Star Trek: Klingon Academy

Publisher:	Interplay
Developer:	14 Degrees East
Released:	6-15-2000
Year:	2291
Stardate:
Platform:	PC, Mac
System Requirements:

Star Trek: Klingon Academy is a Simulation game, published by Interplay in 2000. You play from the perspective of Torlek, a cadet of General Chang's elite command academy. You follow him as he makes his way through trial after trial. He eventually catches the interest of Chang himself, who recruits him to help in discovering the nature of a growing insurgency in the Klingon Empire.

Voiceover Cast

• J. Paul Boehmer as Melkor
• Michael Braveheart as Extra 2
• Wayne Grace as Poktarl
• Blake Lindsley as K'mpec (yes, the future Chancellor)
• Douglas O. McDonald as Kalnor
• Michael McFall as Weapons Officer
• Andrew Palmer as Jaghjech
• Christopher Plummer as Chang
• Paul Sandman as Toq
• John Shull as:
  • Extra 1
  • Academy First Officer
  • Hovak Captain
  • Starbase 3
• Fritz Sperberg as K'Mak
• David Warner as Gorkon
• Jamie Alcroft as:
  • Civil War Weapons Officer
  • Freighter Captain 2
  • Altair Star Captain
  • Soorex
• Perry Brown as:
  • Civil War Marine Commander
  • Vutwl' Tech Captain
• T.C. Carson as:
  • Academy Engineer
  • Gorkon Allied Command
  • Starbase 2
• Michael Clarke Duncan as Opening Movie Klingons
• Michael Dorn as Thok Mak (Colonel Worf's younger brother)
• Murphy Dunne as:
  • Academy Security Officer
  • Freighter Captain 5
• Greg Eagles as Torlek
• Ron Feinberg as:
  • Civil War Medical Officer
  • Wuhey
  • Federation Commander 1
• Michael Gough as:
  • Civil War Engineer
  • Battlestation Commander
• James Horan as:
  • Academy Marine Commander
  • Starbase 4
  • Wingman 2
  • Romulan Captain 2
• Lex Lang as:
  • Civil War First Officer
  • Hopogh Captain
  • Federation Commander 4
• David Lodge as:
  • Academy Weapons Officer
  • Chang's Communications Officer
  • Wingman 1
  • Povaq Captain
• Barry Lynch as:
  • Academy Helmsman
  • Ra'wl'a Captain
  • Freighter Captain 1
  • Tlhoy Captain
• Phil Proctor as:
  • Civil War Helm Officer
  • Tako
  • Roq
• Kevin Michael Richardson as:
  • Civil War Communications Officer
  • Garlock
  • Starbase 1
  • Tholian Commander
  • Tutorial Instructor
• Brad Sanders as:
  • Civil War Science Officer
  • Mobile Cargo Captain
• Sean Smith as:
  • Academy Science Officer
  • Hodlytl Officer
  • Adel Radsek
• John Vernon as:
  • Academy Communications Officer
  • Federation Commander 2

Setting and Story

This game occurs just before the first Khitomer Accords as shown in STAR TREK VI: The Undiscovered Country. General Chang is but Brigadier Kerla's predecessor, as Military Advisor to Gorkon's predecessor in the Chancellery. He also doubles as the lead instructor in the Klingon Defense Forces Elite Command Academy. Gorkon himself is but Chang's predecessor, as Chief of Staff.

The story starts with an attempted coup against then-Chancellor Lorak, who is gravely ill. In a heated battle above the Klingon homeworld itself, General Chang foils this attempt.

The game is divided into two campaigns. The first is but a simulated campaign in the Academy: a hypothetical war with the Federation. Starting with a blitzkrieg, the war shifts deeper into Federation space, as you are to exploit the weaknesses inherent in the Federation's greatest strength - diplomacy - which renders the enemy "a brittle unity" in Chang's eyes. The war ends on Earth's doorstep, as the Federation's response to the diversionary blitzkrieg and to its diplomatic weakness leads to conflict within the Sol system itself - and the unleashing of one of humanity's "greatest scientific achievements" (Project Genesis) of mass destruction on Earth itself.

During breaks from the Academy, you are called to spy on treasonous elements in the Klingon Empire, elements with ties to the recent coup attempt against the Chancellor.

Upon graduation (a great honor, given the atrocious failure rate), Lorak dies, and the worst civil war in the history of the Empire - none before or after as devastating (including the 2368 war that saw Gowron's ascendancy) - ensues, with radical ramifications to come...

Gameplay and significance

Klingon Academy is one of the few games to provide a truly Star Trek feel of what piloting a starship might feel like. It includes many valuable and Star Trek-compatible features. This includes multiple ship systems, and detailed operational processes and commands. It also provides realistic space terrain, and ability to travel to multiple space landmarks, including Earth, nebulae, star systems, etc.

There is just one problem undermining the game's popularity: it is a victim of its own success. Interplay did such a good job of meeting fans' requests, after the complaints about Starfleet Academy, that no one tried to duplicate Klingon Academy. However, due to insufficient marketing of Klingon Academy, few fans realized that Interplay had created an entirely new kind of game, (one more suited to Star Trek), instead of simply a pale sequel to Starfleet Academy.

Klingon Academy remains of relatively lesser prominence relative to other Star Trek PC games. However, it does deserve a greater prominence than it is generally given in the Star Trek PC game library.

Also see

• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
• STAR TREK: Klingon Academy, at Wikipedia (with spoilers for the civil war campaign)