When you think of the perfect setting for a grand 4X strategy game - diplomacy, exploration, resource management, war - Star Trek seems like a natural fit. And yet, it wasn’t until 1999 that we got Star Trek: Birth of the Federation, developed by MicroProse. But after that? Nothing. For over two decades, the Star Trek universe was completely absent from the 4X genre. That silence raises a question no one seems to be asking: Was Birth of the Federation so flawed it scared publishers away from trying again?