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Star Trek: Legacy is one legacy best left forgotten.

Star Trek was an afternoon requirement for this reviewer. Shows like The Next Generation and DS9 were my “Must See TV” back in the day. I enjoyed the complexity of the universe and the diversity of its inhabitants. Trek always came with the promise of endless possibility, and we could not wait to see what was next. It seemed as though they would never run out of stories to tell out there amidst the stars.

Eventually, though, fans found that the one most crippling limitation to be found in their amazing TV galaxy of the future was inherent in its creators. With each passing year the various series’ inspired less and less favor amongst their potential viewers as new and better written shows came on the air. The Trek shows themselves became clogged with silly storylines, increasingly played out, 1-dimensional characters, and convoluted plots that fizzled more often than not. There were a few bright spots here and there, but for the most part Trek pretty much crumbled away under the weight of its own bloated franchise.

For most people these days, Trek and its legacy seems better left to memories of good times long gone. Yet every year, seemingly without failure, some new aspiring rejuvenator comes along, hoping to give this floundering sci-fi franchise a shot in the arm. This time around, it arrives in the form of a new game from developer Mad Doc Software entitled Star Trek: Legacy.

Unlike the shows, however, most of Legacy’s gameplay involves destruction more than exploration. Planets and the secrets they may protect serve as mere backdrops to the carnage of splitting hulls and impressive-looking shockwaves, as warp cores explode and thousands evaporate amidst the vacuum of space. Not exactly in the best tradition of early Trek, but hey, who wants to bother with boring ideas of intergalactic cooperation and scientific and spiritual exploration? It is much more fun just to blow guys up.