​I’m starting to find it quite funny, how many amazing things I’m outright missing in Star Trek Online simply because the game feels like home to me. For all these landmarks are second nature in my mind and traveling through or by them is just another part of my daily duties as an Admiral. But I’m glad I’m starting to take the time to really pause and appreciate the beauty and majesty of this game. Because taking a moment to stop and smell the tribbles is really allowing me to appreciate it on a whole new level and well, this is on my mind today simply because I’d like to recap exactly what brought to me this newfound level of appreciation, and really it all starts with the last Log entry I put to digital paper.
 
Because my voyage to the Delta Quadrant could only have been achieved one way, and that was by using the Iconian Gateway that’s located in the Beta Quadrant, since that transports you to the Jenolan Dyson Sphere and that name, should ring a bell in the back of your mind whether you’re a casual or hardcore Trekkie/Trekker. Because that particular location was featured prominently in The Next Generation episode ‘Relics’, and this massive body in space just so happened to house a Captain Montgomery Scott who managed to interact with the crew of the NCC-1701-D. And the gravity of the fact that the U.S.S. Galactica, was using a place where Captain Picard’s first Enterprise picked up a legendary chief engineer, as an interstellar express lane, didn’t really sink in until this last voyage when I really took a moment to just let the ship sit there so I could soak in the enormity of this beautiful creation.
 
If anything, that’s really what I want to talk about today, the fact that the two Dyson Spheres present in the game are incredibly marvelous and rich places to visit, because of the incredible detail that they boast. For the Jenolan Sphere is quite frankly a flawless replica of the one found in ‘Relics’ and I even re-watched the episode briefly to see how perfectly the design team matched it to the one featured on screen, and I am hard pressed to find a single flaw. In fact, I would venture to say that they have improved upon it since the detail is a little richer in the game since the buildings and structures on the surface of the sphere, pop on the screen and really, the Jenolan sphere and all of its incredible visuals are nothing more than a mere appetizer for the detail that the Cryptic team placed into the fabric of these majestic spheres.
 
For the Solanae Dyson Sphere gives you actual areas to outright explore, three of them in fact, and as you traverse the vast landscape, you can see every single building and structure beneath your vessel and that is quite frankly, a breathtaking sight. Because it honestly just ignites one’s imagination and leaves you to wonder what went on down there oh-so long ago, since so many of these ancient cities are still intact and in pristine shape, and perhaps the best part of this particular Sphere, is that you get to beam down and explore it up close. Which truly gives one an understanding of the sheer enormity of these Spheres since the beam down point gives you an entire city and a park to explore in great detail and it’s just incredible to know that this world is so large that you cannot see your own ship in the sky, even though you know she’s right above you.
 
Either way, taking the time to venture back through these places was definitely worth the effort since it adds a real sense of scale to things, and I almost forgot to mention the fact that there is basically an entire Starbase to explore inside the Jenolan Sphere, because it’s just that damn big. And while I know this isn’t quite the planetary adventures I promised, we needed to take a moment and appreciate the sheer majesty of these locations since they are so cool and so unique, and now that we’ve wrapped up a few bonus celestial bodies in our second tour through the galaxy, it’s time to return to terra firma by making a stop at a nearby planet, one that holds great weigh in Star Trek canon as of late. Until next time. 

While I’ve always appreciated the fact that Star Trek as a whole provides us with a vision of a world and future where mankind has figured all of their problems out, I’m equally as enamored with how the franchise has taken the time to show us that not everyone in the universe is as evolved as the United Federation of Planets. For there are worlds and cultures out there struggling to survive, and some worlds know nothing of peace and it’s good to see a franchise that offers hope, offer up such a realistic twist, one that parallels our world to a tee and its oddly something that Star Trek Online has made a point to weave into the beautiful fabric of the game.
 
For you definitely travel to ‘unsavory’ places in the galaxy in this game, where Federation rule means nothing and only the strong survive and while it is jarring to see places like that when compared to the clean and sanitary ships of Starfleet, this flip side of the universe is paramount to some of the stories that play out over your career as a Starfleet officer. And one such place that fits the particular mold of a world where chaos reigns and sorrow seems to surround everyone and everything, is nestled deep within the confines of the Delta Quadrant, and it’s a world that quite frankly I did not do a good job exploring my first time around there, since I was more or less trying to push through the Delta Rising segment of the story as quickly as I could.
 
Which meant the time had come to properly explore the world known as Kobali Prime and as it turns out, appreciating anything this world had to offer was no easy task. For this is a world that is under constant conflict as the Vaadwaur siege the cities on this world and that, made exploration uncomfortable to say the least. Because while I admired the views surrounding me, there was always the unsettling thud of a photon mortar in the distance, or the gentle hiss of phaser and distruptor fire and that honestly made my visit to this particular world heartbreaking to say to the least because there actually is quite a bit of beauty to be found in this place when all is said and done.
 
For the cities here are magnificent. They’re bright and massive and filled to the brim with beautiful architecture and people going about their daily lives, and the countryside is no slouch either for that matter. Because the hills and mountains on this planet feature beautiful views and its fascinating as to how the light reflects off of everything here. But alas, the beauty present here is marred and sullied by conflict and as I explored the area surrounding the capital city, weapons discharge and barricades and war reminded me of that, making this world bittersweet to visit and it hammered home every point about the nature of the galaxy I’ve made mention of so far.
 
If anything, revisiting this world was a humbling experience to say the least. Because the last time I was here, I was immediately following orders and diving into combat as a Starfleet officer is wont to do. But now, seeing it from afar, really gives one a moment of digital pause because I really have it made aboard the Galactica. Because I have the fleet behind me at all times, and Earth and Spacedock and my ready room are all peaceful and gentle and quiet in their own right, and that kind of privilege is something one forgets about when playing this game and it evokes a sense of duty at the same time and well, that’s why I love this game. Because it does more than offer up action and adventure, it makes you think and it makes you feel something, which is truly a spectacular feat for certain and in a weird way, this particular stop has motivated me to continue this second journey through the galaxy post haste, to see what other moments of wonder await me. Until next time.

​I think it is a foregone conclusion, that each and every one of us play video for some supremely personal reasons. For some, it’s about the challenges that games present and tearing through them as quickly as possible is quite the rush. For others, it’s about being able to be the best in multiplayer and show off one’s prowess on the digital field. But for me, gaming is a personal experience, one that I use to get my mind off of life’s more annoying days and one that allows for me to get lost in a wonderful story and that’s why I always find great solace and wonder when I log in to play Star Trek Online. Because not only am I immersed in my favorite fictional universe, I’m able to lose myself in any wonderful story I so choose with a simple press of a button.
 
But while that alone is magnificent for my mind, there’s another reason I find this game so calming. Because this is only place that I can go and lose myself in the vastness of the galaxy and this is something that I made mention of before, many logs ago, but I really want to get into further detail about how space provides me with a genuine sense of serenity when I’m traveling from point A to point B. Which is something that is related to how exactly I traverse around the galaxy. For while there are some hyper quick options, such as the quantum slipstream drive or the transwarp drive (the latter of which can get you to your destination in seconds), what truly makes space travel special for me is the most traditional manner of travel available; good old fashioned warp speed.
 
Which is fast in its own right, since you’re traveling well past the speed of light. But the actual act of warp speed has a gentle nature to it and it’s so soothing to just watch the stars stream by. If anything, it’s a magical place to just decompress and when combined with the tranquil music provided in flight, I always enjoy losing myself within the journey and sometimes it’s also nice to just stop and admire the everyday beauty that the galaxy has to offer as well. For the stars feature more than just endless void with the occasional planet or starbase thrown in for good measure. There’s also plenty of nebulae and comets and beautiful star systems to see and if there’s one place I love to visit when I need a taste of beauty, it’s the Mutara Nebula.
 
