Editing Star Control (section)

=== Legacy and impact ===
''Star Control'' has been received several retrospective awards from gaming publications.<ref name="cgw199611best">{{cite magazine |date=November 1996 |title=150 Best Games of All Time |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=64–80 |access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{cite web |author=Polygon Staff |date=November 29, 2017 |title=500 Best Games of All Time |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/29/16693094/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-300-201 |access-date=October 20, 2020 |publisher=Polygon}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |date=April 4, 2001 |title=The Big 50 Most Influential Games Of All Time! |url=http://www.pcgameplay.co.uk/best50.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010404235703/http://www.pcgameplay.co.uk/best50.htm |archive-date=April 4, 2001 |access-date=2021-10-03 |website=PC Gameplay}}</ref> In 1996, ''Video Games & Computer Entertainment'' ranked it as the 127th best game, describing it as "''Space War'' enters the 90s with a touch of humor".<ref name="cgw199611best" /> In 2001, ''PC Gameplay'' ranked ''Star Control'' as the 45th most influential game of all time, based on a survey of dozens of game studios.<ref name=":14" /> In 2017, ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' ranked it as number 253 in their top 500 games of all time, arguing that "as a melee or strategic game, it helped define the idea that games can be malleable and dynamic and players can make an experience wholly their own".<ref name=":13" /> Journalist Jamie Lendino also noted ''Star Control'' among the most significant PC games of the early 1990s, for successfully combining an action game with science fiction strategy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lendino |first=Jamie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7hdlEAAAQBAJ |title=Starflight: How the PC and DOS Exploded Computer Gaming 1987 – 1994 |date=2022-03-14 |publisher=Steel Gear Press |isbn=978-1-957932-01-9 |language=en}}</ref> The game is also celebrated for the debut of the [[Ur-Quan]], as "one of the all-time villainous races in the history of computer games".<ref name="DeMaria2018" />

Years after its release, ''Pelit'' recalled the original ''Star Control'' for its polished combat system, as well as the creativity of its character designs.<ref name="pelit" /> In 2005, ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' described ''Star Control'' as "a textbook example of good game design", where "two genres were brilliantly combined, making for a finely balanced and well-rounded game experience".<ref name="retrogamer14" /> The publication further highlighted the many "elements that gave ''Star Control'' 'soul'", describing it as "the seed from which the vastly expanded narrative found in ''[[Star Control 2|Star Control II]]'' grew".<ref name="retrogamer14" /> ''[[IGN]]'' celebrated ''Star Control'' as a "special game" for "its colorful universe and superb combat system", which laid the foundation for its acclaimed sequel ''Star Control II''.<ref name="IGNfranchises2">{{Citation |last=IGN PC Team |title=The Wednesday 10: Franchises We Want Resurrected |date=December 3, 2008 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/04/the-wednesday-10-franchises-we-want-resurrected |publisher=IGN |language=en |access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> In a retrospective, [[Hardcore Gaming 101]] attributed the game's legacy to its combat system, and the story and characters that would be further developed in the sequel.<ref name="HG101SC" /><ref name=":7" />

Founder of [[BioWare]], [[Ray Muzyka]], has cited the original ''Star Control'' as an inspiration for the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series of games, stating that "the uncharted worlds in ''Mass Effect'' comes from imagining what a freely explorable universe would be like inside a very realistic next-gen game".<ref>{{cite web|author=John Gaudiosi|date=November 11, 2007|title=Critically Acclaimed Mass Effect Powered by Unreal Engine 3|url=https://www.unrealengine.com/ko/blog/mass-effect?lang=ko|access-date=October 20, 2020|publisher=Unrealengine.com}}</ref> Former BioWare writer [[Mike Laidlaw]] praised the creativity of the ''Star Control'' ship designs, and credited the game with laying the foundation for its sequel, which influenced him as a writer on ''Mass Effect''.<ref name=":7" /> Creative producer Henrik Fahraeus has also cited the game's influence on Paradox Interactive's character designs in ''[[Stellaris (video game)|Stellaris]],'' particularly the bird-like and mushroom-like aliens.<ref name=":7" />