Star Trek: Bridge Commander

Star Trek: Bridge Commander is a space simulation set in the Star Trek universe just after the Dominion War, but before. It puts you in command of your own Starfleet vessel with the ability to coordinate with your senior staff. This game was published in for Windows PCs.

A Field Promotion
The story's premise, shown in cinematics, is as follows: you play the role of the first officer of the USS Dauntless, a starship. While your captain is out in a shuttle, the system's sun destabilizes and explodes, damaging the Dauntless and killing your captain. The explosion also endangers nearby colonists.

You must take control of the ship and solve the mystery. Your mission is to discover what caused the stellar explosion and keep it from happening again. During the game you will interact with Cardassians, Klingons, Romulans and other races, including a new one created just for the game. Several Star Trek alumni provide their voices to the game, such as Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and Martha Hackett.

Introduction
The Dauntless enters orbit around Draegos colony or Vesuvi IV and a shuttle piloted by Captain Robert Wright heads for the Vesuvi IV terraforming station. The captain chose not be beam down because he is carrying Romulan ale for his son-in-law Ralph Sersons, which would be detected by the transporter logs. As he calmly flies on he decides to update his personal log where he outlines the new first officer's progress and the Dauntless' current mission.

On the bridge, science officer Diaz reports that he is detecting very unusual readings from the star. Before he can analyze them, an emergency transmission is received from the captain. The star's core is destabilizing. Wright orders the first officer to get the ship out of the system immediately. The first shock wave destroys the orbital stations and the shuttle Icarus 2 and turns the surface of the planet into a fiery inferno. Caught in its wake, the Dauntless cannot engage its warp engines.

Ensign Lomar diverts power to the impulse engines and the ship escapes just as the planet explodes behind them. Fragments from the planet impacts the ship starboard nacelle, and Diaz reports that an object is warping out of the system but that he is not able to get a good reading on it. The damaged ship heads for Starbase 12.

The Dauntless undergoes extensive repairs at Soho station. Different views of the ship are seen as repairs progress. Finally it is ready and it departs for its next mission: The Vesuvi system.

Picking Up the Pieces
The repaired Dauntless, with a new captain (the Dauntless's former X.O.), a new first officer, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard as a visitor, departs Soho Station for Starbase 12 to pick up supplies and relief teams for the Haven and Geki colonies.

Haven is threatened by several rogue stellar fragments ejected from the Vesuvi star. The fragments must be destroyed before they impact the planet.

The ship is then diverted to Tevron II to escort the Sovereign. A skirmish with two Romulan Warbirds ensues. After the Romulans are sent packing, Captain Picard transports to the IKC RanKuf for Biranu Station.

Know Thine Enemy
After re-supplying the Geki colony, the Dauntless comes to the aid of a Cardassian freighter under attack by a Romulan Warbird. The Romulans claim it is carrying contraband as the ship's cargo is concealed by a dampening field. The Cardassian Gul claims they are carrying relief supply for an outpost.

The Dauntless is then tasked with investigating Ferengi smuggling activities at Serris. Along with DaiMon Praag's ship it is attacked by Cardassians who do not want the Federation to find out that they have been illegally receiving military equipment and supplies. Concerned by this, Admiral Liu diverts the Dauntless to Biranu Station where Captain Picard is a guest lecturer. Contact with the station has been lost and it seems that the Cardassian and Klingon ships at the station are on the verge of open conflict.

Picard orders the Dauntless not to intervene if a skirmish breaks out. Starfleet is neutral and not involved. Sure enough, the Cardassian and Klingons begin fighting each other. Suddenly during the course of the battle the Cardassians turn on the station, inflicting massive damage. The Dauntless must then team with the Klingons to defend the badly wounded station. ''After two Cardassian ships are destroyed the remainder will flee to Biranu I. The player can choose whether to hail Captain Picard or chase the Cardassian ships. Either way more Cardassians arrive later and resume the attack on Biranu Station.''

Obscured by Clouds
Having returned to Starbase 12, the crew of the Dauntless is transferred to the Sovereign. They take their new ship on a shakedown cruise to Savoy to work out any glitches and technical bugs. The USS Geronimo, commanded by Captain MacCray, arrives and challenges the crew to a friendly war game. Then the Klingons arrive and want to participate too.

After the war games the Sovereign heads to the Vesuvi dust cloud to assist the USS Berkley in investigating the Vesuvi event. Lieutenant Commander Data comes on board. After wading into the dust cloud and scanning fragments ejected from the star surface, Data determines that the explosion was not a natural event. Then, suddenly, the Berkley is attacked. The Sovereign gives chase but attacker gets away. While in the cloud the Sovereign discovers a strange probe, but it self destructs before it can be thoroughly studied. Much to their horror, the crew finds that the Berkley's mysterious attacker was also responsible for the destruction of a Romulan Warbird. Matters worsen when two Romulan warbirds arrive on the scene. Enraged by the destruction of the first warbird, the Romulans pummel the Sovereign. Fortunately, the Romulans eventually withdrew.

Following the attack on the Berkley, the Sovereign is assigned to patrol the Itari Voltaire and Xi Entrades systems, where it ends up protecting Ferengi and Romulan shipping under attack by Cardassian forces. Hostilities with the Romulans are also ended. Though the player can choose which systems to travel to s/he will always encounter Captain Torren, DaiMon Pragg and Captain Terrik in the order listed.

Having completed its patrol, the Sovereign receives a distress call from a Klingon task force led by Captain Korbus. They were attacked by an unidentified craft. They are unable to say who it was but confirm that it wasn't the Cardassians or the Romulans. The Sovereign helps them locate the derelict IKV Gon'dev, a missing Bird-of-Prey for which the Klingons were searching. Suddenly the Cardassian arrive and attack the wounded Klingon force and the Sovereign must fight alongside the Klingons. After the Cardassians have withdrawn or been destroyed, the crew surmises that they are the ones responsible for instigating the attacks. Korbus tells the Sovereign's captain that he is in his debt.

Indefinite Presence
The Sovereign is tasked with locating and destroying Cardassian outposts. It arrives at Riha and assists Captain Draxon of the RanKuf in attacking a Cardassian convoy, but unfortunately the freighters escape. The Sovereign tracks them to Cebelrai II where it destroys a Cardassian outpost and its defenders. It then receives a message from Captain Korbus asking to meet in the Belaruz system. Here the player should decide whether to meet with Korbus or track the enemy freighters to Nepenthe.

Captain Korbus is here to repay the Klingon debt of honor. In defiance of the high council orders he provides information on a mysterious ship that the Klingons sighted in this region of space.

Tracking a group of ships to the Nepenthe system, the Sovereign is able to spy on a meeting with the Cardassians and the Kessok, a previously unencountered alien race. Just as Legate Matan is about to seal a deal between the Cardassians and the Kessok, the Sovereign is spotted by a Galor-class vessel commanded by Gul Sek.

Acting on information acquired in its last mission, the Sovereign, accompanied by the Enterprise, penetrates deep into Cardassian-held territory and destroys a shipyard at Chambana I. There they find several hybrid ships of Cardassian-Kessok design. Unfortunately, all the ships self-destruct, leaving nothing to salvage once the Cardassian shipyard is destroyed.

Found and Lost
The Sovereign is assigned to intelligence gathering missions. Tasked with completing the Geronimo's mission, it discovers an abandoned Cardassian intelligence outpost at Prendel III. This, in turn, leads them to a crash site in the Alioth system. They arrive to find the system swarming with Cardassian ships and satellites and must locate an alien device without being detected. Unfortunately, the device has crashed on an highly inhospitable planet and only Data can go and investigate it. As Data found the device, the Sovereign is suddenly detected by a huge Cardassian fleet. Consequently, the crew has no choice but to leave him behind.

Too Firm a Grasp
Legate Matan's forces finally declare war on the Federation and launch an all-out offensive, attacking Arturus and Ona. Fighting a losing battle, the Sovereign and her fleet retreat to Savoy where they must ensure that the station is successfully evacuated.

The Sovereign escorts the hospital ship USS Nightingale behind enemy lines to rescue survivors who have escaped the destruction of their vessels. Among these is the Dauntless.

Starfleet must stop the Cardassians from using Savoy station as a forward base of operations in the Maelstrom. The Sovereign must also prevent the Cardassians from destroying the station once the enemy realizes that they cannot hold it.

The Sovereign is tasked with finding the location of a Cardassian command and control base near the front lines.

