Time has literally become the essence of the ongoing Iconian invasion in Star Trek Online. So far, the alliance of Romulans, Klingons, and the Federation has had their share of setbacks against the invading forces, but things may be beginning to turn. The latest featured episode, Time in a Bottle, for the online rpg may serve as the catalyst for the turning point in the ongoing conflict. Will a blow finally be dealt against the Iconians? Find out in our Star Trek Online Time in a Bottle review.
The STO Time in a Bottle episode begins with the player sent out to discover more about the Krenim, a race that may have been rendered extinct by the Vaadwaur, who have worked hard to keep anything developed by the Krenim out of the hands of the alliance. Now a Ferengi trader by the name of Qwen has said that he has a Krenim artifact in his possession and is willing to sell it. The player is then tasked with heading out to Drozana Station and buying the artifact. Of course, things don’t go as smoothly as planned.
Star Trek Online Krenim base
Once aboard the station, the player finds out that another Ferengi is currently purchasing the Krenim artifact from Qwen. To stop the sale, the player has to get by the Orion receptionist who is guarding the door. This leads to an interesting, and somewhat humorous, exchange as the player can take several different approaches to convince the receptionist to help out. The use of dialogue to further a plot point is one of the strengths of this free mmo and keeps in line with the overall theme of Star Trek where diplomacy and negotiation can win the day.
Once the player gets past the receptionist, a fight breaks out as the Ferengi trying to purchase the artifact resorts to violence in order to keep it and drive away the player. Once the fight is over, Nog enters the room and throws his weight around as the son of the Grand Nagus. Qwen reveals where he got the artifact and then the player and Nog scan the device to figure it out. What is revealed is that the device appears to have something to do with temporal manipulation, so it is decided to travel to the Kyana system to find out more as that was where the Krenim were last reported to have existed. I must point out that it’s always great to have the actor that portrayed a character on one of the TV shows reprise that character for Star Trek Online. Hearing Aron Eisenberg as Nog really does help immerse a player into the STO universe. Plus, it was a hoot hearing the bit where he forces Qwen to kiss his staff of office, being the son of the Grand Nagus.
Once in the Kyana system, the player and Nog quickly dispatch a Vaadwaur ship that is patrolling the area. After some further investigating, the player scans both a wreck floating in an asteroid debris field and a nearby moon. Before the player can beam down to the moon, an Iconian Herald ship approaches, which leads to another quick space battle. Once the player is victorious, the player’s away team and Nog beam down to the moon. Further scanning shows that energies associated with temporal activity are very strong on the moon. More Herald ships approach and Iconians begin to appear on the moon. The player has to protect Nog as he believes that he has figured out how to activate the Krenim artifact. This fight gets pretty hairy at times as the player finds himself being attacked on several fronts. During the fight, Nog disappears along with the artifact. After the player fights on for a bit, a huge base suddenly appears around the player that is full of people, as well as Nog, and the Iconians seem to become ghostly figures.
Star Trek Online Iconians
This is where the Star Trek Online Time in a Bottle episode got really interesting. It turns out that there is a small outpost of Krenim still alive, but they use temporal manipulation to pull themselves into a separate stream of time. Remaining hidden is their only means of survival as their race is almost extinct. The Krenim are willing to help if the players prove themselves. At this point, the player travels around the base and helps out with repairs. Each of the Krenim individuals provide more background on their race and how they came to be able to manipulate time. The player also learns that they have plans in their possession for a ship that is designed to travel through time to alter the course of history, but they do not have the resources to create such a ship. I have to say that this part of the episode is incredibly cool and is extremely well designed. I love that you can see the Iconians walking around the base as ghostly wraiths. It’s quite an eerie spectacle.
We do learn more about the Iconians during this episode. Once the player has helped repair the Krenim base, a meeting of Iconian Heralds occurs on the moon’s surface, and the player is able to watch without being detected. Some of the Iconians are urging more caution in their conquest attempts while others are more aggressive. It also appears that the Iconians are stronger when bonded together, as is suggested by this dialogue, “The attack on Iconia broke our unity. We were divided. Diminished. Weak. The Other saved us from oblivion, but it took centuries to rebuild our bonds. We cannot risk more loss.” There are some interesting tidbits on their background found in their conference. Who is the Other? Will killing one diminish the power of the others? I think that we’ll likely find out more in the succeeding episodes. At the conclusion of this episode, the Krenim give the players the plans to the time ship.
So what is the final verdict in our Star Trek Online Time in a Bottle review? I have to give it a thumbs-up. I enjoyed it as there was very little time wasted during it, and some more plot points were introduced. The one knock I would say against it is that it’s quite a bit shorter than most of the other episodes, clocking in at under an hour. Of course, that also means that you can replay it quite a few times quite quickly. The initial rewards are quite nice with the Ferengi duty officer and the dopey-looking Ferengi dance emote. I am really enjoying the story that has been played out this season. I wish more mmo games would take note on how regular new content that is tied together can really enhance playing a game.