Warcry Network has gotten hold of Daron Stinnett, the executive producer of Star Trek Online, for an interview! Here is what he had to say:

>WarCry Network: You guys have been very shy about showing off screenshots. Can you explain why this is and give everyone an overview of the art direction? > >Daron Stinnett: We will begin showing screenshots when we've entered our final year of launch development. We are really excited about the material we have to show but we're also conscious of the pitfalls of revealing too much, too early. > >When it comes to art direction, we've taken a dramatic approach that breaks free of television and film constraints to create a look that while recognizably Star Trek, is much more compelling, great for gameplay, and a better overall fit for our medium. When we reveal our look, it will say loud and clear that STO will be a wholly new Star Trek experience. > >WarCry Network: Space is an ever-exciting infinite black void and on TV they can just chop out the flying around part in a way an MMO does not allow. What are you doing to keep things fun up there? > >Daron Stinnett: One of the things that we love about MMORPGs is the sense of exploration and discovery that comes from a rich and varied world that is as beautiful as it is mysterious. So when we got started, we realized that space rendered traditionally as 99% vacuum, would not allow us achieve the sense of satisfying exploration that players would expect. Our conclusion was that this was an opportunity to innovate space as a gameplay environment. So while we still have warp to whisk players across vast distances, putting around at impulse speed is now a very rewarding experience. When we start showing screenshots, I think people will get a better sense of just how we've solved this issue by taking space environments to an entirely new level. > >WarCry Network: Some might start to grumble that the license has been cursed lately. Despite such high hopes, Star Trek Legacy, a game that came out in December from Bethesda, has received mediocre to poor reviews. Assuming you guys took it for a twirl, what lessons did you learn from this most recent foray into Star Trek gaming? > >Daron Stinnett: Having made several Star Wars games and now being involved in the creation of a Star Trek game, I can say that making a Star Trek game is very challenging But it's not because the license is any less compelling; especially for an MMORPG, it is more compelling. With Star Wars, the approach was to pick great gameplay mechanics and wrap them around the franchise's wonderful characters, adventure, and iconic scenes. Do a quality job with that approach and you have a great shot at a successful title. But with Star Trek, there's a constant pull to derive gameplay from the show mechanics because they are such a large part of Star Trek's screen appeal. I think this approach has too often made for muddled gameplay experiences that may be interesting for their clever use of show mechanics, but often fail to deliver a truly entertaining gaming experience for a large gaming audience. Read the full article here!