Star Trek: Armada II
Star Trek: Armada II is a real-time strategy game, published by Activision in 2001. The sequel to Star Trek: Armada, it featured improved three dimensional graphics as well as more classes of ships. It also added Species 8472 and the Cardassian Union as playable races.

"The Federation stands on the precipice of another major conflict that threatens the fragile peace we have worked so hard to achieve. It's been six months since we successfully dealt with the threat of the Omega Particle. Tensions between the Cardassians and the Klingon Empire are on the rise, and we've just received word of a renewed Borg threat."

Following some complaints about the length of the Armada version, the single-player campaign was altered for this game; now only three races are involved, and each storyline is mostly independent of the others: the Federation must repel a Borg invasion via a new type of transwarp gate, taking the assault into the Delta Quadrant; the Klingons must deal with a resurgent Cardassian military, while the Borg, affected by events in the Federation campaign, must stave off an attack by Species 8472, before combining with the Federation to eliminate this galactic threat.

Voice cast

Main voice cast
Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard 
J.G. Hertzler as Chancellor Martok
Alice Krige as the Borg Queen
Judi M. Durand as the Starfleet computer

Additional voice cast
Vaughn Armstrong
Iris Bahr
Terrence Beasor
Michael Bell
Earl Boen
Charles Bartlett
Charles Chun
Jonathan Cook
John Cragen
Jonathan Del Arco
Barry Dennen
Gregg Eagles
Paul Eiding
Dan Gilvezan
Max Grodénchik
Nicholas Guest
Martha Hackett
John Horan
Sherman Howard
Tony Jay
Denise Kumagai
Lex Lang
Lisa LoCicero
Brian Mysliwy as voice of Lt. Joe Carey
Tony Pasqualini
David Randolph
Peter Renaday
Michael Reisz
Neil Ross
Joel Swetow
James M. Ward
Patti Yasutake

Crew 
 Ron Surma – Casting Director
 Kris Zimmerman – Voice Director
 Brian Mysliwy – Mad Doc Software core Armada II Team
 Special Thanks to Rick Berman and Peter Lauritson
 Very Special Thanks to Gene Roddenberry

Featured starship classes

United Federation of Planets starships
 Venture-class
 
 
 This is a marine carrying class of ships named for the . One of these ships is named the R.L. Ermey after .
 

: saucer section, stardrive section

Raven-class Colony ship
 Ships of this class are named after Earth cities, e.g. 

 (appears in the final mission; originally depicted in Star Trek: Away Team)

Klingon Empire starships

 (mainly a re-designed )
B'rel-class
 (artillery cruiser resembling the )

Negh'Var-class
Martok's flagship

Romulan Star Empire starships
Talon-class
Kestrel-class

Borg Collective starships
Borg interceptor

Borg sphere
Borg diamond
Borg Queen's ship

Borg cube
Borg tactical cube

Species 8472 starships
Collector
Scout
Destroyer
Cruiser
Launcher
Battleship
Frigate
Behemoth
Defender

Cardassian starships

Gul Kentar's personal ship
Dreadnought missile

Construction ship
 All playable races except Species 8472 use them to build installations. The Borg call their ship an "Assembler". When the game starts, the player gets one starbase and/ or one, maybe two construction ships. In the main scenarios, such as the Federation Scenario, the player has one, maybe two of these ships which is used to construct the base(s) needed to complete the scenario(s).

Other ships/races

Ferengi starships (non-playable) 
 – (though can be assimilated for use in the Borg campaign)
Ferengi merchant vessel

Setting
Star Trek: Armada II takes place from stardate 54522 to some time after stardate 54881, some six months after the events of the first game. The Borg have been spotted in Federation space using a new vessel employed to assimilate planetary surfaces. The Cardassian Union is becoming increasingly aggressive, and the Klingons are growing tired of their role as peace-keepers.

Single player campaign

Federation Campaign

"Invasion"
Stardate 54522.2: A Borg force has invaded the Regula Badlands. The Enterprise is dispatched to eliminate the Borg presence, reclaim the colony world, and determine how the Collective was able to make it so deep into the Alpha Quadrant. It is discovered that a new type of tachyon nebula may hold the answer to this question.

"Lifelines"
Stardate 54544.2: The Federation starbase at Alpha Theta VI is under attack, and badly needs supplies. Convoys of cargo ships need to be escorted through a treacherous nebula, and a Borg defense network, in order to resupply the base.

"Recovery"
Stardate 54566.1: Starbase 176 has been attacked by the Borg, and the area is devastated. The Enterprise must defend the base against further attacks, and rebuild its defenses to act as a staging area. The assimilated USS Douglass is recaptured from the Borg.

"Along the Neutral Zone"
Stardate 54588.0: A small fleet, led by a single Akira-class starship under the command of a Captain McDermott, is dispatched to the Romulan Neutral Zone to establish a presence in a hazardous nebula field. The Enterprise suffers severe damage en route to the area, and must be protected from an assault by a squadron of Borg cubes.

"Into The Breach"
Stardate 54612.7: The transwarp portal is known to be located within the Regula Badlands. The Enterprise and her fleet must find, capture and hold the portal to allow an assault on Borg territory.

"Inferno"
Stardate 54637.3: The Federation invasion force enters the Delta Quadrant through the captured transwarp portal. Its counterpart must be captured, and all Borg within the area eliminated. The mission is hampered by the presence of a powerful subspace field that prevents warp travel.

"The Cavalry"
Stardate 54664.7: The Federation Third Fleet is ambushed in system J-356 by vessels of unknown origin. The Enterprise responds to a distress call from the USS Allegheny, the vessel leading the fleet, and the only survivor of the attack. The presence of Species 8472 is strongly suspected, as the Federation forces scour the system of a heavy Borg presence.

"Data Retrieval"
Stardate 54694.9: A modified freighter is used to retrieve vital data on the location of the Borg staging grounds from a Borg Nexus base. A heavy assault fleet must protect the data miner until its mission is complete.

"Staging Grounds"
Stardate 54727.7: The Borg staging grounds have been located in system J-361, and a huge Borg fleet is detected. The Federation forces must assemble an assault force without alerting the Borg to their presence. Once the attack is completed, the Enterprise and the surviving vessels must retreat to an extraction point, prior to returning to the transwarp portal.

"There And Back Again"
Stardate 54760.6: The Federation forces are in full retreat. A massive Borg counterattack, coupled with the arrival of dozens of Species 8472 vessels, has forced Starfleet to pull back to the transwarp portal, and back to the Alpha Quadrant. The evacuation is almost complete, when the portal suddenly explodes, leaving the Enterprise and several dozen vessels trapped behind enemy lines...

Klingon Campaign

"Uprising: A Dagger at Zarush"
Stardate 54642.8: A massive Cardassian force, led by Gul Kentar, has attacked and destroyed the Federation reserve fleet at its dock in the Pearl Nebula. The Klingon defense forces must hold the line at Zarush, and strike back at the invading Cardassian fleet over Vanoshan.

"Executioner"
Stardate 54656.5: With the Pearl Nebula secure for the moment, Chancellor Martok orders a retaliatory strike against the Cardassian-held world of Kestian, and other Cardassian bases in the Doltec system. The planet must be eliminated.

"Brave New Worlds"
Stardate 54670.2: The Efate system is a key location for colonization and resupply. The system must be secure before the Cardassians get there and claim the worlds themselves, denying them a crucial resource.

"Blockade"
Stardate 54683.9: The Cardassians are on the back foot, with supply lines crumbling. A chance to break the front line has emerged at Mornaur II – however, a Romulan supply convoy is en route to the system. It appears that the Romulans have been behind the Cardassians sudden rearmament. The convoy must be intercepted before it reaches the planet, and before an assault on the system can take place.

