Star Trek Online offers advanced retail programs

If you're still thinking of preordering Star Trek Online, waiting a bit to consider may turn out to be a very good decision. Cryptic is offering some nice bonuses for pre-ordering, but you'll find different items depending on where you place your pre-order. Everyone who pre-orders will receive guaranteed open beta access, and access to the Early Start program, which allows you to begin playing on January 29th, 2010 -- several days before the February 2nd launch.

The other pre-order items will change depending on where you place your preorder:

• GameStop customers receive the ability to command the USS Enterprise.

• Best Buy is offering their customers a fun in-game pet: Federation Captains will receive a Tribble, and Klingon Commanders will receive a Targ.

• Amazon is offering an exclusive "Liberated Borg" Bridge Officer.

• Wal-Mart offers a Bonus Skill Points package.

• Target customers will receive a unique ground weapon – a TR-116.

• Direct2Drive customers receive an exclusive Multi-Spatial Personal Shield, which constantly regenerates itself and the health of its wearer.

• STEAM is offering customers Chromodynamic Armor, which improves the damage and critical hits of energy weapons.

The choices are all tempting, but it all looks great, so good luck trying to narrow it down to just one!