Bally

Star Trek

Pinside Rating

This game received 86 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 6.924 _/10

6.924

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #264 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 6.708

Artwork: 7.727

Sounds/Music: 4.588

Other Aspects: 7.078

Pinside staff rating

None of the Pinside.com staff have rated this game. Sorry, no rating from us.

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Found 46 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 46 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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6.016/10

37 days ago

WHB

Rudedog1961

Pinside+ Frequent

<1y 41,150 6 45 3

Again I have to compare this machine to other game from 1979 and older to make a fair comparison. It has a couple variations on the layout but nothing with a wow factor. Scoring is basic. To me there are many more much older games to play with more pizaaz.
Good for beginners though

6.962/10

73 days ago

DRD

DrDrain

Pinside member

9y 42,900 57 159

To somebody like me who got to know pinball during the DMD era, games of this generation still have their charm. But it is hard to judge this game in comparison to modern games given the development of pinball.

The layout is pretty basic but it still has a few nice shots like the left loop up to the bumpers and the feed back into the shooterlane. One element that is missing which I think would have worked out excellently on this game is a spinner.

The backglass looks very good but the playfield artwork looks a little bit generic. Nevertheless, you can still see it is a Star Trek theme and it looks quite good.

Overall, this is a pretty good classic game, with some nice shots and good artwork.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

3.153/10

81 days ago

TTE

EvergreenTTE

Pinside apprentice

Champaign, IL

1y 16,650 4 40

In some respects it's unfair to compare a game that came out in 1979 to a modern game. But what else am I supposed to do? I didn't play the game in 1979; I played it now. Whether it was a good game for its time I don't know (I didn't play pinball then), but it's not a good game to play now. In fact it's a bad game to play now. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate aspects of a game that were innovations for its day, but in this case I don't see any. To me this game has below average art at best, a very boring playfield layout and feels extremely floaty to play. The theme is fine but there's really nothing about the play of the game that couldn't be easily fitted into any other theme they might have used. If you collect Star Trek stuff you might want this pin, but I can't think of any other reason to play it.

9.386/10

1 year ago

GSL

Pin-Gerg

Pinside member

St. Louis, MO

2y 21,000 19 20

My favorite of all the star trek pins. Recently added the new custom sound board from geeteoh and it really puts it over the top. I love the backglass and playfield art, one of my favorite ballys. Plays fast and really fun, I can't play just one game. You have the left lane that splits in 2 on the mid left of the playfield which reminds me of the Vulcan salute and just above that a single target post. Hit the drop targets and the standing stages to spell "bally" to collect the bonus. I have a personal thing for this pin since I restored one that was in bad shape and got it playing, I'll never sell it. If you see one play it if you can!

Pin-Gerg currently owns this game.

7.728/10

1 year ago

???

HAL9OOO

Pinside member

Spokane, WA

2y 24,400 8 6

Straight forward game requiring long shots for good scores. Has change of pace with "Time Warp" shot to shooter lane for bonus and a breather. I've had mine for 22 years. Great game!

HAL9OOO edited previous rating on January 03, 2024.

7.587/10

1 year ago

???

splattii

Pinside member

1y 34,650 227 12

Not a fan of Star Trek as a brand but really enjoy this game. Isn't the most complicated layout but my machine plays fast which makes it enjoyable. Simple rules, bumpers that really pop and the ball seem to stay away from the drain lanes enough to where I can go for a while without getting too frustrated. I still have a way to go before I can say I mastered this table, but for now I can say I'm enjoying this table a lot more than I thought I was going to based on the layout before I bought one used. I'm not sure this machine is worth the current price tag, but that's mostly the fault of the brand and not the game itself. Had this game been a random design as opposed to a franchise theme it would probably go for a lot less and would probably be considered underrated.

6.189/10

2 years ago

TPD

tomdrum

Tom's Pinball

Port Matilda, PA

6y 167K 7,470 16 52

Played this many times back in the day. Gets old fast.

10.000/10

2 years ago

ROC

J-roc

Pinside member

St. Paul, MN

3y 31,150 6 18

Grew up with this game, its a must have. Plays fast, nice art a pinball everyone can enjoy. Easy to work on and easy to restore, excellent machine

3 Pinsiders flagged this.

6.755/10

2 years ago

EJH

ehex9

Pinside member

Saint Albans Town, VT

3y 46,650 5 7 179

Cool theme and game for it's time.

