Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Space... The final frontier...These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds...To seek out new life; new civilizations...To boldly go where no one has gone before!" -- Jean-Luc Picard, Captain, Starship Enterprise

Introduction

"Welcome to the Enterprise." - Captain Picard

Welcome to my second guide of the Pinball Arcade! This time, we look at Star Trek: The Next Generation, built in 1993 by Williams. This is considered one of the best-of-the-best games, right next to Twilight Zone based off of the IPDB.

Skill Shot Choices

Choose wisely. You will have a choice to launch the ball, triggering one of the following:

Start Mission directly. The flashing mode on the Enterprise will start. Recommended for Final Frontier.

Flipper Skill Shot from the left flipper. I belive that this isn't a good choice to make, as awards vary.

Launch Probe. A ball will enter one of the cannons; you must shoot the flashing shot from the cannon, and rewards will vary. I haven't really gotten into Launch Probe, as I don't believe it being a good idea strategically (again, random award).

Light Lock/Holodeck if Lock 3 is already lit. Good if you want to get into Borg Multiball quickly.

Warp Factor 4/2 if Warp 9 is played at least once. Warp 4 I would go for; otherwise, keep starting missions.

Warp Factors

The Picard Maneuver is the most critical Combo sequence in the game, by shooting the Spinner and the Left Side Ramp repeatedly. Apparently, you can get Warp Factors from shooting the Spinner and the Delta Quadrant (another name for that ramp). Rewards are as follows:

• Warp 2: 5,000,000 points.
  
  
• Warp 3: Million Jets. 1,000,000 points for each Bumper hit.
  
  
• Warp 4: Light Spinner. Raises the Spinner value to 100x it is worth, up to 4,800,000 points.
  
  
• Warp 5: Hold Bonus X.
  
  
• Warp 6: Light Return Lanes. The Left will activate a Hurry-Up starting at 50,000,000 at the Right Orbit, while the Right will light Super Spinner for 10,000,000 EACH SPIN.
  
  
• Warp 7: Double the Spinner value, again, up to 4,800,000 per spin.
  
  
• Warp 8: Light Extra Ball at the Center Scoop. From then on, you will get an Artifact.
  
  
• Warp 9: Prepare for Maximum Acceleration! Activates Warp 9.

Warp factors reset at the end of each ball, starting at 1.

Warp 9

"Prepare for Maximum Acceleration!"

A 12 second timer will start ticking down. Your goal is to make Spinner shots AND Delta Quadrant ramp shots (or do the Picard Maneuver) to continue advancing Warp Factors. The timer will reset with each increased Factor, but pressure builds as the "heartbeats" increase.

• Warp 9.1: 20,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.2: 25,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.3: 30,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.4: 35,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.5: 40,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.6: 45,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.7: 50,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.8: 55,000,000
  
  
• Warp 9.9: 60,000,000

On the very last Warp Factor, you have 20 seconds to make it to 9.9 instead of the reset to 12 seconds.

Failure to make a shot within the timer or completing the mode will reset back to Warp 1. This will ALSO DISABLE THE DELTA QUADRANT FOR WARP FACTORS.

The Holodeck

"Holodeck Program ready!"

You will need to shoot the Beta Quadrant (Right Ramp) a certain number of times to light Holodeck. The number of flashing lights lit beside the ramp (where the targets are) determine how many more ramps you will get (1, 2 or 4 ramps). When you light the Holodeck, shoot the Right Loop to activate it. You have 2 options:

The Left Flipper grants you 25,000,000, no strings attached.

The Right Flipper activates a video mode called Shuttle Simulation. Watch my video for the correct pathway to collect the Artifact. Avoid the mines, collect the awards, and enter the caves at the appropriate times.

(SPOILERS) Hold the Launch button, THEN press the Right Flipper to activate Riker's Poker. You and Riker each have 5 cards; you can move the cursor between cards by pressing the flipper buttons, and select the cards you want to get rid of by pressing the Launch button. When you are done, PRESS BOTH FLIPPERS to see the resulting hands.

Starting Missions:

Shoot the Center Scoop or select Start Mission via plunging the ball to start a flashing mission. The Missions are listed below in further detail.

You can also select a mission of your choice (Command Decision) by shooting the scoop just north of the Delta Quadrant, NOT the Neutral Zone, when it is lit.

Time Rift

"Sensors are picking up a distortion in the space-time continuum."

You have approximately 25 seconds to make as many shots as you can, scoring Time Rift Awards along the way. Shoot any 4 (or 5) shots to collect an Artifact. The value starts at 10,000,000 points for each shot, but the Time Rift targets near the spinner add extra time and 5,000,000 to the value. This can be done only 3 times before maxing out at 25,000,000 per shot. (At this point, it's purely cosmetic.)

Picard Maneuver, anyone?

Worm Hole

"Hold on tight; this could get rough."

You have about 20 seconds to shoot the Delta Quadrant. By doing this, you'll score a minimum of 40,000,000 points and claim an Artifact. Shooting the Beta Quadrant adds 10,000,000 to the Worm Hole value, and each spin on the spinner adds 1,000,000 to the value. (Picard Maneuver, anyone?)

