Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (video game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Developer(s)	StarFleet Academy Software
Publisher(s)	Interplay
Release date(s)	1994 (SNES/Genesis), 1995 (PC)
Genre(s)	Shooter
Mode(s)	Single player,multiplayer
Platform(s)	Super NES, Sega Mega Drive, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Media	8-megabit Cartridge, CD-ROM

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, and PC flight simulation game that simulates the life of a typical Starfleet cadet. The object in the game is for the player to learn the metaphorical ABCs of flying a spaceship so that he can become a captain of his very own Star Trek starship. It includes a simulation battle mode in which the player can pilot and fight ships of his choosing.

The PC version spans five CD-ROMs, and is technically superior to the SNES/Genesis version in every aspect. It is also enhanced with numerous interactive live action scenes that can affect crew performance, and a storyline involving a terrorist group known as the Vanguard. The live action scenes feature William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov, and George Takei as Captain Hikaru Sulu, as celebrity guest instructors at the school.

The player takes the role of human Cadet Forester, leader of a cadet group at Starfleet's San Francisco–based Command College. The player has to pass all the simulated missions, optionally including the infamous Kobayashi Maru scenario. The scenarios, in addition to simple combat situations, include a recreation of Kirk's near-disastrous starship confrontation with Khan Noonien Singh which Kirk ruefully admits is used to teach cadets to avoid his serious mistake that nearly doomed his ship. In addition, Forester must keep his crew in check and prevent personality clashes from lowering team performance.

The crew consists of a Vulcan science officer called Sturek, an Andorian communications officer named M'Giia, and a detached and shy human engineer Robin Brady, with humans Jana Akton and Corin at the helm and navigation.

During the course of the game it is possible to foil the machinations of the Vanguard—a fanatical terrorist group dedicated to overthrowing the Federation government and installing Kirk as a despot—and to investigate the cause of increasing tensions around the Klingon Neutral Zone. On the other hand, it is possible to be dismissed from the Academy in disgrace if the wrong choice is made during certain full motion video sequences.

A data disk was released for the PC known as Chekov's Lost Missions, which consists of a handful of challenging missions introduced by Chekov himself.

The version released on home consoles took a different approach, presenting the player with a number of unconnected missions that combined starship combat with limited puzzle elements, usually in the form of multiple-choice dialogues. Certain missions had multiple possible outcomes, with the more desirable results receiving a better grade.