9.900/10

3 years ago

???

Randybobandy

Inactive member

Saint Paul, MN

3y 5,000 9 12

Must have for the tos fan. A lot of these are run down but if you find a nice one they are excellent. Good art too. Very fun machine

Randybobandy currently owns this game.

7.508/10

3 years ago

???

Toolsby2lee

Inactive member

Las Vegas, NV

3y 9,500 6

For an early SS game it was a must play back in the day. You cannot compare it to the the newer ones. Having said that the game play is slow. The back glass is movie theme from the late 70's so there is nothing special about it.

9.333/10

3 years ago

???

GottPinball

Pinside member

Huntington Beach, CA

3y 37,000 1 14 31

Bally Star Trek! Having played this game countless times, I can honestly say that this is one of my most favorite early Bally SS with electric audio sounds. You can not compare this game to later 80's 90's solid state pins.. In 1979 the whole pin industry was evolving fast... What makes this game one of my favorites? Bally did an outstanding job in the playfield and gameplay strategy. The game is fast and much different than previous early Bally SS, in the feel, vibe and overall gameplay, and also it doesn't feel like an EM... The audio sound is perfect for a pin make in 1979.. Play this game a few times and you will be hooked, as an experienced player, you will totally dig this pin! The play art is amazing for its time, and the backglass art captures the Star Trek 60,s vibe.. The prototype variant blackglass is my favorite as it shows their TV series uniform colors.. I highly recommend the 1979 Bally Star Trek for both the pure enjoyment of gameplay and the overall beauty..

GottPinball currently owns this game.

6.809/10

4 years ago

SJS

redhawk1689

Inactive member

Salina, KS

4y 36,650 12 2 37

This one is middle of the road. When it came out, I had to play it! The problem is that the action is somewhat slower than I would have liked. Later machines (most notably Star Trek The Next Generation) handled the theme much better.

6.224/10

4 years ago

CAH

ReadyPO

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 197K 5,916 129

Not much here except theme. Even then, it’s the 1979 movie, not the 1960’s series. The alternate back glass and plastics with the 60’s uniform are better. Game play is strange with some odd lane configurations and not even a spinner to rip. Also, I cannot figure out why we are spelling BALLY instead of STAR TREK or WARP – because of 5 spaces (2 lanes and 3 stand up targets)? How about WARP5 or PHASER or BONES or something …

Nevertheless, it’s Star Trek and a Bally SS. So I have one.

8.147/10

4 years ago

JSH

John-H

Pinside member

Norman, OK

4y 38,150 19 10 37

This game is one where we really have to put it in context. In April 1979 Star Trek had seen a short-lived TV series and an awesome animated series (uh oh my nerdiness is showing), and would see a so-so movie released in December. And electronics were still so new that any sort of tune was pretty novel, so Bally had fun with what they had. So let's "enter the time warp" back to then.

The playfield is outside the standard Bally one of the time. No problem; the standard one was fine but I'm glad they were a little inventive. Try to spell B-A-L-L-Y and get the drop targets for a bonus multiplier or extra ball. There are two ways to get an extra ball with standard rules, so it's arguably a bit easy, but I'm not going to complain. It's really fast with a new wax on it and those solenoids pound with a thump much harder than other games of the period seem to.

The pro way of playing this would be to raise the bonus multiplier and keep shooting the plunger return. The game gets legitimate criticism for that shot being worth too much, but I've seen that ball voodoo its way back out too many times to say it's an easy shot. *little edit* My scores have been up a little lately after focusing more on the upper left shot - the rising bonus, top of the playfield, and extra ball pay off. Points for there being a few different ways to play this game.

The backglass isn't great but I love the cabinet, and I love the things on the playfield like "jump to hyper space" and "proceed at warp speed." It's fun to use your imagination on this table. Very fun overall.

*Wife approval* "Doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo!" She'll sing the little "Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam" tune to herself. "This is fun!" Solid fun game.

John-H edited previous rating on January 12, 2020.
John-H currently owns this game.

