Dive into the final frontier with a fresh episode from Star Trek Online.
The next major "Star Trek Online" (STO) content update, called "Unravelled", drops for PC on Monday (May 9). You can warp into the universe and read up on its latest updates on the official website.
STO, created by Cryptic Studios and Gearbox Publishing under license from CBS, is the largest existing free-to-play role-playing game linked with the franchise. As of 2022 it had a player base of over 2.5 million.
If you're ready to catch up on all Trek shows, check out our Star Trek streaming guide to see how to watch any episode of any franchise. If you prefer "that other franchise," here's a look at our picks for the best Star Wars games to play.
Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online
The newest STO episode follows on from a long story arc in the mirror universe, which dominated much of the past year. The story will pick up with Admiral Kuumaarke leading your captain on a humanitarian scientific mission to stabilize the sun for the Na'khul civilization, which featured in several episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise" (2001-05).
While helping the Na'khul, however, a discovery disrupts the work: Your captain will uncover a "transdimensional reality vortex is disrupting space-time throughout the multiverse," the official press release for the event states. As a result, your crew comes into conflict with the Tholians, a non-humanoid species first discussed in The Original Series.
The Tholians, the mission description continues, "reveal that constant use of time and dimensional travel has caused these vortices. Your captain is partly to blame."
As you work to resolve this intergalactic conflict, you will receive new patrols and an update to a promotional set of items known as the Infinity Lock Box, among other benefits.
"Star Trek Online" is free to download as a base game (you can get it here), with in-game purchases and DLC available.
Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
