History VideoGame / StarTrekTextGame

** An Apple II variant renamed the Enterprise the ''Endeavor'', and the Klingons the Klarnons. This allowed the game to keep using "E" for the player's starship and "K" for the enemy ships.

* EnemyDetectingRadar: The UrExample in video games. The Enterprise has both long-range scanners and short range scanners: the long range scanners can tell how many Klingon warships are in a neighboring quadrant, but not precisely ''where'' they were in the quadrant, while the short range scanner is used to aim and fire at specific targets within a quadrant.

* HopeSpot: When responding to a DistressCall from an allied vessel, the player needs to work ''very'' quickly in eliminating the surrounding Klingons, Mongols, etc., as the allied vessel scarcely has a couple of turns in combat (sometimes [[YankTheDogsChain only one]]) before the enemy vessels destroy it. Also, if you take too long getting there, you will only get a message about [[YouAreTooLate debris present in the sector]], and then face combat against the enemy ship(s) that are still there.
* HyperspeedEscape: In most versions of the game (including the original) enemy ships do not have the ability to pursue the Enterprise at Warp Speed. As a result, it can be a good idea to escape at warp if overwhelmed. Some versions also allow Klingon, Mongol, etc. [[EliteMooks commanders]] and [[DirtyCoward scout ships]] to flee into neighbouring quadrants if heavily damaged but still intact, necessitating pursuit later on [[GottaKillThemAll for cleanup]].

* SubsystemDamage: Another UrExample. If the Enterprise takes a hit without her shields protecting the hull, one of her subsystems will take damage and operate at a reduced level. Additionally, the ship can experience random system breakdowns. The player can either attempt repairs in deep space, or dock with a friendly starbase (which completes the repairs quicker). You don't have to stay stationary to do this; you can order repair crews simply to focus on a particular subsystem, and they will still fix it while the ship moves within a quadrant or warps from one quadrant to another.
* TurnBasedStrategy: Combat alternates between the Enterprise and the Klingons.

* UniqueProtagonistAsset: The Enterprise is ''substantially'' stronger than any individual opponent that it faces, and can fire torpedoes, which no allied NPC vessel is able to do.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: If the player sees on their star chart that an allied starbase has enemy ships in the same quadrant, it's usually a better idea to go around cleaning up enemies elsewhere ''until'' the starbase puts out a DistressCall, and only ''then'' moving to that quadrant to clean up. Or if an enemy ship moves [[TooDumbToLive into a quadrant with a starbase]], it can be worth warping away and attacking the enemy elsewhere until the call for help arrives. Both allow the player to get credit for destroying the enemy ships ''and'' bonus points for saving a starbase under attack.

** ''EGA Trek'' takes this UpToEleven with Mongol Plasma Bolts, which are capable of safely taking out the Mongols' [[BossInMookClothing hostile starbases]] -- or damaging the ''Lexington'' severely if deployed by the Mongols.

* UpToEleven: Spare energy crystals (i.e. dilithium) obtained in ''EGA Trek'' are a crapshoot when used, but the player can luck out with one and boost their energy reserves over 100%, though of course the effect is [[AwesomeButTemporary temporary]] until the excess energy is used up.

->I've seen the sources to dozens of ''Star Trek'' computer games that various people have written, and I have to believe it's some kind of law. In all of these games, for many different systems, written in many different computer programming languages, and all written independently of each other, all have one thing in common. The variable used to count the number of remaining Klingons -- the enemy -- that haven't been killed yet, is ''always'' '''K9'''.
->-- Paul Robinson

* DeathOrGloryAttack: One frequent addition to the game is to equip a superweapon on the player's ship, like the DeathRay from ''EGA Trek'' or the E-ray from ''TREK 80''. If it worked, it killed every enemy in a quadrant. When it didn't work, it could do enough damage to destroy or cripple the player's ship, cause {{Black Hole}}s to appear all over the current quadrant, or in ''EGA Trek'', temporarily mutate your crew and leave them [[InterfaceScrew drawing smiley faces on the interface]] while [[SanitySlippage ignoring your orders and speaking nonsense]].

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: In this case, it's gamemakers that have no sense of scale. The asterisks symbols are typically used to represent stars. Part of combat is maneuvering around stars to get clear shots of the enemy ships. Some enemies may hide behind a star your photon aimied in that direction will get absorbed by the star instead. In real life, all of these stars are light years apart. The concept would be far more plausible if the asterisks represented planets or asteroids.

* TwoDSpace: The game has a strict X,Y coordinate system with no Z-axis.* Micklus's ''Star Trek 3.5'' represents the galaxy as an 8 by 8 ''by 3'' [[DownplayedTrope three-dimensional grid of quadrants.]]

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: In this case, it's gamemakers that have no sense of scale. The asterisks symbols are typically used to represent stars. Part of combat is maneuvering around stars that might get in the way of some of your phaser or photon shots. Also, some enemis may be behind a star. In real life, all of these stars are light years apart. The concept would be more plausible if the asterisks represented planets or asteroids.

* TwoDSpace: The game has a strict X,Y coordinate system with no Z-axis.
** Micklus's ''Star Trek 3.5'' represents the galaxy as an 8 by 8 ''by 3'' [[DownplayedTrope three-dimensional grid of quadrants.]]

The game ends when all the Klingons are destroyed, or you run out of energy (destroyed by enemy fire or out of warp fuel).