7.162/10

4 years ago

GTX

gdonovan

Pinside member

7y 185K 13,220 70

After getting the machine back on it's feet I feel comfortable with making a review. The game itself is very fast and enjoyable to play, I feel some of the shot placement is a bit heavy towards the right flipper, the left one only seems good for hitting the three bank target on the right side, the bonus return lane and the center target if you so wish to take that risk. The right flipper gives you the drop targets, bonus towards extra ball, orbit to roll overs and saucer and the center target. You can get the drops with a deflection off the right targets but very hit or miss. The artwork is great and the machine is bright and eye catching which is a nice change. Some of terminology missteps like "hyperspace" don't bother me very much though you think it would have been caught or Bally was trying to sprinkle some Star Wars terms on the project. The sound effects are period and the alternate settings are my preferred, which needs to be kept in mind while comparing to newer pins. All in all a very playable pin for any collection in my honest opinion.

gdonovan edited previous rating on July 26, 2022.

7.995/10

4 years ago

MGR

TheJerol

Pinside+ Pro!

Loomis, CA

5y 53,150 101 6 13

The alternate ROM (which zeroes out bonus after it’s collected) is a must for this game, in my opinion. Being able to repeatedly collect the bonus via the right sided return lane makes the game a one shot affair. I set it up steep and fast and find the game challenging. When the ball is on the left flipper and I don’t have a bonus multiplier I tend to bounce it off the stand up targets on the right (the L-L-Y targets) into the drops rather than zeroing out my bonus via the collect shot. The theme is an absolute winner for me and if you haven’t checked them out yet, see the CPR alternate original series backglass and plastics — fantastic additions for the Star Trek fan.

TheJerol has owned this game in the past.

6.589/10

4 years ago

ADM

PinDoctor82

Pinside member

5y 77,050 278 6 104

For an old EM machine, this is definitely one of the better ones I've played. Of course, it's hard for a game like this to capture a theme like Star Trek, and it certainly doesn't. That said, some of the rating categories on here are inherently unforgiving to this game. Still, despite the scoring, it's worth playing the game. EMs are definitely fun when you find a good one, and this is one that I'd say I'd pick up if I got it at a good price just to have an EM in my collection.

7.194/10

5 years ago

CUZ

mcuzz

Pinside member

8y 117K 500 137

Star trek fan? Buy one

5.205/10

5 years ago

ANV

Antoshka

Pinside member

Åkarp

15y 51,650 47 3 29

One of the emptiest, most boring Bally:s i have ever played!! Needs more shots
( not a beautiful pin either)

7.593/10

6 years ago

???

JethroP

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 101K 3,133 9 14 1

Score B-A-L-L-Y and the sounds remind me of R2D2. Speaking of sounds, there are variations of sounds that can be selected on the MPU which add to the enjoyment of playing this game. Play is ok, drop targets, saucer, round-about (hyperspace), and the hook back to the shooter lane to collect some bonus points. Plays fast if set up correctly and clean waxed play field. Playfield seems so narrow, but then, I always seem to play TREK right after playing my wide body Future Spa. Trek is fun. Cabinet colors are a bit out of tune with my preference, but the game is tucked in-between others so don't really notice.

JethroP has owned this game in the past.

8.717/10

6 years ago

AK

Coolpinballdino

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 188K 4,805 477 2

Decent Bally game it's a fun one to own especially if your a Star Trek fan. Art could be better imo but it's a challenging game with some different things to do for it's age.

Coolpinballdino edited previous rating on June 21, 2020.

7.362/10

6 years ago

RCT

unlockpinball

Pinside+ Addict

8y 77,800 295 30 2

This game is on location down the street from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Morristown, New Jersey at The Game Vault. The rule set is simple compared to modern games. The classic sounds are great. Game play does get repetitive. Overall an enjoyable classic.

5.574/10

6 years ago

RHO

spiroagnew

Inactive member

11y 121K 982 161

Great theme, bland gameplay. The playfield design looks appealing at first, but has very little to offer the shooter. How can a game this interesting looking play much more bland than a game with a more "traditional" layout, like Playboy or Six Million Dollar Man? The art is too washed out with yellow hues, I would have expected a darker "space-like" palate with deep black and blues. A complete miss.

4.064/10

7 years ago

AGB

Ramtuathal

Pinside member

Louisville, KY

8y 63,650 123 1 148

This version of Star Trek is very flat and definitely the worst of all the ST themed games. Even giving the game leniency for being one of those SS's-that-feels-too-much-like-an-EM transition games, there is still little of value for a pinball player. And, I'm a bit of an ST nerd, so my low rating would be even lower if not for the theme points - take that into consideration before spending a dime on this lousy clunker.

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