Search the Galaxy

"Set coordinates for the ____ Quadrant!"

You have 40 seconds to make all 3 ramp shots. You will need to shoot the Alpha, Beta, and Delta Quadrants, but I recommend shooting them IN ORDER. So shoot the center ramp (Alpha), the Right Ramp (Beta), and the Picard Maneuver (Spinner + Delta) for an Artifact. If you do this, shoot for the Gamma Quadrant at the Neutral Zone for an EXTRA ARTIFACT. So technically, you have a chance at 2 Artifacts instead of just one.

Battle Simulation

"Initiate Simulation!"

One ball will be loaded onto the left or right cannon, and you have to shoot a specific shot by pressing the Launch button to score points in increments of 10,000,000. For the right cannon, shoot for the Neutral Zone targets. For the left cannon, shoot the center Mission scoop. You have 20 seconds to do this 5 times for an Artifact, with an Extra Ball on the 6th time. The timer will be paused when the ball is still in the cannon.

Q's Challenge

Q: "Bonjour mon capitaan!"
Picard: "Q, what are you doing here?"
Q: "Let's play a little game!"
Riker: "Q, we don't have time for your games!"

This mode is FUN. I literally mean it. I was having a blast with him in my video XD

Anyway, flashing shots score 10,000,000 PLUS 10,000,000 after each shot, up to a maximum of 100,000,000 PER SHOT. You will collect an Artifact by shooting 5 correct shots. (But seriously, Picard Maneuver, anyone?)

Q would just keep on saying,
"Is that the best you can do?"
"That was too easy!"
"Not bad; not bad at all."
"Now, try this!"
"OK, that's enough!"

The mode ends when you drain, or no more shots remain. You can add shots simply by hitting the Q target just west of the Jets.

Outlane drain:
Q, "Someday you'll learn to play pinball."
Q, "HAHAHAHAHA"
Q, "And you were doing SOOO well...".
Q, "Lose something?"
Q, "What a pity.."

Rescue

"Board the Shuttle as quickly as possible!"

You have about one minute to board 50 people onto the shuttle, with approxiamately half of that resulting in an Artifact by just loading the Shuttle. Shoot the Mission scoop, the Alpha or the Beta Quadrant to rescue the Personell from some imminent danger. (Picard Maneuver, anyone?)

Asteriod Threat

Picard: "Suggestions?"
Riker: "We could destroy the asteroids in our path, sir."
Picard: "Make it so!"

A quickshot will begin starting at 20,000,000 points on the Mission scoop, dwindling down to 5,000,000. The faster you shoot the scoop, the more points the asteroids will be worth.

All flashing arrows will be lit for the seven asteroids. You have approximately 30 seconds to shoot down all 7 asteroids. Shoot any 3 of them to collect an Artifact. (Picard Maneuver, anyone?)

The Final Frontier

"The Final Frontier."

The big one...The game will tally how many of each Artifact you have, with each Artifact being worth 100,000,000 each. If you collect a set of each type of Artifact (Dilithium Crystals, Isolinear Chips, Duranium Spheres, and Singing Stones), you will score an extra BILLION points for each set. A 6-BALL MULTIBALL will begin, and 2 of those balls will be fired onto the cannons. Press the Launch button twice to send them onto play.

Scoring in this mode is 10,000,000 each shot for no Artifacts, and 25,000,000 X how many Artifacts you have. It's ridiculous if you manage to claim that many Artifacts before Final Frontier.

Borg Multiball

"Sir, a strange object is dead ahead!"
"On screen. Magnify!"

The Lock shots are available primarily at the Right Loop, but they're also located at the Neutral Zone and the Delta Quadrant (going into the Borg ship). Lock three balls to start Borg Multiball.

At the beginnning of the multiball, you will have a ball loaded onto the left cannon to score Jackpots. This is your opportunity to score your first 3 Jackpots right off the bat; the Jackpot is located at the Mission scoop. If you miss any of the shots OR claim all 3 Jackpots, the Multiball BATTLE will begin. Yes, you're fighting against the Borg! It's Tales of the Arabian Nights' Genie Battle, for Pete's sake!

All shots to the Mission scoop score Jackpots, and the Delta Quadrant to the Borg Ship scores Super (3X) Jackpots. However, your ship's shields will be damaged as you collect Jackpots, and you must recharge the shields at the Spinner to relight the Jackpots if and when your shield is at 0%. Your Jackpots will continue to rise with each bumper hit.

Multiball ends when 2 of the 3 balls drain.

The Neutral Zone

"Sensors are picking up a ____ in the Neutral Zone."

Hit the Neutral Zone three times to light it [Note: The ball doesn't have to fall into the hole to register a hit. Just as long as one of the three targets are hit]. Once this is done, all three lights will flash. Shoot the NZ (the hole) again, and one of three modes will start:

Ferengi Multiball

The right cannon will be loaded. If you shoot the NZ, another ball will be put into play. The NZ remains lit for 10 seconds to add balls, up to 4 balls. If a ball drains, shoot the NZ again to get another. If the initial shot from the right cannon misses the NZ, you still have the NZ lit for 10 seconds to add balls. It's just like playing a one ball multiball. The jackpot (Start Mission hole) is 10 million * balls in play, and any of the yellow stand-up targets (on the left) add 2 million to the jackpot. Ends when less than 2 balls remain in play.

Romulan Warbirds

Three shots will be lit, (spinner, alpha ramp and beta ramp) which correspond to the three Romulan ships on the display. When a shot is hit, the ship on the display cloaks and is replaced by a timer. If the timer expires then the shot relights. The mode ends if you can cloak all ships simultaneously. Each cloaked shot is worth 10M, and the round lasts 40 seconds. Hitting "Klingon Assistance" at the lower targets puts a Klingon ship up on the left or right side of the display, replacing the Romulan ship there. This doesn't give you the points for that ship, but it does lock that shot out of the mode, so you don't have to worry about it timing out and returning like it might if you actually shoot it. Klingon Assistance doesn't work on the center ship, though. Cloaking all ships is worth 30 million.

Cardassian Multiball

This is a complex 2 ball multiball. The jackpot (at the Neutral Zone) starts at 50 million, however the Enterprise is being shot at. The lower the shields, the lower the jackpot - right down to 5 Million when the shields are 0%. Shoot the spinner to increase shield strength (and the jackpot value).

Shield status versus Jackpot value:

• 100% = 50,000,000
  
  
• 83% = 30,000,000
  
  
• 50% = 25,000,000
  
  
• 37% = 20,000,000
  
  
• 25% = 15,000,000
  
  
• 12% = 10,000,000
  
  
• 0% = 5,000,000

Multiball ends when 1 of the 2 balls drain.

Other Features

Extra Balls: Lit by getting Level 6 in Battle Simulation, Warp Factor 8, 10X multiplier, the Skill Shot, Launch Probe, 15 Shuttles, and Shuttle Simulation. Collected at the Mission Scoop.

Ranks: Lit by advancing multipliers. Shoot the scoop just above the Delta Quadrant to advance Rank. The ranks in order are: Ensign, Lieutenant, Lt. Commander, Commander, and Captain. These ranks advance your bonus value. If you are Captain, the next award will be 100 million if you shoot for Advance Rank again.

Kickback: One of the 6 lower yellow targets is lit to light the Kickback (and also advance the multipliers when possible.) The Kickback is located in the left outlane. Having the Kickback lit is a must, since drains are pretty nasty in the game.

Explosive Millions: Shooting either the Center Ramp or the Right Ramp lights both of these for Explosive Millions. The first shot is worth 5,000,000; then it goes to 10,000,000 and adds 10M each time, up to a maximum of 50,000,000 per shot.

Final Thoughts

This is the second best game based on IPDB, and an incredible work of Steve Ritchie. This is, however, a premium game, so it'll be $5 for this instead of spending that for two, all due to being a Kickstarter/licensed game. But still, it's a great game for what it's worth. (Although you should get the Season Pro Packs to save a bunch.)

My high score: Watch my video.

Play more pinball! Thanks for reading!

[southak]

Did you forget to mention "thank you mister data"? If the ball drains and Data starts saying "had you propelled the ball on the proper trajectory you would have been successful" and you can interrupt him for a 10m bonus where Picard says "Thank You Mister Data".

[terminator534]

cannot start game only avideo

[southak]

Why cant I find this table in the pc version of the game but I have it on my ipad?

[mr100percent]

Is there anywhere to find this table still?

[Nas2004]

I love this table but get fustrated with stuck balls

[Old Gamer]

beat my 5 billion score NEVER

MJB

[Not John Malkovich]

Some Quick Notes:

Borg Super Jackpots are ALWAYS available on the side ramp during multiball, even if all shields are down.

Borg Jackpots have no meaningful limit and they only increase as the game goes on. I have had borg ships worth >1B. In the long run, this is the most profitable way to play, since the requirements to start multiball never get harder - it's just 3 locks, and lighting the lock is always just one shot to the right orbit. Final Frontier, in comparison, takes 8 shots to start plus whatever you're doing for artifacts, and it caps out at 250M/shot after 10 artifacts. (The startup bonus for FF caps at 10 complete sets, supposedly... but that's nearly impossible for mere mortals.)

If possible, during Borg Multiball or Final Frontier, you want to get into the "Elwin Pose" with 1-2 balls trapped on the lower right flipper and 1 ball on or coming to the left flipper. From there, it's left flipper -> Mission start, Repeat.

[andreamedis]

One of the best of the best games, huh? I bet you're just saying that because you never played THIS table before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8wffa6qXMM

I pray to the pinball gods that the developers of Pinball Arcade add this table so all of you can enjoy the sheer awesomeness of it.

[=CS=MrChipz]

Some good points made, I'm loving the table at the moment, may even break the 5 billion milestone. Cheers - CPZ.

[Wynter]

'....but pressure builds as "heartbeats" increase.'

Actually that sound is not heartbeats. Its the pulsing of the warp core as any Star Trek fan would know.