Star Trek: The Rebel Universe
Encyclopedia
Star Trek: The Rebel Universe is an action-adventure
computer game written by Firebird Software
and published by Simon & Schuster Interactive
. It was originally released for the Atari ST
in 1987, and was followed the next year with versions for the Commodore 64
and IBM PC
.
The game places the user in control of the bridge crew of the Enterprise while they explore an area of space attempting to understand why all previous Federation ships that entered the region have mutinied. Each member of the bridge crew is in control of certain aspects of ship operations, allowing the player to control the mission through their stations. The user can also orbit above planets and beam down selected members in order to find devices or clues that can solve the mystery of the "Quarantine Zone".
The Rebel Universe concerns a 100 light year diameter volume of space where every Federation
starship that enters ends up mutinying and defecting to the Klingon Empire
. Although numerous Federation ships were sent in to discover what was going on, they too mutinied before any useful information was returned. Starfleet
was able to track the location of their last signals, and from this information they discovered that the "mutiny sphere" was centered on the Dakiak star system and growing rapidly; at its current rate it will envelop the entire Federation within a matter of months.
Desperate to control the situation, Starfleet Command
plans to erect a Klein Sphere around the entire Quarantine Zone, an interstellar barrier through which no material object can pass. However they also decide to make one last attempt to find out what is going on and potentially rescue the situation, sending in the celebrated Enterprise
to investigate. As soon as they enter, the Klein Sphere will be set up, trapping them within but allowing them to communicate though subspace
. The Enterprise is given five years to solve the mystery and stop the defections. If they fail, the sphere will be made permanent and trap the Enterprise forever.
During the progress of the game the player discovers that the Klingons are mining a key mineral, Dilithium Delta 6
, which enables them to operate a mind-control device on Dakiak that is causing the crews to mutiny. There are several possible solutions to the problem, including the destruction of the mining equipment that would rob the machine of its fuel, capturing the Klingon admiral, or locating and destroying the mind control device on Dakiak.
For instance, clicking on Sulu
replaced the main display with a new view showing Sulu and the controls he operated. From there the user could click into a 3D star map where they could select a destination star system. Backing out from that display, they could move to the warp engine
controls to set their speed and start the journey. While the player operated Sulu's station, the image of Sulu on the bottom of the screen was replaced by a smaller image of the bridge, clicking there returned the user back to the main bridge display.
On the Atari version, as the user clicked through the crewmember displays their icons in the control bar would update with any useful information. For instance, if Spock
was asked to scan a planet, when the user entered Sulu's screen and Spock's returned to the icon view, information about the planet would be rendered into the smaller display.
The game normally opened with the user selecting a star system to warp to. Each of the star systems was affiliated with the Federation, Klingons, Romulans or was neutral. Depending on their capabilities, friendly systems will re-fuel, repair and re-arm the Enterprise. When the Enterprise entered an enemy system there was a chance it would be defended by one or more Klingon or Romulan warships, which you could fight by moving to Chekov's
station. Renegade Federation ships would also occasionally crop up as enemies. Combat took place in a 3D wireframe view, allowing the user to click on vulnerable locations on the enemy ship for maximum effect.
Star systems had between three and six planets. One they had navigated to a system, the Enterprise could visit the individual planets using their impulse drive
. Some of which were life supporting, which played a key role in the game. Once in orbit above such a planet, the player could use Kirk's
screen to move to the transporter room. Here the player can select an away team, equip them with items picked up on previous missions, and beam them to the surface.
On the surface the view changed to show a 3D wireframe display of a room, either empty, containing an item that could be picked up, or with and obstacle barring further progress. The graphics were not interactive, and this portion of the game was essentially a text adventure. Each member of the crew would offer a different solution to bypassing any obstacle, and the player had to decide which solution to use. Choosing the wrong one could injure the crew or prevent further movement. If they successfully bypassed an obstacle they would move onto the next room in series. When they reached the end of the "hallway" they often found nothing. In other cases the last room would contain a piece of equipment that was needed to bypass one of the obstacles on another planet. Others contained data banks that helped explain the mission and offered potential solutions to the game.
The game universe was relatively large, with 4,000 planets in total, so exploration could be extremely time consuming. And despite being on a five-year mission, the game clock would wind quickly during warp travel, drastically reducing the actual amount of time available to solve the game. Later versions of the game helped the user by providing a list of planets and the items they contained.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
computer game written by Firebird Software
Telecomsoft
Telecomsoft was the computer software division of British telecommunications company British Telecom . It was the owner of the well-known Firebird and Rainbird labels, under which it sold video games at a variety of price-points....
and published by Simon & Schuster Interactive
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. It was originally released for the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
in 1987, and was followed the next year with versions for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
.
The game places the user in control of the bridge crew of the Enterprise while they explore an area of space attempting to understand why all previous Federation ships that entered the region have mutinied. Each member of the bridge crew is in control of certain aspects of ship operations, allowing the player to control the mission through their stations. The user can also orbit above planets and beam down selected members in order to find devices or clues that can solve the mystery of the "Quarantine Zone".
