''Star Trek'' is a 1979
pinball
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
game developed by
Bally and licensed from
Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount Global. It is the sixth-oldest film studio in ...
. It was the first pinball machine based on
the franchise of the same name. A second pinball machine of the same name was released in 1991 by
Data East
, also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. At one time, the company had annual sales of 20 billion yen in ...
. A third pinball machine of the same name was released by
Stern Pinball
Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977 until 1985, and was best known for '' Berzerk''. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1986 ...
in 2013. There was also a 1971 Gottlieb pinball machine called ''Star Trek'', but with no connection to or licensing for the television series.
Production of the game was announced in a press release on April 15, 1979.
Design
Early versions of the backglass showed the crew of the ''Enterprise'' dressed in the uniforms from the original
''Star Trek'' television series. This was changed early in the production to show them dressed in single-color clothing to fit with the film ''
Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' that was to be released at the same time as the game. The backglass features Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Uhura. There is some inconsistency in design on the finished game, for example using a font based on
''Star Trek'' instead of
''Star Trek: The Motion Picture''.
The table is controlled with two flippers, and includes three pop bumpers, one kick-out hole, a bank of four drop targets, and three round stand-up targets. Part of the game is to spell B-A-L-L-Y by hitting various targets.
Reception
Roger Sharpe
Roger Dean Sharpe is a public servant, author and North Carolina politician. He was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from the state's Fifth congressional district in 2006, losing to incumbent Virginia Foxx. He wa ...
reviewed the machine in
''Play Meter'', rating it at 3.5/4 praising the artwork and noting that its a tough game to beat.
''
Starlog
''Starlog'' was an American monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on ''Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in Aug ...
'' briefly covered the game in their July 1979 issue, and in the following Star Trek special issue ran a competition to design a backglass and win a Bally ''Star Trek'' pinball machine.
Legacy
Three further pinball tables were released based on
''Star Trek'' licenses, including ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in 1993.
The table was also used in
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
's "
Amerika" 2004 music video with the band playing it on the "moon".
See also
*''
Star Trek: The Next Generation''
References
{{Reflist
External links
IPDB listing for ''Star Trek''
Pinball machines based on Star Trek
Bally pinball machines
1979 pinball machines
Pinball machines based on films