!!''Star Trek'' the text game provides examples of:

* AbandonShip: Doubling as VideoGameLives. Some variants of the game allow you to abandon the ''Enterprise''; you're then given command of a weaker ship, the U.S.S. ''[[UnfortunateNames Faerie Queene]]'', which you can't abandon.
* AceCustom: The player's starship is ''substantially'' stronger than any individual opponents that it faces, and can fire torpedoes, which no allied NPC vessel is able to do.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Mongol [[OneHitKill plasma bolts]] in ''EGA Trek''. The player has to take time actively raiding enemy supply ships and planetary supply bases to find any, and even then, they're relatively rare. Even though the player's ship can fire them repeatedly without incurring counterattacks, plasma bolts have a fairly high chance of [[EpicFail failing to detonate]] (although [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the NPC ships]] never seem to have any problem hitting ''you''). The player is generally better off relying on their torpedoes and energy weapons unless the situation ''really'' calls for the extra firepower, and even then having a backup plan in case the bolt(s) end(s) up doing nothing.
* BadassInDistress: Allied starbases and ships sometimes put out {{Distress Call}}s if enemy ships are in the same quadrant, whereupon the player can come to their aid for bonus points in their game score. Starbases tend to last a fair while in combat but [[StoneWall deal no damage to the enemy]], while allied ships tend to be [[GlassCannon fairly fragile]] but they ''do'' chip away at the enemy ships' shields with their energy weapons.
* BoringButPractical: Energy weapons (phasers, lasers, etc.) require a lot of energy to fire, drop off in effectiveness at longer ranges or when damaged, overheat if used excessively, and can take multiple shots to eliminate an enemy ship, although the last two depend on the skills of the player. At the same time, however, energy weapons never miss the target.
* BossInMookClothing: Mongol Bases in ''EGA Trek'' scarcely look any more intimidating than their usual array of ships -- until the player gets anywhere close and has to deal with the [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking ungodly amount of damage]] that they quickly dish out, which usually causes a whole mess of SubsystemDamage since they only show up on higher difficulty levels. If the ''Lexington'' is not at full strength confronting one, and there are multiple Mongol ships around it (which is usually the case), it's often a good idea to pull a TacticalWithdrawal, go find a friendly starbase and resupply or repair, or keep on fighting elsewhere until a Mongol supply ship or planetary supply base yields a [[OneHitKill Plasma Bolt]] or two, and ''then'' come back and crack the StoneWall.
* CallingYourAttacks: Of a sort. In ''EGA Trek'', the player is warned whenever a Mongol ship in the quadrant fires a [[ThatOneAttack plasma bolt]] at them, whereupon they have one combat turn to respond before it hits and deals a substantial amount of both direct damage and SubsystemDamage.
* CaptainErsatz: Since the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise was copyrighted and trademarked, any company that wants to sell a variant of the game has to [[SerialNumbersFiledOff file all the serial numbers off]]. It's not hard to guess why.

* CloakingDevice: ''EGA Trek'' also included "[[CaptainErsatz Vandal]]" ships with this ability. The Zaldrons of "Star Fleet I" had this ability as well.
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Played with; enemy ships that suffer damage generally deal less damage to the player's vessel in turn. At the same time, however, they don't suffer any other SubsystemDamage and, once cut down to no HitPoints, promptly [[StuffBlowingUp explode]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: One frequent addition to the game is to equip a superweapon on the player's ship, like the DeathRay from ''EGA Trek'' or the E-ray from ''TREK 80''. If it worked, it killed every enemy in a quadrant. When it didn't work, it could do enough damage to destroy or cripple the player's ship, cause {{Black Hole}}s to appear all over the current quadrant, or in ''EGA Trek'', temporarily mutate your crew and leave them [[InterfaceScrew drawing smiley faces on the interface]] while [[SanitySlippage ignoring your orders and speaking nonsense]].
* DeflectorShields: A staple of ''Star Trek'', these serve in-game to absorb most of the damage before it impacts the ship and causes structural and SubsystemDamage.
* DirtyCoward: In ''EGA Trek'', "[[CaptainErsatz Mongol]]" Scout and Commander ships have the ability to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee into neighbouring quadrants]] if damaged and not destroyed, necessitating time-consuming pursuit sooner or later for cleanup.

* EliteMooks: In ''EGA Trek'', these come in the form of Mongol Commander battleships, and on higher difficulty levels, the occasional [[BossInMookClothing Mongol Base]]; both are ''significantly'' tougher than the average battlecruiser of their faction.
* EnemyDetectingRadar: Long-range scanners. Possibly the UrExample in video games. You could tell how many Klingon warships were in a neighboring quadrant, but not precisely ''where'' they were in the quadrant.
* EpicFail: In ''EGA Trek'', whenever a [[OneHitKill Mongol Plasma Bolt]] fails to explode, since they're usually a OneHitKill or even a OneHitPolykill if employed against an enemy base or vessel.

* ExplodingBarrels: Stars can explode if a torpedo is fired into them in some versions, destroying anything in the surrounding sectors. The game penalizes players for stars destroyed to discourage the use of this as a tactic. Some versions, like ''EGA Trek'', also have the risk of stars going supernova, destroying the entire quadrant and damaging the player's ship as it's violently thrown out.
* ExplosiveOverclocking: The player's ship usually has a cruising speed of Warp 6, although Warp 7 simply costs a lot more power to get anywhere, and Warp 8 can be attempted in emergencies at the cost of damage to the warp engine subsystem.

* FragileSpeedster: In ''EGA Trek'', Mongol scout ships are capable of [[HyperspeedEscape repeatedly retreating to adjacent sectors]] when attacked, but ultimately they pack somewhat less offensive power and defensive resilience compared to standard Mongol battleships in a straight fight.

