The Star Trek franchise began with a hit television series in the 1960s. The popularity of the show led to a number of marketing opportunities, including: popular films, novels, comics, and, in 1983, a video arcade game. Sega released the arcade game entitled Star Trek soon after the release of the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of the Khan.
The sit-down cabinet of Star Trek enhances the playing experience by seating players in the Captain's chair of James T. Kirk, captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. As Captain Kirk, players navigate their starship in battles against Klingons and Nomad probes. Players defend the Federation Star Bases by firing Photon Torpedoes and Phasers at approaching enemies. The screen is split between a smaller top-down radar screen and a rotating first-person targeting screen. The first-person screen enables players to swing 360? to engage all surrounding enemies.
The gameplay of Star Trek was worthy enough to make it a quality game, but the success of the Star Trek franchise and strong promotional ties to the recently-released film, made the arcade game a true success. Star Trek enamored trekkies and non-trekkies alike to become an arcade hit.