Story
- Adapted from the game manual.
The Rebel Universe concerns a 100 light year diameter volume of space where every Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
starship that enters ends up mutinying and defecting to the Klingon Empire
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
. Although numerous Federation ships were sent in to discover what was going on, they too mutinied before any useful information was returned. Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
was able to track the location of their last signals, and from this information they discovered that the "mutiny sphere" was centered on the Dakiak star system and growing rapidly; at its current rate it will envelop the entire Federation within a matter of months.
Desperate to control the situation, Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command may refer to:*Starfleet Command, headquarters/command center of Starfleet in Star Trek.*Star Trek: Starfleet Command, a space battle simulation game set in the Star Trek universe....
plans to erect a Klein Sphere around the entire Quarantine Zone, an interstellar barrier through which no material object can pass. However they also decide to make one last attempt to find out what is going on and potentially rescue the situation, sending in the celebrated Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
to investigate. As soon as they enter, the Klein Sphere will be set up, trapping them within but allowing them to communicate though subspace
Subspace (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek fictional universe, subspace is a feature of space-time which facilitates faster-than-light transit, in the form of interstellar travel or the transmission of information. Subspace obeys different laws of physics...
. The Enterprise is given five years to solve the mystery and stop the defections. If they fail, the sphere will be made permanent and trap the Enterprise forever.
During the progress of the game the player discovers that the Klingons are mining a key mineral, Dilithium Delta 6
Dilithium (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek universe, dilithium is a fictional chemical element, although dilithium is also the scientific name for a molecule composed of two lithium atoms....
, which enables them to operate a mind-control device on Dakiak that is causing the crews to mutiny. There are several possible solutions to the problem, including the destruction of the mining equipment that would rob the machine of its fuel, capturing the Klingon admiral, or locating and destroying the mind control device on Dakiak.
Gameplay
When the game starts the player is placed in the game's "Multivision" display that shows an oblique view of the Enterprise bridge taking up the majority of upper left portion of the screen. Running down the right side and across the bottom of this display are individual portraits of each of the bridge crew. By clicking on a person in either display, the main display is replaced by a view of the controls that crewmember operated.For instance, clicking on Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...
replaced the main display with a new view showing Sulu and the controls he operated. From there the user could click into a 3D star map where they could select a destination star system. Backing out from that display, they could move to the warp engine
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
controls to set their speed and start the journey. While the player operated Sulu's station, the image of Sulu on the bottom of the screen was replaced by a smaller image of the bridge, clicking there returned the user back to the main bridge display.
On the Atari version, as the user clicked through the crewmember displays their icons in the control bar would update with any useful information. For instance, if Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
was asked to scan a planet, when the user entered Sulu's screen and Spock's returned to the icon view, information about the planet would be rendered into the smaller display.
The game normally opened with the user selecting a star system to warp to. Each of the star systems was affiliated with the Federation, Klingons, Romulans or was neutral. Depending on their capabilities, friendly systems will re-fuel, repair and re-arm the Enterprise. When the Enterprise entered an enemy system there was a chance it would be defended by one or more Klingon or Romulan warships, which you could fight by moving to Chekov's
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov is a Russian Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the original Star Trek series and first seven Star Trek films; Anton Yelchin portrayed the character in the 2009 film Star Trek.-Origin:Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry...
station. Renegade Federation ships would also occasionally crop up as enemies. Combat took place in a 3D wireframe view, allowing the user to click on vulnerable locations on the enemy ship for maximum effect.
Star systems had between three and six planets. One they had navigated to a system, the Enterprise could visit the individual planets using their impulse drive
Impulse drive
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the impulse drive is the method of propulsion that starships and other spacecraft use when they are travelling below the speed of light. Typically powered by deuterium fusion reactors, impulse engines let ships travel interplanetary distances readily...
. Some of which were life supporting, which played a key role in the game. Once in orbit above such a planet, the player could use Kirk's
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
screen to move to the transporter room. Here the player can select an away team, equip them with items picked up on previous missions, and beam them to the surface.
On the surface the view changed to show a 3D wireframe display of a room, either empty, containing an item that could be picked up, or with and obstacle barring further progress. The graphics were not interactive, and this portion of the game was essentially a text adventure. Each member of the crew would offer a different solution to bypassing any obstacle, and the player had to decide which solution to use. Choosing the wrong one could injure the crew or prevent further movement. If they successfully bypassed an obstacle they would move onto the next room in series. When they reached the end of the "hallway" they often found nothing. In other cases the last room would contain a piece of equipment that was needed to bypass one of the obstacles on another planet. Others contained data banks that helped explain the mission and offered potential solutions to the game.
The game universe was relatively large, with 4,000 planets in total, so exploration could be extremely time consuming. And despite being on a five-year mission, the game clock would wind quickly during warp travel, drastically reducing the actual amount of time available to solve the game. Later versions of the game helped the user by providing a list of planets and the items they contained.
External links
- "STAR TREK: THE REBEL UNIVERSE", Home of the Underdogs scan of the original manual
- "Star Trek - The Rebel Universe"