Star Trek Online debuts Season 8: The Sphere with the promise of “strategic” missions and the Voth

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As City of Heroes’ crumbling skyscrapers finally came down, its original creators must have been glad to be far clear of the falling debris. Under the wing of Perfect World, Cryptic Studios now hold court over Star Trek Online, and have just launched its latest lot of new stuff.

The game is free to play. So if you’re intrigued by the possibilities of exploring a “massive Dyson sphere”, it might be-hoover you to read on.

In The Sphere, players will find new types of missions which emphasise “strategic thinking and effective coordination”, instigated by the Voth. The Land-Before-Time types have never appeared before in the game – and between extra-large capital ships and mechanised soldiers, they’ll provide a challenge fitting for Star Trek Online’s penthouse-level players.

The new season does seem rather endgame focused, actually, what with its new high-level gear and battle zones. That said, May’s Legacy of Romulus expansion made every faction playable from the beginning of the game, and added storylines from Romulan and Reman perspectives, so there’s a compelling reason to play through the levelling bits. Denise Crosby even returned for her role as Empress Sela.

Oh, gosh, that reminds me – the lead-in to The Sphere featured The Next Generation’s Michael Dorn as Worf. If Worf won’t sway you, I don’t know who will: