10 Star Trek Games Paramount Should Develop

For decades, Star Trek has captivated audiences by balancing vast world-building with thrilling action and heartwarming camaraderie. That artful blend is also what makes role-playing games like Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, Final Fantasy, Fallout and The Outer Worlds so appealing to gamers. So why don't we have a Star Trek RPG that blows all the other star trekking pretenders out of the water?

They literally just need to take the magic they've been weaving on our screens and infuse it into an epic, story-heavy, cinematic triple-A RPG that leaves fans breathless and wanting more. Is that so much to ask?

Mass Effect is so beloved by fans because of its immense sci-fi world-building, high-stakes story and engaging characters. It made players care about the relationships they nurtured with team members, got them excited about forging alliances and exploring new worlds, and made fighting for peace almost too much fun. But that's what Star Trek has been doing for years. They wouldn't even need to invest all that effort into building the galaxy; it already exists. The right developer could just take the world that fans know and love and translate it into a compelling RPG.

Give us a crew of captivating characters, with intricate dialogue systems that allow us to bond as friends or frenemies. And sure, we won't say no to a cheeky romance or two. Create a sweeping story that only Star Trek can tell, full of heart, drama and bittersweet dilemmas. Make sure our decisions genuinely impact how the story unfolds and the eventual ending, for better or worse. Deliver gorgeous graphics, breathtaking cutscenes and voice performances that give us chills. Let us travel the galaxy in a stunning starship and visit the worlds that have enthralled us for years. Design an addictive ground combat system that makes us feel like a badass phaser-slinger. And fine, for all that, we'll put up with a collection side quest if we really have to.

This kind of game is so in Star Trek's nacelle-house that we should already be playing it. But there's always time to put things right, and we can dream that one day, a developer who loves Star Trek as much as we do will come along and do it justice.