Williams

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Pinside Rating

This game received 935 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.524 _/10

8.524

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #25 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.623

Artwork: 8.159

Sounds/Music: 8.463

Other Aspects: 8.557

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.

8.621

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Found 506 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 506 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 7 of 21.

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8.856/10

6 years ago

USH

Madduxman

Inactive member

Kennebunk, ME

6y 6,000 7

I'm not a Next Gen fan AT ALL, but overall, this pin is pretty awesome. From video mode to shooting the cannons, the deeper you get into this game the more fun it is. Once again, if you see this game, play it! You'll be glad that you did.

9.700/10

7 years ago

ACE

SLAYERBUNNY

SHOOT AGAIN PINBALL

Deniliquin

7y 33,000 4 15 7

I am not a huge Star Trek fan but I added this to my collection anyway and boy am I glad I did. I love this game and the rule set is just so damn addictive. Lots to do and see and with the added voice ROM it makes you grin...we will never surrender.....unless you pay us enough

SLAYERBUNNY currently owns this game.

8.540/10

7 years ago

CAD

retrotilt

Pinside member

Prosper, TX

10y 103K 67 12 58

This is a really fun game that I've found to live up to its reputation as one of the greats. I'm not a Star Trek fan, but the theme integration is second to none. The call outs from all the original actors are very well done and fit the game perfectly. The cab and playfield artwork, dot animations, and music are all top notch. The layout offers lots of great shots and the modes offer a lot of variety and take you all across the playfield. The game can be very brutal and even a bit of a drain monster. However, I've found that it rewards accurate shots and the excellent wizard mode is very achievable with a little bit of strategy.

The mode based ruleset offers a decent amount of depth without being overwhelming. The playfield toys are good and the slingshot mounted cannons are fun and well integrated. My only real complaint with this game is that the video mode is the same every time. Once you memorize the pattern, it becomes a bit too easy to score tons of points with it every time it comes up.

Overall, this is a easily one of the best pinball machines out there and it gets almost everything right. A true classic that even non-Star Trek fans can enjoy!

retrotilt has owned this game in the past.

8.840/10

7 years ago

???

TimeWarp1

Pinside member

9y 37,900 194 3 7

This game is tough and I love it like that. Right off the bat there's several different ways you can tackle the game. Do you want to go for Borg multiball, Missions/Final Frontier, Warp Factor 9+ or if you're really ambitious all of the above!? The Neutral Zone is a nice little mini-game in and of itself though I find the Ferengi multiball to be the most fun. The cannons on this thing are a blast (ha!) and I feel that they get the right amount of utilization; not too much not too little. The missions are varied a good amount for my taste though some you may pursue before others (easier to obtain artifacts). The artifact system itself is a nice meta-game that you can gather along as you're completing missions for some serious points if you reach Final Frontier. The ramps in this game are very satisfying to hit with the Delta ramp taking the crown. Speaking of the Delta ramp going for warp 9 through multiple Picard Maneuvers in a row is a great challenge and personally very rewarding. The shots are well laid out and I really like the throwback to Firepower in regards to the lower playfield standup targets energizing the kickback. Even the sounds have a slight similarity to the 1980 classic. Overall I love the game and it took me by surprise as thematically I wasn't a super hard core Star Trek fan but because of this pin I actually started watching the whole next gen series from beginning to end.

In regards to the infamous outlanes it is true that they can be unforgiving but I find the challenge acceptable. I would never consider the outlane extenders as I feel it would soften the game too much, extend ball times and make it an overall snooze fest.

TimeWarp1 currently owns this game.

9.140/10

7 years ago

WEB

Chuckwebster

Pinside member

Wakefield, MA

10y 75,300 498 35 75

the tough outlanes take a bit of the fun out of this game. Overall one of the best.

Chuckwebster edited previous rating on February 11, 2021.
Chuckwebster has owned this game in the past.

10.000/10

7 years ago

APD

twinankhs

Twinankhs

San Jose, CA

7y 18,000 8 4 15

This is my #1 Favorite Pinball game. I play this one constantly on Pinball Arcade..

twinankhs has this game on the wishlist.

3 Pinsiders flagged this.

8.532/10

7 years ago

PPD

Boat

CPRepair

Calgary, AB

7y 107K 1,473 4 92 1

Two month ownership update:

The game is still friggen awesome. Theme integrates perfectly and the voice acting callouts are great. The game has humor and takes me back to the 90's when I was watching the show. The shots are satisfying with a good variety. The ball launch option modes are a nice touch. The laser cannon mod is awesome and is a must. The different modes are great but my favorite by far is the battle simulation. Ramps, spinner, pop entry lanes are great. The design of this game was simply amazing. Downside, yes is the outlanes -even with the extenders , the game is punishing. Wizard mode is tough but, not too tough to achieve. The leadup to borg multiball is excellent.

