Encounters is an arcade style shoot 'em up game, and features ships and characters from all five Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.
Skirmish[edit]
In the Skirmish section of the game, single and multiplayer options are available, although objectives remain the same in both modes.
"Head-to-Head" mode gives the player the chance to choose a ship to control, including unlocked ships from enemy factions, and to choose an opponent ship to fight against. The player then sets the score limit, or the number of frags.
In "Battlefest", the player chooses a pre-set group of three ships to fight another group of three ships. The player first starts with Ship 1, as does the enemy. When the first ship of either the player or the enemy is destroyed, the player or enemy respawns with Ship 2, then Ship 3 if Ship 2 is destroyed. The first to destroy all three of the opponent's ships wins.
"Onslaught" allows the player to only choose from the Starfleet ships currently unlocked in the game. Once a starship has been chosen, the player must continuously fight against an unending wave of ships. The goal is to destroy as many waves as possible. Waves become progressively more difficult to defeat, with more powerful ships in greater numbers with each new wave. In some intermittent waves, the player receives the message "Destroy the Station!", in which the player must defeat the Romulan Nestar Station and its probes.