* FromBadToWorse: Some versions, particularly at higher difficulty levels, allow enemy ships to [[HyperspeedAmbush warp in]] from adjacent quadrants to your own to GangUpOnTheHuman. That said, if the player is defending a [[SpaceStation starbase]] at the time, it becomes a case of TooDumbToLive [=and/or=] SuicidalOverconfidence. It can also be [[ExploitedTrope exploited]] to reduce the time spent flying around seeking out the enemy.

* GottaKillThemAll: The objective is to clear all enemy (Klingon, Mongol, etc.) ships and bases from the block of the galaxy -- for a given definition of "kill", really, as supply ships can be forced to surrender instead of facing destruction, but they still [[NoBodyLeftBehind vanish from the map]] regardless. The player can take out enemy supply bases on planets, and take out third-party ships (Romulan, Vandal, etc.) that show up more rarely, but these have no real bearing on victory.
* GuideDangIt: The game generally doesn't mention that the player has to manually reset their warp factor from 1 up to the desired speed upon starting up a new mission[[note]]usually Warp 6, unless an emergency [[ExplosiveOverclocking demands Warp 8]][[/note]]. This can result in an [[LeeroyJenkins incautious]] or unaware player blowing a massive amount of time and ruining their score right off the bat, ''if'' they forget to call up Engineering and change the warp factor ''before'' they try to leave their first quadrant and take the fight to the enemy.

* HyperspeedAmbush: Some versions allow the Klingon, Mongol, etc. ships to warp in from surrounding quadrants to join in a battle against the player's ship, or the same enemies are capable of using a TractorBeam to intercept the player's vessel and pull it into a quadrant where they weren't intending to go.
* HyperspeedEscape: Some versions also allow Klingon, Mongol, etc. [[EliteMooks commanders]] and [[DirtyCoward scout ships]] to flee into neighbouring quadrants if heavily damaged but still intact, necessitating pursuit later on [[GottaKillThemAll for cleanup]].
* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: ''EGA Trek'' has Lieutenant-Commander, Commander, Captain, Commodore and [[NintendoHard Admiral]].
* ImmuneToBullets: Vandal ships in ''EGA Trek'', being cloaked, [[NoSell automatically dodge]] all torpedo attacks. The only way to take them out, short of [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun setting off a nova]] nearby or having a plasma bolt on hand, is to fly up to close range and pour a [[MoreDakka large amount]] of "laser" energy into them until they explode.
* InvisibleWall: You'll run into one of these if you try to leave the 8x8 quadrant playfield. In some variants, your engines automatically shut down and you get the message "Sorry, edge of galaxy in that direction." In others, you crash into the energy barrier surrounding the galaxy and get damaged.
* InsistentTerminology: The galactic grid is usually said to be composed of 64 quadrants in a standard game. A quadrant is actually a fourth of something. So it would be more proper to call them sectors, and their divisions subsectors. The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe does properly divide the galaxy into four quadrants, but these games were made decades before that development appeared. It may be an understandable mistake, as [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original series]] was sometimes erroneous and inconsistent in the use of the terms "quadrant" and "sector".

* InterfaceSpoiler: In ''EGA Trek'', at least, a player can enter orbit around a planet to be told there is a "destroyed settlement" there, which can be confusing if the planet has never sent a DistressCall during the mission. At some later point, the planet ''will'' call for help, and if the player arrives in time, it will now have a settlement on it (or a destroyed one again if the player [[YouAreTooLate arrives too late]]).
* ItsUpToYou:
-->THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN DESTROYED. THE FEDERATION WILL BE CONQUERED.
* KillSteal:
** Can occur in ''EGA Trek'', when the player has damaged one or more enemy ships [[HPToOne nearly to destruction]] and a "Vandal Death Pod" or two just happens to enter the quadrant and deal ScratchDamage to everybody, [[NoSell barely affecting]] the player's shields but putting the enemy ships over the edge to a CriticalExistenceFailure. Particularly frustrating if the enemy ships in question were [[PinataEnemy supply ships]] that were ''almost'' at the point of surrendering.
** Allied ships can also pull this off when you come to their rescue, as unlike starbases, they do chip away at the enemy ships with their energy weapons. They can also invert this trope, however, as they don't last long in combat, so the player can warp into a sector to [[BigDamnHeroes attempt a rescue]] only to see [[HopeSpot the allied vessel become debris]] the next turn.
** Supernovae, which can randomly occur in any sector without the player's ship ever disturbing a star, also destroy NPC ships and {{space station}}s instead of throwing them free. This denies the player credit for eliminating the ships in question, although this can actually help the player's score by not requiring spending time to go to the sector at all.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Torpedoes generally destroy standard enemy ships in one hit and require very little energy to fire. At the same time, however, the onboard stock of them is extremely limited, they have to be aimed manually, and in some versions (like ''EGA Trek'') they can miss the target completely, which generally happens at long range.[[note]]In the ''Star Trek'' universe, photon torpedoes aren't actually kinetic-based weapons at all; they're [[MadeOfExplodium matter-antimatter]] warheads in casings with a miniature quasi-warp drive.[[/note]]
* KleptomaniacHero: Barring a DistressCall or two to answer elsewhere, it is generally always worth inspecting any planet the player comes across in the event that it yields spare {{Power Crystal}}s for emergency power reserves, or better yet, an enemy supply base that may hold useful equipment. The same goes for space combat in the games where enemy [[PinataEnemy supply ships]] spawn, which can be beaten down into surrendering their cargo. It can make the difference against heavy odds later on, or allow your vessel to stay out and hunting enemy ships for longer without having to spend time returning to a starbase to resupply and/or repair.
* TheLoad:
** Research stations do not recharge your ship's energy, do not reload your ship's torpedoes, and give the player's vessel absolutely no benefit in terms of subsystem repairs or shield protection, though you have to go and help them anyways when they send out a DistressCall due to enemy ships in the sector. About the only thing they do is refill life support supplies, if that subsystem is damaged.
** Supply depots are somewhat similar to research stations, but they at least reload the player's torpedoes. They still do nothing to shield the player's vessel in combat or improve repair times.
** Allied ships scarcely do any ScratchDamage in combat, and last a turn or two before promptly getting blown into debris. But if you're going for that high score, you've got to help them anyways.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: The answer to an incoming [[OhCrap Mongol plasma bolt]] in ''EGA Trek'' is generally to raise a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin plasma bolt shield]] ''[[PressXToNotDie right away]]''. These are generally obtained from raiding planet-based Mongol supply bases, or getting their supply ships to surrender in combat.
* NegativeSpaceWedgie: Black holes. In ''EGA Trek'', for example, they will redirect any fired torpedoes that come near them, and if the player flies their ship into one, it can act as a [[OurWormholesAreDifferent wormhole]] and dump them out into a random quadrant[[note]]which can be a handy emergency escape method when the warp engines are offline[[/note]] -- or it can just OneHitKill the player's starship and end the game.

