Well hello again my fellow starship commanders! It is hailing frequencies open for The Admiral’s Log and after taking a quick break from my current task in Star Trek Online to handle some review related duties for the site, I’m back and ready to geek out about STO with all of you! Which means it is time for another edition of the Retro Replay and the subject of today’s replay, is a Romulan themed mission entitled; ‘Empress Sela’. Now in this particular tale, you are sent to a remote world in what was once Romulan territory, in order to offer your support while representatives from the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets engage in peace negotiations.
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Which of course leads to disaster since the aforementioned Empress Sela of TNG fame is using this entire conference as a ruse. Because she’s quietly dispatched an armada of warships to Vulcan, in the hopes of laying waste to the planet in the key of Nero, so that Spock’s ‘failure’ to save Romulus and Remus can be atoned for. Which means that it is up to you and your intrepid crew to save an entire planet from Romulan genocide, and that is a pretty juicy plot for certain, one that leads to some epic combat in space. And it just so happens that the space battles that happen in this tale, are precisely why I wanted to replay this one, because holy targ, did those fights kick my butt time and time again.
 
Mainly because I was flying a Cheyenne class starship when I first played this mission. And while they are fine little ships, they are not designed for prolonged combat, and having to face off against Heavy Warbirds and D’deridex Battlecruisers in the rocky rings of Agrama Prime was a sucky, sucky experience. Because the battlecruisers messed my ship up and it took forever to finally bring them down. And once that fight was over, it was off to Vulcan to deal with the armada, wherein more heavy grade ships were waiting for us. Which means, I got spanked in that battle too, despite the fact that I had my own Federation armada to help me out and really, all I wanted this time around was a fair fight, one where I could hang with these ships and give them the business.

Instead, I got an outright slaughter. Because it turns out that those two classes of ships really don’t do well against an Odyssey class vessel in a one-on-one setting. Nor are their shields any match for Mark XV Antiproton Beams and Quantum Torpedoes. So, needless to say the fight over Agrama Prime went far smoother this time, with only a few bumps and bruises coming into play when Galactica went toe to toe with a battlecruiser. And as for the fight over Vulcan, well wouldn’t you know it? That was a smooth and supremely fair fight. The kind that we were able to hang in no problem. In fact, on a couple of occasions, we had to step in and save a Federation ship in peril with a quantum torpedo or twenty, and really all of these elements made for one satisfying replay when all is said and done.

Simply because I didn’t see my ship get torn to shreds in a matter of seconds, nor did I have to use hit and run tactics in order to beat my opponent. I could just hang in a firefight and do some serious damage. If anything, this replay just goes to show that investing in your hardware will pay off in spades when all is said and done and it has me hopeful that more replays down the line will be this enjoyable and this smooth so that I can properly enjoy the story. And now that this mission has come to a close, there will be another slight break in the Retro Replay, but for all the right seasons. For ‘House Divided’ makes its premiere on home console this Tuesday, and we need to recap a fresh story before rehashing old ones, and the surprises that await us in this new chapter of storytelling is where we will pick up, next time. Until then, Galactica out.

Growing up, gaming was a big deal to me, specifically PC gaming. At the time, the best games were only available on a computer since my gaming choices were limited to a PC or a console. Granted, some would likely say the better games were on the consoles, but for me... the best games were the ones that told an incredible story and immersed you completely and I didn't find a game on a console that ever did that for me.

During that era, there were two companies in my opinion, that made computer games that blew you away every single time, Sierra On-Line and LucasArts. Both brought incredible characters and stories to the table with every game that they released, but of all the games that I played back in those days, there is still one that sticks out in my mind as one of the finest ever made, LucasArts' incredible sci-fi adventure, The Dig. 

The plot was fairly simple. An asteroid known as Attila is heading toward earth on a collision course, forcing a handful of astronauts to head up to the rock and detonate nukes on its surface to move it into a safe orbit around the planet. But instead of finding solid rock they discover that the asteroid is hollow and filled with technology from another world that transports the landing party to an unknown and deserted place. Now they are stranded on a planet far from home, and their only hope to survive is to investigate the relics of a civilization now gone in the hopes of finding a way to get back to earth.  

