Star Trek : The Next Generation - Birth of the Federation Star Trek : The Next Generation – Birth of the Federation is a turn - based video game in which the player takes control of either the United Federation of Planets , the Klingon Empire , the Romulan Star Empire , the Ferengi Alliance , or the Cardassian Union in building a galactic empire . Players can colonize systems , conquer or ally minor alien races , construct starship fleets , and go to war with the other galactic powers . The game includes many canon and non - canon starship classes for all five playable races , as well as several of the minor races . The game includes two game modes : " domination " , in which the player must conquer a portion of the galaxy , and " vendetta " , where the player must destroy their empire ' s two racial enemies . Game description . Single player . In the single player game , the player chooses one of five empires included in the game . The empires then take turns moving ships , engaging in diplomacy , research , building and intelligence operations , and fighting . The single player game has two different victory modes . In a domination game , the player must control 60 % of the galaxy . If the player allies themselves with another empire , the two empires combined must control 75 % of the galaxy . In vendetta mode the player must destroy their empire ' s two racial enemies before the player is destroyed by one of their own enemies . The vendettas are all mutual . The vendetta pairings are : The game is divided into two parts : a galactic management mode , and a tactical combat mode . In the management mode , the game screen represents a map of the galaxy . The map is divided into sector s , some of which contain systems or stellar phenomena and others which are empty . This is where you build , colonize , allocate research , engage in diplomacy and intelligence , and move your ships . If starships from two neutral or hostile empires occupy the same sector at the beginning of any your turns , a dialog box appears asking for your response . The player can choose to retreat or hail in an attempt to avoid combat , or they can attack . If you choose to attack then the tactical combat mode appears . When this happens , a 3D representation of the sector appears . The player then takes a turn to give his ships orders then the ships carry those orders out . If any ships survive the first turn , then the process repeats until there is a victor . Multi - player . Multi - player is the same as single player with the exception that one or more of the other empires is controlled by another player . Multi - player also includes a third game mode called team play . In team play , the empires are placed on teams before the game starts and a team must control 75 % of the galaxy , or eradicate the other empires to win . Empires . United Federation of Planets . Founded in 2161 , the United Federation of Planets is an alliance of several planets dedicated to peace and scientific exploration . It is governed by the Federation Council , which in turn , is led by the Council President . The Federation ' s organization for interstellar exploration and defense is Starfleet Command . Starfleet ' s mission to explore strange new worlds and to seek out new life and new civilizations is balanced by its Prime Directive : to not interfere in the natural development of any unaligned race . As a result , first contact with other races is very important to the Federation . For every successful first contact , such as Zefram Cochrane ' s peaceful meeting with the Vulcan s , there has been a dangerous encounter , such as the one with the Klingon Empire . The Federation is also known for its history of able diplomacy . Through the Khitomer Peace Accords of 2293 , the Federation founded a friendship with their former adversary , the Klingons . Likewise , the Federation has used diplomacy to rein in the Romulan Star Empire and Cardassian Union by creating buffer zones between their territories and the Federation ' s . This reputation for diplomacy is the Federation ' s most significant gameplay advantage . In diplomacy , the Federation ' s credits are extremely effective in establishing treaties . Minor races show more sympathy toward the Federation than other empires . In combat , the Federation also has the advantage of strong shields and hull s , and it receives a large bonus for liberating inhabited solar systems . Klingon Empire . By killing Molor the Tyrant circa 600 AD and defeating the Fek ' lhri , Kahless the Unforgettable united his fellow Klingons with his acts of honor and courage . Even now , a clone of Kahless still serves as an inspirational Emperor of the Klingons , although the government is actually led by the Chancellor , who oversees the Klingon High Council from the Klingon homeworld , Qo ' noS . Forged in war , the Klingon Empire has continued to temper itself through conflict . For Klingons , strength and honor in battle is all . Some opponents they recognize as honorable , others they consider treacherous . Respect for an enemy ' s strength can lead the Klingons to forge a needed alliance . Sometimes the Klingons fight old allies . Former allies with the Klingons , the Romulans struck at Klingon outposts in 2344 and 2346 , respectively . Such situations reinforce the Klingons ' belief that the future of their empire rests