Star Trek role-playing game (FASA)
Encyclopedia
Star Trek: The Role Playing Game is a role-playing game
set in the fictional Star Trek
universe published and edited by FASA Corporation from 1982 to 1989.
Star Fleet
. Most player characters were assumed to be members of Starfleet, engaged in space exploration
missions. They typically held senior posts on a starship bridge, and visited alien planets as part of landing parties.
For the most part, the game's published supplements and modules were set in the "original crew" movie era (a.d 2280/90s), but a few were set in the original TV era (2260s) or a century later in the Next Generation era (a.d 2360/70s). See Official Supplements by era below.
Because of the simplicity of the game's structure, all of the supplements, regardless of their "era", could be easily re-set to suit a different era.
(TNG) (1987-1994) was first broadcast. The game's designers built their "game universe" when there was no official canon
, and they borrowed heavily from ideas in the Star Trek original series, the Star Trek animated series, fan fiction
, and the works of the late Star Trek novelist John M. Ford
.
Game elements which either were never introduced into what later became canon
Star Trek, or which differ significantly from how canon Star Trek presents them, include:
John M. Ford's Klingons
In one of the game's most dramatic departures from what would become canon, Ford's interpretation of Klingons placed them in a paranoid society, split into "Imperial" Klingons, "human-fusion" Klingons and "Romulan-fusion" Klingons, the latter two groups created through genetic engineering. They had sophisticated nomenclatures, a Klingon Emperor
, "thought admirals" and an afterlife known as the "Black Fleet." Their homeworld was Klinzhai.
Ford's Klingons believed that the naked stars remember acts of courage performed under them, as this poem suggests:
The post-FASA canonical Klingons on the other hand as depicted in later Star Trek TV series, have a culture and traditions based more on a cross between the vikings and Japanese
Samurai
(or, rather, Western imaginations of them). The canon Klingon Empire is governed by the High Council, led by a Chancellor. Their homeworld is Qo'noS.
FASA's interpretation of the Klingons was an early and popular attempt to offer an account for the differing appearances of Klingons from the original series to the first of the motion pictures, later joked about (but left unexplained) in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
and finally resolved in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
. Still, the positive portrayal of Klingons as protagonists (such as Lt. Worf of ST:TNG) was arguably an influence of the Star Trek novels of John M. Ford.
The Triangle
The game supplement Trader Captains and Merchant Princes, first published in 1983, introduced "the Triangle", a lawless area wedged between the space occupied by the United Federation of Planets
, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire.
The Triangle supplement later introduced a set of excellent color maps, allowing players to know exactly how long it would take them (in game time) to travel between star systems.
This lawless area was popular with players as it allowed them to escape the strict parameters of a military campaign. Most campaigns with civilian or non-Star Fleet characters were based entirely or in part within the Triangle.
Perhaps as a tip of the hat to The Triangle, Captain Picard mentions a group of Andorian pirates based in the "triangular system" in the 3rd season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
"The Survivors
."
Ship classes
The game introduced a number of starship
classes which were not based on those seen in the series, though many of them borrow heavily from the starship design standards set in the series; that is, the use of main "saucer" sections, outboard "warp" nacelles and so on.
They included, but were not limited to: the Bader class scout, Baker class destroyer, Chandley class frigate, the Enterprise class cruiser (the refitted Constitution-class introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture), Derf class survey ship, Larson class destroyer, Loknar class frigate,Nelson class scout, Northampton class frigate, the so-called Reliant class cruiser (the FASA name for the movie-era Miranda class cruiser), the Mission class transport, Royal Sovereign class battlecruiser, M'benga class hospital ship and the Sagan class science ship (an upgrade of the canon Oberth class starship). A few designs were made for ships mentioned in canon but not seen, most notable (non-canon) among these was FASA's conjecture of the Ambassador class starship, which somewhat resembles a modified Enterprise-class cruiser with Excelsior nacelles; in canon the Ambassador is a precursor to the Galaxy class starships.
The distinct design of several of those ships, notably the Chandley class frigate and the Loknar class frigate, have made them popular in non-canon Star Trek folklore. The Loknarwhich predates the NX class starship design bears a more than passing resemblance to the NX class starship featured in Star Trek: Enterprise
.
It is worth noting the Mission class transport, a shuttle-style, warp-capable ship designed for small crews and short missions, is similar to the small, long-range, shuttle-style runabouts introduced in later Star Trek series. The FASA Mission class transport predates it by more than a decade.
Star Trek historical timeline
A number of key dates in the FASA Star Trek universe are approximately 60 years out of phase with their equivalent dates in the more official canon Star Trek universe.
Languages
Supplements to the basic game introduced players to the rudiments of the Romulan
and Klingon
languages. Neither language, as expressed in the game, is the same as later depictions in the Star Trek series.
The FASA version of the Klingon language is called Klingonaase.
For example, assuming no modifiers, if a player had a skill of 45 and rolled 33, the character was assumed to have been successful in that action. If there were tools for the task available, the player might have a bonus of +25; if the task is made more difficult because of conditions (such as a space battle) the player might have a penalty of -25.
FASA had previously written supplements for GDW's Traveller
, an association which influenced the early structure of the Star Trek game, particularly in character generation.
The rulebooks also provided systems for governing personal combat, space and planetary exploration, and the first edition provided rules for combat between starships; second edition moved the starship combat rules into a separate boardgame. Supplements provided additional rules for characters in the Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire, interplanetary trade and commerce, starship design, and campaigns focusing on other non-Starfleet players.
Each planet in the game's atlas had a code that - coupled with the character's merchant skill and some luck - allowed players to buy and trade across the galaxy. A ship's carrying capacity was not based on tonnage, but on volume (i.e. how much space a ship can hold). There were also rules on buying and selling stock on the Federation stock market.
s, for example, gained a natural bonus to their Psionic Potential score, a measure of their heightened psionic
skill.)
Players had the option of playing virtually any humanoid
character introduced in the original Star Trek TV series, the animated series or the first few 1980s movies. They included: Humans, Vulcans
, Tellarites, Andorians, Orions, Klingons, Romulans. Two other races introduced in the animated series - Caitians and Edoans - could also be played.
Players determined their character's background education and opening age by rolling dice, accumulating skill points based on their choice of assignment (helm operations, communications, medical etc.) or tours of duty in the military (usually the United Federation of Planets
Star Fleet, but also the space navies of the Klingon Empire or Romulan Star Empire) or civilian life (merchant shipping).
Players also had the option of assuming the roles of the Star Trek characters, including Captain Kirk, Mr Spock, Lieutenant Uhura
and Yeoman Janice Rand
instead of creating their own character.
The game's basic rule system provided a simple system for moderating space battles, in which each player assumed a role in the battle, typically by manning a station on the ship's bridge.
The Captain determined the strategy, the Engineer was responsible for power management and allocation to different systems such as weapons and shields, the Helmsman for firing weapons, the Navigator for managing deflector shields, the Communications Officer for damage control and so on.
FASA later developed that system into a more complex standalone game, the Starship Tactical Combat Simulator
, similar to a tabletop wargame
. During a role-playing session, if the adventure called for a space battle, role-players had the option of using this standalone game to determine the outcome of the battle.
In effect, what had been assumed to be canon was, in a short space of time, no longer.
Paramount Pictures
, who owned the licence to Star Trek, revoked FASA's license to publish the official role-playing game in 1989. The decision was sudden, and by some accounts provoked by what became the last two supplements produced by FASA - The Next Generation Officer's Manual, published in 1988, and The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook, published in 1989.
Both contained material which Paramount later said had been published without the correct clearances from within the studio. Given the rising success of the Star Trek franchise, it follows that Paramount now wanted to exert a greater degree of control over the game, to ensure it remained consistent with the TV series.
Many players blamed the studio for its abrupt dissolution of FASA's licence as well as Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry
for retconning of what had been seen as established Star Trek lore. They sent letters of protest to the studio, and to contemporary science-fiction magazines such as Starlog
and GDW's Challenge magazine, in vain.
Given the avalanche of canon material which has come since that time - the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, Star Trek: Voyager
and Enterprise
, several subsequent theatrical films and a library of novelisations - FASA's interpretation of Star Trek has largely been forgotten except by a handful of die-hard fans.
