Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force

Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force is a first-person shooter, developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was followed by a sequel, Star Trek: Elite Force II.

As part of a special unit aboard the USS Voyager, the Hazard Team, you are assigned to protect the ship from hostile encounters. You can play as either Ensign Alexander Munro or Alexandria Munro, although there is no difference in the actual events of the game; for instance, characters universally refer to the protagonist as "Ensign Munro", or "Alex".

Your character
You begin the game as either the male ensign Alexander Munro or the female ensign Alexandria Munro, depending on which gender you choose in the single-player setup menu.

Ensign Munro is a skilled combatant, but comes through as headstrong and lacking in discipline to his/her fellow Hazard Team members. In fact, this is true to some degree, but Munro is a much more capable leader than they realize, and continually proves him/herself throughout the game. Munro also has a habit of going off alone into extremely dangerous situations. Munro was born in New Chicago, Luna. Munro served aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) before transfer to Voyager. As a female player, a photo of her and Worf is placed in her quarters on Deck 2, while the male character's picture is of a rugby team. For both genders, a picture of the Enterprise and one of Voyager hang on the wall.

Other characters
Other members of the Hazard Team are:

Lt. Les Foster, a dark-skinned Human male from Melbourne, Australia. Leader of the hazard team, it is his duty to, along with Tuvok, train the hazard team in tactics procedures for the dangerous missions they will partake in, as well as personally leading the team into combat. During the mission to obtain isodesium from the scavenger base, he was taken by the Borg, along with the isodesium. A recovery mission to the Borg cube quickly follows, which resulted in the safe recovery of both Foster and the isodesium. (There are two sub-story lines here. If you fail to save Foster, he is assimilated and dies when the Borg cube explodes. If you do manage to save him, he is transported to sickbay and not mentioned much for the rest of the game.)

Crewman Telsia Murphy grew up on crime-ridden Ballatrix X, in the Orion sector, and had a very difficult upbringing due to the low value that Orion society places on women; she survived partially due to her strong-willed Irish side. She learned the intricacies of combat at an early age, and her marksmanship is unparalleled within the Hazard Team, making her a valuable asset to any mission. Because of this and her ability to navigate harsh environments she serves as the Hazard Team's sniper and scout. She is a longtime friend of Ensign Munro.

Crewman Austin Chang, half-Rigelian and half-Human, grew up on Rigel XII. Son of a prominent warp field geometrist, he traveled throughout the Federation because of conferences, seminars, and the like that his Rigelian father was participating in. He spent much of his teen years at a Keenai colony on Charybdis. In Keenai society, speaking in public is considered rude and a social taboo, which created Austin many problems during his time there. This caused him to develop a very quiet nature, which translated into a sort of calmness in all situations, making him a valuable asset to the Hazard Team. An ex-Maquis, he became good friends with Ensign Munro. He is the Hazard Team's demolitionist.

Crewman Rick Biessman is a sarcastic, rude, boisterous, cocky, and overly-loud individual. However, he is also an exceptional combatant, making him a valuable member of the Hazard Team. Kendrick Biessman was born in Ares City, Mars, a domed city with artificial gravity. Due to his location, he got a first-hand view of what low gravity can do to a person's body. Because of this, he became a muscle-building enthusiast and developed a large, stocky, and muscular frame. His father worked at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards and helped build the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). It was while touring this facility that he got the overwhelming urge to join Starfleet and see the stars, and, best of all, battle hostile aliens. He did not last long at Starfleet Academy, as his short temper got him into trouble time and again, eventually getting kicked out. Still urged to shoot things, Biessman joined the Maquis. After his ship was transported to the Delta Quadrant and its crew absorbed by the USS Voyager, he made a natural addition to the security department. He enjoys constantly criticizing Ensign Munro and is the polar opposite of Crewman Chang. He is rarely seen with his mouth closed. When Munro led a team to the Forge, they were quickly ambushed. Biessman stood up from cover and managed to kill a large number of reavers (the forge's creations) before being shot and killed by one himself.

