Quoted from TOK:

I dislike the phrase Chopping Wood (possibly even more than Mancave, but its close ), but this is what I was referring to in my initial post.
Other than Vengeance and Klingon Multiball modes I don't recall anything else starting on the fly, so its easy to let the mission structure of this game drag you into a rut. The only comparison I have a lot of experience with is Metallica. In that game, you get Sparky multiball going, and in the process of just playing that you may start up Fuel, Snake and And Justice For All modes and its just pure mayhem. You can have 3 or 4 bad games, then get on this roll either through skill or pure luck and its completely exhilarating. The music for one mode ends and the other starts right up. Sometimes you wonder what the hell you even did.
Because of the way the missions are structured in Star Trek its a much more calculated game, and that structure may appeal to a totally different kind of player... I like the difference because I like the variety, but I can definitely see Star Trek becoming a grind if you let the structure con you into playing the missions in the same order over and over.
If this type of play doesn't appeal to you, a software update is never going to fix it. Much of what everything does (like Photons and Shields) is printed right onto the playfield. I almost wish I had played the old code before getting mine, because the medals seem like a creative addition. This must have been a *very* dry and linear game in its original form!