* OneHitKill:
** Torpedoes usually achieve this in most versions, if they make contact with the target at close to medium range.
** ''EGA Trek'' takes this UpToEleven with Mongol Plasma Bolts, which are capable of safely taking out the Mongols' [[BossInMookClothing hostile starbases]] -- or damaging the ''Lexington'' severely if deployed by the Mongols.
* OneHitPolykill:
** The Mongol Plasma Bolts in ''EGA Trek''. If used by the player on tightly grouped Mongol ships, the SplashDamage will kill not only the target but usually all Mongol or Vandal ships immediately adjacent to the target. Even then, they tend to deal at least ''some'' ScratchDamage to enemy ships throughout the current quadrant.
** The antimatter pods in ''TREK 80'' and ''Invasion Force''. When detonated by the player, they erase the sector of space they occupy and all 8 of the surrounding sectors. Anything in those sectors is wiped from existence, including the player's starship if he's stupid enough to detonate the pod next to himself. (The sectors also ''stay'' erased, so you can't fire beams or torpedoes through them; and if you enter one of them, your ship is instantly destroyed.)
** Supernovae also instantly destroy all vessels or bases in their quadrant, friendly or hostile, with the sole exception of throwing the player's ship into a neighbouring quadrant. Of course, in this case, everyone present is facing a case of ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill.
* PhotoprotoneutronTorpedo:
** "Photon Torpedoes" in any Star Trek game that kept the original terminology.
** "Triton Missiles" in Radio Shack's "Invasion Force". (TREK 80, which Invasion Force was based on, did have Triton Mines, which would destroy everything in the quadrant including the Enterprise.)
** "Energy Torpedoes" in ''EGA Trek'', which also featured "Plasma Bolts", though the latter were rarer and more deadly.
* PinataEnemy: ''EGA Trek'' sometimes spawns Mongol supply ships, which are much weaker than the usual battleships, and if the player batters them merely to the point of [[KnowWhenToFoldEm surrender]] (not destruction), they hand over their cargo to the player's ship before [[NoBodyLeftBehind vanishing from the map]]. This loot can vary from emergency life support supplies to Mongol [[PowerCrystal power crystals]] (i.e. dilithium), [[OneHitKill plasma bolts]], and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin plasma bolt shields]].
* PowerSource: Your energy. In some versions, it is finite; in others like ''EGA Trek'', it replenishes ''very'' slowly -- and guess which subsystem tends to fail the most?

* RandomlyGeneratedLevels: The numbers and locations of Klingons, starbases, and stars are random. And even then, the layout of each quadrant randomizes when you enter it.
* RayGun: Phasers, or their renamed substitutes.

* SubsystemDamage: Happens frequently during gameplay, usually as a result of combat, but random breakdowns can still happen and require repair time all the same. Either the player can attempt repairs in deep space, or complete them more quickly when docked with a friendly starbase.[[note]]The ''real'' trick is realizing that you don't have to stay stationary to do this; you can order repair crews simply to focus on a particular subsystem, and they will still fix it while the ship moves within a quadrant or warps from one quadrant to another.[[/note]]
* TurnBasedStrategy: Combat alternates between the player's ship and the enemy factions (Klingon, Mongol, Vandal, etc.).
* TwoDSpace:
** Played straight in most versions by virtue of having a strict X,Y coordinate system with no Z-axis.
** Averted (at least on the large scale) in Micklus's ''Star Trek 3.5'', which has a galaxy that's an 8 by 8 ''by 3'' three-dimensional grid of quadrants. Each quadrant is still flat, however.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A mild case, but if the player sees on their star chart that an allied starbase has enemy ships in the same quadrant, it's usually a better idea to go around cleaning up enemies elsewhere ''until'' the starbase puts out a DistressCall, and only ''then'' moving to that quadrant to clean up. Or if an enemy ship moves [[TooDumbToLive into a quadrant with a starbase]], it can be worth warping away and attacking the enemy elsewhere until the call for help arrives. Both allow the player to get credit for destroying the enemy ships ''and'' bonus points for saving a starbase under attack.