Now that’s a name that should sound familiar to Star Trek fans everywhere. But for the uninitiated, this was the site of an important battle in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, wherein the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701) and the U.S.S. Reliant (NCC-1864) duked it out to settle an old score, and it is still standing after all this time, despite some wild changes to the nebula itself (thanks to how that battle wraps up), and it is just… the most gorgeous place to visit in the depths of space. In fact, you can see its wonder and majesty in the picture above and I simply love how tranquil it is, and on several occasions I’ve just parked the Galactica in the midst of those clouds and nebula watched to soothe my mind and it’s never failed to help me relax when necessary.
 
Yet, while that’s my own personal ‘tourist’ spot in the Milky Way Galaxy, there are so many others to see within the four quadrants of the galaxy, and I highly encourage that you take the time to see them during your own travels as well. And while I know I mentioned a return to planetary adventures in this blog, a tough week prompted me to just cruise the stars and return to the Mutara Nebula (which you can find near the edge of known space in the Beta Quadrant in the Teroka Sector), to cool my mind before I ventured off to my first planetary stop, one located in the Delta Quadrant and that’s where we will pick up, next time. Until then. 

​You know, I have to admit that my second journey through the galaxy in Star Trek Online is helping to make me realize that I truly get lost in the stories that this game is working to tell. Because there is some wonderful beauty to be found in this digital galaxy, the kind that I’m missing as I rush to save the day and that’s not a bad thing by any means. Because one can always return to a particular destination at any given time by either replaying a mission, or by just hanging out if it’s open to everyday player traffic and that’s precisely why I decided it was high time to revisit one last space bound location one more time before returning to my planet bound adventures, because Deep Space Nine truly deserved an in depth and quality visit on my part.
 
Because I breezed through the station during my first two visits there during the Bajor and Victory is Life story-arcs, and any other time I’ve spent there has been at the Dabo tables to complete the ‘Win X GPL’ task in my Endeavor missions. So, it made perfect sense to return here after my visit to Space Station K-7 to properly wander the halls of this iconic place and I’m so glad that I made this my next destination choice. For I’ve never taken the proper time to appreciate the screen accuracy of this space station since the folks at Cryptic clearly went through a painstaking process in order to make DS9 look and feel like it did on the series and one element that demonstrates how successful they were, is how busy the station is inside and out.
 
For, there are ships constantly surrounding this station, which makes sense since it’s a major hub in the Alpha Quadrant, and it is something that truly reminds me of the series since we often saw exterior shots with ships floating about DS9’s docking rings on the show and the Promenade only enhances this experience further. Because that place was always hopping on the series, and it’s just wonderful to see species from all walks of life wandering about the floor in game, giving this part of the station an on-screen feel as well. But while those parts of Deep Space Nine are pretty awesome to visit, they both pale in comparison to Quark’s, because it’s just a real honor to meander about this iconic place and have a lengthy conversation with Morn and man, the characters of DS9 weren’t kidding back in the day when they said he rarely shut up.
 
But all of that aside, truly the centerpiece of the station is Operations, since many a powerful moment took place in this part of Deep Space Nine on the series, and it is wild to stand where iconic characters worked to save the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion so long ago and special attention needs to be paid to the Captain’s office that awaits at the top of the stairs. For the specter of Captain Benjamin Sisko hangs heavy over this place, to the point where you pay the new commander of this station no mind. Because it was in this room that Captain Sisko made some incredibly tough calls over the course of the series, and this is where he and Admiral Ross discussed the finer points of the Dominion War from time to time and it is so cool to see that his baseball still sits on the desk, all out of respect for a great commander.
 
If anything, it was just wonderful to walk these hallowed halls and reminisce about a series that took the franchise by storm in all the right ways, and truly I have to tip my cap to the folks at Cryptic for putting together a flawless digital replica of such an iconic place in Star Trek history, and it is just so cool that anyone can visit this station as often as possible once it becomes available to them in game and I think it’s one I need to return to more often as time goes on. Just because it really is an oasis in the lonely Alpha Quadrant since there are but a handful of places to interact with in that part of space. But now that we’ve visited this station one more time, I would venture to say that my time in the void has come to an end for just a little bit, for it is high time we feel the heat of a sun from the surface of a planet, and I know the perfect one to start with… until next time.