You can sit in the Captain's chair of a Galaxy-class starship without having to undergo Starfleet Academy training or years of working your way through the ranks. Activision and software developer Totally Games have released "Star Trek: Bridge Commander," and gamers can assume command like never before.

The new PC game is given an added level of authenticity, due to dialogue written specifically for the game by legendary Star Trek writer D.C. Fontana, who not only penned some of Star Trek's classic Original Series episodes such as "Charlie X," "Journey to Babel" and "The Enterprise Incident," but also introduced the world (along with Gene Roddenberry) to Star Trek: The Next Generation, co-writing TNG's first episode "Encounter at Farpoint."

The story of "Star Trek: Bridge Commander" opens with a catastrophic solar eruption that lays waste to a Federation colony and kills the captain of a Galaxy-class starship, allowing players to assume command in this emergency situation. What follows is a complex story where players have to use their wits, not only in mind-blowing battle engagements, but also in galactic diplomacy as well.

"Totally Games has made the dream of being a starship captain a reality for millions of fans," said Activision Worldwide Studios Executive Vice-President Larry Goldberg, "In 'Star Trek: Bridge Commander,' you can control the massive firepower, maneuverability, configurable systems and crew interaction that is the hallmark of the Star Trek franchise."

The single player campaign features over 25 missions, spanning an epic campaign that traverses the Alpha Quadrant and includes encounters with Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and Ferengi adversaries. Players must also approach the game from Star Trek's unique perspective; having to use not only force to achieve goals but also exploration, diplomacy, rescue and scientific discovery.

"Totally Games is proud to release to Trekkers and gamers everywhere the first title to faithfully recreate the experience of being a starship's captain," stated Lawrence Holland, President and Creative Director of Totally Games. "'Star Trek: Bridge Commander' delivers the quintessential Star Trek experience by allowing players to show if they have the right stuff for Starfleet through diplomacy as well as blistering ship to ship combat."

Once a player takes command, the game allows them to choose the style of play they prefer, either by commanding the bridge crew or by directly taking their controls themselves. The game also provides excitement beyond the single player campaign, with either the Quick Battle instant action mode or the online multiplayer mode where players can engage in four different types of gameplay (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Federation vs. non-Federation and Defend the Starbase) with up to four players over the Internet or eight players over a LAN.

"Star Trek: Bridge Commander" is rated "E" for everyone by the ESRB and carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is in stores now.