* InsistentTerminology: The galactic grid is usually said to be composed of 64 quadrants in a standard game. A quadrant is actually a fourth of something. So it would be more proper to call them sectors, and their divisions subsectors. The ''StarTrek'' universe does properly divide the galaxy into four quadrants, but these games were made decades before that development appeared. It may be an understandable mistake, as [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original series]] was sometimes erroneous and inconsistent in the use of the terms "quadrant" and "sector".

** You can shoot your own starbases! Another probable UrExample. Depending on the version, torpedoing your own starbase will either merely warn you and dock your score, or destroy it -- thereby making it [[CaptainObvious impossible to refuel there again]] -- or even cause the starbase to destroy ''you'' in retaliation.

* NegativeSpaceWedgie: Black holes. In ''EGA Trek'', for example, they will redirect any fired torpedoes that come near them, and if the player flies their ship into one, it will act as a [[OurWormholesAreDifferent wormhole]] and dump them out into a random quadrant[[note]]which can be a handy emergency escape method when the warp engines are offline[[/note]].

* UnrealisticBlackHole: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzagged]]; black holes will redirect torpedoes that come near them onto random vectors, but energy weapons can be fired through them unaffected, and if the player's ship enters one, it gets harmlessly [[OurWormholesAreDifferent ejected into a random quadrant]]. In some versions, the player can actually ''generate'' black holes for various reasons, such as covering a quadrant with them when the [[DeathOrGloryAttack Death Ray]] from ''EGA Trek'' misfires.

** Damage to the [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal short-range sensor subsystem]] causes objects to disappear from the map of the current quadrant, starting with vessels and {{space station}}s and progressing up to planets and stars. At 0%, the sector simply shows as [[NothingIsScarier blank]][[note]]although in at least some versions, this can be remedied by use of the "SCAN" command[[/note]], which can be especially problematic if the quadrant contains a [[OurWormholesAreDifferent black hole or two]] for the player to blunder into when moving at impulse.

* HopeSpot: When responding to a DistressCall from an allied vessel, the player needs to work ''very'' quickly in eliminating the surrounding Klingons, Mongols, etc., as the allied vessel scarcely has a couple of turns in combat (sometimes [[YankTheDogsChain only one]]) before the enemy vessels destroy it. Also, if you take too long getting there, you will only get a message about [[YouAreTooLate debris present in the sector]], and still have to deal with the enemy ship(s) that are still there.

* InterfaceScrew: Damage to the Main Computer results in the loss of data on the long-range sensor map, meaning the player has to fly around to scan it all again, or reconstruct the last known tactical situation from their own memory.
* InterfaceSpoiler: In ''EGA Trek'', at least, a player can enter orbit around a planet to be told there is a "destroyed settlement" there, which can be confusing if the planet has never sent a DistressCall during the mission. At some later point, the planet ''will'' call for help, and if the player arrives in time, it ''will'' have a settlement on it (or a destroyed one again if the player arrives too late).

** Supernovae, which can randomly occur in any sector without the player's ship ever disturbing a star, also destroy enemy ships instead of throwing them free. This denies the player credit for eliminating the ships in question, although this can actually help the player's score by not requiring spending time to go to the sector at all.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Torpedoes generally destroy standard enemy ships in one hit and require very little energy to fire. At the same time, however, the onboard stock of them is extremely limited, they have to be aimed manually, and in some versions (like ''EGA Trek'') they can miss the target completely, which generally happens at long range.[[note]]Note that in the ''Star Trek'' universe, photon torpedoes aren't kinetic weapons at all; they're antimatter warheads in casings with a miniature quasi-warp drive.[[/note]]

* SpaceStation: Friendly ones are encountered frequently, where the player can repair and resupply their ship. ''EGA Trek'' adds hostile Mongol bases that serve as immobile EliteMooks.

* ItsUpToYou[=/=]WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou:

* AwesomeButImpractical: Mongol [[OneHitKill plasma bolts]] in ''EGA Trek''. The player has to take time actively raiding enemy supply ships and planetary supply bases to find any, and even then, they're relatively rare. Even though the player's ship can fire them repeatedly without incurring counterattacks, plasma bolts have a fairly high chance of [[EpicFail failing to detonate]] (although the NPC ships never seem to have any problem hitting ''you''). The player is generally better off relying on their torpedoes and energy weapons unless the situation ''really'' calls for the extra firepower, and even then having a backup plan in case the bolt(s) end(s) up doing nothing.

* BossInMookClothing: Mongol Bases in ''EGA Trek'' scarcely look any more intimidating than their usual array of ships -- until the player gets anywhere close and has to deal with the [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking ungodly amount of damage]] that they quickly dish out, which usually causes a whole mess of SubsystemDamage since they only show up on higher difficulty levels. If the ''Lexington'' is not at full strength confronting one, and there are multiple Mongol ships around it (which usually happens), it's often a good idea to pull a TacticalWithdrawal, go find a friendly starbase and resupply or repair, or keep on fighting elsewhere until a Mongol supply ship or planetary supply base yields a [[OneHitKill Plasma Bolt]] or two, and ''then'' come back and crack the StoneWall.

* DirtyCoward: In ''EGA Trek'', "[[CaptainErsatz Mongol]]" Scout ships have the ability to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee into neighbouring quadrants]] if damaged and not destroyed, necessitating time-consuming pursuit sooner or later for cleanup.

* ExplodingBarrels: Stars can explode if a torpedo is fired into them in some versions, destroying anything in the surrounding sectors. (The game penalizes players for stars destroyed to discourage this.) Some versions, like ''EGA Trek'', also have the risk of stars going supernova, destroying the entire quadrant (and damaging the player's ship as it's thrown out).

