Atari and Cryptic released a new trailer for Star Trek Online, this time focusing on the Klingon faction. You can watch the trailer below and read some interesting information. There's a description of Klingon and Federation factions and how they act in-game, along with the point of view of both factions by Cmdr. Korak (Klingon) and Cmdr. Bradden (The Federation).

Klingon in-game

The Klingon Empire is a playable faction in Star Trek Online. It’s comprised of the Klingon Defense Force, the Gorn Hegemony, and the Nausicaan and Orion civilizations. Similar to the Federation, members of the Klingon Empire will advance through a number of different ships as they progress in their journey to conquer the universe.

Life as a Klingon is very combat-oriented, as fans of Star Trek will definitely appreciate. While Klingons are able to pursue Tactical, Scientific and Engineering careers, they’re still expected to fight their enemies and bring glory to their Houses. Much of their time in Star Trek Online will be on the front lines of the ongoing war between the Empire and the Federation, engaged in intense PvP battles with their most hated adversaries … and members of rival Houses.

Federation in-game

The Federation is a playable faction in Star Trek Online. Captains are able to play as one of many races, including but not limited to Humans, Bolians, Andolians and Bajorans. As a member of Starfleet, Federation players have access to a host of ships and configurations, all of which can be customized to fit any Captain’s play style.

Federation game play is broken up into “seasons,” which are themed and feature Episode missions that develop Star Trek Online’s story. The three seasons available at launch will feature Klingon, Romulan and Borg storylines that eventually weave together in a compelling plot.

However, there’s more to do than participate in your own Episodes. Members of the Federation will be able to explore procedurally-generated Star Clusters to truly go where no one has gone before. And for the battle-hardened Captain, PvP combat with Klingon players isn’t out of the question, either.

The Klingon Empire
Cmdr. Bradden
Starfleet Intelligence

Physically, Klingons are quite imposing. They possess a ridged exoskeleton encasing their craniums, giving them the distinctive Klingon forehead. They also are in possession of systemic redundancy, referred to as “brak’lul.” Notably, Klingons possess duplicates of all major organs. No doubt this was evolutionarily advantageous considering their seemingly genetic predisposition toward violence.

The Klingons are a warrior race. Proud of their battle prowess, their willingness to fight, and their code of honor, they can frequently be found in conflict with members of other races. This occurs both on an individual and governmental level.

In the past the Federation has had a complicated relationship with the Klingon Empire. Initial contacts were primarily negative, ultimately culminating in the Federation-Klingon War of 2267. Over time, the Federation and the Klingon Empire were able to come to a truce in 2293 with the signing of the Khitomer Accords. During the Dominion War of the 2370s, the two became active allies.

Unfortunately, in 2399 the Klingons withdrew from the Khitomer Accords, possibly because of the negative response of the Federation to a Klingon invasion of the Gorn Hegemony. In spite of Federation censure, the Klingon Empire continued in their attacks against the Gorn, ultimately annexing the Gorn Hegemony in 2403. Since then, the Klingon Empire has also allied with the Nausicaans. This is in addition to their alliance with the Orions, dating back to 2394.

The Klingons and the Romulans, both with expansionist military empires, have a very intense history of conflict with each other. In the aftermath of the Hobus supernova, which significantly damaged the Romulan Empire, the Klingons have opportunistically begun making forays into Romulan territory. Ironically, the two species share considerable genetic similarities.

We are receiving intelligence that indicates further military preparations on the part of the Klingon Empire and their allies. The likelihood that the Federation will be able to avoid another war with the Klingons is becoming a dim hope.

The Klingon Empire
Cmdr. Korak
Klingon Intelligence

The Klingon Empire is perhaps one of the greatest empires ever to have existed, and I say this with all due modesty. Our warriors are fierce beyond measure, our musician and poets beyond compare. We are the stuff of legends, even if many of them are our own!

We have seen harsh times, though. Never doubt that the Klingon spirit has been tempered in the flames of adversity. We have fought against impossible odds time and again, and won through. We took tremendous losses in the Dominion War of the 2370s. But we survived and triumphed and drank blood wine in the wreckage of the Dominion headquarters. And though they will not admit it now, the Federation and the Romulans could not have survived without us. Bah! Cowards, both!

The Orions, ah, the Orions make properly grateful allies. We gave them a planet and our protection, and they gave us beautiful women to serve our great houses. The Gorn, as well, make decent allies, once we defeated them and took over their Hegemony. They swore allegiance to us, so we allowed them their own government. Never say the Klingon Empire is not generous.

The Nausicaans ally with us as well. They sense the coming the battle. They know that the Klingon Empire cannot fail.

Chancellor J’mpok leads us into a new golden age for the Klingon Empire. While the Federation rambles ever on about peace and equality and diplomacy, and the Romulans plot and murder each other, and the Cardassians desperately try to salvage what little is left of their civilization, we shall take over the Quadrant.

The Federation
Cmdr. Bradden
Starfleet Intelligence

The United Federation of Planets is an alliance of hundreds of different species, all working together towards a common goal. As one of the greatest servants of the Federation once said, it is “a dream that became a reality and spread throughout the stars.”

We uphold the rights of all species to justice, equality, and liberty. We also believe in the pursuit of knowledge and exploration. To that end, we created Starfleet. It serves as our peace-keeping and exploratory arm. In times of need, it also serves as our defense.

In 2161 Vulcans, Humans, Andorians, and Tellarites joined together into an alliance that later became the Federation. What began as a pact for mutual protection against the Romulans became something far greater. Since that day, we have encountered and initiated diplomatic relations with countless new species. We have advanced scientific knowledge within the Alpha Quadrant. We have also reached out the olive branch of peace across several quadrants.

We have faced dark times, however. We have warred with the Klingons upon several different occasions, although there have been times when we reached an alliance of mutual respect. We have faced threats from the Romulans, although today we aid them in rebuilding after the loss of their planet. We battled against the implacable forces of the Borg, although we have also given succor to those who were once Borg. We have proven our ability to put aside grievances and work for the good of all: we united with both Romulans and Klingons to protect our quadrant from the ravages of the Dominion.

The Federation will always, must always, fight to protect the rights of all species.

The Federation
Cmdr. Korak
Klingon Intelligence

They call themselves the United Federation of Planets. In reality, they’re the United Federation of nosy, gossipy, meddlesome do-gooders! They claim everything they do is for the greater good, to promote “peaceful exploration.” Never trust a species that claims to put the interests of others first. It means they’re either selling something or trying to steal your bat’leth.

The Federation will boast about the vast number of planets and species they represent, but make no mistake, it is the Humans who control the Federation. The center of the Federation government is on the Human homeworld. For a wonder, the current President of the Federation is a Suarian and not a Human, but I doubt he does anything the Humans don’t approve.

The Vulcans are the other great power within the Federation, and the Humans are absolutely in awe of the passionless bastards. The Andorians and Tellarites co-founded the Federation with the Vulcans and Humans, but their influence is not so great in comparison.

Starfleet – the military arm of the Federation – claims to observe a “Prime Directive” not to interfere with other species. But all they do is interfere. They involve themselves in conflicts that don’t affect them, like our war with the Gorn or our battles with the Romulans. And what a mess they made between the Bajorans and the Cardassians! The Bajorans are calling for vengeance on all of Cardassia, and the Federation can’t provide it. Somehow, even under Federation surveillance, the Cardassians managed to misplace every last “war criminal.” And let us not forget it was the Federation that brought us the Borg!

The Federation has been a thorn in the side of the Klingon Empire for longer than I care to admit. But not for much longer, I suspect. Not for very much longer.