4 month update:
The drains are pretty crazy on this machine reducing some of the fun factor.

Last update: The total fun factor wasn't there for me to keep it. The drains were just too rough. I feel like this is a good pin to train on but its not a keeper IMO.

Boat edited previous rating on April 20, 2022.
Boat has owned this game in the past.

7.676/10

7 years ago

QUY

FatPanda

Pinside member

7y 141K 7,178 32

A fun pin overall, but I really need to own one to really play a properly set up machine. All of the machines I've played have either been improperly working or haven't been set up well. The modes are ok and can be hit or miss. The call-outs are the best thing about this game. After being in the hobby for a while now, this game is solid but not as good as I use to think.

FatPanda edited previous rating on September 27, 2018.

8.336/10

7 years ago

JON

J85M

Hot Mods

Warrington

12y 147K 10,468 32

Awesome game, very challenging for a player of my skill level to work through the modes, but there are great shots for players of all skill levels and some of the best shots in the Williams era period. If we ever see a STTNGremake I will be first in line :)

6.628/10

7 years ago

CSJ

pcprogrammer

Pinside member

7y 102K 2,368 35 1

Owned it for about 6 months. The left and right drains are so frustrating, even with the lane extenders. Didn't enjoy playing it but I am such a star trek fan that I still would like to buy it again someday.

pcprogrammer edited previous rating on June 27, 2019.

7.353/10

7 years ago

AGB

Ramtuathal

Pinside member

Louisville, KY

8y 63,650 123 1 148

I really wanted to like this game - lots of people had told me it was a great machine and I really like the ST theme. However, Start Trek: The Next Generation was a pretty big let down. The toys are cheap and the looping wireforms seem like a waste of space. The shots are okay-ish, but I'd rather not have to be perfect on the wonky upper PF flipper to get the back sideways ramps (but, for some reason, Star Trek by Stern 2013 made this shot feel better). I just couldn't get into the games here - a Borg re-theme and some re-bending of the wireforms could make it interesting.

Play it for fun, but don't expect to be amazed.

Ramtuathal edited previous rating on January 29, 2017.

8.107/10

7 years ago

JMS

jaemsdavit

Inactive member

7y 20,650 3 1 25

A fun DMD game with a great playfield layout that offers tons of stuff to shoot for. The canons on the slingshots are great. The two standups next to the left orbit love to kill the flow, but this is a very small complaint for an otherwise great game.

8.680/10

7 years ago

MJH

TimeBandit

redshiftLED.com.au

Sydney, Oz

10y 159K 5,511 3 65

So deep, so wide. Amazing machine and my pick as the best of the 90s.

TimeBandit edited previous rating on January 11, 2017.

6.701/10

7 years ago

PAV

PavBall

Pinside member

Lake Charles, LA

9y 75,300 460 79

Feels kind of floaty to me. I love the theme.

9.600/10

7 years ago

MAS

Swainer80

Pinside+ Frequent

Ballwin, MO

10y 86,800 920 32 28

If you want to take an iconic show like Star Trek: The Next Generation and cram it into a pinball machine this is how its done. This is a table designed by Steve Richie so ball flow/combination shots are king on this one. The artwork is terrific and has held up over the years. The game play is smooth and fast. There are plenty of shots to make and many modes to complete. The game has all of the main cast voicing their roles, plus Q, which is a bonus as he taunts you during his mode. The Borg multi-ball is fast and furious and well implemented. Star Trek is nearly "the perfect game" in terms of play, theme and execution. The only knocks (very very minor nit picks) are the cannons feel a little rehashed from T2 (they are fun and well tied in) and the fidelity of the sounds is not as clear as I wish (if you want that you have to get a game 20 years newer.). Again very minor complaints. This is about as good as it gets.

Swainer80 currently owns this game.

8.476/10

7 years ago

WWW

Shadrac

Pinside member

8y 51,050 401 1 27

One of the best widebody, if not the best for me. Much better than TZ but i think you need to love the theme. I just played it too much and I'm not a Trekkie so i sold this pin after a moment. Great flow when you are "in" and one of the best multiball ever created

Shadrac edited previous rating on March 30, 2020.
Shadrac has owned this game in the past.