on battle readiness . This readiness for battle at any moment is its main game play advantage . The Klingon Empire is quite effective in ground combat . Klingon Colony and Troop Transport starships , unlike those of other empires , are armed for space battle . Their Birds - of - Prey starships can cloak . Romulan Star Empire . To understand the Romulans , one must look to the planet Vulcan . In the first century AD , the Vulcans suffered a series of horrible wars due to their violent and passionate natures . Then came the Time of Awakening , when Surak taught his people the strength of logic and the peace that came with it . Those Vulcans who rejected Surak ' s teachings left their homeworld for the planets of Romulus and Remus , founding the Romulan Star Empire . Now the Romulans are governed by a ruler known as the Praetor , who is supported by the Imperial Senate , a parliament led by the Proconsul . The Romulans ' military intelligence agency , the Tal Shiar , not only spies on their enemies but also on its own citizens for signs of betrayal . In playing the Romulans , take advantage of their covert means at undermining their foes . The Romulans secretly helped foster the Klingon Civil War of 2367 , attempted a clandestine takeover of Vulcan in 2368 , and have highly placed spies , such as Federation Ambassador . To other races , the Romulans prefer to remain a mystery . In their first battle with Earth in 2160 , the Romulans kept their appearance hidden from their enemies . By 2266 , the Romulans had developed a cloaking device that rendered their starships invisible to enemy sensors . Nevertheless , the Romulans have entered into military alliances with the Klingons and with the Cardassians when these empires have shared common foes . The Romulans ' reliance upon their military intelligence and their desire to remain enigmatic serve as their major gameplay advantages . By building special structures , they have effective intelligence operations . Their starships , with the exception of Colony , Troop Transports and Strike Cruisers , can cloak and have efficient targeting systems with powerful plasma torpedo es . Ferengi Alliance . Ferengi personal conduct is influenced by the 285 Rules of Acquisition , the first of which is " once you have their money , you never give it back . " These rules were formulated by Gint , who led the Ferengi as the first Grand Nagus nearly 10 , 000 years ago . The current Grand Nagus oversees the Alliance from the homeworld of Ferenginar . By the time a race has encountered them , the Ferengi have already established a financial foothold into that race ' s territory . Although the Federation did not meet the Ferengi until 2364 , the Ferengi had been salvaging Federation property since 2355 . The Ferengi like to deal with those races that are unfamiliar with their reputation for greed . First contacts are excellent opportunities to increase their profit by making deals that are favorable to themselves . Since they prefer the acquisition of financial power rather than that of political or military power , it is easy to underestimate the Ferengi . This focus upon economic interests gives the Ferengi certain game play advantages . They can establish trade routes without treaties and build structures that boost their income . Another advantage is that Ferengi starships have strong shields and carry several torpedoes . Cardassian Union . The Cardassian Union was formed by the civilian Detapa Council three hundred years before the Federation came into existence . With the Detapa Council controlling both the military units of the Central Command and the spy network of the Obsidian Order , the Cardassian Union grew strong by gaining territory and technology through war , at the price of several million deaths . Given that before the Union , millions of Cardassians had died due to plague and famine , success through such brutal means seemed to cost no more than life before wars . The Cardassian people , however , were once a spiritual culture , deeply interested in peace . Now that spiritual past is no longer acknowledged in a society that focuses on the military order , discipline and conquest . Races , such as the Bajoran s , who are conquered by the Cardassians find their worlds strip - mined of all resources in order to support the Union . These actions are seen as acceptable , even efficient , by the Cardassians . This military efficiency is a game play advantage , with their ability to rule other races best through subjugation by constructing special structures . The Cardassians gain a great deal of productivity that other races are unable to do to races they have subjugated . They are also efficient in intelligence operations through the development of structures , and their starships have extremely powerful beam weapons and strong hulls . Starship types . Scout . Scout ships are long - range vessels that are used primarily for exploration . They have longer range sensors than other types of starships which allow the scout to chart sectors adjacent to it , not just the sector that the vessel is in . In combat a scout ship provides detailed information about enemy vessels . The Romulan " D ' renet " - class scout can cloak . All scout ships have an upgraded version with more powerful shields , weapons , and engines . The upgraded Klingon scout can cloak . Destroyer . Destroyers