List of games in Star Trek

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The fictional Star Trek universe is memorable for various elements of imagined future culture, including a variety of sports, games and other pastimes. Some of these fictional recreational activities are closely associated with one race, although they may have gained adherents from other backgrounds. Others thrive on the interaction of different species.

Some of the games below were central to the plot of a single episode. Others were recurring plot elements, spanning multiple television series of the Star Trek franchise.

Contents 1 Holodeck games 2 Sports 2.1 Baseball 2.2 Parrises Squares 2.3 Racquetball 3 Martial arts 3.1 Gladiatorial combat 3.2 Anbo-jitsu 3.3 Tsunkatse 4 Games of chance 4.1 Dabo 4.2 Tongo 4.3 Fizzbin 5 Games of strategy and logic 5.1 Dom-jot 5.2 Kadis-kot 5.3 Kal-toh 5.4 Strategema 5.5 "The Game" 5.6 Tri-Dimensional Chess 6 References

[edit] Holodeck games

The holodeck is apparently a staple of 24th-century entertainment; only a partial list of holodeck programs is possible, though it has been shown to replicate a great variety of environments with relative ease.

Some programs depicted in the various Star Trek shows include a Klingon calisthenics program, used heavily by Lieutenant Commander Worf, an unnamed park-like setting, presumably somewhere on Earth (Riker first encounters Data here, in Encounter at Farpoint), various 'social' programs, such as a mud-bath and a pool hall, and Jean-Luc Picard's well-known Dixon Hill holonovels.

Other settings have sometimes been shown, such as the Jupiter Station Diagnostic Program, which was used to maintain the Emergency Medical Hologram on various Starfleet vessels, the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, several Sherlock Holmes programs created by Data for his exploration of humanity, and various Shakespeare programs, enjoyed by Jean-Luc Picard.

Several 'experimental' programs have appeared, such as an entire holographic village ('Fair Haven') and its related population. The 'Fair Haven' program was originally designed for occasional enjoyment by the crew of Voyager, but the ship's captain ordered that the holodecks be modified so that the program could be online twenty-four hours a day.

[edit] Sports

[edit] Baseball

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

External links

• Baseball article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Parrises Squares

Parrises Squares is a vigorous athletic game, mentioned in several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager.

It is often implied that the game involves a high risk of serious personal injury; nevertheless, much to the concern of parents, the game was quite popular with teenagers during the 24th century. The game involves the use of a piece of equipment called an ion mallet and a ramp, and players often wore special padded uniforms.^[1]

While healing a deep cut on Will Riker's face, Doctor Crusher lectured him "to stop playing Parrises Squares as if you're 21," further advising him that "one day, you'll break your neck, and I won't be able to heal that as easily."^[2] (It's never actually been established whether or not it's possible to heal a broken neck in the 24th century; when Worf broke his spine, it was only his Klingon biological redundancies that saved him from total paralysis).

When The Doctor created a holographic family for himself in 2373, his 'daughter' Belle was on her school's Parrises Squares team. This worried her 'parents', because Parrises Squares can be a dangerous game for someone her age. It later turned out their worries were justified, as she later 'died' of complications from a Parrises Squares injury.^[3]

While in Starfleet Academy, Harry Kim played Parrises Squares, and was the Academy champion three times.^[4]

Parrises Squares is mainly mentioned as a game played by humans, but other species participate. M'Kota R'Cho was the first Klingon to play the game, when he participated in the controversial Championship Finals of 2342.^[5]

External links

• Parrises squares article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Racquetball

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

External links

• Racquetball article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Martial arts

[edit] Gladiatorial combat

In the memorable episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion" of Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain Kirk and some of his crew are forced to participate as gladiators in combat against other humanoids, for the entertainment of unseen masters who wager Quatloos among themselves on the outcome in the arena.

[edit] Anbo-jitsu

Anbo-Jitsu (also known as anbo-jytsu) is a fictitious Japanese sport shown in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In it, two armored opponents facing each other wear a solid visor, rendering them blind, and fight with a large staff. A proximity sensor is worn by each combatant, alerting them to their opponent's location with an audio signal. A protective cushion is worn on one arm and can be used to shield or deflect attacks. It is called "the ultimate martial art" in the context of the show, but all the required paraphernalia seems counter-intuitive to the very nature of most martial arts (which train the body and mind).

Will Riker and his father settled a long-standing grudge with this game in Star Trek: The Next Generation's episode, The Icarus Factor.

External links

• Anbo-jyutsu article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Tsunkatse

Tsunkatse is a form of martial arts, similar to kickboxing and some Japanese sports. Each opponent wears a round device on both the front and back of their harness which sends the wearer a shock when it is touched by an opponent's counterpart, worn on the feet and hands. Each match is designated by a color code, red meaning to the death.

The sport is practised by various species in the Delta quadrant. In the Voyager episode of the same name, Seven of Nine was kidnapped and forced to compete in the sport.

External links

• Tsunkatse article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Games of chance

[edit] Dabo

Dabo is a Ferengi game of skill and chance. The game relies on the spinning of a "dabo wheel" similar to a roulette wheel. During various betting hands (similar to poker) each player either "buys" or "sells" or "converts" their gold-pressed latinum (money) in preparation for the next spin of the dabo wheel.

About ten players can sit around the dabo wheel. When something good happens, everyone around the table yells "Dabo!"

The game is most often seen played in Quark's bar on Deep Space Nine.

Dabo girls

Dabo girls are attractive women of various species who run the game in Ferengi establishments. Leeta, who was a Dabo girl in Quark's bar, maintained that Dabo girls not only had to look appealing enough to lure customers to play, but also be able to quickly calculate odds and ensure a house victory in the long run, typically by enticing gamers to stay until they lose.

The character therefore turns around the stereotype of the "dumb blonde" or "bimbo"; while Dabo girls may be intentionally giving that impression to customers, they take advantage of those who view a Dabo girl as no more than that.

The character Leeta, played by Chase Masterson, made the role of Dabo girl significant in Star Trek fandom. Other Dabo girls who appeared or were referred to in multiple episodes include Jake Sisko's date Mardah, played by Jill Sayre, and M'Pella, played by Cathy Debuono. Aluura, played by Symba Smith, had a central role in the episode Profit and Lace.

External links

• Dabo article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
• Dabo girl article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Tongo

Tongo is a card game played predominantly by the Ferengi. The game centers around a roulette-type wheel with an elevated pot in the middle. On each turn the wheel is spun, and the player has the choice to "evade", "confront", "acquire", or "retreat". Each choice has its purchase price, sell price, and its risk, all of which are interrelated.

A Global Tongo Championship is held each year on Ferenginar.

External links

• Tongo article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Fizzbin

Fizzbin is a fictional card game created by Kirk in the original series episode "A Piece of the Action". While being held hostage on Sigma Iotia II with Spock and McCoy, he spontaneously invented a confusing card game to distract the henchmen guarding them.

The rules were intentionally very complex. Each player gets six cards, except for the player on the dealer's right, who gets seven. The second card is turned up, except on Tuesdays. Kirk dealt the henchman two jacks, which are a "half-fizzbin." When the henchman said he needs another jack, Kirk warned that a third jack is a "shralk" and is grounds for disqualification. With two jacks, one wants a king and a deuce, except at night, when one wants a queen and a four.

At this point, Kirk dealt a third jack, but to keep the ruse going, he ignored the disqualification rule he had just made up. He explained that, had a king been dealt instead of a jack, the player would get another card, except when it's dark, in which case he'd have to give it back. The top hand is a "royal fizzbin," but the odds of getting one are "astronomical": when Kirk asked Spock what the odds are, Spock truthfully replied that he had never computed them.

Kirk called the last card a "kronk" and then purposely dealt a card such that it fell on the floor. As the henchman being taught reached down, Kirk punched him in the face after hitting him in the stomach, and Spock nerve-pinched the other guard, allowing the three to escape.

Once in Deep Space Nine, Quark mentioned the game as a way for him and Odo to while away the time while traveling on a runabout;^[6] whether it had become a real game or if it had been a reference was never explained. Playable versions of the game have been invented, and it featured in the episode "Nantucket Sleighride" of the animated series Starcom.

See also: Mornington Crescent

External links

• Fizzbin article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Games of strategy and logic

[edit] Dom-jot

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

External links

• Dom-jot article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Kadis-kot

Kadis-kot is a fictional board game in the Star Trek universe. It is played on a six-sided board with three sets of coloured tiles: red, green, and orange. Visually, the game appears to be a variant of Reversi or Othello. It appears to be a game of logic and strategy for 2 players, but as many as 5 players have been shown playing together.

The characters of Naomi Wildman and Seven of Nine played the game sometimes, after the events of the episode "Infinite Regress".

External links

• Kadis-kot article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Kal-toh

Kal-Toh (kal-toe) is a Vulcan game of logic. According to Tuvok, its goal "Is not about striving for balance but about finding the seeds of order even in the midst of profound chaos.". It was first featured in the series Star Trek: Voyager, often played by Tuvok and a partner.

The game itself involves a large number of small grey holographic rods called t'an, generated from a platform below. They are arranged in a specific manner, which eventually produces an icosidodecahedron. Kal-Toh can be played singly or against an opponent, each taking their turn to place a piece.

In the episode "Alter Ego", Tuvok was quoted as saying "Kal-Toh is to chess as chess is to Tic-Tac-Toe".^[7]

External link

• Kal-toh article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] Strategema

Strategema is a game central to the episode "Peak Performance" of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Strategema is a strategy game played on a holographic board with 4 layers each of 8 by 8 squares. The object of Strategema is to manipulate circular icons to gain control of your opponent's territory while defending your own.

Strategema is generally played on a specially-designed computer. Both players sit at the computer-controlled Strategema table, facing each other, with the board continuously rotating in the middle. The game is controlled with metal thimbles placed on the players' fingers. Electronics in these thimbles then calculate the movement of the fingers and send the information to the computer.

The duration of a Strategema game depends on the competence of the players. Generally, games last only a hundred moves at most. However, experienced master players can achieve games of well over a thousand moves.

External links

• Strategema article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] "The Game"

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Game", an undesignated virtual reality game was introduced to the crew of the Enterprise in which players wore an optical headset and used mental commands to manipulate holographic funnels to catch virtual disks.

The Game was eventually revealed to be deliberately addictive, stimulating the pleasure centers of the players' brains; and was designed by aliens called the Ktarians, as a stratagem to take control of the Enterprise.

External links

The Game at Memory-Alpha

[edit] Tri-Dimensional Chess

Main article: Three-dimensional chess

The game of Tri-Dimensional Chess (Tri-D Chess) can be seen in many Star Trek episodes and films, most notably played by Spock against Kirk or McCoy in the original series.

Rules for the game were never invented within the series; in fact, the boards are sometimes not even aligned consistently from one shot to the next within a single episode. The Tri-D chessboard set was made popular by its inclusion in the The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual  by Franz Joseph, who invented starting positions for the playing pieces and short additional rules. With his approval, Andrew Bartmess first developed the Standard Rules in 1976.

External link

• Three-dimensional chess article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki

[edit] References