The MMO Star Trek Online (STO) had its first debut at Las Vegas' Star Trek Convention. Even though Cryptic discarded all of Perpetual's concepts for STO after the latter studio's demise, the game may come sooner than expected. The Cryptic Engine, suitable for both PC and console, already powers the MMOs City of Heroes and Champions Online. Star Trek Online seems to be headed for consoles, too: The demographic question that pops up if one wants to create an account at the Star Trek Online website gives this impression at least. They really want to know which console one owns. Here are the most important facts about Star Trek Online in a nutshell: 1) At the game's launch you may only choose from two factions, Federation or Klingon. 2) Although you begin the game as the ship's captain, you have to earn the rank of a Captain first 3) STO won't have any level-grinding or 4) death penalty. 5) The trailer makes the impression that STO will be rather about combat (in space, on planets, aboard; with support for PvP) than about exploration and adventure. Speaking of the trailer:

1. HIGH 1280x720 (150 MB, Quicktime)
2. MEDIUM 640x360 (40 MB, Quicktime)

And here's everything else you need to know about Star Trek Online:

General Information

1. Star Trek Online is set in 2409, roughly 30 years after the events of the 10th Star Trek film, Star Trek Nemesis. Many enemies have become friends, and some friends have become enemies. Specifically, the Federation and the Klingon Empire are at each other’s throats once more.
2. Anything considered canon in the Star Trek universe (i.e. live-action TV, films) will not be altered, but STO will take “inspiration” from some of the non-canonical Trek lore (i.e. novels, comics)
3. Cryptic has promised that other factions such as the Dominion and Romulan Empire will become playable in the future.
4. Guilds (referred to as “Fleets”) will grow in size and wealth and will eventually build their own shipyards.
5. You won’t have to have a top of the line PC in order to play Star Trek Online (no Mac or Linux support, but maybe later on)
6. Cryptic Studios is working with former Star Trek writers to help pen some of the missions and events in the game.
7. We can expect to see Star Trek Online in “less than 3 years” (probably even much sooner).

Character & Ship Creation/Customization

1. Your first ship will be rather small, but you'll be able to get bigger ones.
2. When you create your character, you choose from species that include Humans, Vulcans, Bajorans and Ferengi. You can also create a custom race.
3. As you complete missions and build up the skills of your character and crew, you will be able to customize your ship, for example the nacelles or saucer.
4. Every character will have a specialty, much like games like WoW have character classes. You will be able to specialize in things such as Medical, Diplomacy, Navigation, Combat.
5. STO seems not be a level-based MMO that will take hours upon hours of grinding.
6. When you get your first ship, you recruit your bridge crew, which has a similar role as pets in other MMOs. There skill set can be levelled up, and they will be AI controlled.
7. You will also be given a general crew which will be made up of several species. Depending on the race and position of certain crew members, you will get small bonuses towards your ship (i.e. smart races as engineers, strong races as security).

Exploration

1. You won’t be confined to the already discovered universe. With Cryptic’s “Infinite Exploration”, you will actually be able to discover never-before-seen races and make first contact.
2. As you discover more races, you can recruit them to your crew, and potentially get upgrades to your shields or weapons.
3. When you beam down to the planet’s surface, you will have to select which members of your bridge crew to take with you.
4. No word yet on whether the Prime Directive will come into play.

Combat

1. STO will have you fighting in space, on the surfaces of planets, and possibly on ships.
2. The space battles will be much more tactical than the MMO standard. You will be able to issue orders and target specific ship systems to disable the enemy vessel.
3. Ground combat will play like a third-person shooter.
4. PvP? Yes!
5. Cryptic claims that people with a life will be able to compete.
6. Actions in the game may trigger dynamic events like the outbreak of a plague or a Borg invasion.

[ via Binge Gamer ]