* FlipScreenScrolling: Moving from quadrant to quadrant.
* FragileSpeedster: In ''EGA Trek'', Mongol scout ships are capable of [[HyperspeedEscape repeatedly retreating to adjacent sectors]] when attacked, but ultimately they pack similar weapon power to and are destroyed about as easily as standard Mongol battleships in a straight fight.

* GottaKillThemAll: The objective is to clear all enemy (Klingon, Mongol, etc.) ships and bases from the block of the galaxy -- for a given definition of "kill", really, as supply ships can be forced to surrender instead of facing destruction (but still vanish from the map regardless). The player can take out enemy supply bases on planets, and take out third-party ships (Romulan, Vandal, etc.) that show up more rarely, but these have no real bearing on victory.
* GuideDangIt: The game generally doesn't mention that the player has to manually reset their warp factor from 1 up to the desired speed (usually Warp 6, unless an emergency [[ExplosiveOverclocking demands Warp 8]]). This can result in an [[LeeroyJenkins incautious]] or unaware player blowing a massive amount of time and ruining their score right off the bat, ''if'' they forget to call up Engineering and change the warp factor ''before'' they try to leave their first quadrant and take the fight to the enemy.

* ImmuneToBullets: Vandal ships in ''EGA Trek'', being cloaked, [[NoSell automatically dodge]] all torpedo attacks. The only way to take them out, short of an exploding star conveniently nearby or a plasma bolt on hand, is to fly up to close range and pour a [[MoreDakka large amount]] of "laser" energy into them until they explode.

** Allied ships can also pull this off when you come to their rescue, as unlike starbases, they do chip away at the enemy ships with their energy weapons. They can also be the subject of an inversion, however, as they don't last long in combat, so the player can warp into a sector to attempt a rescue only to see the allied vessel become debris the next turn.
** Supernovae also destroy enemy ships instead of throwing them free, denying the player credit for eliminating the ships in question, although this can actually help the player's score by not requiring spending time to go to the sector at all.

* KleptomaniacHero: Barring a DistressCall or two to answer elsewhere, it is generally always worth inspecting any planet the player comes across in the event that it yields spare {{Power Crystal}}s for emergency power reserves, or better yet, an enemy supply base with the potential for additional defensive or offensive equipment. The same goes for space combat in the games where enemy [[PinataEnemy supply ships]] spawn. It can make the difference against heavy odds later on, or allow your vessel to stay out and hunting enemy ships for longer without having to spend time returning to a starbase to resupply and/or repair.

** Photon torpedoes usually achieve this in most versions, if they make contact with the target at close to medium range.

** The Mongol Plasma Bolts in ''EGA Trek''. If used by the player on tightly grouped Mongol ships, the SplashDamage can kill not only the target but all Mongol ships nearby. Even then, they tend to deal at least ''some'' damage to enemy ships throughout the current quadrant.

* PinataEnemy: ''EGA Trek'' sometimes spawns Mongol supply ships, which are weaker than their usual battlecruisers, and if the player batters them merely to the point of [[KnowWhenToFoldEm surrender]] (not destruction), they hand over their cargo to the player's ship before [[NoBodyLeftBehind vanishing from the map]]. This loot can vary from emergency life support supplies to Mongol [[PowerCrystal power crystals]] (i.e. dilithium) and [[OneHitKill plasma bolts]].
* PowerSource: Your energy. In some versions, it is finite; in others like ''EGA Trek'', it replenishes very slowly -- and guess which subsystem tends to fail the most?

* RandomlyGeneratedLevels: The numbers and locations of Klingons, starbases, and stars are random.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A mild case, but if the player sees on their star chart that a starbase has enemy ships in the same quadrant, it's typically a better idea to go around cleaning up enemies elsewhere ''until'' the starbase puts out a DistressCall, and only ''then'' moving to that quadrant to clean up. Or if an enemy ship moves [[TooDumbToLive into a quadrant with a starbase]], it can be worth warping away and attacking the enemy elsewhere until the call for help arrives. Both allow the player to get credit for destroying the enemy ships ''and'' bonus points for saving a starbase under attack.

* SubsystemDamage: Happens frequently during gameplay, usually as a result of combat, but random breakdowns can still happen and require repair time all the same. Either the player can attempt repairs in deep space, or complete them more quickly when docked with a friendly starbase.

** Supernovae also destroy enemy ships instead of throwing them free, denying the player credit for eliminating the ships in question, although this can help the player score by not requiring spending time to go to the sector at all.

** The Mongol Plasma Bolts in ''EGA Trek''. If used by the player on tightly grouped Mongol ships, the SplashDamage can kill not only the target but all Mongol ships nearby. Even then, they tend to deal SplashDamage to enemy ships throughout the current quadrant.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Mongol [[OneHitKill plasma bolts]] in ''EGA Trek''. The player has to take time actively raiding enemy supply ships and planetary supply bases to find any, and even then, they're relatively rare. Successfully firing one takes the player's entire turn to do, preventing the use of other weapons, and they have an annoying tendency to [[EpicFail fail to detonate]]. The player is generally better off relying on their torpedoes and energy weapons unless the situation ''really'' calls for the extra firepower.
* BadassInDistress: Allied starbases and ships sometimes put out {{Distress Call}}s if enemy ships are in the same quadrant, whereupon the player can come to their aid for bonus points in their game score. Starbases tend to last a fair while in combat but deal no damage to the enemy, while allied ships tend to be [[GlassCannon fairly fragile]] but they ''do'' chip away at the enemy ships' shields with their energy weapons.

