You asked, Cryptic answered

Will Star Trek Online be considered canon in any respect? How much of the game will stick to the canon?

Al "Captain Geko" Rivera (lead designer): Every series and movie is considered canon, and we are staying very true to this in our development. Star Trek is rich with lore and history, and there is a great deal of material to build upon as we move into the 25th century with Star Trek Online. We are working with CBS to ensure that everything we create is true to Trek and makes sense.

We know that fans want to play Star Trek Online because they want to explore the Star Trek universe, and we are striving to deliver as authentic an experience as possible. Our team has seen all the shows and movies and we're watching them again every single day. We are also studying other soft canon resources such as novels and comics. From those, we are looking for inspiration and references to further enhance our game. Where it makes sense, we will include some soft canon elements in Star Trek Online as well.

Will I be able to trick out my Bird of Prey with green flame decals to show off when I decloak to "pwn Federation nubs"?

Captain Geko: One of Cryptic Studios' hallmark features in all of its games is giving players ultimate customizability when it comes to their characters. We are fully utilizing our character creation technology in Star Trek Online to include customizing both characters and starships. You will be able to customize your ship's geometry, as well as its color, decals and fleet insignia.

Star Trek has had some of the best scores and soundtracks ever made associated with it in the past. Can we expect just as much attention to go into the sound effects, music and ambience as we would hopefully see in the graphics area?

Captain Geko: Luckily, Michael Henry, our director of audio, is a longtime Star Trek fan and an accomplished musician and composer. Trust us when we say that Michael will be creating authentic Star Trek music scores and ambience – and not even a Gorn attack can stop him! We are also working closely with CBS, and its team has provided us with access to a massive library of sound effects from all of the series and movies. So phasers will sound exactly like phasers should.

If I'm not in the mood for ship combat, gaining Starfleet's favor or earning credits doing jobs for Quark, in what ways will I be able to advance my character doing what I want to do most: exploring the galaxy?

Craig "Zinc" Zinkievich (executive producer): Exploration will never take a backseat in Star Trek Online. Heck – in all the series, Starfleet is always sending captains off to chart new systems or classify nebulas. So we don't view exploration as a "break" from other gameplay – it's integral. Expect to be encouraged to boldly go! And as an incentive to explore space, discovering new civilizations is one of the major ways to open up new resources and equipment and make new alien recruits available to you, your fleet and your faction!

My question is whether the universe will be static. For example, if I log off World of Warcraft and then login a week later everything is pretty much still the same. Nothing has really changed. Will the world be dynamic in STO?

Zinc: The universe of Star Trek Online is shaped and changed by the actions of the players. The Federation and the Klingon Empire will be competing for influence and resources throughout the galaxy and players can influence the results through PvP battles and a system we're calling Competitive PvE.

The actions, victories and defeats of you and your faction will affect how the economy and history of Star Trek Online unfolds. Exploration is always happening – expect to see new planets and races discovered that were unknown the last time you logged in. Your actions could be the deciding factor on whether these new planets side with the Federation or the Klingons.

Given that the story and character of Star Trek are almost iconic, how will the story element be delivered? Will there be voiceovers or cut scenes?

Star Trek Online takes place about 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Voyager, in the year 2409. Many of the characters have retired, passed on or otherwise evolved. Certainly, some characters have very long lifespans, and many will have had children. Expect to see the descendants of some of your favorite characters, old enemies return and friends evolve. And definitely expect to visit familiar locations like Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, Deep Space 9, Qo'noS, Vulcan and many others, as well as strange and entirely new worlds.

How will psi-capable characters be handled (Vulcans, Betazoids, etc.)?

Expect to see some of these abilities represented in Star Trek Online. Some psi abilities are easier to represent than others. For instance, Ocampan or other telekinetic species present obvious gameplay elements. Others are much more challenging and are often simply used as plot devices on the series. It's not unreasonable to expect a Vulcan to be more resistant to psi attacks and control, or a Betazoid to have a bonus with NPC interaction.

Space is vast. Will it feel vast in STO?

Very vast! As we are constructing Star Trek Online, it is sometimes amazing to experience just how vast space is. We are paying close attention to the fine balance between delivering the true experience of vast space and keeping gameplay fun and engaging.

One inherited flaw that I have found in current Star Trek games is that the ships are not in scale with one another. For example, in Bridge Commander, the Defiant was as large as a Galaxy class saucer section, which is not canon. What will Cryptic's plans be with scaling of the ships?