​At the time this was by no means a graphically stunning game, even though it was designed for the PC. In fact, the graphics were simply okay, but the story made up for any visual flaws because it stood out above everything else. It was epic, sweeping, sad and gentle all at once. Giving the player a glimpse into a world that manages to actually look alien as you sift through the ruins of a species that let technology bring about their demise.   

But the engrossing story was only the beginning. Legendary science fiction writer Orson Scott Card handled much of the dialogue and Steven Spielberg himself had a hand in a game that featured vocal work by Robert Patrick and it even managed to add some pretty heavy themes, specifically how we face and handle death. Sadly the game was not a runaway commercial success as some expected it to be, and in my opinion, this is due to the fact it was ahead of its time with an engrossing story that I firmly believe would see incredible success if it were released in this day and age.  

Thankfully, this ancient gem is still available to play thanks to the wonder that is Steam, and I absolutely recommend you give it a try. It harkens back to a different era in gaming where risks were taken by developers on a regular basis, the stories were always rich and stunning and the rewards for the players were endless as we were whisked away to incredible places that captivated our imagination and completely took our breath away.

Well hello again my fellow starship commanders and welcome to another edition of The Admiral’s Log. It’s hailing frequencies open once again and in today’s edition of this here futuristic and nerdy blog, we’re conducting another Retro Replay, one that I was very much looking forward to. Because today's entry features a mission that back in the day, kicked my butt in every way imaginable. Because ‘The Doomsday Device’ is a story that takes you behind enemy lines, where you must disguise yourself as a Klingon Warrior in order to stop a devious plot involving the Doomsday Machine and the end of the Federation and well, there are two key things that brought me to my proverbial knees the first time I played this mission.

For starters, the ground combat is damn near impossible when you’re a young Lieutenant. Because Imaga is host to some talented Klingon warriors and they are quick to slap you around when they discover your true identity and that means, I spent a lot of time res-pawning when disruptor beams hit me from every angle and the horror of this story didn’t end there. Because you have to take on the Doomsday Machine in a Bird of Prey, and the only way to stop this galactic monstrosity is to fly towards its maw and fire off your super strong torpedoes and well… that works out about as well as it sounds. Because if a ship that weak even gets clipped by the pure antiprotons that thing fires, its curtains and re-spawn time.

Which means that I was hoping for some serious payback this second time around. For I was confident after my last Retro Replay, that my level 65 standing and Mark XV gear would protect me from all the troubles this mission sends your way and well, I was beyond wrong about that. Because the talented warriors on this world, are now level 65 as well and they are still fierce and hungry for bloodshed and well… we got our butts kicked once again, several times over. Because anytime our holographic disguises got sniffed out, we found ourselves embroiled in a fierce fire fight. The kind that saw my away team drop fast regardless of our top tier body armor. Which took me completely by surprise, mainly because I really did expect to walk in and drop the Klingons like bad habits. But a little patience and humility goes a long way, and once tactics came into play, the mission went a little smoother. On the ground at least.

Because the space combat portion of this mission, was still an outright nightmare. For the Klingon Bird of Prey just does not have the same hull and weapons capabilities as an Odyssey class starship and that led to some awkward fighting for certain, the kind that saw me once again get obliterated by the Doomsday Machine time and time again. Which once again meant, that I absolutely needed to take my time with this fight and wait for the perfect opportunity to get in front of the monster when it wasn’t blasting ships to bits and that helped me in this here mission, a plenty. Because there were no re-spawns after that realization, just wonderful tactical strikes on its maw, followed by a hasty exit where I would watch and wait for the deadly glow from its maw to pass, which eventually led to victory and some fine lessons for the future.

Specifically, that I cannot expect to walk into a situation as a default superior force. For the playing field is indeed leveled in some instances by the game, and just charging in with beams a-blazin’ means I will get back handed by my enemy. Instead, I need to rely upon what I’ve learned in this game and think before I fire, otherwise I’m basically making the same rookie mistakes all over again. Plus, to hell with the Bird of Prey, because that ship sucks worse than Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra and I am so looking forward to the fact that I will never have to fly that hunk of junk, ever again. For this was the last of the missions from the Klingon War arc that gave me fits and now we’re onto the Romulan segment of the story. In order to replay a grand battle that ripped my Cheyenne class ship to pieces back in the day, and that’s where we will pick up next time in this adventure, in a more cautious and thoughtful manner of course. Until next time, Galactica out.

