Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy

Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy

This was the first PC game I ever owned and - wow! - does it take me back! I understand why many gamers don’t feel that this game matches up to Starfleet Command or Klingon Academy but I was one of the few that thought this was an AMAZING game. Sure, it’s dogfighting with Trek ships, but who cares?!

As a professional composer, I have to make mention this upfront: the soundtrack by Star Trek TNG Allum Ron Jones is exquisite and about as Star Trek as it gets! A huge thumbs up for the sound design too!

Real player with 34.7 hrs in game


Read More: Best FMV Simulation Games.


In the 90s, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was heavily anticipated and it was supposed to be best Star Trek game ever. Certainly, it ended being a great game but did not end up meeting the hype and high expectations. Years ago, I bought the physical copy of Starfleet Academy but didn’t realize that a working joystick was essential and all the controls you had to memorize was overwhelming at the time so I gave up on the first mission.

Imagine my excitement when I picked it up on sale recently and now I finally get to give it a second chance. As a big Trek fan, I really enjoyed it. The basic story is you play as cadet on the command track who is working his way through Starfleet Academy by completing a bunch of simulations and at the same time, you must manage all the different personalities of your crew. The game does a good job with its FMV (full motion video) cutscenes which were common in so many 90s games though some of the acting needs improvement. Periodically during these cutscenes, you will have to make several choices which will change the direction of the story and affect your crew’s performance. William Shatner, George Takei and Walter Koenig do a fantastic job reprising their old roles from TOS.

Real player with 32.9 hrs in game

Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy on Steam