'Star Trek' multiplayer game: Which version would be best?

(Credit: CBS Studios)

Star Trek is coming to the world of massively multiplayer online role-playing games. By most accounts for fans of the science fiction series and gaming, this is exciting news.

But the real question for Trekkies is sure to be: which Star Trek?

First the news: At a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas over the weekend, Cryptic Studios revealed the first details and a trailer for Star Trek Online, an MMORPG based on the franchise. Leonard Nimoy was even onstage to unveil the game (a company spokeswoman said they're not saying what the price or release date will be quite yet).

I asked the spokeswoman which Star Trek the game will be based on and she said cryptically that Cryptic is "definitely looking at the movies and TV shows as canon but also looking to comics and novels for additional ideas." Unfortunately, I didn't see the trailer, but the screen shots Cryptic sent me look an awful lot like a Star Trek: The Next Generation fight with one of those smaller, circular Borg ships. I assume the new game will create its own Star Trek universe, inspired by everything from the original series to all of the movies.

(Credit: CBS Studios)

But let's set aside the movies for a minute and run down which Star Trek would be best, assuming that shows that were heavy on action and light on handwringing would make for good MMORPG gaming (full disclosure: Star Trek and CNET Networks now share the same parent company, CBS, which we at Crave happen to think is terribly cool):

• The original, swashbuckling Star Trek, which featured a svelte William Shatner; Leonard Nimoy; three seasons of Klingons who looked like swarthy, sweaty humans; green alien dancers; and occasionally brilliant writing. Lots of good fist fights and Shatner's faux kung fu (and who can forget Sulu thoroughly enjoying the sword play in "Day of the Dove"?), but the show's best moments were ultimately nice pieces of science fiction, like the famous "City on the Edge of Forever" episode, when Shatner has to sacrifice the comely Joan Collins to save the future.

Gaming factor: 7 out of 10

(Credit: CBS Studios)

• Star Trek: The Next Generation, my personal favorite with Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, the android Commander Data, and an erudite flavor of benign imperialism doing its best to bring peace to the cosmos. There was some terrific writing on this show over the years, but a tad too cerebral for a video game?

That's not to put down games, but I'm not sure how you can role play Next Generation's brilliant final episode, which forced viewers to expand how they think about time. On the upside, it introduced the seriously bad-ass Borg, who did very, very bad things to Picard.

Gaming factor: 8 out of 10

(Credit: CBS Studios)

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which a highly macho Avery Brooks (he of Spenser: For Hire and A Man Called Hawk) commanded a frontier space station in a war-torn area terrorized by the Cardassians and other menaces. Who can forget the epic battles between invaders from the Dominion and combined Star Fleet and Klingon fleets? Major kick-butt action, though it was disappointing that Brooks never once growled, "Spenssssserrrr."

Gaming factor: 9 out of 10

(Credit: CBS Studios)

• Star Trek: Voyager, which was sort of a Lost in Space-themed Star Trek. This was never my favorite, truth be told. The aliens were always a little too fuzzy, the plight of the crew of the Voyager a little too pathetic, and the writing a little too dull. Would be it be a good video game? I say no, but the show did introduce us to Jeri Ryan as the Borg Seven of Nine, whose U.S. Senator husband, in an interesting crossroads with current events, was forced to resign after a bizarre sex scandal was revealed in divorce proceedings, making it easier for his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, to win election to the Senate.

Gaming factor: 5 out of 10

• Star Trek: Enterprise, which I much confess I didn't see an awful lot of. This took us to the early days of warp travel for humans, when the Vulcans didn't quite trust them to navigate the stars without getting into trouble. From what I did see, there were some interesting battles, but the humans were usually way outgunned by the aliens they encountered, making for plenty of hit 'em and get-out-of-dodge gunplay.

Gaming factor: 6 out of 10

Which Star Trek do you think would be best as an MMORPG?

[DarkHawke]

You missed an era: original cast movie series! Where the ships were sleek, the uniforms were uber-cool, and Klingons had bumpy foreheads, bad attitudes and weren't in the least bit culturally Japanese. That would be the coolest era for an MMORPG. That said, though, with the prequel/reboot original series movie coming out soon, the developers would be well advised to go straight Original Star Trek. Next Gen era *may* be more popular with the young'uns, but there wasn't even HALF the fun and adventure of the earlier time.

[Eauboy]

I can't agree with your analysis. DS9, although I loved the show, was awfully static. Star Trek is about going places in SHIPS!. The best fodder for video games would be the more open original series or the Next Generation. There were established enemies, but always new places to explore.

[Tinman52]

I would partially agree with that. Although, later on, it certainly opened up quite a bit once the foundation story around the station was laid. I think DS9 holds up much better than TNG for example. TNG seems kinda old and boring now, while DS9 still has some relevance.