We have been working on that recently, and we are in the process of defining ship scale and size ratios. Most of the time it is not a problem. But there are a few exceptionally small ships, such as shuttlecrafts, that become problematic. At true scale, they become nearly unperceivable when you are flying a ship the size of a Galaxy class, and that's simply not fun.

We want to deliver a canonical Star Trek experience, but we also want to deliver a fun game, so we have to find a balance. Expect larger starships, from escorts to battle cruisers and Borg cubes, to have their scale represented fairly accurately. There will also be some small ships in STO – take a close look at the trailer and you may see some.

Could we possibly expect to make our own "log" entries? Star Trek just isn't Star Trek without log entries.

Yes – log entries are an awesome idea with many cool applications. We've got a lot of ideas on how we can do this and to what extent you'll be able to view the logs on and offline – but the details are still to be determined. Make sure you tell us what you're interested in seeing out of this feature on the forums!

The Star Trek universe is based fundamentally on "we are better people in the future and work toward peace." Nearly all (successful) MMOs currently have conflict at the heart of the game. How will you balance the (very high) ideals of Star Trek with most people's need to "pew pew" the first person they see?

As we looked closely at the IP and built our story, we realized there were certain truisms we needed to honor. The Federation is an idealistic society that seeks to better themselves and others. It is a fundamental part of Gene Roddenberry's vision – the future will be brighter. Other societies like the Klingon Empire or the Romulans are not evil, but they are different. They are motivated by different values and handle situations very differently than the Federation.

But even in an idealistic society, there will always be conflicts and there will be those who seek to undermine those ideals. Conflict is a vital part of any drama, whether it is television, film or a game. Some of our favorite moments in Star Trek were in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the Dominion War and we want to capture the drama of that type of conflict. But wherever possible, we will offer alternative ways for players to solve conflict – as long as it's fun.

Will ship roles be analogous to naval combat roles or will they be more like the party roles in other MMOs – will ships be cruisers or destroyers or they be tanks or healers?

Federation ship classes are inspired by the television shows. So, for example, you could have a ship like the Enterprise, the Defiant or the Voyager. We call the different classifications of ships Cruisers, Escorts and Science Vessels.

More details on the exact roles and differences are coming soon, but for now, suffice it to say that the ship roles are a combination of naval combat and traditional MMO gameplay. Klingon ships are different, and reflect their style and culture. And everything will be very customizable and very Star Trek.

Will Starfleet and Klingon uniforms be semi-customizable with extra additions?

Character customization is one of the hallmark features of a Cryptic game. You will be able to modify and customize the uniform of your characters, but it will always have the look of a uniform. The costume options will reflect popular pieces from the show, as well as new concepts and styles.

Will our choice of ships be limited by our chosen specialty as captain? So, for example, Defiants and Akiras are usable only by tactical captains, Nova and Nebula for science, etc.?

No, not at all. You can train and advance in any ship class, or even in multiple ship classes. Certainly your skills and abilities – and those of your Bridge Officers – will affect your ship in many ways, as will your ship modifications. So expect to see lots of permutations.

How customizable will Bridge Officers be? Will players be allowed to choose their race, gender, name and/or physical appearance?

You will be able to fully customize your Bridge Officers' race, appearance, gender, name and physical appearance. It wouldn't be a Cryptic game if you couldn't. You will also train and customize their skills and abilities throughout their career.

Will we be able to play 3D chess?

We are always looking at gameplay elements to enhance the Star Trek experience. 3D chess is a Trek classic, and it's on the list. But it may not be in for launch – maybe an expansion. Should it be before or after the playable Horta?

Space PvP has already been confirmed for the outer most regions and neutral zones, but what about planets in those sectors? Will there be ground PvP?

Where you can PvP in space, you will be able to PvP on the ground. There will be open PvP ground locations, and perhaps instanced PvP locations.

How will melee weapons be used in the game, if Klingons have them will the Federation have access to the same weapons or their own?

Klingons will be more melee-oriented, but both factions will have access to hand-to-hand attacks using either martial arts or weapons. Our plan is to allow all of the melee weapons to be available to both factions, but it may be more difficult for a Federation character to obtain a bat’leth or a Klingon Empire character to acquire a lirpa.

Your skills will determine how effective you are with melee weapons – a Federation character may be able to pick up a bat’leth and use it, but without training he or she will be less effective than a Klingon who has studied the use of the weapon. And certain martial arts may be limited by faction or race – not everyone can perform a Vulcan nerve pinch.

How will ship controls work? Will it be a point-and-click style, like EVE, or will you have full control of your ship?

Players will definitely be given full control. A large portion of starship combat in Star Trek Online is tactical – maneuvering your ship into position so you protect your vital systems as you attack your opponent's weakest side. You need to be “in control” of your ship in order for that to work well and be fun.