The rise of the internet, in particular, has given voice again to fans of the FASA version of the Klingons and Klingonaase, enthusiasm for "khomerex zha" and Klingon nomenclature (epetai, sutai) — a Klingon worldview and Klingon honorifics respectively, both created by John M. Ford
— and references to "human-fusion" and "Imperial" Klingons.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
set in the fictional Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
universe published and edited by FASA Corporation from 1982 to 1989.
Setting
Star Trek: The Role Playing Game was principally set on board starships in the United Federation of PlanetsUnited 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...
Star Fleet
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...
. Most player characters were assumed to be members of Starfleet, engaged in space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
missions. They typically held senior posts on a starship bridge, and visited alien planets as part of landing parties.
For the most part, the game's published supplements and modules were set in the "original crew" movie era (a.d 2280/90s), but a few were set in the original TV era (2260s) or a century later in the Next Generation era (a.d 2360/70s). See Official Supplements by era below.
Because of the simplicity of the game's structure, all of the supplements, regardless of their "era", could be easily re-set to suit a different era.
FASA Trek vs. "canon" Trek
FASA designed their Star Trek game universe nearly five years before Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
(TNG) (1987-1994) was first broadcast. The game's designers built their "game universe" when there was no official canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, and they borrowed heavily from ideas in the Star Trek original series, the Star Trek animated series, fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
, and the works of the late Star Trek novelist John M. Ford
John M. Ford
John Milo "Mike" Ford was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet.Ford was regarded as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions...
.
Game elements which either were never introduced into what later became canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
Star Trek, or which differ significantly from how canon Star Trek presents them, include:
John M. Ford's Klingons
In one of the game's most dramatic departures from what would become canon, Ford's interpretation of Klingons placed them in a paranoid society, split into "Imperial" Klingons, "human-fusion" Klingons and "Romulan-fusion" Klingons, the latter two groups created through genetic engineering. They had sophisticated nomenclatures, a Klingon Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
, "thought admirals" and an afterlife known as the "Black Fleet." Their homeworld was Klinzhai.
Ford's Klingons believed that the naked stars remember acts of courage performed under them, as this poem suggests:
- "And though I had slain a thousand foes less one,
- The thousandth knife found my liver;
- The thousandth enemy said to me,
- 'Now you shall die,
- Now none shall know.'
- And the fool, looking down, believed this,
- Not seeing, above his shoulders, the naked stars,
- Each one remembering."
The post-FASA canonical Klingons on the other hand as depicted in later Star Trek TV series, have a culture and traditions based more on a cross between the vikings and Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
(or, rather, Western imaginations of them). The canon Klingon Empire is governed by the High Council, led by a Chancellor. Their homeworld is Qo'noS.
FASA's interpretation of the Klingons was an early and popular attempt to offer an account for the differing appearances of Klingons from the original series to the first of the motion pictures, later joked about (but left unexplained) in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
and finally resolved in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
. Still, the positive portrayal of Klingons as protagonists (such as Lt. Worf of ST:TNG) was arguably an influence of the Star Trek novels of John M. Ford.
The Triangle
The game supplement Trader Captains and Merchant Princes, first published in 1983, introduced "the Triangle", a lawless area wedged between the space occupied by the United Federation of Planets
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...
, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire.
The Triangle supplement later introduced a set of excellent color maps, allowing players to know exactly how long it would take them (in game time) to travel between star systems.
This lawless area was popular with players as it allowed them to escape the strict parameters of a military campaign. Most campaigns with civilian or non-Star Fleet characters were based entirely or in part within the Triangle.
Perhaps as a tip of the hat to The Triangle, Captain Picard mentions a group of Andorian pirates based in the "triangular system" in the 3rd season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
"The Survivors
The Survivors (TNG episode)
-Overview:In this episode, the Enterprise reaches a Federation colony where all but two of the 11,000 inhabitants have been killed by a mysterious attacker. The two survivors refuse assistance and do not want to be rescued...
."
Ship classes
The game introduced a number of starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
classes which were not based on those seen in the series, though many of them borrow heavily from the starship design standards set in the series; that is, the use of main "saucer" sections, outboard "warp" nacelles and so on.