Now that the Cardassian base has been found, the Sovereign must assist the USS Khitomer and her fleet in destroying it. But they haven't bargained on heavy Cardassian resistance and Kessok reinforcements. The assault has to be aborted and the fleet barely flees for its life.

The Drawn Line
Separated from the Khitomer's fleet, the Sovereign returns to Starbase 12 where it must defend the base from a combined Cardassian and Kessok attack. Luckily, the USS Geronimo and the USS Enterprise arrive to help. After defending the starbase a second time against Kamikaze freighters, the Sovereign is fitted with sixteen phased plasma torpedoes.

Ambassador Salek is attempting to negotiate an alliance with the Klingons and Romulans and directs the Sovereign to Lya Station at Albarea III. A surprise Cardassian assault forces the Sovereign to diffuse a volatile confrontation between Captain Korbus of the IKC Jon'ka and Captain Terrik of IRW Chairo.

Before an attack on Alioth can be launched, the Sovereign must destroy all the Cardassian sensor posts at Arturus, Geble, Serris and Poseidon as well as the resupply depot at Ascella. The Sovereign also encounters a Kessok heavy and Kessok mines, the very first confirmed use of these weapons on the battlefield. En route, it must also rescue the USS Geronimo, which has been ambushed by Cardassian and Kessok forces. After thanking the Sovereign, the Geronimo then joins the Sovereign in its mission, having been ordered to join a strike force to retake the Alioth system. The supply post is found powered down with three galors and four freighters. Despite reinforcements, the station is destroyed.

The allies finally attack Alioth, destroy the Cardassian station Litvok Nor and rescue Commander Data, who provides valuable information on the Kessok device. The Enterprise is also there to help. The device regulates the fusion in a star, but tampering and misuse resulted in an accident, causing the Vesuvi star to go nova.

Arise Fair Sun
Horrified by the discovery of the device's destructive potential, Admiral Liu teams the Sovereign and the Geronimo with the USS San Francisco and dispatches the task force on a search, locate and destroy mission. She also extends Commander Data's assignments on the Sovereign, as he is the only one who has the most extensive knowledge about the Kessok devices.

Battling through Kessok forces, the crew of the Sovereign is able to destroy two of the devices. One is cloaked and the other is guarded by six Kessok warships, at Riha and Cebalrai, respectively. They are also astonished that the Cardassians have acquired a Romulan cloaking device. Admiral Liu later informs them that the Romulans have admitted to losing two devices.

At Belaruz I the Sovereign is confronted by an unshielded Kessok heavy cruiser. When hailed, the ship's captain demands for Data to be sent over. Ultimately, Data is successful in establishing a peaceful contact with the Kessok and the commander, Captain Neb-lus, allows the Sovereign to examine the device and verify that it is actually a solar-forming platform designed to reform suns to make a star system more hospitable for colonization. Depending on the player's choice, this mission ends with the destruction of the third solarformer and its escorts or peaceful first contact with the Kessok in which one of the ships accompanying the Sovereign in the next mission will be the Kessok heavy cruiser.

Intelligence reports from the Klingons and Romulans indicate that the last Kessok device is orbiting the sun of the Omega Draconis system, site of a new Kessok colony. The Cardassians have also activated large tachyon emitters, preventing communications and warp travel. Paired with two other ships (one will be the Neb-lig if the player tries to hail the Kessok ship in the previous mission), the Sovereign must establish communications with the Kessok colony at Omega Draconis III and inform the Kessok that they have been betrayed. But they haven't reckoned with deadly hybrid vessels. The Kessok cruisers retreat, and the outnumbered fleet fights for its life. Despite the arrival of the USS Enterprise, every ship still suffers extensive damage before the hybrids are destroyed. Matans Keldon decloaks, and the Sovereign discovers where the other Romulan cloaking device ended up. Matan heads for the systems sun.

The vengeful Matan swears to destroy the Omega Draconis star and taunts the crew to stop him. Stopping him won't be easy since he has the codes to the solarformer's program and his ship is cloaked. Data could be beamed over to the device or the crew could scan Matan's Keldon, after disabling it of course.

Conclusion
The crew of the Sovereign is unable to rescue Matan. His disabled ship crashes into the sun and explodes. Badly damaged herself, the Sovereign maneuvers away a safe distance from the sun, and after effecting repairs, it manages to rendezvous with the Enterprise and a Kessok cruiser. Captain Picard congratulates the Sovereign's captain on a job well done and informs him that diplomatic relations with the Kessok will be opening soon.

Logs

 * "Captain's personal log, stardate 54303.1. Our new first officer is working out nicely, quite capable though mildly lacking in experience. The commander will gain that with time. My ship has been assigned to the Vesuvi system, to investigate the unusual solar anomaly hampering colonization in the maelstrom. I hope to learn more at the Vesuvi IV terraforming station the sole Federation outpost in this region of space. We're also on alert for any Cardassian activity despite Starfleet's claim I doubt we've seen the last of them here."


 * "First officers personal log, stardate 55297.3. I had a look at the Sovereign the other day; it was a beautiful and absolutely colossal ship. I had hoped that an assignment on such a ship would come with my new posting. But Starfleet has its reasons for assigning me to the Dauntless. With Captain Wright's knowledge I could have learned a great deal; Starfleet will surely feel the loss of such a capable officer. My new captain is just that: new. We'll probably be learning some lessons together. The captain spent many years as first officer but has only been on the Dauntless for four months. From what I've seen in the service records, I am sure that the captain will be a fine example for me. The bridge feels a little more social than I am used to; it's understandable that the crew should feel comfortable with their former first officer in command, but respect and discipline must always be maintained on the bridge of a starship and I intend to make sure they are."


 * "Chief engineer Brex's personal log, stardate 55310.5. We returned to Starbase and Admiral Liu informed us that the entire Dauntless crew is being transferred to the Sovereign. Getting a Sovereign-class ship – that's a huge leap for a fourth assignment, only commander La Forge has had the luxury of tinkering with this design until now. The ship itself is wondrous, but it took me a year and a half to get the Dauntless running like I wanted, and I am just getting started with the Sovereign. But as the legendary Montgomery Scott said, there's nothing like the impossible to bolsters ones miraculous reputation."


 * "Ensign Kiska Lomar personal log, stardate 55316.7. What an interesting turn of event this has been. Not too long ago we were cataloging gaseous anomalies in a backwater sector of Federation space. Now it looks like we're gearing for another fight with the Cardassians. Our assignment has been playing like a good mystery holonovel. I was surprised to learn that the destruction of the Vesuvi star was not a natural event – one thing's for certain, with all the action we've been seeing, I don't think we won't be getting any holodeck time for a while."


 * "Chief Science officer's personal log, stardate 55321.6. Our assignment in the Maelstrom continues and the Sovereign is definitely seeing her share of the conflict. Despite the destruction of the Cardassian shipyard, I am still a bit unnerved – who are the Kessok and how closely are they working with the Cardassians? I haven't been able to get more than a glimpse of their technology, but what I've seen so far is impressive. Felix is convinced we haven't seen the last of them and I for one wouldn't mind getting a closer look. Commander Larsen feels I'll get that opportunity, but for some reason I am not entirely looking forward to it."


 * "Captain's log at 0600. We detected a Cardassian scout ship on course for the Prendel system. Passive sensors detected Cardassian activity near the inner planets, but we lost contact with the scout. I am holding position near Prendel 5 'til things quite down a bit, then we'll sneak in an have a look about. I believe we're close to our objective – there's too much activity in the system, the Cardassian don't go mucking about for nothing."


 * "Felix Savali's personal log, stardate 55403.5. I feel responsible for leaving Commander Data behind at Alioth. No one has blamed me, but I still think I could have held off our attackers long enough to retrieve him. Miguel has told me over and over to forget it, that it couldn't be helped, but I can't get it out of my mind. I have been in countless battles and never before I have left a comrade behind. Still, the Cardassians are up to their old tricks and I am sure there'll be more confrontations between us. We still might have chance to get back to the Alioth system and pull Data out of there if he survives."


 * "Personal log, First Officers Saffi Larsen, stardate 55408.2. I've been pleased with the way the crew has come together under combat conditions. They've pulled the Sovereign through a difficult series of enemy engagements. Few starships have seen extended combat in such a short period of time and survived. I am personally concerned, however, about the new ships that the Cardassians have brought into battle – these Kessok ships. Who are the Kessok? Why are they allied to the Cardassians? And what new dangers do they represent?"