Crewman Chell, a Bolian aboard Voyager (and the only Hazard Team member to appear on the TV show, including the episodes and ) was one of Tuvok's four ex-Maquis "trainees". Born to an upper class family on Boliax, an alternate name for Bolarus IX, Chell came to resent his class's attitudes toward the poor during his teen years. This made him somewhat unpopular and as a result, he had few friends. Desiring a new life, he utilized his technical prowess to apply to Starfleet Academy. His application was denied. After applying two more times, he was finally accepted, only to drop out a year later due to the heavy workload. After idling for a few years, he heard about the Maquis, and promptly joined, attracted by their rebelliousness against what he viewed to be "the way a things", ideals he could personally relate to from his youth. After the Caretaker incident, he was absorbed into Voyager's engineering staff. He joined the Hazard Team at the first opportunity for the chance of observing alien technology up close. Although averse to battle and prone to complaining, his skills as a technician make him a valuable addition to the Hazard Team, as well as the Voyager crew as a whole.

Crewman Juliet Jurot, born in Quantana Bay on Betazed, showed interest in medicine from an early age. After finishing both primary and secondary education, it came time for her to choose a medical school. She chose the best and most challenging of all, the Vulcan Institute of Medical Studies. Because of this time spent immersed in Vulcan culture, she became a firm believer in logic and Vulcan ideals such as IDIC and that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. She is a skilled medic and a valuable member of the Hazard Team. She serves as the Hazard Team's field medic. She was mentioned in one episode of Voyager when Captain Janeway was having a conversation about Betazed crewmen, although the character's name on the show was spelled Jarot.

Storyline
There are various levels in the game, each level made up of various sections or sub-levels. Also, between levels is interaction with the crew of Voyager and mission briefings from Lieutenant Commander Tuvok.

''Note: There is an optional tutorial level where Tuvok guides Munro (and the player controlling him/her) through the basics of the game. This level is not considered part of the game's official storyline.''

Mission 1 - Borg Cube
Comprising "The Rescue", "Incursion", and "Tactical Decision".

The Hazard Team boards a Borg cube armed with an experimental weapon designed by Seven of Nine for the specific purpose of fighting the Borg: The "Infinity Modulator" (I-MOD), constantly shifting its frequency to prevent Borg shields from adapting. Unfortunately the team is ambushed and captured, with Munro the only member to escape. Munro must traverse the cube's hazardous environs to reach the location where the rest of his team are being held prisoner. After unsuccessfully attempting to hack into a Borg control panel, Munro uses his phaser rifle to destroy it, causing an explosion that envelops the area... ending the holodeck simulation. The Hazard Team has failed. Tuvok notes Munro's failure to adhere to team protocols - a failure that caused the deaths of the entire team. After being dismissed for debriefing, Munro speaks to Tuvok about the impossibility of the mission. While they head to Hazard Operations, Voyager comes under attack by an unknown ship.

Mission 2 - Voyager
Comprising "Condition", "Unavoidable Delays", "Hazard Duty", and "Defense".

After taking heavy damage from the alien ship, Voyager is able to destroy it with a spread of photon torpedoes. However, the explosion creates an isodimensional rift that transports the ship to an unknown area of space, surrounded by the wrecks of dozens of alien vessels. The events cause the warp core to overload - a breach is only averted after Munro successfully shuts the core down. Shortly thereafter, a group of Malon, Humans, Klingons, and Hirogen beam onto Voyager, and begin stealing supplies from the ship's cargo bays. They are repelled by Security and Hazard Team personnel.

Mission 3 - Etherian Ship
Comprising "Hazard Ops", "Data Retrieval", "Deep Echoes", and "Encounters".

The local area contains a damping field that is slowly draining power from all of Voyager's systems. Desperate for information on the graveyard and a way out, Captain Janeway orders the Hazard Team beamed to a supposedly abandoned ship. However, the team is attacked and the vessel's shields raised. Trying to cut primary power, the "Captain" of the vessel appears to Munro and begs them not to do so, as his crew in hibernation would die. A peace treaty and exchange of information is granted.

Mission 4 - Scavenger Base
Comprising "Renewal", "Union", "Departure", "The Visit", "Conflicting Views", "Disorder", "Infiltration", and "The Hunter".

B'Elanna Torres discovers isodesium, a rare isotope, could be used to counter the effects of the power drain long enough to effect repairs and warp out. The only problem is that the only isodesium available is located on the Scavenger's base - a station made up of the remains of a mirror universe's starship, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, a Hirogen hunting vessel and a Malon freighter. Infiltrating the base, Munro and his team locate samples of isodesium and prepare to set up pattern enhancers to beam out, only to have the Borg beam in, abduct Lieutenant Foster and the isodesium, and beam out.

Mission 5 - Borg Cube
Comprising "Fallout", "Proving Ground", "Information", "Covenant", and "Infestation".

