canon in place and new technology.
6
Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Klingon Honor Guard
This game is famous
No Star Trek species feels more worthy of a first-person shooter than the Klingons. While their violent, unhinged nature often hides the noble people they truly are, the prospect of playing a Klingon in a fast-paced FPS was an easy sell in 1998.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Klingon Honor Guard isn’t just a competitive game to see who can have the most words in their title. It’s also an absolute gem of the 1990s space first-person shooter, and unfortunately it came out a month earlier than Half-Life. It was sadly lost in 1998, which was a pretty busy year for first-person shooters.
Klingon Honor Guard is as good as any FPS from this decade, and it taps into a part of the Star Trek franchise that hasn’t been explored in video games. Klingons are well suited to video games, and these are the only games that put them in a leading role. The recording sounds outstanding, and is worth tracking down today.
5
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Harbinger
To Boldly Point and Click
Star Trek’s commitment to conversations about humanity, religion and other social issues dates back to its inception in the 1960s. I don’t believe any show has fully stuck to that premise and Deep Space Nine, which was the inspiration for some great video games.
One of the best is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Harbinger, which continues the tradition of having unusually long titles, but it’s still a lot of fun. Harbinger is a traditional point-and-click adventure game, which takes place from a first-person perspective during the third season of the show.
Like the best Star Trek games, Harbinger’s main goal is to make you feel like you’re part of the show in personal ways. The smallest touches, including music from the show and voices from the show’s characters, work well with the game’s impressive backgrounds. It feels like a lost episode of an iconic TV show.
4
Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Immerse yourself in the World of Star Trek
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Release date |
February 28, 2002 |
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Engineer |
Games completely |
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The platform |
PC |
If you grew up during Star Trek’s heyday in the 1990s, you may have fallen in love with The Next Generation. Led by Patrick Stewart’s incredible performance as Captain Picard, it was the foundation of Star Trek’s best run in the late 80s and 90s.
As a result, Picard giving you command of a new star in Star Trek: Bridge Commander feels very special. That’s just the beginning, though, as Bridge Commander puts you right in the middle of the action during an epic Star Trek adventure.
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The atmosphere and style of Bridge Commander is second to none. It uses an episodic format, too, making every second feel like a lost episode of a Star Trek spin-off show. Sitting in the chair and commanding the crew is just a unique feeling, and if you have a passing interest in Star Trek, it will stir up amazing emotions.
3
Star Trek: Generations
Make it so
In an attempt to pass the torch from Kirk to the new guard led by Picard, the film Star Trek Generations saw the two captains come together in a year of time travel over loss and grief. What most people don’t seem to know is that the movie had a video game sequel.
Star Trek Generations is a compelling mix of first-person shooter, adventure game and space combat sim. Before each mission, you control Picard and Data as he uncovers clues about the game’s biggest conflict between the Enterprise and a busy scientist named Soran.
It’s a unique experience, and one that I haven’t played in any other first-person game. As you navigate through each level, it feels like you’re playing a 90s-era adventure game with a shooter feel. The list of names is displayed in real-time, and interacting with NPCs and solving puzzles feels much smoother as a result.
2
Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force II
A Stellar Sequel
Despite somewhat disappointing sales numbers for the first Elite Force, Activision moved forward with the sequel. It’s a good thing they did, because while Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force II may not be a better game than its predecessor, it’s still one of the most enjoyable shooters to come out of the 2000s.
The pace of the game is really exciting. It’s a non-stop roller coaster, and it feels like it could be right up there with the big-budget Star Trek films of the era. Everything happened at a high speed, while also managing not to burn himself.
Elite Force II’s single-player campaign takes place after the end of the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis, and you can sense that the team was looking for ways to expand beyond its Voyager origins. It was a good idea, as the Star Trek franchise still lacks a true, progressive FPS.
1
Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force
Resistance is futile
Star Trek: Voyager was a show built on themes of isolation and loneliness. The ship’s ongoing efforts to return home saw them encounter a host of new and familiar aliens, many of whom form the basis of Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force. Developed by Raven Software, Elite Force is a timeless masterpiece that every Star Trek fan has probably played at some point.
If you haven’t already, I can’t recommend Elite Force enough. You don’t even have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy it, as it does enough to appeal to fans of the show and people who just want to shoot things with a laser gun. It’s hard to find people who don’t care about that, honestly.
Elite Force feels incredible, too. The combination of excellent sound design and the way the guns feel when you shoot them is perfect. When a shooter has this level of weight in his fight, it usually leads to something very special. And special is exactly the word I would use to describe Elite Force.
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