Star Trek Online Demo Available Next Friday

A free unlimited time* demo is on offer next Friday, along with a 'Return To Star Trek Online' offer. Players still subscribed can earn freebies by playing for a hundred days, in addition to other stuff acquired by referring a friend to the MMO:

Atari, one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, and acclaimed developer Cryptic Studios, are pleased to announce a range of new reward programs for Star Trek Online, the massively multiplayer online game for the PC. These programs include: the Star Trek Online Veterans Rewards, Star Trek Online Referral program, Star Trek Online Winback Weekend and Star Trek Online Demo. The new offers begin May 7, 2010.

The Star Trek Online Veteran Rewards program delivers exciting perks and rewards to our loyal Star Trek Online community. For every 100 days of playtime logged, players can collect rewards including new titles, ship and ship slots, boosts, costume pieces, character slots and more. Of course, Lifetime subscribers will also receive all Veteran rewards as they reach each 100-day milestone.

The Star Trek Online Referral program rewards users who successfully refer a friend to Star Trek Online. When a player successfully refers a friend, he or she will receive the title of Courier, a unique Tribble and non-stacking skill points for your Captain and Officers. When a referred friend subscribes to Star Trek Online, the referrer will receive an additional title of Recruiter, a unique holographic bridge officer and 400 Cryptic points! The more new people a player successfully refers, the more rewards that player will earn.

The Star Trek Online Winback Weekend gives former players a chance to revisit the Star Trek Online universe and enjoy exciting new content. Users with a valid Star Trek Online retail account, but no current subscription, can log-in with their existing characters and play free for the entire weekend. This initiative will kick off on May 7, 2010, at 10 a.m. PST and last until May 10, 2010, at 10 a.m. PST. Pre-load begins on May 3, 2010.

The Star Trek Online Demo program will allow new users to download and play a trial version of Star Trek Online for an unlimited amount of time (some restrictions apply). The demo includes the “Stranded in Space” mission, which pits the player against vicious Orion space pirates. The demo client is available for pre-load on May 3, 2010, and will go live starting on May 7, 2010.

“Star Trek Online gives fans and gamers an unprecedented Star Trek experience and we are confident that the new awards and referral programs will positively expand upon this unique experience,” said Jeff Lapin, CEO of Atari, SA. “We are very pleased with the post-launch content additions and want to give new players a chance to experience the latest expansions and missions, while rewarding those players who helped us launch so successfully.”