They included, but were not limited to: the Bader class scout, Baker class destroyer, Chandley class frigate, the Enterprise class cruiser (the refitted Constitution-class introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture), Derf class survey ship, Larson class destroyer, Loknar class frigate,Nelson class scout, Northampton class frigate, the so-called Reliant class cruiser (the FASA name for the movie-era Miranda class cruiser), the Mission class transport, Royal Sovereign class battlecruiser, M'benga class hospital ship and the Sagan class science ship (an upgrade of the canon Oberth class starship). A few designs were made for ships mentioned in canon but not seen, most notable (non-canon) among these was FASA's conjecture of the Ambassador class starship, which somewhat resembles a modified Enterprise-class cruiser with Excelsior nacelles; in canon the Ambassador is a precursor to the Galaxy class starships.
The distinct design of several of those ships, notably the Chandley class frigate and the Loknar class frigate, have made them popular in non-canon Star Trek folklore. The Loknarwhich predates the NX class starship design bears a more than passing resemblance to the NX class starship featured in Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
.
It is worth noting the Mission class transport, a shuttle-style, warp-capable ship designed for small crews and short missions, is similar to the small, long-range, shuttle-style runabouts introduced in later Star Trek series. The FASA Mission class transport predates it by more than a decade.
Star Trek historical timeline
A number of key dates in the FASA Star Trek universe are approximately 60 years out of phase with their equivalent dates in the more official canon Star Trek universe.
Languages
Supplements to the basic game introduced players to the rudiments of the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
and Klingon
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...
languages. Neither language, as expressed in the game, is the same as later depictions in the Star Trek series.
The FASA version of the Klingon language is called Klingonaase.
System
The game system was percentile based, meaning that for every action or test desired, players had to roll two ten-sided dice to generate a random number from 1 to 100. Success or failure was determined either by rolling against a set difficulty target, or a player's own skill, or a hybrid of both, adjusted by circumstances.For example, assuming no modifiers, if a player had a skill of 45 and rolled 33, the character was assumed to have been successful in that action. If there were tools for the task available, the player might have a bonus of +25; if the task is made more difficult because of conditions (such as a space battle) the player might have a penalty of -25.
FASA had previously written supplements for GDW's Traveller
Traveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
, an association which influenced the early structure of the Star Trek game, particularly in character generation.
The rulebooks also provided systems for governing personal combat, space and planetary exploration, and the first edition provided rules for combat between starships; second edition moved the starship combat rules into a separate boardgame. Supplements provided additional rules for characters in the Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire, interplanetary trade and commerce, starship design, and campaigns focusing on other non-Starfleet players.
Each planet in the game's atlas had a code that - coupled with the character's merchant skill and some luck - allowed players to buy and trade across the galaxy. A ship's carrying capacity was not based on tonnage, but on volume (i.e. how much space a ship can hold). There were also rules on buying and selling stock on the Federation stock market.
Character generation
Like most role-playing games of its era, players had to roll dice to determine the opening attributes of their character. Star Trek: The Role Playing Game characters begin with seven basic abilities - Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Intellect, Luck, Charisma and Psionic Potential. Though generated prior to the commencement of play of the first gaming session, these attributes are adjusted depending on the character's race. (VulcanVulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
s, for example, gained a natural bonus to their Psionic Potential score, a measure of their heightened psionic
Psionics (role-playing games)
Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.- Common features :...
skill.)
Players had the option of playing virtually any humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
character introduced in the original Star Trek TV series, the animated series or the first few 1980s movies. They included: Humans, Vulcans
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
, Tellarites, Andorians, Orions, Klingons, Romulans. Two other races introduced in the animated series - Caitians and Edoans - could also be played.
Players determined their character's background education and opening age by rolling dice, accumulating skill points based on their choice of assignment (helm operations, communications, medical etc.) or tours of duty in the military (usually the United Federation of Planets
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...
Star Fleet, but also the space navies of the Klingon Empire or Romulan Star Empire) or civilian life (merchant shipping).
