Long-running sci-fi MMO Star Trek: Online’s Ascension update transports us to the Mirror Universe once again on September 13th, and it’s a doozy. Devs Cryptic Studios have only gone and revealed The Next Generation’s wunderkind Wesley “Shut up” Crusher as the storyline’s big bad. Cower from the arrival of Mirror Wesley while watching the trailer below.
Nice beard. Crusher’s return was announced as part of Star Trek Day, which is presumably a cousin of the better known May the Fourth celebration. Wesley is once again played by actor Wil Wheaton, who you might know from his time hosting the web series TableTop, if you’re not a Trekkie/Trekker. Emperor Wes will be the baddie for this arc of the continuing Mirror Universe story that seems to have dominated, rather appropriately, Star Trek: Online since 2019.
There’ll be new missions involving Captain Killy, the evil twin of Star Trek:Discovery’s Cadet Tilly (Mary Wiseman), and Admiral Leeta (Chase Masterson) too. Deep Space Nine fans – there are some of us out there – will remember Leeta from her time spent working at Quark’s bar. Crusher’s apparently responsible for the alternate universe Terran Empire’s incursions into the main Trekverse over the recent course of Star Trek: Online’s storyline. He’s been faffing about with powerful machine The Other, a version of The Motion Picture’s V’ger.
You’ll be able to take on Emperor Wes and his underling Captain Killy in Ascension’s new episode, Eye Of The Storm. The update’s bringing a new five-player ground task force operation called Storm Chasers too, as well as an elite officers upgrade system for promoting your bridge team. There’s also a new event, The Emperor’s Will, that unlocks the T6 Terran Somerville starship.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Star Trek: Online. The game digs into the TV and movie lore and warps that into its own unique shenanigans. Actors from both are usually up for reprising their roles, such as Walter Koenig (Chekov), Jeri Ryan (Seven Of Nine) and Sonequa Martin-Green (Burnham), and Wiseman. Yet it’s a pleasant surprise indeed to see celebrity geek Wheaton back again, in a spin on his goody-two-shoes character from the first few seasons of The Next Generation. He doesn’t turn up in Trek stuff that often.
Star Trek: Online’s Ascension update beams into the game, which is free to play on Steam, on September 13th. Suit up, Wesley.