* BossInMookClothing: Mongol Bases in ''EGA Trek'' scarcely look any more intimidating than their usual array of ships -- until the player gets anywhere close and has to deal with the [[MoreDakka ungodly amount of damage]] that they quickly dish out, which usually causes a whole mess of SubsystemDamage since they only show up on higher difficulty levels. If the ''Lexington'' is not at full strength confronting one, and there are multiple Mongol ships around it (which usually happens), it's often a good idea to pull a TacticalWithdrawal, go find a friendly starbase and resupply or repair, or keep on fighting elsewhere until a Mongol supply ship or planetary supply base yields a [[OneHitKill Plasma Bolt]] or two, and ''then'' come back and crack the StoneWall.

* DirtyCoward: In ''EGA Trek'', "[[CaptainErsatz Mongol]]" Scout ships have the ability to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee into neighbouring quadrants]] if damaged and not destroyed, necessitating pursuit sooner or later for cleanup.
* EliteMooks: In ''EGA Trek'', these come in the form of Mongol Commander battleships, and on higher difficulty levels, the occasional [[BossInMookClothing Mongol Base]]; both are significantly tougher than the average battlecruiser of their faction.

* EpicFail: In ''EGA Trek'', whenever a [[OneHitKill Mongol Plasma Bolt]] fails to explode, since they're usually a OneHitKill or OneHitPolykill if employed against an enemy base or vessel.

* ExplosiveOverclocking: The player's ship usually has a cruising speed of Warp 6, although Warp 8 can be attempted in emergencies at the cost of damage to the warp drive subsystem.

* FragileSpeedster: In ''EGA Trek'', Mongol scout ships are capable of [[HyperspeedEscape repeatedly retreating to adjacent sectors]] when attacked, but ultimately they pack less of a punch and are destroyed about as easily as standard Mongol battleships in a straight fight.

* FromBadToWorse: Some versions, particularly at higher difficulty levels, allow enemy ships to [[HyperspeedAmbush warp in]] from adjacent quadrants to your own to GangUpOnTheHuman. That said, if the player is defending a [[SpaceStation starbase]] at the time, it becomes a case of TooDumbToLive [=and/or=] SuicidalOverconfidence. It can also be exploited to reduce the time spent flying around seeking out the enemy.

-->THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN DESTROYED. THE FEDERATION WILL BE CONQUERED
* GuideDangIt: The game generally doesn't mention that the player has to manually reset their warp factor from 1 up to the desired speed (usually Warp 6, unless an emergency [[ExplosiveOverclocking demands Warp 8]]). This can result in an [[LeeroyJenkins incautious]] or unaware player blowing a massive amount of time and ruining their score right off the bat, if they forget to call up Engineering and change the warp factor ''before'' they try to leave their first quadrant and take the fight to the enemy.

* ImmuneToBullets: Vandal ships in ''EGA Trek'', being cloaked, [[NoSell automatically dodge]] all torpedo attacks. The only way to take them out, short of an exploding star conveniently nearby, is to fly up to close range and pour a [[MoreDakka large amount]] of "laser" energy into them until they explode.

-->THE ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN DESTROYED. THE FEDERATION WILL BE CONQUERED

** Allied ships can also pull this off when you come to their rescue, as unlike starbases, they do chip away at the enemy ships with their energy weapons.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Torpedoes generally destroy standard enemy ships in one hit and require very little energy to fire. At the same time, however, the onboard stock of them is extremely limited, they have to be aimed manually, and in some versions (like ''EGA Trek'') they can miss the target completely, which generally happens at long range.[[note]]Note that in Paramount's Trek universe, photon torpedoes aren't kinetic weapons at all; they're antimatter warheads with a miniature quasi-warp drive.[[/note]]

-->THE ENTERPRISE IS [[SpaceIsAnOcean DEAD IN SPACE]]. IF YOU SURVIVE ALL IMPENDING ATTACK YOU WILL BE DEMOTED TO THE RANK OF PRIVATE

** Photon torpedoes usually achieve this in most versions, if they make contact with the target.

** The Mongol Plasma Bolts in ''EGA Trek''. If used by the player on tightly grouped Mongol ships, the SplashDamage can kill not only the target but all Mongol ships adjacent to it.

** Allied Union starbases in ''EGA Trek'' serve the same function -- if the player docks with one while in combat with Mongol warships in the sector, its shields will then protect the ''Lexington'' from return fire, although the starbase itself is still [[StopHelpingMe an obstacle]] to torpedo shots aimed at the enemy.

** ''EGA Trek'' also had the possibility to explore planets, sending either a landing party either via transporter or shuttlecraft to get the stuff detected by the ''Lexington'''s sensors. These attempts can frequently end in failure, as the landing party would often be attacked, resulting in the loss of [[RedShirt crew members]].

