STO - Interview @ 1UP

IUP talks to executive producer Craig Zinkievich on why it's Klingon versus Federation, the success of the J.J. Abrams reboot, and if players can become Starfleet Commander.

1UP: The dissolution of the peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingons opens up a number of interesting plot points for players, but can also place the game in a convenient "let's create tension and combat-oriented gameplay" situation for an MMO. Has there always been the plan to have this in place for the game, or was this a decision that was made later on in the creation process?

CZ: You're right -- it is both interesting and convenient! At the end of Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Nemesis, the Alpha and Beta quadrants have become a rather peaceful and happy place, which was great for the way those stories ended. In STO, we're opening a new chapter.

It's true that we wanted to add some more conflict and action to the story, but if you look at the history of the Trek Universe, these conflicts tend to be cyclical. When the Federation is in a good place with one or more of its rival powers, another will step in to fill the void as the main aggressor. And there have been multiple periods of peace and war in the Klingon-Federation relationship. They are two very different groups and it's not always possible for them to be in harmony.

That being said, there's nothing to say that the Federation and Klingons will never cooperate to face a greater threat. We expect the relationship between them to shift and change as the story advances.