The movie tie-in video game is a genre of gaming that is often lamented by so many, for simple and understandable reasons. For often times these types of games are nothing more than an outright cash grab. Which means that the quality of the game is sub-par at best and that is quite the turn off for prospective players. Because the fact of the matter is; they have a certain ideal in mind when it comes to tie-in games. Specifically, if they’re going to invest money and time in a digital version of a movie or TV series that they love, then they want said game to offer up an immersive and enriching experience from beginning to end. A feat that some gaming studios have managed to pull off throughout the years. 

But while it is nice to enjoy a game that has the look and feel of one’s favorite franchise, the ones that truly matter in this vein, are the ones that went above and beyond in their creations. For these are the games that feature a breathtaking experience, one that leaves you in awe when it comes to the depth and care that went into recreating a famous fictional world. And back in 1997 Westwood Studios pulled off that particular feat when it released, Blade Runner. A game set in Los Angeles, November 2019, where you take control of an LAPD Blade Runner known as Ray McCoy, who is of course on the hunt for a group of Replicants that have landed in the big city and are up to no good. 

Which at first glance makes it sound as though this game is no different than any other cash grab tie-in, since that plot feel like a re-hash of the 1982 movie. But that simple and familiar plot is designed to put the end user at ease when they settle in to play and it doesn’t take long for the player to realize that this game is so much more than a re-tread. For it is a deep dive into the world of a Blade Runner, and all of the detailed work that goes into replicant detection is present in this game since you’re required to use clues and the incredibly mysterious and invasive Voight-Kampff Test to uncover the replicants in your stead. And as an added bonus, you get to travel to important landmarks from the original film and interact with original cast members in your journey, and who knows… you might spot Rick Deckard along the way. 

Well hello again my fellow Starfleet commanders, it’s hailing frequencies open once again for The Admiral’s Log and I am quite excited about today’s opening chapter in a brand new, personal endeavor in Star Trek Online. Because today, we kick off a second journey through older missions that used to frustrate the tar out of me back in the day. And well, I have to admit that it took me a good long while to figure out which mission exactly, would be the perfect one to kick off these Retro Replays. Because holy cow, there are a lot of good missions in this game that found a way to make me swear in Klingon, and as it turns out; the best one to get this journey started would be the one that confuddled me the most during my absolute earliest days as a Starfleet officer.

Which means that I straight up chose the first mission I ever conducted as skipper of the original U.S.S. Galactica (NCC-1775), as my starting point for the Retro Replay and well, what makes this particular tale worth a second look are a few key things. Number one, man it just takes me back, to those magical days when I was still wearing Lieutenant’s bars and didn’t have clue what the hell I was doing, and it was my first real taste of the quality storytelling present within in this game. For this mission features an engrossing plot where your crew is responsible for getting a Vulcan ambassador to the monastery on P’Jem, only to learn that the ambassador in question is not who you think he is. A surprise that leads to all kinds of epic combat and well, it’s the combat that made this mission so difficult back in the day.

Because I was armed with entry level phasers and shields and fighting in a Miranda class vessel, and that means I got slapped around often in this mission. For I didn’t have a clue that one should be smart in regard to a phaser and disruptor fight when your shields are akin to tissue paper, and that hit and run tactics are the way to go in a Miranda class starship. So needless to say, when my crew and I first conducted this mission, it took a supremely long time because I had to re-spawn often and watched the Galactica burn in space more times than I cared to. Which made this mission quite humbling since it reinforced the fact that this game was going to be a strong challenge from the get-go, not just some kind of brainless shooter. 

But regardless of the tough lessons this particular mission taught me, there are still some grand questions hanging over this episode. In that, was it the gear that failed me, or my lack of skill? Which brings us to the replay in question. For a round two as a Level 65 Admiral answers those questions really quick, and it turns out; ‘twas the gear that failed me all along. Because the firefight on the ground was nothing my Away Team couldn’t handle. In fact, this time around the fight was quick and clean, and our personal shield generators performed admirably. And as for combat in the void, well… the Galactica-B held her own just fine. Heck, I’m not even sure her shields ever went below 50% while facing off against the Klingons or the Undine and well, it’s good to know that taking the time to invest in gear paid off in spades.