 * "Personal log, Lieutenant Commander Data, stardate 55416.1. The device was remarkably intact, despite its impact upon landing and the harsh conditions of Alioth VI. If only my shuttle had held up as well I could have saved the Sovereign the trouble of my rescue. The device should provide much needed information, however, the logic of the machine is somewhat illogical to what I have discovered so far. A thorough in depth analysis should prove most interesting."


 * "Mission logs of the Kyria. We have been assigned a defensive role for one of the four devices and are en route to the Riha system. Matan warned us to take every safety precaution as the Federation has two Sovereign-class ships prowling the sector, making a fine mess of our carefully-laid plans. Kessok technology cannot cloak an object of this size. We had to use the cloaking device acquired by the Ferengi after a few modification and upgrades we successfully cloaked the device for now it is linked to our main core soon we will have its to its own power source."


 * "Captain's log, Stardate 55432.5. The Sovereign has returned victorious from the battle, with Matan having disarmed the Kessok solarformer. Although Matan could not be captured to answer for his crime against the Kessok people, justice appear to be served with the destruction of his ship. I have requested a meeting with the Sovereign's captain to express my personal thanks as well as my commendation."

Player-controlled
You can command two different ships in the single player campaign:

USS Dauntless (NCC-71879)
This Galaxy-class starship has been launched from Utopia Planitia Shipyard in 2365 and has joined the Seventh Fleet under the command of Captain Leland Bell. Her early mission were mainly routine often called "milk runs". The Dauntless received her first unit citation when it defended a disputed area against a flight of Romulan Warbirds and held the area long enough for Starfleet reinforcement to arrive. During the unsettled period that followed, the ship was assigned numerous scouting and reconnaissance missions that earned her the name "The Seeing Eye".

In 2372, the Dauntless returned to spacedock for refits and upgrades. By 2372, Captain Bell retired and Captain Robert Wright assumed command of the ship. She fought together with the Seventh Fleet in the Dominion War, including the battles for Deep Space 9, Goralis and the final assault on Cardassia Prime.

The Dauntless earned her second unit citation at the battle of Tyra where she teamed with the USS Lionheart in defense of two severely-damaged starships from a large force of Cardassian warships. Dauntless earned her third unit citation by fighting with bravery and distinction at the battle of Cardassia Prime, where, badly damaged herself, she defended the Federation flagship and successfully fought off four Cardassian kamikaze attacks against it.

After the end of the war, Dauntless returned to normal duties. She was then stationed at Starbase 12 and assigned to the Maelstrom. The Dauntless was then sent to investigate the unusual solar activity from the Vesuvi system's star that had been hampering the colonization efforts at the Draegos colony. In order to further investigate the solar activity, Captain Wright took the shuttlecraft Icarus II to the Vesuvi IV Terrforming Station, the system's only outpost in the region. En route, the Vesuvi star destabilized and went supernova, releasing a deadly blast that damaged the Dauntless, destroying the shuttlecraft, killing Captain Wright and destroying the much of Vesuvi star system. Only the Haven (Vesuvi VI) and Geki (Vesuvi V) colonies survived, though severely damaged.

With it's systems badly damaged, the Dauntless had laid in a course for Starbase 12 for emergency repairs. With repairs completed at the Soho station a few months later, the first officer was promoted to captain and given command. The first mission was to resupply the Haven and Geki colonies in the Maelstrom. Other assignments included the protection of the starship Sovereign in the Tevron system from Romulan warbirds, investigating Ferengi smugglers and protecting Biranu Station from attack by rogue Cardassian forces.

The Dauntless crew was later transferred to the Sovereign and Captain Jae Yi was given command of the Dauntless. While escorting the Federation transport SS Adams near Serris III, the Dauntless was attacked by a fleet of Cardassian ships under the command of Legate Matan. Though crippled beyond repair, it survived and limped to Serris I. The crew was rescued by the USS Nightingale. Unfortunately, the damage was very serious and the ship was destroyed in orbit around planet of Serris I after the hull destabilized and collapsed.

USS Sovereign (NCC-73811)
Sovereign, like the USS Defiant (2370) was created after the Battle of Wolf 359 as a ship designed to defend against the Borg. It featured ablative armor, regenerative shielding, bio-neural gel packs, and an enhanced deflector system. The ship was tested after the USS Pegasus was retrieved, and did poorly because of a power drain caused by the enhanced deflector system and the malfunction of the regenerative shielding system. It was sent back to the Mars shipyard and mothballed. It subsequently ended up being used as a design reference by the shipyard's engineers. Much of its technology and systems nonetheless found their way into the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E and the USS Prometheus (NCC-71201).

The Sovereign was later reactivated following the Vesuvi event, and though most of the design flaws inherent in the ship were corrected, it continued to suffer from technical bugs. The ship, under the command of Captain Jonathan Soto, broke down at Tevron II while on its way to Starbase 12, and it took a long time to bring the engines back on line, during which the ship was harried by Romulan Warbirds. Only the USS Dauntless and the Birds-of-Prey escorting could keep the Warbirds at bay.

Once repairs and upgrades were completed at Starbase 12, the ship was pressed into service. Its crew was composed of the entire crew transferred from the USS Dauntless. The shakedown cruise was intended to identify any further glitches into the ships. Bugs and troubleshooting continued to plague the ship and Chief Brex found himself making adjustment to every major system including warp drive, sensors and phasers.

In the end, everything turned out all right, and after some war games with USS Geronimo and IKV RanKuf the ship departed on its first mission to investigate the explosion of the Vesuvi star. During that time, it battled Cardassian forces, scoring more kills that any other Federation vessel, no doubt getting a reputation as a Cardassian killer and establishing first contact with a new race native to the Maelstrom. It ultimately discovered that the Cardassians were responsible for the explosion at Vesuvi. All-in-all, the ship's service and performance was admirable.

After the battle of Starbase 12, where the ship defended the facility against a superior forces of Cardassian and Kessok warships, Commander Mathew Graff had the ship equipped with experimental phased plasma torpedoes. These torpedoes, while never tested, had a more powerful yield than quantum torpedoes, and their phasing technology allowed them to pass through concentrated barriers such as shields.

Ambassador-class

 * USS Excalibur (NCC-26517) (NCC-26517): Commanded by Captain William Morrison. This ship was docked at Starbase 12 when the crew of the USS Dauntless was transferred to the USS Sovereign.


 * USS Zhukov (NCC-26136): Commanded by Captain Milus Verata, an Andorian. The Zhukov escorted the Sovereign from Tevron II to Starbase 12. It was part of an assault force against the Cardassian command and control base at Tezle. The Strike force encountered heavy resistance at Tezle II and Zhukov sustained some serious hull damage. It was later forced to retreat with the rest of the fleet when the Kessok reinforced the Cardassian positions.

Akira-class

 * USS Devore (NCC-64088): Commanded by Captain Joshua Martin. This ship participated in the defense of Savoy Station during a Cardassian Attack. It next served as part of a strike force to retake the station as well as the assault on the Cardassian command and control base at Tezle. It was heavily damaged in battle with the Kessok and forced to retreat with the rest of the fleet.


 * USS Geronimo (NCC-69302): Commanded by Captain Gregory Macray, a gregarious Starfleet officer with personal scores to settle with the Cardassians. The Geronimo missions in the Maelstrom were colorful and extensive. It was one of four ships docked at Starbase 12 and followed the Sovereign to Savoy I, where Captain Macray challenged the crew to a friendly war game. The Geronimo later investigated Cardassian activity at the Prendle system but was discovered and attacked before it could locate its objective. It was the first ship that arrived to reinforce the Sovereign at Starbase 12 when the latter fell under attack by a combined Cardassian/Kessok attack. The Geronimo was assigned to a battle grouped tasked with retaking the Alioth system. While proceeding to Starbase 12 where the group was being assembled, it was ambushed by Cardassian and Kessok ships at Xi Entrades V. Outgunned and outnumbered, Captain Mcray had no option but to send a call for help. The Sovereign responded to the distress call. After the attackers were destroyed, the Geronimo assisted the Sovereign in destroying the remaining sensor posts, the Cardassian dock at Ascella III and their defenders. The Geronimo was later allocated to a task force headed by the Sovereign to locate and destroy the Kessok sunbusters and participated in First Contact with the Kessok.

