Seasoned: Star Trek Online begins Season 9: A New Accord

Star Trek has come a long way from its 1960's television roots, where away missions were primarily peaceful and diplomatic in nature, but with most forms of entertainment, the series has seen itself hypercharged into the action filled franchise we know today. Even Cryptic Studio's MMORPG Star Trek Online has seen itself undergone changes to turn the Federation filled galaxies into a much rowdier place. Perhaps it's a sign of the times, but I'm not quite sure Gene Roddenberry would be to pleased with how the Federation is handling things in Star Trek Online's Season 9: A New Accord, which just launched yesterday.

From a content perspective, Season 9 is action packed. The Undine forces which were only whispers in Season 8 have encroached upon the galactic forces and threatened entire planets with their aptly named "Planet Killers". The enemy of my enemy is my friend and the presence of the Undine has brought for a tenuous alliance between factions. Enemies will become slightly less enemies, while battling the Undine during hostile ground missions and fluidic space events.

Interestingly, the above trailer also mentions players having to interrogate locals for information regarding the Undine. Perhaps my knowledge of the Star Trek universe has been skewed to only favor the earliest series, but I don't seem to ever recall a member of the federation willingly interrogating a civilian for information, while wielding a laser assault rifle!

That being said, there's more to Season 9 than the Undine, character customization has received a much needed update, kits have been revamped in order to improve ground combat and the reputation system has been completely overhauled.

For a full breakdown of each of the new additions this season, be sure to check out the official news post here.