In the end however, this replay was quite the blast for certain. For it really was quite the throwback for me since it’s been a long time since I looked back at the starting days of my Starfleet career and it was neat to warp in and own my enemies with impunity this time around. And while this may not have been the challenge I was looking for; the fun factor is what matters the most for me. Because that’s the whole reason I play this game, to have a good time and now that this mission is in the books, it is onto the next one. One that just so happens to involve the horror that is the Doomsday Machine and fighting it from inside a Bird of Prey if memory serves me right and that my fellow commanders, is where we will pick up, next time. Until then, Galactica out.

Well hello again my fellow fleet members, it’s hailing frequencies open again for The Admiral’s Log and it has been a hot Tholian minute since we last geeked out about Star Trek Online. And there is good reason for that, simply because the game hasn’t had anything new going on for a little while. But that sure hasn’t stopped me from playing. Because I need my daily fix and I love accomplishing my Endeavor missions, both universal and daily and well, as I’ve mentioned before, that’s really not something that is compelling to discuss in a blog format. Because there are limits on how many times you can type ‘inflicted 50,000 points of Anti-proton damage today, holla’, but I digress. For there is a point to my incessant ramblings today in that… I found something new and exciting to do in STO.
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Because the other day, one of my daily Endeavor missions had me go and fight some Borg on the ground, and after taking the time to upgrade my crew’s shields and body armor (because that Endeavor cash and dilithium is piling up) I couldn’t help but notice how much better we performed under fire. No one went down with injury, we hung in a fire fight a whole lot longer, and that outright got me thinking. What if… I went back and replayed some of the missions and patrols and such, that used to frustrate the heck out of me when I didn’t know what I was doing in this game? Because back then, I was just a pure Star Trek fan, willing his ship to combat victory and pushing his crew to take a beating to complete the mission. But now that I’m armed with a T6 Operations Star Cruiser and a savvy team that’s armed to the teeth with state-of-the-art weapons and protection, how would those old missions go? 

So methinks the time has come to revisit some of those old missions and see what happens. Because now, the Romulan Warbirds that used to give me hell are evenly matched with the Galactica, and if we can handle ground combat in this smooth a manner, then woe to the foe who thinks he can beat me in a phaser firefight. But of course, the big question that remains in regard to this personalized task, is where exactly does one begin in re-living the toughest missions of one’s Starfleet career? And to me, the beginning is always best. Because the ‘Klingon War’ arc had some missions that kicked my butt. Two to be exact, and once I’ve replayed those, I’ll choose one from each arc that made me swear in Klingon, skipping the more recent ones because I’ve taken the time to recap those, here. 

But as some of you read this, you’re probably thinking that such a task will be a little too easy and a little too unfair. Which is a fair thing to think. After all, I am sending an Odyssey class vessel into combat situations that were once handled by a Miranda or Constitution class star ship, and a T1 or a T2 freighter is no match for a T6 ship armed with Mark XV weapons. But I do recall that the game tries to create balance with older episodes if you go back and replay them, by upping your opponents skill set and the combat situation to your skill level. Which means I should see some kind of a challenge and that will only add to the fun. Since it won’t feel as though I’m handling old missions with ‘God Mode’ on, and it should be interesting to see what kind of new challenges the game will throw my way in order to keep the fight on a level playing field. 

If anything, this is something I want to try simply because… I miss writing about the game, and I am down to do anything new within this universe, and it will be a lot of fun to crack up at those easy moments that happen because they’re unavoidable, and I’m looking forward to the surprises as well and the sense of satisfaction that some of these replays will bring. Because some of these missions straight up sucked, and robbed me of my pride on a consistent basis, and it will be nice to go back and use what I’ve learned to handle things differently and most importantly; I get to have a little fun with a game I love and geek out with all of you about it. So, with that in mind, the time has come to hop off of here so I can handle my daily endeavor duties and plan which Klingon mission goes first. But as to which one exactly, well you’ll have to tune in next week to find out. Until then… Galactica out.  

