In the sprawling universe of Star Trek video games, few titles are remembered with the same visceral fondness as Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force . Released in 2000 by Raven Software and powered by the legendary id Tech 3 engine, the game arrived at a sweet spot: the peak of Voyager ’s television run and the golden age of the cinematic first-person shooter. Today, preserved and optimized by GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games), Elite Force is no longer just a nostalgic relic; it is a shining example of how to revive a licensed classic, proving that strong mechanics and respect for source material can outlast any graphical generation.
Gameplay-wise, Elite Force is a masterclass in adapting the id Tech 3 formula to a non-military sci-fi setting. The weapons are imaginative, avoiding generic ballistic firearms in favor of Star Trek staples: the compression rifle (a sniper weapon), the arc welder (a continuous lightning gun), and the iconic “I-Mod” (Imodium weapon) that can switch between energy bolts, a wide stun blast, and even a photon burst. Movement is fluid and responsive, a hallmark of Raven’s expertise, with level design that oscillates between cramped starship corridors (replicating the Voyager bridge and engineering with painstaking detail) and open alien landscapes. The game also pioneered a “buddy system” for its era; the Hazard Team AI, while rudimentary by modern standards, could follow orders, hold positions, and even revive the player, creating a genuine sense of squad-based camaraderie.
However, the game’s most legendary feature is its secret weapon: . Elite Force included a full multiplayer mode set entirely on a single, unforgettable map: the Voyager Holodeck. Players could choose from a dozen character models (from Seven of Nine to a Hirogen hunter) and battle across virtual environments like a Wild West town, a medieval castle, or a Klingon fortress—all simulated within the grid-lined walls of the Holodeck. This metatextual twist was genius: it allowed Raven to create wildly different arenas without breaking canon, while adding an in-universe justification for respawning, power-ups, and friendly fire. The GOG version, while the official master server is long gone, still supports LAN and direct IP connections, ensuring that the spirit of Holomatch lives on in fan-organized games.
The importance of the GOG release cannot be overstated. For years, Elite Force was abandonware, trapped by licensing hell between Viacom (now Paramount), Activision (the original publisher), and Raven Software (now a Call of Duty support studio). Physical copies were plagued by Windows 10/11 compatibility issues, broken CD checks, and missing codecs for cutscenes. GOG’s version performs a vital act of digital archaeology: it strips away the DRM, applies a widescreen patch, fixes the OpenGL renderer for modern GPUs, and includes the Elite Force expansion pack (which adds two single-player missions and more multiplayer maps). It is not a remaster—the textures remain low-resolution, and the character models are visibly polygonal—but it is a stable version that runs out of the box, which is the highest praise one can give to a 24-year-old shooter.
If the game has weaknesses, they are inherent to its era. The single-player campaign is short—roughly six to eight hours—and the “exploration” sections often boil down to linear shooting galleries. The plot, while fun, is forgettable compared to the show’s best episodes, and the final boss fight is a frustrating test of rocket-jumping physics rather than tactical skill. Furthermore, the game cannot fully escape the uncanny valley of early 3D faces; watching Janeway’s blocky hands gesture at a viewscreen is charming but hardly immersive. Yet these flaws are easily forgiven. Elite Force never pretends to be Half-Life or System Shock 2 ; it aims to be a playable, loving tribute to Star Trek: Voyager , and it succeeds spectacularly.
At its core, Elite Force offers a premise that seems both obvious and inspired. Instead of controlling Captain Janeway or another bridge officer, the player creates a nameless, customizable ensign—Alex Munro (or a female variant)—who is drafted into an elite “Hazard Team.” This clever narrative device solves the perennial problem of Star Trek games: how to justify constant firefights within a franchise that prizes diplomacy. As a security specialist trained for “first contact and pest control,” Munro is the logical solution to the endless virus monsters, alien pirates, and Borg drones that the show’s main crew could never handle. The plot, which revolves around a mysterious, ship-devouring “Ethernet” entity and a stranded Borg cube, is pure Voyager season four or five: fast-paced, slightly technobabbly, and character-forward. The entire original voice cast reprises their roles, lending an authenticity that few licensed games ever achieve.