"The Unknown Prize"
Stardate 54697.6: The Kulinor class of Cardassian vessel has been seen with additional, unidentified modifications. A prototype vessel, the "Quantum Singularity Ship" has been detected on the far side of the Ketch'Tor asteroid belt, and must be captured to determine its secrets.

"The Romulan Connection"
Stardate 54711.3: Romulan duplicity in the Kentar Uprising is now clear. The Star Empire must be "persuaded" to cease its support for the Cardassians. In order for this to proceed, a series of Romulan colonies must been conquered and Romulan bases destroyed.

"Battle of Crucis Major"
Stardate 54725.0: Despite cutting off most of their supplies, Gul Kentar's forces are able to launch a massive assault on the Klingon base at Crucis Major. With defenses incomplete, Martok is barely able to escape. However, the presence of a secret base operated by the House of Tagesh may allow the Klingons to fight back and clear the system of the Cardassian invaders.

"Trojan Horse"
Stardate 54738.7: To attack a Cardassian base, a Cardassian vessel must be captured and employed to disable vital defense systems. Without it, the Klingon forces will be unable to press on and take out the base.

"To Cardassia And Victory"
Stardate 54752.4: The Klingon counterattack has reached the Cardassian system itself. The surrounding planets must be captured, before a final assault on Cardassia Prime and its powerful defenses can be mounted. Gul Kentar is able to escape as Cardassia Prime falls, but Martok and his fleet are close behind.

"The Final Battle"
Stardate 54766.1: Kentar has fled to his secret base in the Hurik system. Here, he must be destroyed, along with the quantum singularity technology the Cardassians have developed, which is how they are bringing Species 8472 into the galaxy. The station is destroyed and Kentar's ship is destroyed in combat with Martok's armada.

Borg Campaign

"Werewolf Pack"
Stardate 54771.6: With the destruction of the transwarp portal in "There and Back Again", a number of Borg ships, including that of the Borg Queen, have been trapped in the Alpha Quadrant, as Picard and some of the Starfleet vessels have likewise in the Delta Quadrant. The Collective must assimilate cargo vessels in order to gain resources to rebuild their forces. However, Species 8472, having been drawn into the quadrant by the Cardassians' experiments in quantum singularities, are also in the sector, and the Borg are forced to retreat.

"Pink Slips"
Stardate 54785.3: Species 8472 vessels are attacking a Federation outpost, with the Borg caught in the middle. Both sides must be eliminated if reconstruction is to proceed. Since 8472 cannot be assimilated, Federation vessels must be captured and used against them.

"Interdiction"
Stardate 54799.0: The Borg now have sufficient resources to begin consolidating their position with a Nexus base. Cargo and other vessels must still be seized until resource gathering can be initiated.

"There Goes the Neighborhood"
Stardate 54812.7: All planetary bodies in Grid 967, a Romulan-held sector, must be assimilated in order to maintain reconstruction efforts.

"The Catch"
Stardate 54826.4: A pair of Federation starships have been captured, with key information on recreating the transwarp portal. With Species 8472 in pursuit, the two vessels must be relocated to the nearest Borg Nexus immediately for disassembly and analysis. Progress is hampered by intense nebular activity.

"Interception"
Stardate 54840.1: The Klingons have captured a Species 8472 bio-ship. In order to determine how the aliens are getting into the Alpha Quadrant, the facility analyzing the ship must be assimilated, and the Klingon forces suppressed.

"Strange Bedfellows"
Stardate 54853.8: Technology 2702 – the transwarp portal – has been reacquired. In order to successfully drive Species 8472 back into fluidic space, the Borg must retrieve the Federation forces stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and negotiate an alliance. The transwarp portal must be reconstructed, and used to accomplish this objective.