There is a prevailing belief in the creative world, that perfection simply cannot be improved upon, and there is real merit to that line of thinking. Because there are movies, books and video games that never once elicit a complaint and are beloved by all and poured over by scholars, because the story they bring to the table is iconic and powerful and really, how does one improve upon that? But despite the fact that some stories achieve that magnificent status, that sure doesn’t stop people from trying to reimagine or remake them, and some of the creators of these stories, even go so far as to tinker with their own perfect works, and for proof look no further than George Lucas.
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But while George has taken some flak for his tinkering with the storylines of the original Star Wars trilogy, there is one element that he and other tinkerers are correct in trying to improve upon, in regard to perfect stories; the technology. Because some of these tales are simply ahead of their time, and what needs to be accomplished on the screen in order to provide a flawless experience, simply isn’t available at the time of the story’s creation. Which means sometimes, going back and fixing those little flaws only enhances an amazing story further. And recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which is a perfect video game (story wise), just found its way back to the market with major improvements made to its ‘visual effects’.

Because let’s be honest, the original graphics engines that handled the first iteration of this game were nowhere near as powerful as they are now, which made for a thrilling but not truly immersive experience, something that is fixed in this new version of the game. Because this new ‘cut’ is breathtaking to say the least, for the visuals simply pop off the screen and the amount of detail that’s present in this remastering is downright ridiculous. For every little thing was fawned over at the studio. From something as simple as to how plumes of smoke move in the background during the Battle for America, to how the blood spatter lands when you waste a tango and those little details matter because they help to draw you into this game’s already fabulous story and the wonder of this remaster doesn’t end with the visuals.

For this particular game also paid great attention to the sound as well, something that we don’t talk about enough in gaming. But how a game sounds is truly important, especially in this day and age where surround sound is commonplace and what this remaster has accomplished there is downright incredible. Because it makes full use of 5.1. surround, to the point where you hear air raid sirens blasting in the background or shouts and screams as the battle rages on around you. Plus, simple effects such as having bullets whiz over your head or smack into the stone next to you seem amplified here, and that allows for this game to truly become an immersive experience, one that you eventually lose yourself within. To the point where a break might be necessary from time to time since the action gets quite intense. 

If anything, this is what Modern Warfare 2 should have looked and sounded like when it arrived on the market all those years ago. Because this is a story that requires a cinematic look and feel, and it finally has that at last, and that oddly makes this game more enjoyable to play after all these years. And while it may not shock you with its twists and turns this time around, you’ll definitely feel your jaw drop at the gory and unexpected detail surrounding you and, in the end, all of these enhancements truly accomplish the impossible. Because in this particular case, perfection has indeed been improved upon, and these changes help to cement this game’s legacy as one of the finest shooters to ever grace the gaming world.

Well hello again my fellow captain and admirals, and welcome to another edition of The Admiral’s Log. And if you’re like me, and you’ve been playing an unhealthy amount of Star Trek Online during the quarantine; then you’re likely counting your bounty after this year’s First Contact Day Event. Which I don’t recall being this in-depth last year, but that’s okay. Because I’m making it a point in 2020 to pay closer attention to the events the game is sending our way, simply because the two that I’ve taken part in this year have yielded some wonderful rewards.
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After all, I now have a brand-new fancy ship that I guess more or less serves as my weekend ship, or my online therapist. Because bad traffic is still a thing in the midst of a pandemic, and a quantum torpedo or two helps to relieve that stress. But I digress. Because we’re here to discuss the wonder of the past event and when we last settled to discuss STO, I had made mention of the fact that this event might put my patience to the test. Because this time around, there were only two options to advance the stats toward this year’s rewards, and sometimes you just don’t have a lot of time to take part in a long away mission and that meant… the time had come to build a lot of rockets. Like… so many rockets.

Because assembling your own launchable replica of the Phoenix takes about ten minutes, plus you get some Steppenwolf at the end and that sounds appealing from a time standpoint. But I won’t lie, I think I did this mission twenty of the twenty-four days that it was available, with the only breaks in between coming from any Endeavor mission that needed Borg drones to die, and that made this event the toughest grind that I’ve been through to date. Because it really is the same old, same old every single time. You collect your parts. You look for better parts, you enhance those parts and you launch those rockets and possibly dance to ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ while they take to the skies. 

