Developed by Dramatic Labs, which includes former Telltale employees like Andrew Grant, Dan Martin, Kent Mudle, and Brett Tosti, Star Trek: Resurgence is described as a “narrative adventure game” with branching storylines, as well as representation for the less diplomatic sides of Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry’s 55-year-old franchise has developed an expansive universe, and Resurgence is set at a converging point in its timeline where fans can probably expect a lot more interesting, deep-cut cameos than Spock; who appears in the game’s reveal trailer.

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Resurgence’s Place in Star Trek

Numerous Star Trek shows since the original series cover over a thousand years following humanity’s development of warp drives, which allow for faster-than-light travel - not to mention forays into time travel and alternate universes. The important thing to keep in mind for anyone overwhelmed by this history is that every show is designed to reflect various sociological quandries of their time, as well as explore the ways that relations among humans and alien species evolve.

Casual observers should be familiar with the original series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, whose stars include Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and William Shatner (who actually went to space in October 2021). These shows take place over about five years in the 2260s, putting them about 100 years after Star Trek: Enterprise depicts Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) forming the United Federation of Planets.

Between those shows are the events of Star Trek: Discovery’s first two seasons and the upcoming Strange New Worlds. About a century after the original series comes The Next Generation helmed by Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart). There was a huge resurgence in Star Trek media during the 1990s, as The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager were all in production and covered the same general period in-universe. Star Trek: Resurgence is set to begin in 2380, right after the events of the final Next Generation film, Nemesis.

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Star Trek: Resurgence Can Follow Modern Trek’s Wider Cameos

While Resurgence follows a new crew on the U.S.S. Resolute, players seeing through the third-person perspective of First Officer Jara Rydek and Engineer Carter Diaz, the game’s website teases “characters that are fan favorites.” The only confirmation so far is Ambassador Spock, but Resurgence should have a lot more packed in at launch considering it will not be episodic (nor is it planning to include microtransactions, DLC, NFTs, or other monetization).

Setting this game in the era after The Next Generation films means cameos could range from all the 1990s-era Star Trek productions, and modern Star Trek shows are full of these. The animated series Lower Decks (also set in 2380) includes Jonathan Frakes’ William Riker in a major role, and centers one episode around Robert McNeill’s Tom Paris from Voyager. Star Trek: Picard and the Nickelodeon series Prodigy also pull from Voyager, featuring Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine and Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway, respectively.

Discovery is the only outlier as far as cameos are concerned, as its early seasons are set before the original series and includes more of a back-door pilot for Strange New Worlds. However, when Season 3 brings the Discovery into the 3000s, there are plenty more references to the events of Star Trek shows and their ramifications. One major character in Season 4 is Federation president Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal), who has prominant facial markings of both the Bajoran and Cardassian peoples.

Given Star Trek: Resurgence also has a Bajoran character, the cast of Deep Space Nine may get more play. Resurgence is said to be about unraveling a “sinister mystery involving two alien civilizations on the brink of war,” so the Cardassian occupation of Bajor and the Dominion War would offer fitting parallels. However, the overall trend of modern Star Trek productions means Resurgence can - and should - pull from everything it’s able to. The MMO Star Trek Online is similarly set after Nemesis and features characters from every series, so there’s plenty of potential for fleshing out the universe.

Star Trek: Resurgence releases in spring 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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