Galaxy-class

 * USS Venture (NCC-71854): Commanded by Captain Benjamin Dawson. This ship participated in the defense of Savoy Station during a Cardassian attack, where it was heavily damaged. It was held in reserve and would have been returned to the front lines if the Devore and San Francisco were both destroyed.


 * USS San Francisco (NCC-69480): Commanded by Captain Eina Zeiss. This ship was assigned to hold the front lines at Arturus III when the Cardassian launched a surprise offensive. The San Francisco subsequently participated in the defense of Savoy Station during a Cardassian attack. It was stationed near Starbase 12 when the Sovereign was tasked with destroying a number of Cardassian posts. The San Francisco was later allocated to a task force headed by the Sovereign to locate and destroy the Kessok sunbusters and participated in First Contact with the Kessok.


 * Unnamed Galaxy-class: This starship battled Cardassian forces at Geble III. It suffered a rupture of the warp core in the battle and was destroyed. Two escape pods from this ship with twelve survivors each were recovered by the USS Nightingale.


 * USS Berkeley (NCC-64720): Science vessel commanded by Captain Elizabeth Haley. The Berkley was assigned to investigate the Vesuvi event but was unable to penetrate the dust clouds. It was attacked and severely damaged by a Kessok ship and had to be towed back to starbase by the USS Nightingale.


 * USS Nightingale (NCC-60805): Hospital ship commanded by Captain Nandi Jadeja. The Nightingale towed the Berkeley back to Starbase 12 after it was attacked. Later, it was dispatched behind enemy lines to locate and rescue survivors of Cardassian attacks all the while escorted by the USS Sovereign. The Nightingale recovered escape pods from the site of a battle at Geble as well as survivors and wounded from the Dauntless at Serris. It was constantly harassed by Cardassian forces during the mission. The ship returned to Starbase 12 once its mission was complete.


 * USS Khitomer (NCC-71906): This ship spearheaded several key missions against the Cardassians including the re-capture of Savoy Station and the assault on the Cardassian command and control base at Tezle. The Khitomer served as a command and control ship under Commander Jonathan Willis. Following the destruction of the Dauntless, Captain Jae Yi and his crew were assigned to this ship.


 * USS Prometheus (NCC-71201) (NCC-71201): was usually seen flying near Starbase 12 during the events in "Obscured by Cloud". It was most likely on sentry duty and did not participate in any of the later battles against the Cardassians


 * Unnamed Nebula-class: This starship battled Cardassian forces at Geble III, where it was destroyed during the battle. Two escape pods from this ship with 24 survivors were recovered by the USS Nightingale.

Sovereign-class

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E): was patrolling the Maelstrom at least since the explosion of Vesuvi. It participated along with the Sovereign in attacking and destroying the Cardassian shipyard at Chambana I, after which it promptly proceeded to its next assignment. The Enterprise participated in the defense of Starbase 12 when it came under attack by a combined Cardassian and Kessok fleet. It was assigned to a battle group tasked with retaking the Alioth system, but arrived late in the battle as it was constantly harried by Cardassian forces on the way. After the Cardassian were destroyed or driven away, the Enterprise assisted the Sovereign in locating Commander Data on Alioth VI. It later rendered assistance when the Sovereign and her fleet came under heavy attack at Omega Draconis III by deadly Cardassian hybrid ships.


 * USS Sovereign (NCC-73811): The primary ship of the game.

Federation Transport

 * Cambridge, Inverness and Shannon: were Federation transports tasked with evacuating Savoy Station during a Cardassian invasion. During the battle, the Cardassians concentrated their attack on the Cambridge, destroying its communication system in the process. It was also the last ship to flee.


 * Adams: Carrying a shipment of quantum torpedoes. Destroyed by Cardassian Forces at Serris III. Cargo recovered by USS Sovereign.


 * Unknown: Carrying a shipment of quantum torpedoes. Destroyed by Cardassian Forces at Prendle V. Cargo recovered by USS Sovereign.

Federation Freighters
Two freighters were part of a relief convoy destined to the Haven colony, but they were only listed as Freighter 1 and Freighter 2.

Federation Shuttles

 * Shuttles 1, 2, 3 and 4: were assigned to the USS Khitomer. Their main purpose were to ferry assault teams. They were used to retake Savoy Station and assault Cardassian Base Tezle 1. The shuttles were severely damaged during that operation and were last seen heading for the Beol System.


 * Icarus 2: Assigned to the USS Dauntless and piloted by Captain Robert Wright. Icarus 2 was destroyed when the Vesuvi star went nova.


 * Unamed shuttle: Assigned to the USS Sovereign. It was piloted by Data to Alioth VI during the search for the alien device. It was severely damaged on the surface due to prolonged exposure to the inhospitable atmosphere and later abandoned.

Unknown class

 * USS Hawking: Referred only in dialog and in the manual. Hawking was one the first ships to survey the Maelstrom. Among the systems it charted was Nepenthe. It wasn't until afterward that the Federation and other races started expressing an interest in the Maelstrom.

Federation space stations

 * Starbase 12: Starbase 74-type starbase. Commanded by Admiral Alice Liu, this facility is located near the Federation Cardassian border and orbits the New Holland colony. It serves as a command center for operation in the Maelstrom and nearby territories. The USS Dauntless and USS Sovereign were assigned to this base, along with a number of other ships. Commander Matthew Graff is on of the officers serving on this base; his task is to re-supply and allocate repair crews to docking ships.


 * Biranu Station: Regula One-type station. This station was established for starship support and resupply. It also provided conference facilities and has hosted many scientific and commercial conferences. Captain Picard was guest speaker at one of these. The station was severely damaged and subsequently evacuated following an attack by Legate Matan's forces.


 * Geki Facility: is a Federation outpost located in orbit of Vesuvi V. It was severely damaged during the Vesuvi event and abandoned thereafter.


 * Haven Facility: is a Federation outpost located in orbit of Vesuvi VI. This station serves commercial shipping and provided limited starship support. It was and probably still is used for terraforming as well.


 * Lyra Station: Regula One-type station. Secret base located at Albirea III; site of talks for an alliance between Federation, Klingons and Romulans. Not so secret since the Cardassian found out about it anyway and attacked.

Savoy Station


 * Savoy Station: Regula One-type station. This station was located at Savoy I, which served as a training ground. The station was also used for stellar research and provided starship support facilities. Diplomatic summits had also been held here before. In 2378 the station fell under attack by Legate Matan's forces and had to be evacuated. Starfleet had to subsequently launch a counter attack to prevent the Cardassian from using it as a base of operations.


 * Soho Station: Regula One-type station in orbit of Tau Ceti Prime that provides starship support and serves as the operations center for three Starfleet drydocks.

B'rel-class Birds-of-Prey

 * IKV Bowie'e: was a Bird-of-Prey that participated in war games with the Sovereign at Savoy I. According to Captain Draxon of the RanKuf her captain was young and inexperienced.


 * IKV Em'ree: was a was a B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey that accompanied the IKV RanKuf in attacking a Cardassian military convoy at Riha. The Birds-of-Prey, with the help of USS Sovereign, destroyed the Cardassian escorts and reinforcements but were unable to seize the freighters.


 * IKV Gon'dev: was a B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey that went missing in the Belaruz system. A Klingon task force led by the IKV Jon'ka was assigned to find it. They were assisted by the USS Sovereign. The Gon'dev had been attacked by an unidentified ship and left derelict with the loss of all hands. Curiously, no one bothered salvaging it.


 * IKV Grerr: This B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey was part of a task force led by the IKV Jon'ka to search for the Gon'dev, a sister ship that had gone missing in the vicinity of the Belaruz system. Here it was attacked by an unidentified ship later presumed to be a Kessok vessel. The ship was later destroyed in a skirmish with Cardassian forces.


 * IKV Kahless Ro: This B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey was part of a task force led by the IKV Jon'ka to search for the Gon'dev, a sister ship that had gone missing in the vicinity of the Belaruz system. Here it was attacked by an unidentified ship later presumed to be a Kessok vessel. It sustained heavy damaged in battle. Ultimately it met its destruction under a fleet of Cardassian warships commanded by Legate Matan.


