To celebrate Picard Day, we got a full-on reveal of the new Grand Strategy Star Trek game, “Star Trek: Infinite“! First revealed at Summer Games Festival 2023 with a small teaser video, we now have a full-on look at the game. The game will look quite familiar for fans of other Paradox Interactive games like Stellaris but with a Star Trek twist!
Star Trek: Infinite is created by Paradox Interactive and Nimble Giant Entertainment. This immersive space strategy game sets players on an epic journey of space exploration and complex choices. It is up to players to shape the destiny of their favorite Star Trek powers. Trekkies have done rather well with video games recently. Star Trek: Resurgence, a Tell Tale style game, was released earlier this year. Additionally, Star Trek: Prodigy Supernova was also released for younger Star Trek fans last year.
Gameplay
For those familiar with Stellaris, the gameplay for “Star Trek: Infinite” will look very familiar. You start your game as one of four playable factions the United Federation of Planets, Romulan Star Empire, Cardassian Union, or Klingon Empire. From here, you go off with science ships to explore new star systems and make first contact with other civilizations!
While doing that, you can construct new starships to bolster your military, make new science ships, or expand your influence and take systems by building stations! There looks to be a mission tree, which will be unique for each playable faction. The Federation has a mission that is “Build the Enterprise”, so I wonder what the equivalent is for the other factions. Each faction offers distinct traits, stories, and quests as you explore the Alpha and Beta quadrants.
Minor Powers
When four civilizations were seen to be playable, I was worried that was going to be it, but it looks like there will be a number of non-playable civilizations to encounter. The Bolian Democracy, Bajoran Republic and the Betazoids. I am sure there are much more civilizations out there, and you’ll get to meet them in-game.
It’ll be interesting if you could conquer civilizations as the Federation or have good relations and form an alliance, as the Romulan Star Empire. Whether some playable factions will allow you to do vastly different things will be interesting.
War never Changes
You may be the master at diplomacy, but in times of peace, prepare for war. We’ve seen you’ll be able to construct fleets of starships, with brand-new classes for factions like the Cardassians and the Romulans. Should diplomacy fail and war be the only recourse, you’ll be able to pit fleets against one another. Or if you are any other factions, War may be the first thing you do!
Starbases!
Your fleets will be constructed at space stations. You start with one in your home system, like Qo’Nos station, and can build more with resources in your new territories. The only new station here is the Romulan Space Station, as we haven’t really seen one in Canon.
These stations will be able to defend themselves and construct science ships to scan anomalies and investigate new systems. Construction ships to build facilities to harvest resources or more stations. Colony ships to settle new planets. Military ships to defend your borders or take more territory from other civilizations!
Endgame Situation
Stellaris has these endgame threats, that when your faction is at its strongest, you’ll have to contend with a dangerous situation. Could Star Trek: Infinite have these as well? In the trailer, we see a shockwave happening around a star. Could this be the start of the Romulan Star Supernova? An endgame situation the Romulan Star Empire has to contend with?
Could we see other similar canonical events happen in the game? The Klingon Civil War between Gowron and the house of Duras? The occupation of Bajor by the Cardassian Central Command? The game is in no way itself canon, but canon events could still be represented. This isn’t even bringing up the Borg threat that could be an endgame power, teased by the teaser trailer!
Conclusion
We are very excited for this game. As fans of Stellaris and this immersive space strategy game style, combining this with Star Trek is a dream come true. Hopefully, this game will get more support, as so far it seems limited to the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, and with only four playable factions. Could we see more in the future? A Gamma Quadrant expansion with the Dominion? More minor factions like the Tholians, or the Gorn?
Maybe even other eras, going into the TOS era and seeing time progress to the TNG era? We’ll have to wait to find out! The gameplay between the different factions will also be different, allowing for a good level of replayability! Star Trek: Infinite launches on PC and macOS later this year!
Other Star Trek games are available right now. Star Trek: Online, the long-running MMORPG from Cryptic Studios, has just had a new season update.
More From Trek Central
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🔥 – Star Trek Online: Unraveled Beams To Consoles!
⭐ – REVIEW: Strange New Worlds: “The Broken Circle”
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