Note: I originally posted this in GD, but didn't get much of a response. Maybe it'll get a bit more discussion here.  

https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/FASA-Star-Trek-RPG/5-2319753/

I was playing around online last night, following random link to random link, and found a website with a bunch of scans from various role playing games. I spent the better part of last night reading the materials FASA put out for their Star Trek RPG. It came out about the time of TWOK and lasted until TNG when it was killed by Paramount and Roddenberry as being to militaristic in nature (ironic considering the current state of the franchise).

In any event, I forgot how exciting a setting FASA presented compared to the future of the Star Trek universe. The Commies with replicators didn't exist. Humanity was trying to be better and had passed it's imperialistic phase, but the universe is a deadly place. The Klingons weren't the honor-bound samurai biker vikings we ended up with, but were a race that existed with one goal in mind: expand or die. This extended to their personal outlook as well, where duplicity and bribery and doing whatever it took get ahead were just a part of daily life for a Klingon and permeated every level of Klingon society. It was an empire that openly embraced slavery of conquered species, but they were not stupid. Nor were they unified, with an offshoot Imperial Klingon States made up of renegades and survivors of a failed coup attempt, players were always going to be uncertain of who was using whom when dealing with Klingons.

The Romulans weren't the evil version of Vulcans livin in a police state we ended up with. FASA presented them as seeded by the Preservers from Vulcan stock and they paved a path to the stars to look for their gods, building an empire in the process. They may have tried to keep themselves hidden, but that was only because they too encountered the deadly universe far too often for their own tastes. For these Romulans, service came first, not out of some slavish desire for the state to succeed at the expense of the individual, but to help move their culture and empire to finally meet their gods, the Preservers.

The Orions may have been pirates and the green Orion slave girls were well known, but they were more than that. FASA made them into information brokers, traders, spies, or green slaves always looking for an edge because for them poverty was worse than death, but they had racial overtones and they had a deep secret past that few had any inkling about.

And best of all was the Triangle. The mostly unclaimed space between the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan empires, each of which were looking to spread their influence but none of which wanted to start a war over it, the Triangle was populated with microstates, independent worlds, spies, free traders, corporations, and everyone else looking for a fresh start, looking to make a credit, or just on the run. It was as close to the Old West as Star Trek would get.

And of course, other familiar races like the Gorn and Tholians were there, but were secretive.

Things like Starfleet Marines and ground combat were mentioned, but never fleshed out because FASA lost the licence before they could expand on it. Starship and personal combat were part of the game, but generally outthinking rather than outshooting the opposition was the point. Past wars were mentioned and the Cold War between the three majors powers was a major plot setting device, but this was the world of Star Trek and a good session ending in a flying dropkick and a torn uniform tunic was always fun, but this was a not a game of hack and slash dungeon crawling and the published adventures and sourcebooks reflected it.

Given the TNG years that killed off the FASA STRPG, it was so sad that such a fun and vibrant setting was killed off in favor of just a bland one. Kirk and company had been survivors of a recent bloody war yet still fought to preserve freedom, even to those they just met, and knew that what it took to stay free was to be willing to fight. Picard just pontificated.

Don't have much to contribute as it wasn't really something I was into (not Star Trek, but the FASA RPG version).  But if you're looking for the books, I suggest nobleknight.

https://www.nobleknight.com/Role-Playing-Games/Publisher/FASA?ProductLineId=2137430594