An Exclusive Interview with Star Trek Online associate producer Andy Velasquez

Alltern8: What were your primary concerns when adapting the virtually sacrosanct Star Trek franchise into an MMO?

Andy Velasquez: As you mention the Star Trek IP carries so many expectations with it and fans of the series are some of the most devoted and informed of any franchise ever and so definitely one of our main concerns is doing right by those who already have so much invested in this universe.

Fortunately, these concerns are also some of our biggest motivators on this project. When Cryptic Studios announced that we acquired the license to work on this game there were lines outside the director’s offices of employees with pictures of them as kids dressed as Kirk begging to be on the project. We have designers with Bat’leths on their walls, artists with Trek lunch pails from when they were kids and others with a Klingon dictionary sitting in their cube. We are really excited about this challenge and also about doing our best to add to this storied franchise.

A8: What inspired your team to set the game 30 years after Nemesis?

AV: We wanted to give players the experience of a Star Trek Universe that was familiar but, being a group of creative individuals ourselves, we weren’t interested in just recreating scenes from the shows and movies. We also didn’t want to force players to constantly feel overshadowed by their TV and movie counterparts. Rather, we wanted everyone to feel like they were the Kirk or Janeway or Picard of their gameplay experience.

A8: Though the game’s time gap will mean that many of our favourite characters will be retired or dead, are there plans for appearances from such long-living individuals as Tuvok, Guinan, Q or B4?

AV: There will definitely be appearances from characters like those that you mentioned. Since STO is set in the Prime timeline you will also run into descendants of some of the characters from the shows and movies. With so many great characters and stories that we can use to build from it would of been a shame to pass those opportunities up.

Another huge part of Star Trek is time travel so who knows where we will send you or who you might run into. (well I know but...)

A8: Will the space and on-planet combat portions feel independent, or will skills and attributes transfer across from one to the other?

AV: Ground and space are definitely very different gameplay experiences but there will also be connections between the two. Skills and abilities won’t be exactly the same but will have thematic similarities; for example as a science officer I may have a sensor sweep ability in space and a tricorder scan when I am afoot.

The player’s avatar and their bridge officers will directly transfer between the two and are a huge part of both gameplay types. In space you will need to choose which of your bridge officers should man the bridge during a given encounter and on the ground you will need to choose who you want to bring with you in your away team. A player that seats a Tasha Yar like officer so they can blow away that Klingon Bird of Prey with her torpedo salvo ability can also choose to bring that same officer with them down to the ground in an away team because of her security training.

A8: Many past Star Trek games have failed because the series’ pacifistic nature doesn’t always translate well into action-orientated videogames. Will there be the option to negotiate with hostile races in a diplomatic manner?

AV: Yes there will be diplomatic and non-combat missions for players to engage in. Whether you are transferring commodities, deliv