On a mission to rescue the isodesium, Munro leads a mission onto a Borg cube, also in the graveyard, accompanied by Seven of Nine, to get the isodesium and rescue Lt. Foster. Upon finding a Borg vinculum, the Borg use it to possess Seven (or Lt. Foster will appear as a Borg drone if Munro fails to rescue him), and communicate to the Hazard Team: They will surrender the isodesium if the Hazard Team defeats an on board infestation of Species 8472, who were attacking the cube when they were transported to the graveyard. The Hazard Team succeeds, but the Borg double-cross them in much the same manner as in. However, Chang then detonates a detpack planted earlier, destroying the cube's vinculum and allowing the Hazard Team to escape with the isodesium.

Mission 6 - Gunship
Comprising "R and R", "Visual Confirmation", "Offense", "The Breach", "Command", "Primary Encounter", "The Skirmish", "Defensive Measures", "Transit", "Attunement", and "Array".

Back on Voyager, a vessel approaches from the Forge, the structure at the center of the graveyard emitting the dampening field. With Voyager's weapons still off-line, Tuvok suggests using a nearby abandoned gunship, essentially a huge cannon with a barrel seven hundred meters long, to destroy the invaders. After stopping a group of Scavengers from taking over the gunship, the Hazard Team proceeds to a control room of the gunship. They attempt to fire the weapon at the ship approaching Voyager, but it turns out it is needed to be loaded manually. Ensign Munro, along with crewmen Chang and Csatlos, proceeds throughout the gunship and encounter maintenance and security drones that are programmed to exterminate any intruders, which comes to the team's disadvantage. Munro, Chang, and Csatlos finally get to the loading chamber to fire a charge at the invading vessel. Munro finds an alien device that seems to be a welding tool but is able to be handled as a weapon on the ship.

Mission 7 - Voyager
Comprising "Invasion" and "Decisions".

However, instead of destroying it, the blast has only disabled the vessel. The alien beings carried aboard the vessel invade Voyager, causing significant internal damage. They are successfully repelled, leaving their vessel intact for study. Janeway, with some persuasion from Munro, decides to use the vessel to infiltrate the Forge, and shut down the dampening field which continues to prevent Voyager's escape from the graveyard. Munro allows Biessman to return to the Hazard Alpha Team for the mission.

Mission 8 - The Forge
Comprising "External Stimuli", "Matrix", "Onslaught", "Visual Magnitude", "Dissolution", and "Command Decision".

It soon becomes a mission to destroy the Forge itself when the Vohrsoth, the creature controlling the Forge, reveals its plan to overrun the galaxy - using the DNA of the crews trapped in the graveyard to create a massive army of "perfect warriors". Munro disobeys direct orders to eliminate the Vohrsoth personally.

Epilogue
With the Vohrsoth defeated, and the Forge destroyed, Voyager and the other vessels escape. Munro is promoted to lieutenant, and the crew of Voyager find themselves a few months closer to the Alpha Quadrant. There is a funeral service for everyone who died (which we don't see), and Tuvok even states why he chose Munro as a member of the Hazard Team. Everyone except him laughs when the captain asks if that was his pride she detected and he responded "Surely, captain, there is no cause to insult me."

Weapons
Weapons marked with an asterisk require dilithium crystals to power them. All other weapons (excepting the type 2 phaser, which has an infinite power supply) can be powered with power ports available at different stages in your missions. The "secondary trigger" has the weapon fire a secondary function of the weapon, such as grenades or increased weapon intensity (like with a phaser).


 * Phaser Type-2 - Not very powerful, but continuously recharges its batteries, ensuring that you are never without a weapon. Secondary fire is more powerful, and can vaporize enemies, but drains battery faster.
 * Phaser Compression Rifle - the standard type 3 phaser rifle. Fires a focused burst as primary fire, and has a disintegrating blast as a secondary firing mode.
 * I-MOD - The Infinity Modulator, a device invented by Seven of Nine which fires a randomly modulated burst each time, so that the Borg cannot adapt to its shots.
 * Scavenger Rifle* - A makeshift energy weapon designed by the varied races trapped by the Forge. Also fires energy grenades
 * Stasis Weapon* - Found aboard the Etherian ship, the stasis weapon fires a powerful burst of energy normally used for transporting its own inhabitants into stasis fields. Fires a Scattering shot that hits multiple enemies.
 * Grenade Launcher - Developed by the Hazard Team's weapons specialist, Crewman Oviedo, the grenade launcher was created for the purpose of bailing the team out of extreme situations. Also launches mines.
 * Tetryon Pulse Disruptor* - Carried by a Hirogen Alpha, the tetryon pulse disruptor fires a series of disruptor blasts on a rolling barrel, making shots very rapid, similar to a "Mini-gun". Also fires a ball-like blast that reflects off of walls, ceilings, etc., except fluids.
 * Photon Burst - This extremely powerful weapon fires a miniature photon torpedo. Also fires a homing torpedo.
 * Arc Welder/Dreadnought Weapon* - A welding tool found aboard an alien ship, the arc welder fires a continuous electronic blast normally used for welding metal together. It is a very effective weapon in the hands of a Hazard Team member. Also fires a ball lightning-like blast.