 * IKV Mav'jop: This Bird-of-Prey was briefly commanded by Captain Korbus when he set out at the risk of his own career to pay a debt to the captain of the Sovereign. Korbus had borrowed this ship from a friend's House and its mission was of utmost discretion and secrecy. Therefore it was manned only by a skeleton crew. Weapons officer Felix Savali commanded the Mav'jop for a while when Korbus was aboard the Sovereign. Felix apparently hit it off well with the crew as one challenged him to bat'leth combat and another a woman proposed marriage. The Mav'jop provided essential assistance to the Sovereign in investigating a strange ship of unknown configuration in the Voltaire system as well as support while the two ship came under attack by a superior Cardassian force led by Gul Oben.


 * IKV RanKuf: B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey commanded by Captain Draxon. The ship was destined for Biranu Station and escorted the Sovereign to Tevron. The Dauntless had to be called in to continue the escort, as Captain Draxon had a very tight schedule. The RanKuf attacked the Romulans after they demanded to know why the Sovereign was assigned to Maelstrom. The RanKuf later help defend Biranu Station against a Cardassian attack. It also participated in war games drill with the USS Sovereign at Savoy I and intercepted a Cardassian millitary Convoy at Riha. Unfortunately, the Cardassians managed to hold up the RanKuf and her accompanying ships long enough to allow the freighters to escape.


 * IKV Trayor: This B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey was frequently seen accompanying the IKV RanKuf. It was one of the ships escorting the USS Sovereign in the Tevron System and later helped defend Biranu Station against a Cardassian attack.

Vor'cha-class attack cruiser

 * IKV Ho'hegh: was an attack cruiser that participated in the combined allied assault on the Alioth system and the destruction of the Cardassian Space Station Litvok Nor.


 * IKV Jonka: This attack cruiser was commanded by Captain Korbus. It led a Klingon task force to Belaruz IV to find the missing IKV Gon'dev, a B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey. There, the task force engaged a strange vessel later presumed to be a Kessok ship. All Klingon ships were heavily damaged in the engagement and the Jonka had to sent a call for help. The Federation starship USS Sovereign was the closest and promptly responded to the call. It then provided assistance in locating the Gon'dev. The group was then attacked by a Cardassian force led by Legate Matan. The Grerr and Kahless Ro were destroyed in the ensuing engagement and the Jonka was itself saved from the same fate by the timely action of the Sovereign's captain. Captain Korbus told the ship's commander that he was now in his debt and made good in repaying it.

The next time the Jonka was encountered by the Sovereign at Alberia III, Captain Korbus had been relegated to chauffeuring an ambassador, a task he didn't enjoy. The Klingons had tasked the Jonka to Lya Station for a secret diplomatic meeting to negotiate a Federation Klingon Romulan alliance against the Cardassians. When the Cardassians found the base and attacked, Captain Korbus accused Captain Terrik of betrayal. After helping destroy a Cardassian attack force, the Jonka later turned on the IRW Chairo, however the warbird disabled the cruiser's weapons. Korbus then tried to ram the warbird with his ship, but was prevented in doing so by the Sovereign. Towards the end of the Kessok incident the Jonka was stationed near the vicinity of Starbase 12.

Romulan Warbirds

 * IRW Soryak: was a warbird commanded by Captain Torenn. This ship attacked the USS Sovereign at Tevron II. Captain Torenn was suspicious as to why Starfleet assigned its two most powerful ships (the Sovereign and the Enterprise) to the Maelstrom. The warbird was driven away by the Dauntless and two Klingon Birds-of-Prey. The Soryak confronted the Dauntless again, this time at Beol IV where it had seized a Cardassian freighter, suspecting it of carrying illicit and military goods. Again the Dauntless prevailed. The Soryak was later tracking increased Cardassian activity throughout the Maelstrom. Following the destruction and disappearance of several Romulan ships in the local area, Captain Torenn confronted the Sovereign blaming the Federation for attacks. However the crew was able to diffuse the tensions and both parties later went their separate ways.


 * IRW Chairo: was a D'deridex-class warbird commanded by Captain Terrik, who attacked the Sovereign at the Vesuvi Dust Cloud believing that the Federation ship was responsible for the destruction of a Romulan warbird. Outnumbered two-to-one, the Sovereign was forced to take cover in the dust cloud in order to escape the Chairos weapons. While on patrol, the Sovereign encountered the Chairo again, this time under attack by the Cardassians, and assisted in repelling the attackers. Despite the loss of the Chairos sister ship IRW T'awsun. Captain Terrik was very grateful and swore to the Sovereigns captain that if they meet again it wouldn't be as enemies. The next time the Chairo was encountered by the Sovereign was at Alberia 3, where the Romulans had tasked the warbird to Lya Station for a secret diplomatic meeting to negotiate a Federation Klingon Romulan alliance against the Cardassians. When the Cardassians found the base and attacked, Captain Korbus and Captain Terrik accused each other of betrayal. After the Cardassian attack force was eliminated, the Chairo was fired upon by the Jonka. However, the warbird disabled the Jonka's weapons. Korbus then tried to ram the warbird with his ship, but was prevented in doing so by the Sovereign.


 * IRW Chilvas: A D'deridex-class warbird which was frequently seen accompanying the Soryak. It attacked the disabled USS Sovereign at Tevron II but was driven away by the Dauntless and two Klingon Birds-of-Prey. The warbird was present again when Captain Torenn confronted the Sovereign, blaming the Federation for the destruction of several Romulan ships. The situation was successfully diffused and both parties went their separate ways. Later when the Federation, Klingons and Romulans formed an alliance against Matan's forces, the Chilvas was one of the ships that participated in the combined allied assault on the Alioth system and the destruction of the Cardassian space station Litvok Nor.


 * IRW T'awsun: A D'deridex-class warbird which was seen accompanying the Chairo. It attacked the Sovereign at the Vesuvi dust cloud when Captain Terrik of the Chairo thought that the Federation ship was responsible for the destruction of a Romulan warbird. The next time the Sovereign encountered this warbird it was under heavy attack by Cardassian forces along with the Chairo. Throughout the battle, the Cardassians concentrated their fire on this ship. Despite the Sovereign's assistance, the T'awsun succumbed to Cardassian fire and was ultimately destroyed.


 * Derelict Warbird: The Sovereign encountered this warbird at the Haven colony and tracked its course to the Vesuvi dust cloud but lost eye contact with the ship. The wreckage of this ship was later encountered while trying to chase a ship that attacked the USS Berkley. The unnamed warbird was presumably part of a task force led by the IRW Chairo and may have been destroyed by a Kessok ship.

Ferengi ships

 * Krayvis: A marauder commanded by DaiMon Praag. The Krayvis was apprehended by the USS Dauntless smuggling contraband and military goods to Cardassian forces at Serris II. Praag foolishly sent a distress call to the Cardassians, who arrived and attacked his ship, forcing the Dauntless to defend the maurauder.

The next time the crew encountered the Krayvis it was again under attack by a force of Cardassian Galors. This time they were on patrol in the recently-commissioned Sovereign when they received its distress call. The Sovereign was able to drive off the attackers and Praag provided the crew with valuable information about the Cardassian forces rearming in the region. The Krayvis was carrying a registered cargo of lucasite ore when it was attacked.

Cardassian

 * Please note that the following list includes only the ships that played a large part in the storyline and thus a large number of Galor and Keldon-class ships are not listed here.:
 * Matan's Keldon: A modified Keldon-class ship with a reinforced hull and a cloaking device. A main energizer provided power to all ship's system. The modified design was not without its flaws the cloaking system was very fragile and could be easily disabled as was the communication system. Also, disabling the energizer would cripple the ship, which ultimately paved the way for Matan's demise. Mata presumably used this ship to attack Sovereign and Jonka's task force at Belaruz IV. Matan withdrew from battle after his ship sustained hull damage, but not without leaving a trap for the Klingons. Matan's ship later led a force of eight ships to seize Alioth VI, forcing the Sovereign to leave Commander Data stranded on the planet below. Matan revealed he had been tracking them all along despite the heavy Cardassian presence in the system. The last encounter with Matan's Keldon was at Omega Draconis; it was then that the vessel's modifications became known. Matan tried to destroy the star but was thwarted; his ship was disabled by the Sovereign and subsequently crashed into the sun with all hands. It is not clear if Matan used more than one ship or whether he made the modifications midway during the story.


 * Kyria: A Galor-class cruiser commanded by Gul Havar, it was assigned for defensive role for one of the Kessok devices at Riha. The Galor did not engage the Sovereign and her task force when they warped into the system. Havar tried to delete his logs but was unsuccessful. The Kyrias life support systems failed after the Federation fleet opened fire and disabled her. All hands were lost. The Sovereigns crew discovered from Havar's logs that the Kessok device was tied to the Kyria's warp core in order to cloak the solarformer. To decloak the device they would have to destroy the Kyria.


