Star Trek Online 2023 Winter Event begins December 5, awards free Tamarian Cruiser

Developer Cryptic Games announced that Star Trek Online's regular seasonal winter event is nigh. The yearly "Q's Winter Wonderland" event launches on December 5, 2023, and players who participate will earn a free playable starship for their trouble.

The main reward for participation in the Star Trek Online 2023 Winter Wonderland event is a playable starship, the Tamarian Deep Space Cruiser. It's a design based on the starship used by the Tamarians, an alien species featured in the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok". First aired in 1991, the episode featured the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise trying to overcome difficulties communicating with the Tamarians, whose language consisted entirely of metaphorical references drawn from Tamarian history and culture.

In the game, the Tamarian Deep Space Cruiser is a cruiser-type Tier 6 starship built with a focus on durability. It has space for Intel and Comand specialist Bridge Officer abilities, and has access to Inspiration abilities, which are unique to Command-specialist starships. It also mounts the Polarity Coil Generator, which can disable and weaken enemy vessels' shields in a large area around a designated target. The console can be equipped on other starships the player owns. Leveling up the ship's Mastery grade also unlocks a Starship Trait for use on any starship, called "Darmok and Jalad". The trait causes hits on foes' hulls to add a powerful debuff that also accelerates the recharge speed of the player's Captain Abilities. In keeping with the theme of Tamarian culture, many of the Tamarian Deep Space Cruiser's abilities have been renamed using metaphors from the Tamarian language.

Players can earn the Tamarian Deep Space Cruiser by participating in brief minigames on a daily basis during the event period. Roughly twenty days worth of progress (out of the event's 31-day runtime) will unlock the ship. In addition to the ship, event participation will earn various trinkets that can be redeemed for prizes ranging from weapons and abilities to cosmetic outfits and costume pieces.

Some of the cosmetic pieces include "ugly sweaters" patterned after kitschy winter knitwear and containing humorous Star Trek references. One sweater references the "Darmok" episode with a pattern of Tamarian Captain Dathon laughing, while another sweator copies the look of Q's robes from "Encounter at Farpoint".

Star Trek Online is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The PC version of the Winter Wonderland event begins on December 5, 2023 and runs until January 4, 2024. The console versions of the event will debut at a later date.