Mention has been made of Romulans and the Dominion as future player factions; will we still be encountering these empires before they are added as full player factions?

You will definitely make contact with those two empires. We’re developing content that involves races from throughout the Trek Universe, as well as encouraging players to explore and interact with new races. But how could we call the game “Star Trek Online” and not include the Romulans and the Dominion?

In the Game Informer article it gives a description of the custom species creation process. It says you can take an Andorian - remove his antennae, give him reptile eyes (from the Gorn?), a Bajoran nose and Klingon head ridges. This process seems to rely on taking physical attributes from the pre-made species and combining them for something new. Are there other physical attributes available to use like beaks, tendrils, fur?

You will both be able to “mix and match” the pieces of the “known” races as well as a vast library of other new pieces in order to come up with something truly unique. Fully expect us to stick to the Cryptic tradition of providing unmatched customizability and depth of variety in what you’ll see in the creator!

Can a Federation player choose to be a member of the other faction, like Worf?

Worf is Klingon, but he joined Starfleet at a time when the Federation and Klingon Empire were allies. Races at odds with the Federation, such as the Romulans, have historically not been allowed into Starfleet. Because of the political situation in 2409, it may not be possible for races from one faction to be a part of the opposing one. But with the species creator you will have access to a wide variety of racial pieces so you can create the character you want. How about a person of Klingon-Vulcan ancestry with some telepathic abilities?

Will a mention of Craig's Goat be in STO ether in a rare mob or random quest?

We’re still trying to get in touch with Snowflake to talk about likeness rights. Her agent has not been returning our phone calls.

Can you provide us with any new information regarding shield/weapons systems? For example, will both shields and weapons drain power from the main power supply, and if so, will the main power supply "recharge" gradually over time, or will it be a more instantaneous recharge?

We’re not using anything like a traditional MMO “mana bar” for energy. Your ship’s Warp Core provides power, and you allocate this power to individual systems – shields, weapons, propulsion, etc. But you won’t “run out” of energy and have to wait to fire phasers. That’s not fun. The more power you allocate to weapons, the more effective your phasers become.

Will diverting power to various systems such as shields detract from the ships offensive capability, or reduce the ships handling/speed characteristics, i.e. unable to attain maximum impulse?

You will be able to divert power to different systems, and that will affect how effective those systems are – diverting power to weapons, for example, means that you can fire phasers longer and do more damage. Increasing power to shields makes them stronger. But to get those boosts, you’ll have to reduce power to another system, which will decrease its effectiveness. It’s up to you to balance those systems throughout combat – you’ll never be able to have both shields and engines at maximum power, but you may increase shields to absorb a hard hit, and then boost your engines so you can maneuver quickly for the best counterattack.

Will there be unique items and equipment to find in the galaxy?

Yes! There will be new items to find during your adventures as well as the ability to create new items or improve existing ones. Sometimes you will need to unlock skills to be able to use a piece of technology you have found. Or if you acquire a new kind of alien technology you may need to study it before you can use it. But if you’re asking about super-secret, super-special items of which there is only one in the entire universe, if we have items like that they will be revealed during play.

When one player charted a previously unexplored system, will it be instantly updated in other players' star maps?

Although we’re still working out the details, we’re expecting that players will have to explicitly share their discovered locations.

Will a gang of smaller ships, say, several Bird-of-Preys, be able to take out something like a Warbird using superior tactics and numbers?

Yes. Since we’re not using a traditional level-based system, smaller ships with good tactics and teamwork can take on bigger ships with a solid chance of success.

How much interaction will be allowable with the NPCs representing new life found on strange new worlds? Will it be a case of clobber everybody then a text message providing a clue to the next step (like CoH/ CoV), a series of dialogue selections (Interplay's Star Trek 25th Anniversary and Judgment Rites), or something completely different?

This is a universe at war, so combat will be a major factor, but there will also be a large component of exploration. You will get to meet new species, some of which you’ll fight against, some of which you’ll protect, and some of which you’ll ally with. There won’t be extensive dialogue trees, but you’ll get to explore and have missions that don’t involve just clobbering everybody.

There has been discussion on the art direction. Can you tell us why you chose to design your characters and environments with bright, solid shade colors (for lack of a better word "Cartoony") rather than a more realism style like say, Oblivion or Age of Conan?

We’re aiming for a fantastical style, not a “cartoony” one. It’s going to look realistic, in terms of planets, environments, and characters, but we want to take it up a notch and make it feel more fantastic. We’re going to give it that sense of wonder and vibrancy that you expect from Star Trek.