So, there were definitely moments, where I wondered if the Temporal Vortex Console and a toy Phoenix were worth the effort, and in the end they are. Because the console does some cool stuff in combat and that rocket goes on forever. But while they have their own merits, this particular event made me realize the true value of dedicating my time to such endeavors. Because holy cow, once you’ve earned the grand prize, you basically load up dilithium, and I’m not talking a thousand units here or there like you get when you complete an Endeavor Mission. We are talking metric tons of this valuable little crystal, to the point where my savings from this event and the last one has me swimming in it for a change.

Which means, I’m all on board for future events if it means I can load up on the stuff, like I did here. Because my standard patrol route only nets me 3k in dilithium and here I am now, sitting on a stockpile of 60k. So, in the end, it’s clear now that events are worth one’s while for the long term, and that makes the grind supremely palatable and made this particular one a lot of fun when all is said and done. Because every little hunt for hull plating, and every unexpected arrival of the running man, has my crew ready for all kinds of future upgrades and that’s a solid way to wrap up this event. And now that First Contact Day is in the books, this blog will likely go silent again. For there is little to discuss outside of my usual day in Starfleet. But if something else pops up, I’ll be right back to discuss it with all of you. Until next time, Galactica out.

Well hello again, my fellow captains and admirals, and welcome to another edition of The Admiral’s Log. And well, perhaps the best way to start off this particular piece is to wish all of you out there a Happy First Contact Day! Because it is indeed that time of the year again where we celebrate mankind’s first encounter with the Vulcans. A move that would bring unheralded peace to our world and the galaxy, and hopefully everyone took the time to watch the wonder that is Star Trek: First Contact on this April the 5th, and/or, logged onto Star Trek Online at some point during the week to take part in the annual festivities that the game offers Trekkers and Trekkies when it comes to this momentous future holiday.
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Which is what we are going to be talking about in great detail today. Because this year, STO felt the need to enhance its already entertaining celebration of this holiday, by adding a little more for the player to do outside of build Phoenix rockets at the Phoenix Complex in Bozeman, Montana. In fact, they straight up added a brand new TFO patrol mission entitled, ‘One Night in Bozeman’. And the plot of this particular mission is quite juicy to say the least, because it lets you take part in saving this iconic moment in future history by having you travel back to the night of April 4, 2063; a short while before the Borg and the Enterprise arrive.

Because it turns out that the Borg, still upset with how that mission ended in failure for them, have returned on this night to ensure success, and you’re here to help Seven of Nine keep the timeline in check and well, while I tend to prefer space TFOs over ground related ones, I have to admit that this was a freakin’ awesome mission to add into the mix. Because it’s you, and your crew, and a big-time character from the franchise, fighting to stop one of Starfleet’s oldest and deadliest enemies and while the combat portion is entertaining in its own right, it’s the wonder of diving into the world of First Contact that makes this experience worth your while.

For the crew of the 1701-E are doing their thing while you handle your business, and it’s just awesome to know that Riker and Troi and Geordi are trying to preserve the timeline while Picard and Data are above you slugging it out with the Borg, and it’s eerie when the game takes that thought one step further, by having you fight assimilated crew members from the Enterprise. Because that just hammers home the stakes of this mission and that a great many crew members lost their lives in that film, but thankfully, not everything that happens here is dark and dreary. For there is one genuine Easter egg treat present in this mission. Because if you take a minute to hang out by the bar when the opportunity presents itself, you can enjoy a slight recreation of the moment when Will Riker meets Zefram Cochrane.

But all fun aside, it does need to be noted that this mission is actually quite the challenge. Because the Borg are no joke in STO and they are relentless in this TFO and they definitely replicated up a healthy serving of humble pie on several occasions during the finale. If anything, this really is an entertaining way to celebrate this iconic fictional holiday, and it is equally as awesome that the powers that be found a way to reward the player for taking part in this celebration. For this now an event that will continue until 4/30, allowing for players to earn a new Temporal Vortex Console if they take the time to play the mission or make a rocket daily, and you can snag more dilthium once you’ve earned that reward. Which means, it’s time to see how much rocket building I can take and that grand quest for goodies, is where we are going to pick up, next time. Until then, Galactica out.  

