Star Trek XI's Impact On Star Trek: Online

Although Star Trek: Online is set in the "prime universe," expect some effects from the events of Star Trek XI to impact the game.

As reported by ZAM, Star Trek: Online Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich explained how the changes due to events in Star Trek XI would affect Star Trek: Online. "In the new movie, Romulus is destroyed by a supernova, throwing the Romulan Empire into chaos," explained Zinkievich. "That's the event that sets Nero on his path. Destroying the homeworld of one of the major powers in the universe has a big, big effect on everything and everyone around it."
Zinkievich went on to explain how the destruction of Romulus would affect those in the "prime universe." "The Romulans are in chaos, the Klingons want to settle old scores, the Cardassians are still recovering from the Dominion War and are choosing which path their race will walk, and the Federation is trying to hold it all together," he said. "The destruction of Romulus is the flashpoint for much of the instability and conflict in 2409 and we'll be exploring it, and the aftereffects, in many of the storylines for our game."

Traditional Star Trek fans should not be worried, said Zinkievich. "We've set Star Trek: Online in 2409, which is thirty years in the future of the "prime timeline." Because we haven't moved too far into the future, the game will feel familiar to diehard fans of the shows. That being said, one of the reasons we chose to move the timeline was that it gave us a chance to update the uniforms and advance technology to update the look and feel much like the new movie did for its era. Look at our standard Starfleet uniforms as an example; I think they do a great job of being true to Starfleet, but new and exciting too."

Moving into the future gives fans a chance to pick up where things left off and continue stories themselves. "The move to 2409 allows us to change the political landscape," explained Zinkievich. "Everything's not the same as it was at the end of Deep Space Nine. Old enmities have flared, and new ones have sprung up. There are new leaders for many of the major factions, and new alliances between familiar races. The Romulan homeworld is gone, and overall, the Alpha and Beta quadrants are much more dangerous and volatile than they were thirty years ago. I think that 'familiar but unexpected' vibe will appeal to fans of the new movie as well as those who have been watching the shows from the beginning."

http://www.trektoday.com/content/2009/07/star-trek-xis-impact-on-star-trek-online.html