I’ve never been able to kick my Star Trek Online habit. There are better MMOs, but there’s no other game that offers so much Trek. And while the more recent obsession with Discovery and the modern Mirror Universe hasn’t really been doing it for me, the frequent nods to classic storylines and characters keeps me coming back. With the latest story update, Ascension, Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher joins the ranks of Star Trek alumni pottering about in the MMO.
That aforementioned obsession with the Mirror Universe means that it’s not old school Crusher that we’re getting, however. No—this one is the latest Terran Emperor, all decked out in gold armour and spouting tyrannical rhetoric. “Emperor Crusher is one of the largest threats the galaxy has ever faced,” according to Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment.
Naughty Wesley has merged with The Other, the Mirror Universe counterpart of V’ger, the Earth probe that transformed into a sentient ship and caused a bit of bother for the crew of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. You’ll need to duke it out inside this alternate V’ger in the new Task Force Operation, Storm Chasers, and progress through The Emperor’s Will event. Upon completion you’ll be able to get a new T6 ship, the Terran Sommerville.
Wheaton hams it up big time, as you’ll see from the trailer above, though doesn’t quite manage to convey the menace you’d expect from a bloke trying to destroy two universes and become a space god. To be fair, that also feels very true to the character, who’s just a big ol’ nerd who struggles to make friends.
Like Star Wars: The Old Republic (opens in new tab), I’m really just holding out for a sequel that will probably never appear, but I’m glad we’re still getting meaningful story updates this far into its lifecycle.