[MadLyb]

First, I'm not a "young'un" having grown up with TOS and loved it, but for me TNG was the better series all around.

That aside, I think DS9 provides the best opportunity for a diverse and thrilling game with many factions and subfactions along with a central hub (DS9) for interaction with other players.

[DarkHawke]

Feh! Can't see how you managed that! Next Gen had its moments and Original Star Trek was far from perfect, but for the characters alone the sequel series never measured up for me. To each their own, though.

[make_or_break]

Does it really matter?

What REALLY MATTERS is that for any ST era-based game is that it's well done, something that for the ST franchise has been sadly lacking over the decades. Too many titles have been poorly conceived and executed;I'd hope first that Cryptic gets all of these down first and foremost before I'd play favorites (though I'll fess up now and say that it WON'T involve some bloody holosuite at Quark's).

[MarkusAeralius]

An article was posted on GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6195719.html?tag=result;title;0) regarding this title. The game will be set 30 years after the Star Trek: Nemesis movie.

[DigitalFrog]

Since TNG, DS9, and Voyager all take place in the same general timeframe, why make the distinction? You could combine elements of all of them.

[tech_junky48]

It would be tricky to integrate voyager in with the other two, as it was kind of in another galaxy for the whole series. I'm thinking you should start in DS9, with ships visiting giving you the opportunity to go on the (TNG) Enterprise, or maybe voyager (although, as I said, that would be tricky.)

Thirty years after Nemesis? Does that mean we get to see the Enterprise F or G? (TNG enterprise was D, Nemesis enterprise was E)

[Davoramus]

I think they have to go with the Next Gen time period. As others have mentioned, TNG, DS9 and Voyager all occur during the same rough time period. That means we get the Klingons and Romulans from the TOS, but it also gives us Cardassians, the Borg, the Jem Hadar and Founders.

I am not sure exactly how to integrate Voyager, as that was an entirely different quadrant of the galaxy, but, the time period that would give players the most variety is easily the TNG/DS9/Voyager timeframe. If they set it in the future of that, that would work as well, as they could then establish even newer species for players to be, in addition to the already established ones.

[kalel130]

I'm pretty sure this game takes place in the future... around like thirty years after Nemesis or something like that... I've seen artwork and read multiple articles *cites GameInformer* and again, I'm fairly certain it takes place in the near future of the Alpha Quadrant... not to say you probably can't have older ships or anything

[t182]

I'm expecting a post-Nemesis era... although, i must admint, it would be rock'n awesome to see a Motion picture era... a lot of the galaxy to explore, but still have cool ships!

[rkinne01]

To me, from a gaming stand point, DS9 would be the best setting. You've got the Station itself, the Defiant, Runabouts, Bajor, and most importantly the Wormhole. You could explore familar space in the Alpha Quadrant or explore totally new space via the wormhole. You could pilot a ship or defend Bajor with the station. Since the wormhole is supposed to be a big draw for races in Star Trek its an easier story to sell. It would make sense to see the Cardassians, Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and others in Bajorian space, while in other shows/era's this could be harder to explain. Just a thought.

[flint_6]

Who knows - with all the worm holes, gravitational slingshots, and temporal anomalies in the Trek universe there might be plenty of oppotunity for all generations to make an appearance

[rmaha65]

I would say thr original series (TOS) hands down. It was the most fun and the most challenging should it be translated into a game. You had a fixed amount of abilities and resources, a ship that can do X,Y, and Z and no more. A set amount of resources and your own cunning to get out of tight spots. The problem I've had for the past 20 some years with TNG and all of it's incarnations is that they come across a challenge and you wonder "Gee, how they gonna get out of that one?" and then Geordi or Data (or whoever is the engineer o'the month) comes up with "I guess we could rig a multiphasic trans-dimensional tacion field disruptor that will bend the space time continum." Picard says, "Make it so" and in 5 minutes all is well. Kirk's universe brings us back to when things weren't so clean and pretty and you sometimes had to lie, cheat, and actually blast your way out of a fix. I'd much rather be the Captain of the original Enterprise than any other ship that came before or after because it had "soul" as did the entire original series, something lacking in later incarnations.

[Revrant]

I'm disgusted you gave that crap Enterprise a higher score than Voyager, as a life long(but still quite young) Trek fan, I'd prefer we all forget about that abomination.

They've already let it slip(somewhat unintentionally) the game will be set in 2409, so I don't see the point of this article, it will be set 30 years after Nemesis, you know, where Enterprise should have started, instead of doing a nasty prequel.

[janewayrocks]

can you play this game? i looks fun

[janewayrocks]

dude voyager rocks my favorite is captain janeway she rocks its the best show ever;)