Values are one of the best parts of Star Trek Adventures, because they push the game toward what Star Trek actually cares about: conviction, identity, duty, doubt, and the cost of living by your principles.

A Value should never just be a slogan written on a character sheet. “The Needs of the Many” is a fine phrase, but it becomes useful only when the game asks what the character is willing to sacrifice for it. “Science Before Superstition” matters when the crew encounters something that seems impossible. “No One Gets Left Behind” matters when rescuing one officer might endanger an entire colony.

The best Values are active. They tell us what the character believes, but they also create pressure. A good Value should help the player make decisions. It should suggest what they argue for in a briefing room, what they refuse to do under orders, and what line they won’t cross even when the mission goes wrong.

As a gamemaster, the most effective way to use Values is to build situations that rub against them. Don’t simply reward characters when their Values make life easy, put them in moments where their beliefs complicate the mission.

A doctor with “Every Life Can Be Saved” is interesting when there is enough time and medicine for everyone. That Value becomes powerful when there aren’t enough hyposprays, the ship is venting atmosphere, and the enemy commander who caused the disaster is dying on the bio-bed beside the civilians.

A captain with “The Prime Directive Is Sacred” becomes interesting when a pre-warp civilization is about to die from a natural disaster. A security officer with “Trust Is Earned, Not Given” becomes interesting when the only possible ally is a former enemy with information the crew desperately needs.

Players should also be encouraged to challenge their own Values. That’s where some of the best character moments happen. A Value represents what a character believes at the beginning of the story, not necessarily what they will believe forever. Star Trek is full of people growing, breaking, rebuilding, and changing their minds. The rules give Values enough mechanical weight to matter, but the emotional weight comes from watching a character realize that a belief may no longer be enough.

This works especially well when Values conflict with each other. A character might believe both “Starfleet Doesn’t Abandon Its Own” and “Peace Is Worth Any Price.” What happens when rescuing captured officers might restart a war? The player is no longer choosing between success and failure. They are choosing which part of their identity leads them forward.

That is the real strength of Values. They turn problem solving into character expression.

At the table, make Values visible. Ask players which Value is guiding them before an important roll. Invite them to explain how their belief shapes the action. When a player leans into a Value in a way that makes things harder, reward that choice. When they push against a Value, let the moment breathe. That is the episode’s emotional center.

The best Star Trek Adventures sessions are rarely about whether the crew can find the anomaly, defeat the enemy, or repair the warp core in time. Those things matter because they create pressure. The deeper question is what the crew reveals about itself under that pressure.

Values are how the game asks that question.