are light starships that serve as escorts and commerce raiders . They have medium range and tend to be faster than other types of ships both in and out of combat . The Federation and the Ferengi both have heavy destroyers which combine speed with more powerful weaponry . The Romulan " D ' ridren " - class destroyer can cloak . All destroyers have an upgraded version with the exception of the Federation . Warship . A warship is a general combat starship that doesn ' t fit into any of the other vessel categories . These ships usually make up the backbone of fleets and are generally well rounded combatants . They are slower than destroyers but compensate by providing more weapons . All warships are medium - range vessels . Most races have more than one warship class , a lighter , faster , cheaper warship ( Federation ) and a larger , slower , more expensive heavy warship ( Federation " Galaxy - X " - class ) . The Ferengi don ' t have a second warship class . Instead they have the " Tokorn " - class heavy raider , which contains some of the best features of both warship and destroyer type vessels . Both the Romulan " R ' derex " - class cruiser and the " D ' dredar " - class battle cruiser can cloak . All warship type ships have an upgraded version . The upgraded Klingon Bird - of - Prey can cloak . Strike cruiser . The strike cruiser carries less beam weapons than warships in exchange for a large and powerful torpedo loadout . These ships excel at assaulting systems but are usually outgunned if they have to engage in close range combat . Strike cruisers are slow and cumbersome in and out of battle . They all are short range ships . The Romulan " R ' tan " - class starship can cloak . All strike cruisers have an upgraded version that is faster , more powerful and better able to fight in close range combat . An empire ' s upgraded strike cruiser is arguably their most powerful ship in the game . Command cruiser . Command cruisers are the most well - known class of starship . In the game they are meant to lead fleets into battle . In battle they allow the targeting of individual enemy ships rather than types of enemy ships . In battle command cruisers are heavily armed and shielded , but slow and unwieldy . They are generally more powerful than light warships , but less powerful than heavy warships . Outside of battle , all command cruisers are short range . The Federation is the only empire that fields a heavy command cruiser . The Romulan Warbird can cloak . All command cruisers have an upgraded version that is faster and more powerful . Colony ship . Colony ships terraform and colonize uninhabited planets . They work faster in groups although you only lose one ship from a group when you colonize a system . They are slow and cumbersome in battle , but are medium range ships out of battle . The Klingon " LI ' w ' I " - class colony ship is armed and can defend itself in battle , although it can ' t defeat a combat ship on its own . Romulan " D ' retex " - class colony ships can not cloak . All colony ships have an upgraded version that are faster , better shielded and terraform more quickly . Troop transports . Troop transports are used to capture enemy worlds , build outposts and upgrade outposts to starbases . They work more effectively in groups although you only lose one transport if you capture a planet or build an outpost . Troop transports have a ground combat strength that depends on the race of the transport . The Klingon " Chowghwl " - class transport is armed . The Romulan " R ' daran " - class transport can ' t cloak . All transports have an upgraded version that has a higher ground combat strength , is faster , better shielded , and can build more quickly . Starship classes . Minor races and bonuses . In " Birth of the Federation " , you will also encounter many minor races which you can either conquer or have voluntarily join your empire through diplomacy . Like each empire , each minor race also has a race - specific structure that you can construct once they become part of your empire , which will bring you a significant bonus . These bonuses include increased production , research , intelligence , morale , and defense . Each minor race special structure and its bonus is in the table below : Each minor race also has varying opinions of each empire . For instance , warrior races such as the Nausicaans and Chalnoth tend to favor the Klingons , whereas research - oriented species like the Vulcans and Trill favor the Federation above all others . You will see a sympathy meter when you first contact a minor race , and from that point onward , in your Diplomacy Screen database under that race ' s record . Races that have high opinions of your empire make diplomacy much easier ( and cheaper ) and lessen the expense and need for conquest . Also , having a minor race join your empire through diplomacy generally means greater morale , and thus increasing production and research , and also reduces the susceptibility of being bribed away by a rival . Conversely , subjugated planets have lower morale , and thus have a detrimental effect on production , research , etc . Should the subjugated race become angry enough , civil unrest will result , such as a general strike ( and no industrial production ) . In extreme cases , the subjugated system may even rebel and declare independence from your empire .