Players also had the option of assuming the roles of the Star Trek characters, including Captain Kirk, Mr Spock, Lieutenant Uhura
Uhura
Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
and Yeoman Janice Rand
Janice Rand
Yeoman Janice Rand, played by Grace Lee Whitney, is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series. She subsequently appears in several Star Trek films and in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.-Depiction:...
instead of creating their own character.
Starship Tactical Combat Simulator game
The first edition of the game included a tactical starship combat game, which would later be redeveloped into the Starship Tactical Combat Simulator.The game's basic rule system provided a simple system for moderating space battles, in which each player assumed a role in the battle, typically by manning a station on the ship's bridge.
The Captain determined the strategy, the Engineer was responsible for power management and allocation to different systems such as weapons and shields, the Helmsman for firing weapons, the Navigator for managing deflector shields, the Communications Officer for damage control and so on.
FASA later developed that system into a more complex standalone game, the Starship Tactical Combat Simulator
Star Trek: Starship Tactical Combat Simulator
Star Trek: Starship Tactical Combat Simulator was a game published by FASA Corporation in the 1980s. It was a board wargame, set in the Star Trek universe, utilizing ten-sided dice and counters to simulate tactical combat. It came into being as the combat system in the Star Trek role-playing game...
, similar to a tabletop wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
. During a role-playing session, if the adventure called for a space battle, role-players had the option of using this standalone game to determine the outcome of the battle.
Controversy
FASA's depiction of the Star Trek universe was widely received in the mid-80s, even by people who did not play role-playing games, and for the most part it was assumed by many to be canon. Many players therefore were dismayed when Star Trek: The Next Generation began to air in 1987 with what they saw as "changes" to a pre-established universe.In effect, what had been assumed to be canon was, in a short space of time, no longer.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, who owned the licence to Star Trek, revoked FASA's license to publish the official role-playing game in 1989. The decision was sudden, and by some accounts provoked by what became the last two supplements produced by FASA - The Next Generation Officer's Manual, published in 1988, and The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook, published in 1989.
Both contained material which Paramount later said had been published without the correct clearances from within the studio. Given the rising success of the Star Trek franchise, it follows that Paramount now wanted to exert a greater degree of control over the game, to ensure it remained consistent with the TV series.
Many players blamed the studio for its abrupt dissolution of FASA's licence as well as Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
for retconning of what had been seen as established Star Trek lore. They sent letters of protest to the studio, and to contemporary science-fiction magazines such as Starlog
Starlog
Starlog was a monthly science-fiction film magazine published by Starlog Group Inc. The magazine was created by publishers Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs. O'Quinn was the magazine's editor while Jacobs ran the business side of things, dealing with typesetters, engravers and printers. They got...
and GDW's Challenge magazine, in vain.
Given the avalanche of canon material which has come since that time - the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
and Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
, several subsequent theatrical films and a library of novelisations - FASA's interpretation of Star Trek has largely been forgotten except by a handful of die-hard fans.
The rise of the internet, in particular, has given voice again to fans of the FASA version of the Klingons and Klingonaase, enthusiasm for "khomerex zha" and Klingon nomenclature (epetai, sutai) — a Klingon worldview and Klingon honorifics respectively, both created by John M. Ford
John M. Ford
John Milo "Mike" Ford was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet.Ford was regarded as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions...
— and references to "human-fusion" and "Imperial" Klingons.
