Bally’s Star Trek, released in 1979 and designed by Gary Gayton, beamed the original sci-fi series onto a playfield right as the franchise surged back into the spotlight. A clean, fast solid-state table with a four-bank of drop targets and a free ball return lane, it captures the spirit of the Enterprise’s voyages with the uncluttered, skill-rewarding design typical of Bally’s late-70s output.
The scoring is a tidy build-and-collect affair. The smart play is to build up your bonus and multiplier, then collect it via the right-side alley that feeds the ball back into the shooter lane — a satisfying, repeatable route to banking points. The drop targets do double duty: knocking them down tends to carry the ball back upward through the jets to the waiting saucer, a strategically rewarding shot that keeps the action flowing through the upper playfield.
As one of the earliest Star Trek pinball machines, it holds a fond place for fans of both the show and vintage Bally design. Brisk, approachable, and dripping with late-70s charm, it’s a likeable solid-state classic that lets you boldly go for a high score one drop target at a time — a warp-speed slice of pinball’s transition into the electronic age.