Other information
All the Star Trek: Voyager characters featured in the game were voiced by their corresponding actors, with the exception of Jeri Ryan, who was unavailable and was replaced by Joan Buddenhagen. However, the later expansion pack resolved this issue, with Ryan reprising the role.

Based on the captain's log stardate given in the game, ("53854.7") the events in the game seem to take place between the episodes and.

Due to the large fan base and support, many maps, models and modifications have been developed for Elite Force. These range from derelict starships, to updating all in-game uniforms to First Contact uniforms, to role-playing modifications, such as Ubergames' RPG-X mod.

There was also a Collector's Edition of the game released in the US. This version included with the game a soundtrack CD also featuring artwork, a lapel pin and a copy of the Elite Force comic book adaptation. This pack was also released in Germany (without the bonus CD) in a special Borg cube themed box.

The Argas Effect
One of the more well-received and most detailed game modifications is Star Trek Season 4: The Argas Effect. In this mod, you play as Captain James T. Kirk aboard the original USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). The mod itself is deemed as the first episode of a "fourth season" of The Original Series that in reality was never achieved. It deals with the Enterprise in orbit around Argas V, waiting to pick up the Federation ambassador who is scouting the planet for Federation membership. After a swim in the pool, the captain enters the hallway to find a crewman, and eventually his entire crew, dead. This mod can be found at The Briefing Room of SpaceStation K7.

Voyager cast

 * Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway
 * Robert Beltran as Chakotay
 * Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres
 * Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris
 * Robert Picardo as Holographic Doctor
 * Tim Russ as Tuvok
 * Garrett Wang as Harry Kim
 * Joan Buddenhagen as Seven of Nine (original release only)
 * Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine ("patched" expansion version only)

Elite Force cast

 * Rino Romano as Ensign Alexander Munro
 * Devon Raymond as Ensign Alexandria Munro
 * Michael McFall as Les Foster / Hirogen / Klingon
 * Tom Wilson as Crewman Erik Biessman
 * Derek McGrath as Chell
 * Iris Bar-Ziv as Telsia Murphy
 * Alexander Enberg as Austin Chang
 * Leigh Allyn Baker as Juliet Jurot
 * Kirk Baily as Mitch Csatlos / Hirogen
 * John Cragen as Kenn Lathrop / Hirogen / Imperial
 * Josh Fardon as Jeff Nelson / Crewman / Imperial / Klingon
 * Christopher Halsted as Perfecto Jesus Oviedo / Klingon / Imperial
 * Geoff Meed as Tom Odell / Malon
 * Cynthia Graham as Elizabeth Laird / Klingon
 * James Calvert as Michael Jaworski / Crewman / Klingon / Malon
 * C.B. as Etherian Leader
 * C.H. as Crewman
 * Terrence Beasor as Doc Kreege / Borg
 * Earl Boen as Vorhsoth / Imperial / Crewman
 * Joan Buddenhagen as Seven of Nine
 * Jerome Butler as Hirogen Alpha / Klingon / Imperial
 * Judi Durand as the Computer Voice
 * David Graf as Klingon / Imperial / Crewman
 * David McCharen as an Unseen Alien / Borg
 * Richard Penn as a Borg
 * David Randolph as an Unseen Alien / Borg
 * Joel Swetow as an Unseen Alien / Borg
 * Kris Zimmerman as a Crewman / Imperial

Casting

 * Ron Surma, Casting Director
 * Chad Struck, Casting Associate
 * Barbara Harris and Mary Ellen Forman: Loop Group Casting

Director

 * Kris Zimmerman - voice-over director
 * The voice dialog was recorded at POP Sound, Salami Studios, and Screenmusic Studios.