 * Karoon: A Groumall-type Cardassian freighter attacked at Beol IV by the IRW Soryak, which suspected it of smuggling. An unarmed vessel, it was no match and was heavily damaged in the encounter. The warbird then tried to tow the Karoon to the systems asteroid belt which would prevent the freighter from sending another SOS. The Dauntless managed to rescue the Karoon and provided equipment that allowed the Cardassian crew to continue on their journey. Although the Cardassian Gul claimed that his ship was carrying relief supplies for a nearby outpost, the ship was running with a dampening field around it hull. The Cardassian Gul in command of the Karoon was not given a name. He was a somewhat charming, polite and jolly fellow, voiced by Vaughn Armstrong.

Cardassian Space Stations

 * Ascella Supply Depot: This station served as resupply port and starship maintenance and repair dock. It later became instrumental in the Cardassians' occupation of the Alioth system. The facility was destroyed by the USS Sovereign and USS Geronimo.


 * Cebelrai Outpost: The outpost was uncovered and then destroyed by the Sovereign at Cebelrai III when it followed a Cardassian military freighter convoy. It most likely served as a supply depot and was defended by two Galor-class starships in addition to its own armaments.


 * Chambana Shipyards: These shipyards were responsible for producing fresh ships for Legate Matan's forces. They also provided support to Kessok ships following a brief alliance between the Kessok and Cardassian House Arterius. The Chambana shipyards also manufactured the first series of Cardassian-Kessok hybrid vessels. These hybrids were also equipped with a self-destruct program to prevent them from falling into enemy hand. The shipyards were destroyed by the USS Sovereign and USS Enterprise.


 * Litvok Nor: Terok Nor/Empok Nor-type starbase. Very little was known about this station or if it even existed. Its existence was speculated by the fact that the Cardassians favor the number three. Until 2378 Litvok Nor was only know by references. It original location was never discovered except that it was somewhere in the Maelstrom. Later in 2378 it was moved in orbit of Alioth VI to protect the crash site of a Kessok device. The station and it defenders were destroyed by a combined Federation-Klingon-Romulan fleet.


 * Prendel Outpost: This station served as an intelligence center. The Cardassians hurriedly evacuated the outpost after it was nearly discovered by the USS Geronimo. The Sovereign located this outpost at Prendell III. The Cardassians did not wipe out the computer core nor did they implement any internal defense as was the case at Empok Nor. The station was only protected by an automated program that activated shields and weapons when a non-Cardassian vessel drew near. The station was destroyed by the Sovereign after the crew had acquired the information stored in its computers.


 * Sensor Stations 1, 2, 3, and 4: The Cardassians employed a number or sensor posts after seizing vast territory from the United Federation of Planets. These were placed at Poseidon, Geble, Arturus and Serris. All systems were previously in Federation space. The USS Sovereign and USS Geronimo destroyed all the posts, which also enabled them to launch a surprise attack on the Cardassian depot at Ascella V.


 * Tachyon Emitters: To prevent other races from contacting the Kessok, the Cardassians placed two tachyon emitters in the Omega Draconis system. These emitters prevented subspace communication and warp travel within the system itself. Both emitters were destroyed by the Sovereign and her battle group, enabling contact with the Kessok colony at Omega Draconis III.

Kessok

 * Kessok Solarformers: These devices are used by the Kessok to reform suns making star systems more hospitable for colonization. They are large about the size of a small space stations and capable of warp. They can be detected through a high concentration of anti-protons. At least five of these devices were know to exist. The first device was responsible for the Vesuvi event as result of fiddling by the Cardassians. It later crashed on Alioth VI. The second device was located by the USS Sovereign at the Riha system. The third was at Cebelrai and the fourth device was at Belaruz. The second and third devices were destroyed by the Sovereign and her task upon location. The fifth and final device was found orbiting the sun of the Omega Draconis system, which had recently been colonized by the Kessok. Matan tried to use the device to destroy Omega Draconis. He was not successful.


 * Neb-lig: was a Kessok heavy cruiser tasked with guarding the Kessok solarformers at Cebelrai and Belaruz. Its commander was Neb-Lus. Unlike other Kessok, Neb-Lus was something of a rebel and maverick. A respectable leader, he had reputation of a free thinker. His ship was instrumental in establishing peaceful first contact with the Federation. The Neb-lig later escorted the Sovereign from Starbase 12 to Omega Draconis III to warn the Kessok that they had been betrayed by the Cardassians. The Cardassians tried to reinforce their position in a fleet of deadly hybrid vessels more powerful than the Kessok heavy cruisers. Neb-Lus chose to remain and fight alongside the Sovereign than retreat with the rest of the Kessok fleet.

Multiplayer
In Multi-Player and Quickbattle Mode, more types of ships can be played, including:
 * (UFP)
 * (UFP)
 * (UFP)
 * (Klingon Empire)
 * (Klingon Empire)
 * (Romulan Star Empire)
 * (Cardassian Union)
 * (Cardassian Union)
 * Hybrid-class (Cardassian-Kessok Hybrid)
 * Kessok Light Cruiser (Kessok)
 * Kessok Heavy Cruiser (Kessok)
 * (Ferengi Alliance)
 * Federation Transport
 * Federation Shuttle

Due to modding sites, there are now hundreds of ships, star systems, crewmembers, bridges and more that can be added or replaced in the game.

Crew

 * Commander Saffi Larsen, First Officer/Executive Officer
 * Saffi Ingrid Larsen was born on November 12, 2336 on the Goddard-moon colony and completed her education at Starfleet Academy in 2356 as the best of her age-group's 323 cadets. She served as first officer on the USS Lionheart under the command of Captain Thomas Wittbeck before she was transfered onto the Dauntless.


 * Lt. Commander Miguel Diaz, Science Officer
 * Miguel Pedro Diaz was born on March 23, 2345 in Sonora, Mexico. Despite the fact that he performed only average at Starfleet Academy, his previous Captain, Didier LaFleur, described him as a fine and correct officer, even though he almost seems to hate the Klingons.


 * Lieutenant Felix Savali, Tactical Officer
 * Born in Apia, Western Samoa, Felix Savali graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2371 and was transfered to the USS Strongbow under the command of Captain Delia Messina before he was assigned to the Dauntless.


 * Ensign Kiska LoMar, Flight Controller
 * Kiska was born on Sirtor XVII, 2356 on Bajor and completed her education at Starfleet Academy in 2377. She was transferred to the Dauntless directly and is now serving on her as conn. Just like most Bajorans, Kiska has a strong animosity against Cardassians, although she seems to control her emotions quite well.


 * Chief Petty Officer Brex, Chief Engineer
 * Bolian Jarso Brex was born on Bolarus IX on 21 Assinian, 2336 and was described as one of the most brilliant engineers, although he never enrolled at Starfleet Academy. His only weakness seams to be that he does not want to go on vacation.

Guests

 * Lt. Commander Data, Special Missions attachment


 * Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Introduction to the game, assistant to the bridge during the first few episodes


 * Captain Korbus, Korbus is a Klingon Captain and commanding officer of the IKV Jonka. He briefly serves as the Sovereign'''s weapons officer while paying his debt of honor to the ship's captain.


 * Ambassador Salek, Salek is a Vulcan ambassador tasked with a critical mission to negotiate an alliance with the Federation, Klingons and Romulan against the resurgent Cardassian threat.

Allies

 * Vice Admiral Alice Liu, Chief of Starfleet operations in the Maelstrom


 * Commander Matthew Graff, Responsible for the repair and resupply of ships docking at Starbase 12


 * Commander Jonathan Willis, A Marine commander and expert in Cardassian tactics, he is assigned mainly for the ground operations. He is also first officer of the Khitomer under Captain Yi.


 * Captain Neb-lus, A Kessok commander who was doubtful about the Cardassian motives. His suspicions were later proven right during a meeting with the USS Sovereign and her task force. Fought alongside the Sovereign in the final battle against Matan and helped pave the way for a new alliance between the Federation and the Kessok.

Enemies

 * "Cardassian commander": This unnamed Gul was in command of a fleet of four Cardassian Galor-class ships that were involved in the standoff with the Klingons at Biranu Station. Though he promised not to harm the Dauntless and the station he went back on his word. He perished along with all of his soldiers as the Dauntless, Rankuf, and Trayor destroyed his fleet.


