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Star Trek Online, often abbreviated as STO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Cryptic Studios based on the popular Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis. Star Trek Online is the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game within the Star Trek franchise and was released on February 2, 2010.
Every player is the captain of their own individual ship; The game setting is in a war-time universe in the year 2409 utilizing any and all officers who have access to a ship, including the player's character. In keeping with naval tradition, anyone who commands a ship regardless of his or her actual rank, is considered a de-facto "captain". Players can start in Star Trek initially in only one faction as a Federation Captain, but other factions unlock as players level up. Currently the only two factions available are Federation (at the start) and Klingon (upon reaching Level 6). Each ship has a number of crewmen who will all be NPCs, referred to as Bridge Officers. Bridge Officers have a separate progression, including the purchase of skills and equipment, and can be promoted to higher ranks by their ship's captain.
The game features references to several famous storylines, ships, and characters from various Star Trek shows. While the game occurs in the original series timeline (which does not consider the storyline in the recent movie), one confirmed Star Trek film reference was revealed when Zachary Quinto announced at the 2009 Spike TV Video Game Awards that he will be voicing dialog during the game's tutorial. Leonard Nimoy is heard for all of the gameplay and exploration voiceover samples. The LCARS Computer system dialog is voiced by a Majel Roddenberry impersonator.