Rulebooks
- Star Trek: The Role Playing Game, 1st Ed. (1982)
- Star Trek: The Role Playing Game, 2nd Ed. (1983)
Set during the original series
- Ship Construction Manual, 1st Ed. (supplement, 1983)
- Ship Recognition Manual: Federation, 1st Ed. (supplement, 1983)
- Ship Recognition Manual: The Klingon Empire, 1st Ed. (supplement, 1983)
- Star Trek Gamemaster's Kit (supplement, 1983)
- Trader Captains and Merchant Princes, 1st Ed. (supplement, 1983)
- The Four Years War (supplement, 1986)
Set in the movie era
- The Klingons (supplement, 1984)
- The Romulans (supplement, 1984)
- Star Trek III Sourcebook Update (supplement, 1984)
- Federation Ship Recognition Manual (supplement, 1985)
- Klingon Ship Recognition Manual (supplement, 1985)
- Romulan Ship Recognition Manual (supplement, 1985)
- Ship Construction Manual, 2nd Ed. (supplement, 1985)
- The Triangle (supplement, 1985)
- The Triangle Campaign (supplement, 1985)
- The Federation (supplement, 1986)
- Klingon Intelligence Briefing (supplement, 1986)
- The Romulan War (supplement, 1986)
- Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update (supplement, 1986)
- Klingons: Game Operations Manual (supplement, 1987)
- Klingons: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual (supplement, 1987)
- The Orions (supplement, 1987)
- Regula-1 Orbital Station Deckplans (supplement, 1987)
- Star Fleet Intelligence Manual (supplement, 1987)
- Trader Captains & Merchant Princes, 2nd Ed. (supplement, 1987)
Set in the TNG era
- Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual (supplement, 1988)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook (supplement, 1989)
Adventures
- Denial Of Destiny (adventure, 1983)
- The Vanished (adventure, 1983)
- Witness For The Defense (adventure, 1983)
- Demand of Honor (adventure, 1984)
- Margin of Profit (adventure, 1984)
- The Orion Ruse (adventure, 1984)
- Termination: 1456 (adventure, 1984)
- Graduation Exercise (adventure, 1985)
- The Outcasts (adventure, 1985)
- Where Has All The Glory Gone? (adventure, 1985)
- A Matter of Priorities (adventure, 1985)
- A Doomsday Like Any Other (adventure, 1986)
- Conflict of Interests (adventure, 1986)
- Decision at Midnight (adventure, 1986)
- The Dixie Gambit (adventure, 1986)
- The Mines Of Selka (adventure, 1986)
- An Imbalance Of Power (adventure, 1986)
- Old Soldiers Never Die (adventure, 1986)
- Return to Axanar (adventure, 1986)
- The Strider Incident (adventure, 1987)
Related publications
- Star Trek III: Starship Combat Game Box Set (supplement, 1984)
- The White Flame (scenarios for the Combat Simulator, 1987)
- Stardate magazine, Vol. 1 (issue 1 - 8) and Vol. 2 (9-11) by FASA.
Supplements advertised but never published
- USS Reliant 7.5mm Deck Plans (1983)
- 'Space Lab Regula One 7.5mm Deckplans - integrated into the Regula I deckplan booklet? (1983)
- A Chance for Peace - may have been eventually published as Demand of Honor? (1983)
- Forward into the Past (1983)
- Spores of Hatred (1983)
- Enemy Contact: Bridge Alert (c 1985)
- Hostile Bivouac/Civilians - bundled adventure and sourcebook (1983)
- Star Trek Ground Forces Manual (1986)
- Star Fleet Marines (1986)
- Operation: Armageddon - interstellar war simulator game (1986)
- Scavenger's Run/Existence Zone (1987)
- Operation Buchman/Adventure (1987)
- Perish by the Sword/Galaxy Exploration Command - bundled adventure and sourcebook
- Ground Forces Manual (1988)
- Yachts Ship Recognition Ma'nual (c 1990)
- Orion Ship Recognition Manual (c 1990)
- Gorn Ship Recognition Manual (c 1990)
- Star Trek: The Final Frontier Sourcebook (c 1990)
- USS Enterprise (Galaxy Class) miniature
- Ferengi Cruiser miniature
External links
- XON FASA Star Trek (www.anzwers.org/free/fasa) — the premier FASA Star Trek resource.
- Trek-RPG.net — This forum discusses the FASA Star Trek game system.
- FASA Star Trek Library — This website gives a good description of each FASA Star Trek publication.
- The Unofficial FASA Star Trek Starship Tactical Combat Simulator Game Homepage — This page is dedicated to the fans and game players of the FASA Star Trek Starship Combat Game.
- FASA Trek Listing — This website gives a brief description of all the supplements.
- Klingonaase Guide
- The Unofficial FASA Star Trek Universe E-group Groups Page — This forum is for fans and game players of the FASA Star Trek Starship Tactical Combat Game to discuss but not be limited to, the rules, ships, and the games in which they are used.
- Morena Shipyards and Affiliated Partners Yahoo! Egroups devoted to all things FASA Star Trek, including the background universe, RPG and starship combat game.