- Original Release: N/A (Cancelled 2008)
- Developer: Perpetual Entertainment
- Publisher: Perpetual Entertainment
- Original Platform: PC
- Not played: No leaked prototypes.
This version of Star Trek Online was in development by Perpetual Entertainment. The game was due to a lot of focus on non-combat activities such as planetary surveys and diplomatic activities (although there would be plenty of combat, too).
Players could only own small ships to trave on their own. The bigger ships – such as the Galaxy class and Sovereign class – were large social hubs with detailed interiors where you would be a member of the crew.
The story was set 20 years after Nemesis, where the galaxy was at relative peace and even the Borg weren’t a huge threat. It was focused on exploring the Beta Quadrant and one of the main NPCs would have been Miral Paris, who influenced a lot more Klingons to join Starfleet, especially those that believe her to be the kuvah’magh (this part was kept in the Cryptic version).
Developing your character would be about specialising in certain fields, such as medical or flight control, and gain skills that would help in a variety of different situation.
There was even an ambition of Star Trek Online leading to a TV show, with player’s actions in the game impacting the show. This concept was tried again by a different Sci-Fi show, Defiance, but the “influence” ended up not amounting to much.
When this version of Star Trek Online was cancelled in 2008 (with all development staff sacked), the game’s assets were given to Cryptic Studios, who used it as a basis for their version, but ultimately decided on a different path. There was also a stipulation that the new version had to be released within two years.
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Was it this game where they wanted the players to work different stations on the bridge for raid content? Like an actual crew? I always thought that sounded neat
I do remember reading stuff like that in magazines, but the information I can find now suggests that it’s more that NPCs control the ship itself (so the main bridge crew), players take other roles on it.
Still looks better than STO does today
And what we got was the same 4 missions reskinned over and over again, no thinking no strategy no diplomacy just shoot to kill
Yeah STO has become quite a different game since the first plans to make it started. Even today’s version of STO does not resemble the STO of when it first went live & the first FTP version. Some things are better & others left unsaid.
Pity, it seemed to be a far more interesting game than what we got.
Agreed, it’s just blow stuff up now even a supposed exploration mission ends up in fighting. They took away the small exploration side missions in the various clusters around and yes some of tbise were combat. It’s more or lass Star Trek online pew pew. We hardly explore
Hell, the game that *launched* was quite different.
This version sounds so much better then the version we got.
The original concepts are a lot more appealing than what we got. It would have also started the player in a shuttle, which makes sense for an ensign’s first solo assignment. I think the ships were going to be even more modular, too.
And look what we got instead. STO sorry, I meant Lootbox Barbies in space.
This sounds great in theory but I can’t imagine how they could have implemented more of the science and diplomatic aspects without making it super repetitive or just plain dull. Don’t get me wrong, STO focuses too much on combat but this sounds unlikely in 08.
Cool. Haven’t quite seen that ship before so I wonder if others for this version might be out there? It does explain why Cryptic has been updating the designs recently. Could put this original version as an alternate Online timeline too.
I remember when this game was announced. Our character was meant to be part of a crew, multiple players in one ship where he could have done any Starfleet job. It was too ambitious maybe, but I still hope one day we could have a game like that. And not just a pew pew simulator X)
I remember the original interior screenshots and being insanely excited, alas what we ended up with was much less exciting, though with a particular charm of its own
Cool, I’ve often felt the Beta Quadrant had a lot of potential
😠it’s soooo good
I didn’t know all that because I didn’t follow the développement back in the time. I just remember news of delay, that it will come to X360 and PS3 later and then no. Very ambitious project like a lot of games back then that sadly didn’t make it (well kinda here I guess with STO)
Don’t forget to remind people that none of this actually existed. Perpetual claimed that this was what they were making, but once they folded, it turned out that all they had was some concept art. Easy to make grand claims about gameplay when you never actually make it.