Years have passed since the Star Trek Online game was first announced and we all know it encountered lots of problems along the way - eventually being canceled and transferred to another game development company - Cryptic Studios. Right now, it seems that everything is working out just fine and, finally, STO seems to be warping full speed ahead, more promising than it ever was.

Associated Press reports that you, as the players, will begin the game as captains of a small starfleet or Klingon Empire ship. You can either create characters from pre-existing species (like Gorns or Klingons) or create your brand new alien race! Also, as you progress through the game, you will be able to increase your ranks and gain larger vessels and more crew.

"You'll venture through space exploring new civilizations and life-forms," said Jack Emmert, Cryptic Chief Creative Officer. "You'll also beam down to planets and have adventures inside your ship. It's a galactic-wide game. There's going to be tons of space to investigate. We have a great system for exploration, which will allow for almost infinite possibilities."

He admitted that Cryptic Studios is building everything from the ground up, which probably means that there will no longer be any more "casual" aspects in the game, which for the hardcore MMO and Star Trek fans is definitely a great thing. Another interesting bit of information is the fact that the studio plans to bring the game not only on PC systems, but on Xbox 360 as well, and maybe even PlayStation 3 consoles!

However, Emmert warns players not to expect to meet along their way too many characters they know from the TV series - no James T. Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard will be around, but I am sure this will not be a problem for fans, who have been waiting for Star Trek Online for so long. Especially because their wait will be over sometime next year!