"Tidal Wave"
Stardate 54867.5: The Federation and the Collective have come to an agreement – Species 8472 must be eliminated, and the only way to accomplish this task is to combine forces. A massive fluidic rift has been detected, which is allowing the bio-ships access to our galaxy. Nearby sectors must be cleared before an assault can take place.

"The Maw"
Stardate 54881.2: The fluidic rift has been located. In order to successfully traverse the barrier into fluidic space, the Federation forces need to collect sufficient resources, and scout the rift for any dangers. Meanwhile, Species 8472 bio-ships continue to flood into the quadrant, and must be eliminated.

"Rifts"
Stardate unknown: The combined Federation and Borg fleet has entered fluidic space. Three additional rifts are being generated by an unknown entity, and must be located. The rift maker must be destroyed to prevent further incursions. 

With the threat from Species 8472 eliminated, the alliance is dissolved – the Borg vessels are escorted back to the transwarp portal, and sent back to the Delta Quadrant, and Picard warns that further incursions into the Alpha Quadrant will be met with the strongest force.

(A cameo is made on this level by the USS Incursion from Star Trek: Away Team. It is a fully playable ship, and features the holo-disguise ability from Away Team.)

Multiplayer mode
As with Armada, multiplayer mode (and Instant Action) sees the player competing against up to seven opponents – the last one standing wins. Armada II adds some additional gameplay modes to the on-line game, including "Capture the Flag" and "Assault". The Internet game used Gamespy servers to run online games.

Game tips
To allow complete access to and use of an enemy race's technology, capture either a starbase or a construction ship. By working up the technology tree, a player can even have access to enemy weapon technology. For example, if a Federation player captured a Borg construction ship or a nexus, that player could eventually build and use tactical fusion cubes and even a transwarp gate. Note that this is only available in Instant Action and Multiplayer mode; it cannot be done in single player mode.

To use the extra dilithium crystals (see cheat codes, below), construct a trading station to exchange them for metal or latinum. If playing as the Borg, who do not use latinum, construct a recycler to change the dilithium for metal. Species 8472 have no resource exchange capabilities.

Cheat codes
Star Trek: Armada II contains many of the same cheat codes as the original. To access the cheat codes, which are only available in single player mode, press the "Enter" key and type one of the following codes, followed by the "Enter" key again:
showmethemoney adds 2,000 dilithium crystals to the player's stores. These extra crystals can be sold or used like regular dilithium. This can come in handy in fluidic space (which lacks resources). This code is repeatable, to obtain more crystals, press enter, then type this code, press enter each time you need more crystals.
 kobayashimaru will allow the player to automatically win the current mission and advance to the next mission. 
 youstopmecold will increase the speed at which ships are built.
 avoidance will increase the rate at which new crew are recruited.

Romulan-Federation War
If Starfleet intrudes upon the Romulan Neutral Zone in the 4th Federation campaign mission more then once, it will trigger hostilities between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. Hordes of Romulans invade Federation space and begin attacks on Starfleet. The Enterprise-E becomes a priority target for the Romulans upon arrival. Even if Starfleet is able to destroy or capture the Romulan base, additional Romulan reinforcements continue arriving from outside the sector, therefore the Romulans will keep up their attacks until all mission objectives are achieved. Despite having a common foe, the Romulans and the Borg still attack one another; one could potentially cripple the other beyond recovery thereby making it easier to achieve primary mission objective. This Romulan-Federation War has no impact on later missions whatsoever.

Since the Romulan invasion virtually rivals Gul Kentar's surprise attack at the start of the Battle of Crucis Major, the best strategy is establishing a new base where the Enterprise-E arrives with a defensive line consisting of Starbases, Torpedo Turrets, Pulse Cannons, and Sensor Arrays used to ambush any enemy ships approaching through the nebula. Provided the Romulans destroy most of the Borg base, a few captured Warbirds should make short work of any Borg stragglers while using cloaking to evade Romulan patrols.

External links
 
 
 
 Fleet Operations at the Star Trek Expanded Universe, the wiki for Star Trek fan fiction

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