What kinds of physics are governing the movement of ships? Will the physics engine be realistic with the "correct" mass and thrust ratios for each ship? I would like to see this as much as your physics tech allows, so we may enjoy authentic movements during space flight.

Turning radiuses, acceleration, deceleration, and general maneuverability will all be dependent on the size of each ship. Smaller fighters will be able to fishtail and maneuver quickly, while larger ships will have gradual turns, slower acceleration, and slower stops.

Will my custom species be one-of-a-kind or will the species be taken and seeded on other planets for other players to encounter?

At Cryptic, we really like including user generated content into our games. This, for example, is a great idea and we’ll look into it.

Is there a way to keep a ship you like and be able to upgrade it to be the equivalent to your avatar's level? For instance, if I want to stay with a Defiant class but my character is at Sovereign class level - is there a way I can get it to match a bigger ship’s capability?

The answer here is yes and no. You’ll start with a Tier 1 ship and you can certainly upgrade it and trick it out so that it’s comparable to a mid-level Tier 2 ship. However, a top of the line Tier 2 ship is going to be much better than even the most tricked out Tier 1. It has to do with growth capacity. There’s just more room for growth built into the higher tier ships. Of course, your skills and the skills of your bridge crew also affect how much you can do with your ship.

However, you do get to keep your ships. So, if you find yourself in a situation where an earlier ship would be more useful, you can switch back to it for that encounter. For example, you might want to shift back to a smaller and more maneuverable ship for running a blockade.

Will there be a galaxy wide map which is directly linked to the territories? e.g- If a federation fleet takes over a few star systems, will it show up on the map so everyone is constantly updated with their fleet's boundaries etc?

Yes and no. The star systems that are going to be changing hands are in the Klingon / Federation neutral zone where PvP and indirect PvP will be taking place. The systems within the Neutral Zone will change loyalty between the two factions, and their status will show up on the sector level map. The actual high level map itself is not going to change territory lines.

Would you be able to use the joystick to control your characters and starship?

You should be able to do that. All of the commands may not map, depending on what sort of joystick you have but, since the game is being built for the PC as well as the console, you should be able to hook up a joystick to your PC and play that way.

Since the Federation has evolved beyond money and the need for it, how will the galactic economy work and flow for the Federation and indeed the Klingons? Will there also be opportunities for cross-faction trading?

The Federation may have grown beyond the need for money within itself, but the rest of the galaxy hasn’t. Even within the Federation there is a sense of credits: transporter credits and replicator credits. You can’t simply decide one day that you want a starship and then get one, you have to have enough credits for that. Outside of the Federation, there’s a thriving galactic economy that uses gold pressed latinum. You, as a Starfleet officer, will participate in that economy on behalf of the Federation. As for cross faction trading – we’re looking into how black markets might fit into the game.

Are playable races all going to be bi-pedal humanoid types? Or are we going to have a wide variety of sentients ala USS Titan?

At launch, yes. Most player characters are going to be bipedal, although there will be additional body and costume options (like tails and maybe different leg options) that allow you to push the boundaries of that. Hopefully we can add things in later because we know everybody wants to play the Horta.

What steps is your development team taking to learn real astrophysics? I'm curious to know how much I will learn when exploring, for example when I enter a unknown solar system, and I find that the star is a red star that does not burn as hot as (earth's yellow star) the sun - will the planet that orbets the star (if it containes life) be the correct distance from it to be in that window where life can exist? Or will it be random and not really true all the time? (fantastical like)

There are members of the team with strong backgrounds in science, astronomy and even astrophysics. This knowledge certainly informs the design of the game. That said, our focus is to make sure the game is fun and playable – not to create a simulator. The problem with just modeling real space is that it’s boring: there’s an awful lot of space in space. It’s like watching a movie in which someone packs a suitcase to go somewhere.

We all know that packing a suitcase usually takes longer than five minutes, but a good director is not going to make us sit there watching a character just pack a suitcase for an hour. Likewise, we’re not going to make you go through empty and uninteresting space. Where we can, we’ll make the game match up with real space. For us, though, it’s far more important that the game looks cool and plays cool.

We want you guys to be blown away by the settings and environments; we want the game to make a larger than life impression on you. That’s a much higher priority for us than whether or not the planet has a proper orbit or every space station is perfectly placed in a good Lagrangian point.

Is it possible to purchase, capture, or steal ships of the opposite faction? For example, can a Federation officer acquire a Klingon Bird of Prey, or maybe even a Romulan Warbird or must you be a member of those factions to access those ships?

