The Admiral’s Log: My Journey Through ‘Star Trek Online’ – Part XLII

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

To Absent Friends 

The Memorial at Wolf 359.

To say that Star Trek Online does a fine job of paying tribute to the franchise as a whole, would quite frankly be an understatement. Because this particular game embraces every aspect of every single series that has ever graced our television screens and it’s quite delightful to know that even the little things when it comes to this magnificent universe are hiding within plain sight in some form or fashion, be it a cameo or a quick mention of something wonderful, like say the Memorial Plaque to George and Gracie that’s right next to the Golden Gate Bridge at Starfleet Academy.
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But while there are plenty of beautiful sights and Easter eggs designed to make you smile, present in game, as I was beginning my second tour of the galaxy, searching for places that I could explore in great detail; it dawned upon me that we haven’t talked about the fact that this game also takes the time to pay tribute to some of Star Trek’s darkest and most powerful moments. For believe it or not, there are grand memorials in this game, the kind that are solemn and strong and remind of you the fact that not every story in the franchise ends with the crew of a starship saving every single life imaginable and I respect the game for taking the time to place these tributes into the framework of this digital environment.

Because these memorials remind us of moments that genuinely moved us and shocked us when we first saw them play out on screen and today I’d like to take the time to highlight the ones that gave me pause, starting with the one that I connect with the most; the memorial that hovers in the graveyard of Starfleet ships at Wolf 359. Because when I first saw ‘The Best of Both Worlds, Part II’, I know that I was stunned when the 1701-D arrived at Wolf 359, only to find the remains of this fleet scattered about this system because that was the first time I ever saw Starfleet in vulnerable fashion and the weight of the crews lost there, hung heavy over those visuals and this is still a sobering and powerful monument to see in 2410. For when one arrives here, there is no triumphant music, just the hum of the impulse engines and the silence of the dead and this memorial immediately takes me back to the shock I felt when seeing that TNG episode for the first time back in September of 1990.

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A tribute to Romulus and Remus.

But I made mention of several memorials, and one cannot discuss the one at Wolf 359, without discussing the one that has now influenced multiple corners of the franchise; the one that pays tribute to the loss of Romulus and Remus. Yes, that’s right, the destruction of the home world of the Romulan Star Empire has its own nod here as well, and this is an equally as sobering memorial to find in game, since it too is shrouded in silence and it reminds us of how important this moment, first featured in the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, is to the franchise as a whole. For your character would not be able to set foot upon New Romulus if weren’t for the sacrifice of Ambassador Spock, and it’s obvious at this point that this event will heavily influence the events of the forthcoming Star Trek: Picard and this just speaks volumes to how much research went into the assembly of this game.
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Yet, while memorials such as those (and the one at Starfleet Academy, that reminds us of those lost in the Breen Confederacy’s attack on Earth during the Dominion War in 2375), pay fine tribute to the rich history of the saga, there are also memorials present that are a touch more emotional and intimate for the fans. Take for example the two statues of Ambassador Spock that stand on both Vulcan and New Romulus, since players have been known to drop by these in order to pay their solemn respects on the anniversary of Leonard Nimoy’s death. Plus if you swing by the upper level at Earth Spacedock, you’ll find a giant slab of marble that pays tribute to every actor in the franchise that has passed away, along with the folks that worked behind the scenes tirelessly to bring this vision of a majestic future to life and these are perhaps, the finest tributes present in the game.

If anything, all of these memorials, serve as a fine reminder that this is a game for fans, by fans and they’re quite the unexpected surprise to find in game and honestly, I’m not sure I would have known about them, had I not taken the time to fly about the galaxy to explore every last nook and cranny that this game has to offer. So, my thanks go out to the team behind Star Trek Online, because adding this stuff not only keeps us nerds happy, but it really does help to make this fictional universe a living and breathing environment, one filled with a rich history that we are managing to add to, and if I’m finding this kind of wonder in just the memorials, I can only imagine what kind of magic awaits me on the planets and stations that are peppered throughout the Milky Way Galaxy in 2410. Until next time. 

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