​One of the big advantages to playing Star Trek Online, is the sheer fact that you can fly just about any ship you want. Which allows for the player to truly customize their experience in the most unique way imaginable. Because if you’re looking to re-live the wonder of the franchise and fly all the cool ships you’ve seen on T.V. or the silver screen, you can absolutely do so. Or if you’re wanting to forge your own path, and go for the coolest looking ships imaginable, that’s at your fingertips as well, and it really is a lot of fun to gain ship tokens as you rise through the ranks and see what incredible designs are ripe for the taking.
 
Thankfully, being able to sample so many different types of ships, helps future Admirals come to understand which vessel will best serve them in the long term, and that’s precisely why I decided upon an Odyssey class operations cruiser to be christened as the Galactica­­-B. Because this class of starship is the best of both worlds, since it offers strong firepower and a resilient hull, yet at the same time it is able to explore the galaxy and strange new worlds in quick and efficient fashion and that’s why I’ve flown this class of ship for the past four years. But while this game does a fine job of helping you to find the right ship for your needs mission wise, it still knows how to inject a little fun from time to time by offering up a new ship to toy with.
 
Which is why there is a Defiant class vessel in my stable of ships and well, thanks to the ten-year anniversary celebration, I am now able to fly the latest starship design available in game; the T6 Alliance Battlecruiser. A ship that I have christened the A.F.S. Pegasus (CSN-17) and well, this beast of a vessel definitely entertains. Because this product of Klingon and Federation engineering is an outright predator amongst the stars. For it features the fierceness of the D-7 Class Klingon Battlecruiser, combined with the streamlined feel of Starfleet vessels. And at long last, I was finally able to take this monster out on a shakedown cruise to see what she was capable of and from a combat perspective, this fine lady did not disappoint in the slightest.
 
For her anti-proton beams do a fine job of making mincemeat of opposing vessels’ shields and this ship can quickly punch a couple of photon torpedoes into the hull before moving onto its next target. But while the weapon systems are indeed impressive in their own right, this vessel’s sheer resilience is where it truly shines. Because this ship can take an outright beating, since its advanced shields and hull hold up well against torpedo volleys or pulse beam weapons that are designed to tear shields to shreds, and that makes combat fun, since it gives one a sense of invincibility for certain. But while she kicks ass and chews bubblegum (and she’s all out of bubblegum) in the depths of space, no ship is without its flaws and this vessel has her own for certain.
 
After all, it’s a hefty ship for sure, and its turn rate definitely reflects the mass of the monstrous nacelles at the aft of the vessel, and that can make combat cumbersome as you slowly shift the ship to bring the torpedo bays to bear. Plus, and this could be related to my officer loadout, I was only able to fire two torpedoes at a time. As opposed to the Odyssey class, where I’m able to launch at a minimum, six quantum torpedoes simultaneously, and not being able to hammer an opponent with that definitely slowed down combat. But perhaps that is the point of this style of ship, in that, it is designed to celebrate the wonder and the art of combat. And while that is cool in its own right, the wonder of war can only go so far. If anything, while this is indeed the vessel I would take into a major conflict; I think I will be sticking with the Galactica.
 
Partly because I know exactly what she is capable of under pressure. But also, because, she offers balance and versatility on a moment’s notice, and that surprisingly comes in handy out there amongst the stars. But make no mistake about it, this new class of starship is a lot of fun, and it really is wonderful that STO gives us the opportunity to mix things up from time to time with little rewards like this. Because this did break up the feel of the grind since a lot of work went in to possessing this new toy and much like that Defiant class ship (The U.S.S. Colorado – NCC-93223 for your starship aficionados), I’m sure she’ll find some star time when the moment calls for her raw firepower. But for now, it’s back to the bridge of the Galactica. For First Contact day awaits us all and with its arrival comes another fresh new mission, one that will apparently revisit the Star Trek movie that shares the namesake of the holiday. And a recap of that new mission, is where we will pick up, next time. Until then, Galactica out.