* AwesomeButImpractical: Mongol [[OneHitKill plasma bolts]] in ''EGA Trek''. The player has to take time actively raiding enemy supply ships and planetary supply bases to find any, and even then, they're relatively rare. Firing one takes the player's entire turn to do, preventing the use of other weapons (although the point ''is'' to quickly decimate the enemy Mongol forces). And good luck living it down if one [[EpicFail fails to detonate]]. The player is generally better off relying on their torpedoes and energy weapons unless the situation ''really'' calls for the extra firepower.
* BadassInDistress: Allied starbases and ships sometimes put out {{Distress Call}}s if enemy ships are in the same quadrant, whereupon the player can come to their aid for bonus points in their game score. Starbases tend to last a fair while in combat but deal no damage to the enemy, while allied ships tend to be [[GlassCannon fairly fragile]] but they do chip away at the enemy ships' shields with their energy weapons.
* BoringButPractical: Energy weapons (phasers, lasers, etc.) require a lot of energy to fire, drop off in effectiveness at longer ranges, overheat if used excessively, and can take multiple shots to eliminate an enemy ship, although the last two depend on the skills of the player. At the same time, however, energy weapons never miss the target.
* BossInMookClothing: Mongol Bases in ''EGA Trek'' scarcely look any more intimidating than their usual array of ships -- until the player gets anywhere close and has to deal with the [[MoreDakka ungodly amount of damage]] that they quickly dish out, which usually causes a whole mess of SubsystemDamage since they show up on higher difficulty levels. If the ''Lexington'' is not at full strength confronting one, and there are multiple Mongol ships around it (which usually happens), it's often a good idea to pull a TacticalWithdrawal, go find a friendly starbase, or keep on fighting elsewhere until a Mongol supply ship or planetary supply base yields a [[OneHitKill Plasma Bolt]] or two, and ''then'' come back and crack the StoneWall.

* CloakingDevice: ''EGA Trek'' also included "[[InsistentTerminology Vandal]]" ships with this ability. The Zaldrons of "Star Fleet I" had this ability as well.
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Played with; enemy ships that suffer damage generally deal less damage to the player's vessel in turn. At the same time, however, they don't suffer SubsystemDamage and, once cut down to no HitPoints, promptly [[StuffBlowingUp explode]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: One frequent addition to the game is to equip a superweapon on the player's ship, like the DeathRay from ''EGA Trek'' or the E-ray from ''TREK 80''. If it worked, it killed every enemy in a quadrant. When it didn't work, it could do enough damage to destroy or cripple the player's ship, cause {{Black Hole}}s to appear all over the current quadrant, or in ''EGA Trek'', temporarily mutate your crew and leave them [[InterfaceScrew drawing smiley faces on the interface while ignoring your orders and speaking nonsense]].

* EpicFail: In ''EGA Trek'', whenever a [[OneHitKill Mongol Plasma Bolt]] fails to explode, since they're usually a OneHitKill if employed against an enemy base or vessel.

* FromBadToWorse: Some versions, particularly at higher difficulty levels, allow enemy ships to warp in from adjacent quadrants to your own to GangUpOnTheHuman. That said, if the player is defending a [[SpaceStation starbase]] at the time, it becomes a case of TooDumbToLive [=and/or=] SuicidalOverconfidence. It can also be exploited to reduce the time spent flying around seeking out the enemy.

* ImmuneToBullets: Vandal ships in ''EGA Trek'', being cloaked, [[NoSell automatically dodge]] all torpedo attacks. The only way to take them out, short of an exploding star (assuming they're near a star at all), is to fly up to close range and pour a [[MoreDakka large amount]] of "laser" energy into them until they explode.

* InsistentTerminology: The galactic grid is usually said to be composed of 64 quadrants in a standard game. A quadrant is actually a fourth of something. So it would be more proper to call them sectors, and their divisions subsectors. The ''StarTrek'' universe does properly divide the galaxy into four quadrants, but these games were made decades before that development appeared. It may be an understandable mistake, as the original series was sometimes erroneous and inconsistent in the use of the terms "quadrant" and "sector".

* KillSteal: Can occur in ''EGA Trek'', when the player has damaged one or more enemy ships [[HPToOne nearly to destruction]] and a "Vandal Death Pod" or two just happens to enter the quadrant and deal ScratchDamage to everybody, [[NoSell barely affecting]] the player's shields but putting the enemy ships over the edge to a CriticalExistenceFailure. Particularly frustrating if the enemy ships in question were [[PinataEnemy supply ships]] that were ''almost'' at the point of surrendering.
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Torpedoes generally destroy standard enemy ships in one hit and require very little energy (if any) to fire. At the same time, however, the onboard stock of them is very limited, they have to be aimed manually, and in some versions (like ''EGA Trek'') they can miss the target completely, which generally happens at long range. (Note that in Paramount's Trek universe, photon torpedoes aren't kinetic weapons at all; they're antimatter warheads with a miniature quasi-warp drive.)

** "Quantum Torpedoes" in ''EGA Trek''.
** ''EGA Trek'' also had "Plasma Bolts", though these were rarer and more deadly.

** Allied Union starbases in ''EGA Trek'' serve the same function -- if the player docks with one while in combat with Mongol warships in the sector, its shields will then protect the ''Lexington'' from return fire (although the starbase itself is still [[StopHelpingMe an obstacle]] to the player's attacks).

* TwoDSpace: By virtue of having a strict X,Y coordinate system with no Z-axis.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A mild case, but if the player sees on their star chart that a starbase has enemy ships in the same quadrant, it can be worth going around cleaning up enemies elsewhere ''until'' the starbase puts out a DistressCall, and only ''then'' moving to that quadrant to clean up. Or if an enemy ship moves [[TooDumbToLive into a quadrant with a starbase]], it can be worth warping away and attacking the enemy elsewhere until the call for help arrives. Both allow the player to get credit for destroying the enemy ships ''and'' bonus points for saving a starbase under attack.

** The Molgol Plasma Bolts in ''EGA Trek''. If used by the player on tightly grouped Mongol ships, the SplashDamage can kill not only the target but all Mongol ships adjacent to it.

** ''EGA Trek'' takes this UpToEleven with Mongol Plasma Bolts, which are capable of safely taking out the Mongols' [[BossInMookClothing hostile starbases]] -- or damaging the ''Lexington'' severely if deployed by the Mongols. If used by the player on tightly grouped Mongol ships, the SplashDamage can result in a OneHitPolykill.