 * Gul Oben: Cardassian commander tasked with supervising tests on a new prototype vessel of Cardassian and Kessok design. Oben arrogantly swore to destroy the USS Sovereign and the IKV Mav'Jop when they intruded in the Voltair system where the Cardassians were observing the tests. Despite his superior force of two Keldons and two Galors he was defeated in battle with all of his ships destroyed.


 * Legate Matan: Head of House Arterius, a prominent Cardassian faction, possibly of Cardassian nobility, as such he commands his own forces and militia. Matan is also the self-proclaimed commander of the Cardassian fleet in the Maelstrom. A nasty elderly megalomaniac with a scar on his face not to mention an annoying personality, he is the chief villain in the game who is responsible for spearheading the Cardassian plan to invade the Federation and re-establish Cardassia as a ruling supremacy. A new master plan with which to conquer the galaxy and as always it never works.


 * Gul Havar: Commander of the Kyria, a Galor-class vessel. He was charged with providing defensive duties for a Kessok Solarformer. Using a Romulan cloaking device acquired by DaiMon Pragg, Havar's crew were able to cloak the Solarformer by tying the cloak directly into the Kyria's warp core. Havar and all his crew perished when the life support systems failed in the Battle with the Sovereign. Prior to his death Havar tried to erase the Kyria's logs but it only worked half way. While is was never explicitly clear it is possible that the Cardassian deliberately cut off their own life support rather than being taken into Starfleet's custody.


 * Gul Sek: Commander of a Galor-class vessel that was responsible for providing security during a secret meeting with Legate Matan and a Kessok Ambassador at Nepenthe I. His ship managed to discover and then engaged the USS Sovereign that was hiding in a nearby asteroid field.

Astrometrics
Star Trek: Bridge Commander is set in a region of space known as the Maelstrom. This volatile region is located near the borders of the Federation, Klingon and Cardassian territories. None of the major powers originally laid claim to this region because of its inhospitable environment. The Maelstrom is clustered with subspace tears, quantum destablization and high radioactivity and the star in the region appear to produce triple amount of radiation and poses an extreme hazard to passing ships.The USS Hawkings was one of the first federation ships that surveyed the Maelstrom after which several key federation scientists expressed in studying further. Among the systems it chartered was Nepenthe where there is a dense asteroid field near the first planet.

The region was not colonized until as early of 2376. This was made only possible due to new technological breakthroughs such as bio filters and atmospheric shielding. The two outermost planets of the Vesuvi system have been colonized. These are the Haven colony on Vesuvi VI and the Geki Colony on Vesuvi V. The are managed respectively by Director Toban Soams and Administrator Soji Takahara. An outpost was placed in orbit of each planets. Additionally two communication satellites were placed in Vesuvi V.

Construction of a science outpost, the Draegos colony, on Vesuvi II had begun before the star went nova. The explosion destroyed four of the planets in the Vesuvi system and severely damaged the remaining colonies. A huge dust cloud was formed at the site where the Vesuvi star once shone. Ships must maintain safe distance from the dust cloud because of radiation. A ship penetrating the cloud without shields would be destroyed. The Sovereign-class is the only type of ship available to Starfleet that has shield powerful enough withstand the pressures from the dust cloud.

The Maelstrom consists of the following star systems:


 * Alioth (8 planets)
 * Arturus (3 planets)
 * Ascella (5 planets)
 * Beol (4 planets; Beol III is orbited by two moons: Legare and Kerry; Beol II is orbited by one moon: Ohmine)
 * Biranu (2 planets; Biranu II is also known as Osa)
 * Belaruz (3 planets; Belaruz I doesn't appear to exist, the outer planets appear to orbit the Kacheeti Nebula)
 * Cebelrai (3 planets)
 * Chambana (2 planets)
 * Geble (4 planets)
 * Itari (8 planets)
 * Nepenthe (3 planets)
 * Omega Draconis (5 planets; Omega Draconis III is a newly-settled Kessok colony)
 * Ona (3 planets)
 * Poseidon II
 * Prendle V
 * Riha I
 * Savoy III
 * Serris III
 * Tevron II
 * Tezle II
 * Vesuvi (There were six planets before the supernova, two after. A huge dust cloud lies at the site where the Vesuvi star once shone)
 * Voltaire (2 planets)
 * Yiles (4 planets)
 * Xi Entrades (5 planets)

Additionally the Alberia system (three planets) and the Tevron system (two planets) could be located in the Maelstrom, but it is not certain. Starbase 12 which orbits the New Holland is the closest installation to the Maelstrom and the dry docks at Tau Ceti Prime are the nearest repair yards to the Maelstrom.

The Cardassian Empire also laid claim to Maelstrom. It is not know when they began annexing this region but it could be speculated as far back as the Dominion War. By 2378 they had established several space borne installations throughout the Maelstrom including space station Litvok Nor as well as a ground base on Tezle I. Although no Cardassian colonies had been established in the region the Cardassian held a number of systems including Riha, Tezle, Nepenthe and Chambana. They later launched an assault that allowed them to claim additional territories including Alioth, Arturus Geble, Serris and Savoy. However in the end the Federation was able to retake these territories. Details of Cardassian presence in the Maelstrom after the end of the Kessok incident remain unknown.

Memorable Quotes
"Dauntless gunning, Cardassians running. That's what I like to hear."
 * - Ensign Kiska Lomar

"I am detecting a number of Klingon and Cardassian ships in the system, sir. Their weapons are online"

"Maybe It's a party!"


 * - Miguel Diaz, Chief Brex, on a Klingon-Cardassian standoff

"The Klingons report they will hear our orders, but not our idle chatter."

"I can respect that. They're men of action."

"What about the women?"

"Kiska, have you ever seen a Klingon woman? They're manlier than Felix."
 * - Kiska LoMar, Felix Savali, and Chief Brex, on Klingons

"Gul Sek to all ships, attack the Federation spies! Send them home as ashes!"
 * - Gul Sek, upon discovering the Sovereign spying on a Cardassian and Kessok meeting.

"Commander, the base is jamming our communications towards the planet."

"Brex, Miguel, solutions?"

"... well, if you give me a few hours I can conduct a scan of the starbase and the source of the interference..."

"... or we can just destroy the base."

"I like that idea."


 * - Kiska, Saffi, Diaz, Brex, and Felix, on a Cardassian Starbase

"Well, I'm relieved to be going on a mission that doesn't involve Cardassians firing at us. I suppose you would prefer a mission that had us facing a dozen Galors."

"... I would..."
 * - Diaz and Felix

"What are you waiting for Captain? Come, be a hero, Starfleets counting on you."
 * -Matan, tempting the Sovereign to destroy the Solarformer at Omega Draconis.

"You'd think that someone as intelligent as Matan would give us a clear shot at his precious doomsday device, Unless he's gone mad?"

"You're considering the sanity of a man whose hobby is destroying solar systems."
 * - Miguel Diaz and Chief Brex

"Well captain, you've certainly outdone yourself. The Kessok have offered their most profound thanks for preserving their colony as well as their remaining solarformer. We have begun diplomatic negotiation with the Kessok in light of the recent event. We are hopeful they will be open to a treaty of some kind with the Federation. Your performance has been exemplary. You've maintained the finest traditions of Starfleet. I am sure we will be hearing the name Sovereign often in the future. We must be getting underway, and I am sure you'll want to get back to your ship. So, I'll say this, captain: bon voyage, and I see you out there."
 * - Captain Picard, giving congratulations at the end of the game

Background Information
Star Trek: Bridge Commander is a heavily-modifiable video game. A number of "mod teams" have altered or improved the game's graphics, characters, and missions, while adding new vessels, bridges, and technologies. One such modification, NanoFX2, was featured in the August 2004 edition of PC Gamer, and few recent reviews of Star Trek: Bridge Commander go without mentioning the still-thriving mod community. The game also has mods of ships from other series' such as Stargate, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Andromeda, etc.

In the game, the Tactical Station was placed on the front right of the bridge where the helm is usually situated. Given the combat-heavy nature of the game, the developers deliberately switched Tactical and Ops to give the player easier access to weapons. This was switched back in 2006's Bridge Plugin modification, giving the player the option of placing Tactical at the traditional position, but selecting the Tactical officer still caused the player to look towards the viewscreen so that they could still operate the manual weapons controls.

 is a colloquial nickname for the -- area in central Illinois, home to the main campus of the, about 130 miles south of Chicago.