There will probably be episodes where you get to commandeer starships from other factions. But you don’t get to keep them. You can’t, as a Starfleet officer, get a Klingon Warbird and pimp it and then go jaunting around the galaxy doing your Federation work. You have to use the ships that belong to your faction.

Will there be collision detection?

Absolutely. All cryptic games have always had entity to entity collision. Star Trek online will continue to make use of this tech both on the ground and in space.

How is Cryptic going to handle warp in STO? Is warp going to be instantaneous travel or is it going to be more like a sprint with various speeds allocations from 1 - 10?

When traveling within a system, you will not be able to travel at warp. Impulse speed is the norm here, but you can travel impressively fast at full impulse speeds. You can warp to another planet in a system, which is basically instantaneous. However, when travelling from star system to star system (or other points of interest in the galaxy), you will travel at warp speed. You will be able to set your warp factor and the quality of your warp engines and your engineer’s skills will determine your maximum warp speed.

How will ship modification and customization work? Will we be able to move the position of nacelles and phaser banks, or will we be issued with 'standard' vessels of a class into which we can insert equipment of our choice (additional science labs, different impulse engines etc)?

Cryptic Studios has always been the forerunner when it comes to avatar customization, and Star Trek starship customization is no exception. As you progress through the game, you will gain access to new ship configurations. Each new configuration contains several known Star Trek classes that have similar profiles and silhouettes. For instance, you may start out in a light cruiser. In this configuration, you will find ships like the Miranda class and the Centaur class. Both these ships have a prominent saucer section, and two nacelles that hang below the saucer. Both these classes have a similar configuration that is nothing like, say, a Galaxy class, Defiant or Nebula class ship.

When you have a ship that is a certain configuration, you will be able to modify all the parts – the saucer, the nacelles, the pylons, the primary hull, etc. You will also be able to modify colors, decals, and other bits. However, the configuration will remain recognizable. If you are in the light cruiser configuration, you can make it look just like a Miranda, a Centaur, or something completely unique. The combinations are massive, however, you will not be able to have 4 nacelles or make your light cruiser look like a Galaxy class ship. So your ship will be unique, but others will be able to recognize its general capabilities. People will be able to look at someone’s ship and say, “Hey, that’s like a Nebula, so I know it’s an advanced science vessel”, or ”Hey, look at that cool Prometheus variant!”

You will also be able to modify the ships systems. You will modify and upgrade primary items like your weapons, shields, deflector dish, impulse and warp engines, etc. You will also be able to add lots of enhancements to your systems, such as targeting computers for better accuracy, EPS conduits upgrades to improve power transfer rates, better biobeds for your sick bay, etc. Different ships will have different enhancement slots (so an escort vessel will have more tactical upgrade slots). Finally, the primary way you will customize your ship is by what Bridge Officers you assign to your duty stations. Your Bridge Officers will come with unique skills that can only be used if they are at a duty station.
Altogether, ship customization will be an important part of the game – both visually and strategically.”

To what extent are we going to be able to allocate or re-route our power systems in game? Is this going to be in depth or simplified? IE: Are we going to have main engine power, impulse power and auxiliary power to redistribute amongst our ship’s shields, weapons, life support, impulse engines, warp engines, sensors, deflectors and etc.?

You will be able to transfer power between your weapons, shields, engines or auxiliary power systems. Additionally, you can balance shield power to your fore, aft, port and starboard shield emitters. There is no mana bar. You need to manage these systems depending on your circumstances.”

Will we be able to access stats on how we play the game? Like times we've died, enemies killed, ships destroyed, number of away mission, number of planets first contacted, etc...

There will be a Captains Log which will have a lot of info. We have considered some game stats, like kill counts, but have not given more thought to the matter at this time. It is an interesting idea and we will consider it. How about when you create your ship, you get your registry number, and then we tack on an -A, -B, -C, etc to the end each time your ship gets blown up =).

Cryptic has mentioned there will not be a traditional "mana bar" for ships, but what about a player's individual character? Will a security officer have an energy bar for his equipment? What if he has psionic powers (Vulcan/Betazed/ etc), will their biological abilities be independent from their tech/branch skills?

We are still working with different models for ground combat, but it will not be complex. There will not be separate energy pools for weapons and abilities (like the psionic powers you mentioned). Right now we are experimenting with no mana bar for ground at all, and simply limiting certain abilities with cool-down times alone. Another possible model may be a simple power bar for advanced weapon attacks (like a wide beam cone attack) but no cost for basic shots and no cost for special abilities (except cool-down times where applicable).