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Captain's Log: The Scimitar arrives in Star Trek Online
I'm back from a great trip to Northern California, during which I took the opportunity to drop in on Cryptic Studios and specifically the Star Trek Online team to see what they had up their sleeves following their success with the Legacy of Romulus expansion. While I was able to interview numerous people while I was there, so much new stuff is coming out that I just can't not go over it here. The new summer event on Risa has already begun, and a big new ship is making her debut in the game. I got a great close-up look at her and her sisters and the inside scoop of what she'll be capable of! So join me past the break as I investigate Star Trek Online's new predator of a ship: the Scimitar!
MSNBC video interviews STO executive producer Craig Zinkievich
MSNBC have released a video interview with executive producer Craig Zinkievich from Cryptic Studios about their upcoming title, Star Trek Online. The video is released at a time of renewed interest in the Star Trek franchise with the latest film, simply called Star Trek, due for release in May.Star Trek Online is set in the year 2409, which is 30 years after the events of the last Next Generation film, Star Trek: Nemesis, and allows players to take the role of starship captains. In the video Zinkievich explains the basic themes of the title while video showing footage of the game plays alongside footage from the new film. Traditional Star Trek style gameplay is emphasized, with starship combat featuring heavily in the video and Zinkievich focusing on the ability to form away teams of up to four player captains, although if you have less than four then NPCs will take the roles of any slots not taken by other players. These NPCs are bridge officers that you level up and equip who also bring abilities to the space combat side of the game. Finally the fact that Star Trek Online will appeal to all science fiction fans, not just fans of Star Trek is emphasized. You can view the full video over at MSNBC.
Star Trek Online official site offers free history lesson
Cryptic Studios promised that it would explain what happens in the Star Trek universe between the film Star Trek: Nemesis (the last canon entry in the franchise) and the time period of Star Trek Online. Fulfilling that promise, it posted on the official STO website the first of a series of articles of fiction describing events from Nemesis onward.The article covers 2379 and 2380. Hardcore Trekkies or Trekkers will be satisfied to find that canon is respected, right down to details such as the number of Cardassian casualties in the Dominion War, as revealed in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. We're not sure what we think of the idea that pretty much every character, no matter how minor (such as Keiko O'Brien) moved on to an historically significant role. It's probably meant to please the fans but it seems like a bit of a stretch.The Star Trek franchise is already known for that sort of stretching though; that's one of the reasons we love it so much, right?
The Digital Continuum: Pondering Star Trek Online
As a kid, I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mostly because my parents watched it constantly, but also because I found that I enjoyed the show. Another staple of my nerd-influenced upbringing was a steady diet of Star Trek movies. Since those formative years I've also watched Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5, Voyager and more recently Battlestar Galactica. So it's safe to say I'm at least a casual sci-fi and space nerd. In fact, when I'm not entrenched in some form of entertainment, I tend to spend my extra time over at the official website of Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Of course Star Trek has never been purely about Science. It's always been -- to me, at least -- a mixture of social-political issues, engaging drama and several degrees of actual science. Different writers and directors have, over several decades, writ large their envisioned versions of Star Trek, with varying amounts of the three critical factors that make up a Star Trek experience. So, obviously, I now find myself wondering what Cryptic Studio's massively multiplayer online version is going to be like.