Cast

 * Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
 * Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
 * Martha Hackett as Commander Saffi Larsen
 * Jonathan Del Arco as Lt. Commander Miguel Pedro Diaz
 * Andy Milder as Chief Brex
 * Nicholas Guest as Lt. Felix Savali
 * Lisa LoCicero as Ensign Kiska LoMar
 * Freda Foh Shen as Admiral Alice Liu
 * Vaughn Armstrong as Captain Korbus and the Karoon Captain
 * Barry Dennen as Gul Oden and Captain Tarrik
 * Carolyn Hennesey as Captain Eina Zeiss, Captain Elizabeth Haley, and Captain Torenn
 * Charles Chun as Administrator Soji Takahara and Captain Jae Yi
 * Dennis Cockrum as Captain Gregory MacCray, Commander Jonathan Willis, and Captain Jonathan Soto
 * Earl Boen as Captain Draxon, Director Toban Soams, and Legate Matan
 * Max Grodénchik as Daimon Praag, Captain Benjamin Dawson, and Neb-lus
 * Michael Reisz as Commander Matthew Graff, Captain Nandi Jadeja, and Gul Havar
 * J. Paul Boehmer as Gul Sek, Captain Joshua Martin, and Ambassador Saalek
 * Sean G. Griffin as Captain Wright, Cardassian Captain, and Captain Milus Verata

Totally Games Crew

 * Creative Director: Lawrence Holland
 * Project Lead: David Litwin
 * Network & Interface Programming: Albert Mack
 * AI & Sound Programming, Physics & Simulation Programming: Kevin Deus
 * 3D Graphics Programming: James Therien
 * Interface Programming: Erik Novales
 * Character & Bridge Programming, Save/Load Programming: Colin Carley
 * Game System Programming: David Litwin and Erik Novales
 * Lead Game Design: William Morrison
 * Game Design, Mission Scripting, Story: William Morrison, Jess VanDerwalker, Anthony Evans, and Benjamin Schulson
 * Art Lead, Environmental Art: Armand Cabrera
 * Bridge Sets: Armand Cabrera, Richard Green, and Victor Bennett
 * Ship Art: Armand Cabrera, Richard Green, Anthony Hon, Matt Bein
 * Character Animations: Anthony Hon, Victor Bennett
 * Art Technician: Matt Bein
 * Quality Assurance Lead: Evan Birkby
 * Quality Assurance: Shawn Refoua and Christopher Charles
 * Ship Systems Balance: Evan Birkby
 * Production Coordinator: Michael Hawkins
 * Director of Business Development: Robin Holland
 * Administration: Peter Leahy, Theresa Gillespie, and Penny Rosen
 * Additional Programming: Samuel Fortiner, Yossi Horowitz, Michael Zyracki, and Samir Sinha
 * Additional Art: David Wright, Christian Bradley, Jesse Hayes, Mike Cicchi, and James McLeod
 * Story Editing and Dialogue: D.C. Fontana and Derek Chester
 * Additional Design / Story: Alberto Fonseca, Morgan Gray, and Matthew Kagle
 * Sound Production, CB Studios: Clint Bajakian and Julian Kwasneski
 * Theme and Original Score: Danny Pelfrey
 * Casting Director: Ron Surma
 * Casting Assistant: Chadwick Struck
 * Voiceover Production Direction: Kris Zimmerman
 * Voiceover Production, Salami Studios, LCC: Devon Bowman, Mark Mercado, and Gregory Cathcart
 * Voiceover Production, Pop Sound, Santa Monica: Stephen Dickson, and Jeff Britt
 * Totally Games Special Thanks: Beth Gatchalian-Litwin, Cindy F. Wong, Amy Laurent Morrison, Diane Burket, K.L. Woys, Miranda L. Paugh, Lee Strom, Miye Nakahara, Arianna Huffington, Rosemary Bennett, Shuyu L. Birkby, Miye Nakahara, Lakota, Minnie, and Walter

Activision, Inc. Crew

 * Senior Producer: Parker A. Davis
 * Associate Producer: Glenn Ige
 * Production Coordinator: Aaron Gray
 * Production Testers: Douglas Mirabello and Tim Olge
 * Executive Producer: Marc Struhl
 * VP of Production, LA Studio: Mark Lamia
 * EVP, Worldwide Studios: Lawrence Goldberg
 * Global Brand Manager: Jenny Stornetta
 * Associate Brand Manager: Elizabeth Dunn
 * VP, Global Brand Management: Tricia Bertero
 * EVP, Global Brand Management: Kathy Vrabeck
 * VP Corporate Communications: Maryanne Lataif
 * Director of Corporate Communications: Michelle Schroeder
 * Senior Publicist Corporate Communications: Michael J. Larson
 * Marketing Manager, UK & ROE: Carolyn London
 * PR Manager, UK: Guy Curtis
 * PR Manager, ROE: Suzanne Panter
 * PR Manager, Germany: Bernd Reinartz
 * Brand Manager, UK/ROE: Daleep Chhabria
 * Marketing Manager, Germany: Stefan Luludes
 * Brand Manager, Germany: Stefan Seidel
 * Jr. Brand Manager, Germany: Thomas Schmitt
 * Marketing Director, Asia Pacific: Paul Butcher
 * Brand Manager, Asia Pacific: Leigh Glover White
 * Legal: Robert Pfau, Michael Walker, George Rose, Michael Hand, and Michael J. Larson
 * Manager, Central Technology: Edward Clune
 * Installer and Design Consultation: John Fritts
 * Installer: Andrew Petterson
 * Installer Tools: Alexander Rohra
 * QA Project Lead: Siôn Rodriguez y Gibson
 * QA Senior Project Lead: Juan Valdes
 * Manager, PC Testing: Sam Nouriani
 * QA Floor Lead: Paul Kennedy
 * QA Testers: Bryan Jury, Daniel Ko, Jay Sosnicki, Niles Livingston III, Paul Goldilla, Peter Beal, William Kus, Daniel Siskin, and Mishelle Moross
 * External Test Coordinator: Chad Siedhoff
 * Visioneer MVPs: Brad Clabaugh and Ian Hill
 * Visioneer Testers: Charles J. Biro, Joseph Bott, Wayne Chang, Clay Culver, Bob Dudley, Michael Dwiel, Gary Gray, Tom Hepner, Warren Johnson, Scott Kasai, Derek Lung, Karim Nouri, Travis Prebble, Ken Rumsey, Steve Tobin, John Vernon, Henry Wang, Timothy Wilson, Dominick Ziccarelli
 * CS/QA Special Thanks: Jim Summers, Jason Wong, Tim Vanlaw, Nadine Theuzillot, Joseph Favazza, Jeremy Gage, Bob McPherson, Indra Gunawan, Marco Scataglini, Chris Keim Sr., Neil Barizo, Jason Kim, Rob Lim, Gary Bolduc, Mike Hill, Willie Bolton, Jennifer Vitiello, and Kennard Love
 * Senior VP European Publishing: Scott Dodkins
 * Head of Publishing Services: Nathalie Ranson
 * Senior Localization Project Manager: Tamsin Lucas
 * Localization Project Manager: Simon Dawes
 * Director of Strategic Marketing, Europe: Roger Walkden
 * VP, Creative Services: Denise Walsh
 * Manager, Creative Services: Jill Barry
 * Activision Management: Ron Doornink, Brian Kelly, and Robert Kotick

Viacom Consumer Products/Paramount Pictures Liaisons

 * Director, Product Development: Harry Lang
 * Supervisor, Product Development: Daniel Felts

Other Crew

 * GameSpy: Joost Schuur, Travis Hogue, Orlando Rojas, Rich Rice, and David Wright
 * Rad Game Tools: Mitch Soule and Jeff Roberts
 * Numerical Design Ltd.: Herman Kaiser
 * Special Thanks: Michael Webster, David Dalzell, James Mayeda, Franz Boehm, Jonathan Knight, Jeff Holzhauer, James Black, Rick Berman, David Rossi, Andrea Hein, Terri Helton, Pam Newton, Sandi Isaacs, and Christina Burbank
 * Very Special Thanks: Gene Roddenberry

Packaging and Manual

 * Produced By: Ignited Minds LLC
 * Special Thanks: Erik Jensen, Cindy Whitlock, Josh Lieber, Magnus Morgan, Michael Rivera, Sylvia Orzel, Belinda M. Van Sickle