Star Trek: Armada

Star Trek: Armada (2000) brought the classic real-time strategy formula into the universe of The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager. The player doesn't just build a base and an army, but commands entire fleets of cruisers, destroyers, and motherships from four warring factions — the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Borg. The game was published by Activision and used a licensed look and character voices from the show universe, which made it one of the most anticipated strategy titles for fans of the series in 2000. Unlike the competing Starfleet Command series from Interplay at the time, which was built on slower tactical battles between individual ships, Armada aimed for a faster, more action-oriented pace inspired by genre classics like Command & Conquer or Total Annihilation.

Armada differs from ordinary strategy games in its emphasis on managing individual ships mid-battle — the player allocates energy between shields, weapons, and propulsion, decides when to pull a ship back to dock for repairs, and watches how damage to individual systems affects the combat readiness of the whole fleet. The campaign follows the threat of a new Borg invasion and gradually unlocks all four factions, each of which plays differently: the Federation relies on versatility and balance, the Klingons on brute force and aggressive strikes, the Romulans on stealth and covert operations, and the Borg on assimilating enemy ships right in the middle of battle, which lets them turn an enemy vessel against its own fleet. The game also offered skirmish mode and networked multiplayer, letting players pit their fleets against each other outside the linear campaign as well.

Why play it: Armada appeals to players who want to experience commanding a fleet admiral instead of a single ship's captain, and to fans of the shows who appreciate a faithful setting within the Star Trek universe, including familiar ship classes and voices. It's also an enjoyable glimpse into the state of the RTS genre at the turn of the millennium, when games were still learning to combine base-building with tactics in open space, and for lovers of retro strategy games it's a must-play alongside classics like Starfleet Command.