Starflight was indeed an inspiration for Mass Effect: https://twitter.com/CaseyDHudson/status/67417995101736961
I’m bummed that I discovered DOS Game Club just after you guys finished playing this.
The DOS version of Starflight was the first retail PC game I owned; it was an xmas gift in the late ’80s. I got the EGA version; apparently the initial release supported only Hercules, CGA RGB, CGA composite, and maybe Tandy, and the EGA support was kind of a hack-job because it was missing some animations, but it was better than 4-color CGA RGB would have been on my 286’s EGA monitor.
I loved this game to death, but being only 9 years old or so, I was not very good at it. I didn’t manage to complete it until a few years later when I was able to get my hands on a walkthrough via a BBS or something. When I did complete it, the end stuck with me as one of the best sci-fi twists of all time.
I also purchased the sequel and enjoyed it, and I still have my original physical versions of both games. I’ll try to attach some pictures.