9.662/10

7 years ago

ALB

atwong

Pinside member

Orange, CA

8y 44,900 101 23

Great theme, great gimmicks and it's really easy to play. I'd highly recommend to beginner to advance to play this pin. My own downside is that it's hard to understand what you're supposed to do.

atwong has this game on the wishlist.

8.484/10

7 years ago

DMZ

Miouze

Inactive member

Paris

7y 15,750 19

Simply one of the best machines I have ever played. It delivers the best a pinball can offer: it plays like a dream, the playfield is fantastic, the ruleset is super deep, the artworks and sound are splendid, there are plenty of shots to make... It also feels really strong, and its build quality is awesome.

The theme works perfectly: and I'm sure I would appreciate it even more if I knew more about Star Trek.

Definitely a Top 5 machine for me, and one of the reasons why Williams' pinballs are my favorites.

9.347/10

7 years ago

LMS

Tranquilize

Pinside member

9y 84,550 3,781 35

This is a player's pin: rookies need not apply. I've owned this for just over a year, and this game NEVER gets old, assuming you don't exploit the modes. The ruleset is great because you can choose between three dominant paths: play for warp factors, play for multiball or play for modes. If you're good enough, you can get through all three and achieve a godlike feeling in your soul! The warp factor shot, even after endless plays, can still be elusive. Ramps, aside from Beta, are not a guarantee. Canon fire to start multiball is always a rush.

I would say this has slipped from the top ten only because of inflated Stern ratings and because this pin is really, really hard to master. As a kid in my local arcade, I saw a guy smash the glass on one of these machines in frustration!

9.820/10

7 years ago

JWO

JeremyON

Pinside+ Frequent

7y 49,150 62 39

It's the best Star Trek pinball representing the best Star Trek TV series. On top of that, it's a widebody "superpin" penned by the "king of flow" Steve Ritchie! As if that wasn't enough, it's got sound clips from the entire cast of the show, up to 6 ball multiball, more Star Trek toys than a collector's showroom, more modes than you can count, and you can continue your game! Some of these features aren't even seen on today's games! The Williams quality was second to none, so we're here 20+ years later and it still looks and plays great! I'm an avid STTNG TV show fan, so the theme is a "must have" for me.

JeremyON edited previous rating on March 01, 2018.

8.964/10

7 years ago

GEM

pinlosopher

Pinside member

Winston-salem, NC

7y 36,900 47 3 29

Nobody loves sttng more than me and that saves this game for me because the game is fun but not incredibly so, and the droning of the theme song is a bit much even for me.

pinlosopher has this game on the wishlist.

6.087/10

7 years ago

BW

KingBW

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 116K 3,142 102 1

I'm not into the theme, seems well represented in the game, but that does not matter to me. It drains too much on the sides, but not bad enough to dislike the pin because of it. Repetitive sounds and call outs. The game plays ok, but seems a little slow. I would play it if I saw it at a location or at a expo, but only a few times. It looses my interest quickly. If you are a "treky", you would probably like it more than I do because of the theme. I like the newer Stern Star Trek pins better.

10.000/10

7 years ago

D G

Pin_Guy

Pinside member

8y 103K 3,996 11

Taking a full look at this machine and comparing it to newer releases from Stern, and JJP I have to say that this machine absolutely capitalizes on the available space (even for a wide body). While the 1993 DMD graphics may not be in he same ballpark as a new JJP screen on a high resolution monitor, they are on par, if not superior to Stern Pinballs SAM Star Trek produced 20 years later. Add in the outstanding speech provided by the actual actors from the show and the sound is a solid 10! I initially rated this game a little lower on toys, but in comparison with games release today, the two active cannons, Borg ball Lock, Neautral zone modes, Delta Ramp diverter, orbit gate, and complex subway with ball staging were over the top at the time and far exceed what is offered in modern machines.

Pin_Guy edited previous rating on August 27, 2020.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.900/10

7 years ago

KEN

Kenz

Pinside member

Unknown

8y 58,800 399 19 57

Amazing title. Doesn't get the attention it deserves. I would say its the best game in my collection and I never thought I'd say that.

Kenz currently owns this game.

8.700/10

7 years ago

MWP

FtrMech

Pinside+ Addict

Liberty Township, OH

11y 78,050 524 19 17 1

A truly fantastic machine that is fun to play. The cast call outs add greatly to game play experience. It is a challenging game to play and the right-side drain can be frustrating. The STTNG in my collection became a permanent member a bit by accident as a buddy needed a place to store it until he could sell it...maybe that was his plan all along...

FtrMech currently owns this game.

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There are 506 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 7 of 21.

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